God With Us

The other day I was working in the office when Tom came in to tell me that a baby had been brought to our door. We were not really considering taking in new babies at this point because of our current financial struggles. (You can read our latest newsletter to learn more) 

My heart has been a bit fragile (more about this at a later date), so Tom offered to go down to the entry way to see what was up.

He came back to tell me that the baby was only 7 days old and his mother had died shortly after his birth after getting an infection following her cesarean section. Once the family had taken care of the funeral they took stock of the situation and realized they didn't have anyone to take care of this newborn baby. His father is crippled and has another seven children. The grandparents are very old. So the whole family agreed they needed to try to find him a home with us.

Tom and I both agreed that this was a genuine need, but wanted to check in with our Boss first to make sure this was the right decision. We sat quietly in our office to pray. 

Tom prayed a simple prayer of acknowledgement of God's grace and provision and our need for his guidance. Immediately I felt a growing peace in my heart that taking in this new baby was the right thing. Tom continued praying: "We know that this baby boy, Emmanuel, needs a family..." and right then I knew for certain that we were meant to take in this baby. 

Let me explain:

Last month I was struggling (I still am--again, more about this later) and an opportunity arose for me to take a break and attend a retreat for Global Women (AKA missionaries) in Cape Town, South Africa. There was so much good that came of this time that I could fill several posts (and may still do that), but in one morning session a part that stood out to me so strongly was that Christianity is the only religion where our God is named Emmanuel which means God With Us. We are never alone. We forever carry God in our hearts wherever we go. This filled my heart with comfort and I wrote that name large and underlined in my notes. 

So the moment I found out this brand new baby's name is Emmanuel I knew that God was leading us in this way. 

After the prayer I shared this with Tom and he said he had had the same reaction to hearing the name for the first time. Despite our financial struggles, despite the uncertainties of the future in this country, despite our human frailties, God is with us! and He will always be with us and with these precious children that he places in our home. 

Peter has loved helping to care for Emmanuel--once we reassured him that he hadn't been replaced that is.

Emmanuel is just the sweetest baby you have ever seen. And, yes, I know I say that every time (well, maybe not every time. LOL) He seems perfectly healthy and is eating and sleeping like a champ.

Emmanuel loves his pacifier--which I'm grateful for.

If you would like to help toward Emmanuel's expenses and those of the overall budget we would love that and you can simply click on this link to make a one-time or even monthly donation so that we can continue to help these little babies. 

A baby makes a fantastic accessory