Advent

Well friends, I know it must seem like I am obsessed with my friends the Fletchers....but you must check out the Black Friday Report post on the MangoTimes. They have encouraged me and Nate to preach the gospel in word and deed this Christmas and to rethink how we spend our money in the Christmas season. The video is amazing! Hope you are blessed the way I was.

Ahhh...Thanksgiving

True Comfort

"Comfort is the one thing you cannot get by looking for it. If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end: if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth-only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin with and, in the end, despair."
C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

"You have taken account of my wanderings; put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not in Your book?"
Psalm 56:8

"I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord."
Psalm 27:13-14

I am sure you are all wondering where I have been in the blog world these past six weeks. Well, I have been thinking. Thinking about life. Thinking about the plans we make. Thinking about the ways we are blinded by this world and convinced to live for ourselves. I needed to refocus and dive into God's word. I know that true healing comes from God's word alone. I am seeking God's face; seeking to know Him more, so I can understand this world He has made a little better. The better I understand who God is, the more I can rest in His promises and look forward to being with Him for eternity.

Yet, there isn't a day goes by where I don't think of my little baby boy. My girls speak of him often to friends and strangers alike, and I find myself wanting to tell strangers about him. These 6 weeks have been tough. I wish I could hold my little baby Paul once more. I often wish I could be pregnant again, just so he would still be with us. I am not a dates or numbers person, so even though our due date came and went, that wasn't that hard for me. The hardest times are those when Annabelle speaks of precious Paul to friends and family. I went in for my six week check up, and she thought we were going to go see baby brother again. Little times like these are much harder, because I am slowly grieving what might have been.

However, I am encouraged. My life is much richer and deeper now that I have had my faith tested and proven. I know that if someone asked me to deny Christ now, no matter the cost, I would not do it. Now, it may be hard, sad and horrible, but I could not deny Him. But my soul finds rest in the truth of the Bible.

I can now echo what David says in Psalm 16, "You are my Lord; I have no good besides You...The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You support my lot...I have set the Lord continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken...You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever."

Baby Paul's Birthday

Just in case you feel like crying:) This is the long 9+ minute slideshow. I know it is long, but this is mainly for people who couldn't make it to the birth or to the memorial today who wish they could have. And this is also for those who are going through something similar. I remember how other people's slideshows really helped me these past six months of waiting. There is a shorter one, but I love this long one. Hope you enjoy it. The birth story to come soon!! P.S. Before playing the slideshow, scroll down to pause the music player for the blog. If you don't you will have two songs playing:)

Come celebrate with us!!!

Friends and Family,
Just want to thank you all for your prayers, and we would like to invite you to worship our God and celebrate the life of Paul with us tomorrow, Thursday at 4pm at Grace Baptist Church, Santa Clarita, CA. A reception will follow. Children are warmly welcome:)

Paul is Home!

Baby Paul was born yesterday, October 4th at 6:59 pm, weighing 6lbs and measuring 19 inches long. He came 5 weeks early, much to our surprise. He was beautiful, and we were able to share precious time holding him and loving him. He went home to be with Jesus around 8:40pm, and we were able to spend a sweet time with friends and family, lifting him up to the Lord.

More pictures and details of his birth story to come, and we will let you know about any plans of a memorial as soon as we finalize them. Thank you for praying.

Love Thy Neighbor...

My neighbor, a dearly beloved blessing, has volunteered to come to the hospital to take pictures of our new little baby and all of us enjoying those precious moments with him. As the time has grown closer, she has taken Nate, me and the girls out for family pics, and just yesterday she took some pictures of just me. Although I don't really feel up to pictures, and if you have ever been nine months pregnant, you know what I mean:), it was a great gift from her to give.

And let the praying begin!

We have one more week until our next doctor's appointment, and we have only 5+ weeks until our due date. Little baby Paul is growing by the minute, or so it seems. Annabelle is becoming all the more inquisitive as to when he will come out so she can hold him. Daily I am brought to tears thinking how my girls will never be able to play with him. I am not looking forward to recovering from labor and delivery, without the joy of a newborn to distract me. I am slowly feeling a joy and excitement for the day of delivery, but I am still getting nervous. What should I expect? How will I feel? Will it truly be the worst day of my life? I know God will grant me strength on that day that I never knew possible, and I know the Holy Spirit will give me a joy only He can give, but I am still tempted to be anxious.

So, friends....pray. Daily, Weekly or just once, but I know that prayers of those who trust God and follow Christ are not ignored. God hears the cries of His children and He is near to us always. He wants us to bring every burden at His feet. I want this experience and the day of my delivery to glorify God and bring others to a loving relationship with Him. As I read Exodus, I relate to Moses. He didn't think he could be used by God. How can God use me?

Pray that God WILL use Nate and me in the next few weeks and on the day of delivery. Pray that we don't doubt God's goodness or His sovereignty. Pray that we can rest in His arms, knowing that He loves us. Thank you for you love and friendship!