Amazing

Today we went to a catholic baptism party. One of the ladies who comes with her children regularly to church had her last son baptized this morning. We never felt led to speak out against this baptism as she has barely got her two feet in the door. Although we disagree and the whole thing offends my religious mind and its idea of "right" we just did not want to risk driving her from the love of Jesus by insulting a centuries old tradition in her culture. She has only been coming for about 8 weeks and hardly moves during a service. It is all so strange to her. No idols on the sanctuary walls, no Virgin of the Immaculate Concepcion, no Virgin of the Brown God Child. Frank wears no fancy outfit, not even a collar.
As a consequence of our stance we were invited to the after party held at the family "camp". We bump down the dirt roads and finally pull up at a "compound of homes. Here is a 8x8 cinderblock square with one high 2x2 window and a door. The others are tar paer and plywood scarps. Clotheslines strung with many many childrens brightly colored clothing appear festive along the dirt path to their abode. The guuset of honor a two year old man child in a powder ble three piece suit has shed his tiny black dress shoes and is rolling in the dirt as 20 or so other children run wild in the yard. Ranchera music comes from an old radio set on a barrel in the midst of the men. They are pretty much silent and I wonder what they do talk about, but it is not my business so I will have to wait and ask Frank. The women sit cross-legged in a circle on the ground, their skirts festoon about them. I alone sit in a chair. I alone am not sporting on long black braid as they all do.
Frank is asked to bless the food (a steaming pot of pigs feet soup) and afterward he thanks the Lord for his many blessings. When he is done., Lucia stands and tells the most awesome story thanking God for the life of this son.
She goes back 2 years to the birth day of her last child. She lived with two other families high in the Sierra of Oaxaca, 8 HOURS from the nearest settlement. On that day she was alone with all of the other children the oldest of them being 8. All other adults were off working. She began to have pains that were horrible. Not normal birth pains and she should know s she has already delivered 8 children. Her usual labor maxes ou at two hours! Usually she squats in the field and "drops" an infant. This day is different. For hours the pain increases and the baby, once active inside of her has stopped all movement. She is scared it is dead or dying. She drags herself to a neighbors dwelling and there looks for tequila but finds only rubbing alcohol. One small bottle. Back in her home she drinks it in one burning gulp then takes a large kitchen knif and begins to cut a hole in the top of her swollen belly. She cuts until she finally sees a foot. She grabs the foot and after conssiderable tugging(her word) out comes a baby boy who is not moving. The blood shoots ceiling high at one point. She proceeds to cut and tie the cord then loses conciousness.
Apparently, TWO days later her husband retuns to find the 8 yr old watching over her unconcious body. He calls for a village midwife who arrives the NEXT day and they begin a long (2 day) journey to the hospital. She is concious but badly in need of suturing. They go by foot then by bus.
The doctors are totally astounded and she is written up in Mexican medical papers as a "present day case of auto-cesearean birth resulting in survival".
This sounds wild, but I saw the scar(ick). And the hospital papers.
Do you know ANYONE who you can imagine performing an auto-cesearean?? I did not until today.
We had a pleasant afternoon but I am bushed.
Praise yahweh and love,
deedee