Women are coming to our classes.... some pregnant, some recently delivered and some grandparents parenting infants and toddlers! We are breaking bread together and enjoying a meal at each class, teaching and learning new information, sharing life experiences, and coming back week after week for more. These women are animated and loud (and sometimes funny) while they try to talk over each other. Lynn and I sometimes feel that we are in a room with people who speak some language other than the English we know. They share freely, and some of their experiences and life stories are painful to hear. They are courageous and resilient and beautiful. We have grown to love each of them. And when they bring their babies or toddlers, we see the beauty and depth of their attachment to their family and their desire to be better for their children. All of it inspires us to want to help and support and lift them in any way we can. We provide free transportation to and from classes if they need it. They receive groceries to help make it through the coming week each time they come to class. They go home with diapers that have been donated and a Kroger gift card every week. We have also been blessed with the support and help of volunteers who are 1st and 2nd year medical students at the University of Tennessee. This next class is focusing on eating well during pregnancy with a guest presenter from the Extension Service.
So far, these women are all single women and single parents. One is 29 years old and just had her 6th baby (with her first being born when she was 14). Another woman has 7 daughters with the most recent being 4-month-old twin girls. We have a young woman pregnant for the first time who was hospitalized last week with pre-term labor contractions; we are trying to support her while she tries to maintain bedrest; her mother is incarcerated and she really doesn't have other options for support. We did a quick home visit and diaper drop off this morning to a mom with a 3-week-old who is breastfeeding like a champ! All of them have pieces of our heart as we support them in being the best moms possible to these precious babies.
Facebook Group Launch for MyBaby4Me
Evaluating Impact of MyBaby4Me
A timely gift came our way for project evaluation for MyBaby4Me. The University of Memphis and Dr. Miriam Clark's services have been offered at no cost to help us implement data gathering, class evaluation and participant outcomes. Dr. Clark is a PhD research scientist who specializes in Prevention Science. Her background could not be a better fit for a new project like MyBaby4Me. Between Dr. Clark and Max Putnam (a U of T Med Student), we are refining the data we are gathering in our efforts with MyBaby4Me participants. Paired with birth and baby outcomes, we hope to have powerful data over the long term to help sustain the project. We continually recognize that when we have a need, we are blessed with resources to meet that need that go beyond what we expect.
The Tyre Nichols case in Memphis
On January 7th, Memphis police members of the SCORPION unit pulled over a young black man for a traffic stop. During the unfolding traffic stop, that young man was beaten by multiple officers and died from a result of his injuries. Tyre Nichols was only a few blocks from the home where he lived with his mother and stepfather and could be heard calling out for his mother as he was beaten. The investigation done following the death resulted in the firing of 6 Memphis police officers as well as terminations by Memphis Fire for other emergency responders who failed to take action at the scene. 2nd degree murder charges have been filed against 5 officers (who are all black). The Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in our Neighborhoods (SCORPION) Unit was disbanded by the Memphis Police Chief following the death of Tyre Nichols.
It has been hard to see the pain in Memphis. It is different to watch the news unfold firsthand in real life and not just on a screen from far away. As one person said, "It is bad enough when a black man loses his life because of police brutality, but it is worse when black police do this to one of their own." The NAACP and its leaders (Vickie Terry and Van Turner) were interviewed multiple times by local and national news outlets. Director Terry has a close personal relationship with the Memphis Police Chief. There were press conferences at the NAACP office and another at a large nearby church. Other city NAACP leaders as well as national NAACP leaders came to Memphis during the response to Tyre's death. There were threats called into the NAACP office, which resulted in Memphis officers coming to take statements from the staff. We grieved with the parents of this 29-year-old young man who left this life at the hands of others. It was a relief that protests in Memphis occurred without further violence. There are many policy actions now being considered by the Memphis City and Shelby County leaders as well as in the Tennessee legislature to prevent such tragic outcomes in the future.
Ice Storm in Memphis
During the week of January 30th-February 3rd, the mid-South was hit with freezing temperatures and an ice storm that took several days to thaw. This picture is of a tree right outside our apartment; if you look closely, you can see how beautiful it was when drops of rain froze as ice droplets that looked like miniature crystal ornaments hanging from branches. Schools were closed and our classes were cancelled..... the sidewalks and roads were like an ice-rink! Beautiful but treacherous. Once everything thawed, temps went up to over 70 degrees. The weather changes are an interesting experience!
Working with Leaders and Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the Mid-South
We were invited by the bishop of the Collierville 2nd Ward to present to ward members about MyBaby4Me during their 5th Sunday lesson in January. We presented again to the Stake Communication Committee of the Memphis North Stake on February 1st. We were included by leaders of the Memphis Stake in their Stake Conference on February 4th and 5th. We were invited to attend the Ward Conference of the Memphis Inner-City Group (smaller than a ward or a branch) on February 7th. The Memphis Inner-City group meets in a beautifully remodeled strip-mall space; that was a new experience for us. We are scheduled to present again the first week of March to the Lakeland Ward Empty Nesters group. We have been able to share the beginning of this project and the beauty of the deepening of relationships between the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and the NAACP. In each setting we are able to meet many who are interested in and have resources to contribute to MyBaby4Me and can facilitate the success of the project. We are grateful to be spiritually fed by the environments we find ourselves in as well as meeting those who are placed in our paths for a purpose.
Valentine's Day and Lynn's Birthday
We are grateful for our mission call and the service opportunities it has brought to our lives. As we study the life of Jesus Christ as recorded in the New Testament, we pray that we can bring a portion of his example to the women we come in contact with.
As we received our mission call, we chose Alma 1:30 from the Book of Mormon as our mission scripture:
"And thus, in their prosperous circumstances, they did not send away any who were naked, or that were hungry, or that were athirst, or that were sick, or that had not been nourished, and they did not set their hearts upon riches; therefore they were liberal to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, whether out of the church or in the church, having no respect to persons as to those who stood in need."
We strive to live up to the principles in that scripture.
Love,
Elder and Sister/Lynn and Joell Archibald
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