Concrete Dreaming...

I delivered my first baby in Africa. On a hillside in southwestern Ethiopia to be exact. We weren't intending on delivering a baby that day; it just happened. We had one pair of gloves between the two of us. They didn't know I hadn't done it before, but somehow my bare hands were the ones that caught the girl. She was lifeless. Gwen, calmly and without pause, wiped her face and gave her the breath of life. Never has a newborn cry sounded so magical as in that small Ethiopian village. Someday I'll tell you the story in its entirety, but for now I wanted to let know when and where I became committed to this cause. This cause, is Life. This cause, is Christ. Shomeka Outreach is my channel to serve God and others at the same time, attempting to sustain the very lives He creates.

The thing is, as my heart began to beat for African communities in 2000, the vision encompassed by Shomeka was awakening in hearts of people around the States as well--Minnesota, Pennsylvania, California, Connecticut. In March 2004 the name 'Shomeka Outreach' was penned and "concrete dreaming" began. These people, strategically linked together by happenstance, became the Shomeka Outreach Board of Directors and visionaries for health services to a rural Zambian village called Kazungula, home to 91,000 people without a hospital. Each member, impassioned by a love of life and fueled by a sense of urgency, has committed to combating maternal mortality. Not only will the clinic host mothers delivering babies, it will also become an outpost for health education and prevention in the community. Our desire is that in years to come, Shomeka Outreach will be seen as a pillar of hope and a trusted entity in the Kazungula community.

So as far as an official introductory, this is it. I am Naomi, a Shomeka founder, labor and delivery nurse, and now, blogger. Our journey has begun and already proven interesting at times. I encourage you to stay tuned and witness what's to come for the families of Zambia!