Megy groaned as another contraction tore through her body. She had been in labor for18 hours, and her baby hadn’t arrived yet. Four men carried Megy on a stretcher toward the river several miles away, where they hoped to meet a public vehicle that could take Megy to the government clinic.

Storm clouds gathered on the horizon and threatened heavy rain. If the men couldn’t reach the river before the rains swelled it, they couldn’t cross. Megy’s life and the life of her unborn baby hung in the balance.

Megy and her husband live in a large village in eastern Papua New Guinea. Most women give birth at home or in the simple birthing center in the village. But the birth attendants aren’t equipped to handle complicated births. If they can’t cross the rain-swollen river, woman and their infants often die en route to help.

The men hurried on as large drops of water began pelting them. They reached the river and carefully picked their way across the swirling waters. Once on the other side, the men scrambled up the rocky shore to the place where public vehicles stopped. Soon a vehicle came, and Megy’s husband helped her into the back.

The vehicle bumped along the rough, drawing more groans from Megy. Thirty minutes later the driver stopped at the government clinic, and Megy’s husband helped her down. Soon she was inside, where the government nurse could help her safely deliver her child.

The next day Megy and her husband rode another public vehicle back to their village with their new son. Megy had survived because she had made it to the government clinic in time. Other women in her village weren’t so lucky. Megy yearned for the day when her own village would have a decent clinic.

Thousands of people who live in and around Megy’s village in Papua New Guinea are rejoicing today because the Adventist Church has built a government-certified clinic in their village. The villagers don’t know much about Adventists yet, but they do know that Adventists care for them enough to meet their medical needs and teach them how to live more healthful lives. The Adventist nurse at the clinic has the equipment to deliver their babies and the medicines to treat their illnesses.

A recent Thirteenth Sabbath Offering is helping to build more clinics in Papua New Guinea. The people are eager to hear about the God that Adventists worship because see God’s love through the Adventists who care for them. Thank you for helping save lives and lead people to Jesus in Papua New Guinea and around the world.

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