Thankful List ~ June 2015

June Thankful List

This month we’ve been able to discover more things to do in our new city.  Explored the children’s museum a couple times, had fun at library story time, went bowling, went to two different pools with friends, and sweated through an outdoor festival at the library.  We are excited about July because we have lots more fun things planned as we learn more about our new community and get to know some new friends a little better.

This month was also very difficult in that we celebrated what would have been our baby’s 1^st birthday.  Taylor, the little one we lost at 11 weeks old, will never be forgotten.  I think June 9^th will always be very emotionally difficult.  There is such a weird aspect to this because last year, on baby Taylor’s due date, we discovered we were pregnant.  So, yes, we are grieved that we lost our baby, but yet, had Taylor joined us we would not have our little Eli whom we love to pieces.  Each year we want to remember baby Taylor by having a little cake of some sort.  This year I went to three stores who didn’t have exactly what I was looking for.  After finally deciding on a cake in the fourth store I took it to the register but the price was mislabeled so the manager gave it to me for free.  On the spot I started crying.  I just thought it was neat how God was present in the smallest of details that day.

Sweet little Elias had a pretty eventful month.  He found his toes, began grabbing anything and everything within reach, and started “talking” (more like squawking) very loudly. He had his four-month check up mid-June and we were told he was in the 2^nd percentile.  The doctor recommended that I nurse him every 2 hours, that we give him rice cereal twice a day as well has vegetables twice a day.  Wow.  The first few days of rice cereal were hard.  He did NOT want it, but we persevered and he started eating it better as we thickened it up a bit.  Then we started him on some green beans, which also presented similar challenges.  All was well until one day shortly after eating he began violently vomiting.  We eventually had to take him to the hospital for dehydration.  Since then any day that we try to give him solid foods he begins vomiting.  Please join with us in prayer for our little guy because the doctor has said that if he does not gain weight he will be classified as “Failure to Thrive” and will most likely have to be hospitalized so they can help him to gain weight.  I am thankful that during this time the Lord is helping me to fight anxious thoughts.  He is reminding me through this circumstance that HE alone is the author and sustainer of life!

Probably the most time consuming and impactful thing we did this month was taking the youth group to Orlando, Florida.  We spent 10 days together being intentional in a variety of ways. The students attended the Son Power Conference in which they, as a youth choir, rehearsed 13 songs and eventual recorded an album that will be released in September of 2015.  Many IMB missionaries will be given a copy of the CD as they are commissioned to go overseas. Before coming on the trip we had all read the book Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris.  We discussed this book and brainstormed ways we could be intentional in our personal lives, in our homes, in our communities, and in the world to do things for the impact and glory of God and His kingdom despite challenges and in the midst of our cultures’ low expectations. To complement these discussions, we studied through the books of 1 Peter and Nehemiah.  We also spent two days preparing bags of food for hungry children with the assistance of the organization Feeding Children Everywhere.  In addition we also had lots of opportunities to fellowship either by going to the pool, playing board games, making meals together, and even visiting Disney World!  We were so encouraged that even while at the parks the youth were focused on the bigger purpose and were actively seeking opportunities to encourage others, pray with people, and even share the gospel.  It was an amazing opportunity to bond with the youth group and focus on eternal things.  I’m so thankful that the kids and I got to go and take part in such a great trip.