Pray! Head Down! Weight Up!

On the Monday after Thanksgiving, we visited the midwife. I had eaten a TON of the traditional Thanksgiving dishes over the week, so I was curious to see if I had gained a TON of weight considering (mmmm... pumpkin pie!)

Well, it ends up that I had dropped a half a pound over the two weeks prior. The baby, however, was growing just fine and had put on weight. That meant that I needed to be careful for my own health!

We also found out that the baby was breech (feet down.) For those who don't know, this is not a safe delivery position, and most breech babies are taken out by C-Section. Our midwife said he would have enough room to turn himself for about 2-4 more weeks, depending. Otherwise, we'd have to do another ultrasound and try to manually turn him (painful.)

So, what did we do? We prayed long and hard for the baby to go head down and for my weight to go up. We asked our parents, friends, and our church to pray for us. We surrendered this to the Lord, asking for His will and praising Him for all He's done, is doing, and will do! It was kinda funny, though, cuz Luke and I were constantly speaking to our Joshua about going head down. "Listen to God and let Him guide you head down," we'd say.

Well, today we had another appointment, and our prayers have been answered! Praise God! Joshua is head down (good boy!) and my weight raised back up. I even gained a pound! Yay! Our midwife says it's a good thing, cuz he's run out of room to turn himself now. God is such a good Father! This past year, He gave us each other (marriage), a baby boy, released us to ministry, and he's turned Joshua head down just in time! Not to mention providing for all our needs, knitting Joshua together, and growing us spiritually and in relationship with Him! I just want to profess the GREATNESS of our Father! Praise God!

Christmas Season: It's A War Out There!

With Christmas just around the corner, most people in this world are thinking about presents and family and probably yummy food. As Christians, many of us are preparing to celebrate the birth of the Greatest Man who every walked the earth: Jesus our Lord, the Christ, the only Son of God.

Well, there is also a group of people preparing for Christmas, but not to celebrate it. The American Humanist Association (AHA) has raised $40,000 in preparation for the Christmas season for an Anti-God ad campaign on city buses in Washington, D.C. The AHA got the idea from the British Humanist Association (BHA), who will be sponsoring an Anti-God campaign this January on city buses in London. I highly recommend reading both articles.

The ads proclaiming, "Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness' sake," will appear on D.C. buses starting next week and running through December. A spokesman for the AHA said, "Our reason for doing it during the holidays is there are an awful lot of agnostics, atheists and other types of non-theists who feel a little alone during the holidays because of its association with traditional religion." I will refrain from sharing my opinions about this statement, for they would be dripping with sarcasm and lack grace.

I will, however, share what the American Family Association president said in response: "It's a stupid ad. How do we define 'good' if we don't believe in God? God in his word, the Bible, tells us what's good and bad and right and wrong. If we are each ourselves defining what's good, it's going to be a crazy world." Too-shay.

Personally, I feel sorry for the AHA and BHA. They have NO idea who they are slandering, and have become self-diluted in thinking that they're somehow benefitting society by removing God from it (as if that was possible.) Sad. They are pawns, slaves if I dare say, of the prince of this world. They are declaring war on God publicly and they may not even know it (since they claim not to believe in Him.) They will have to face God, and I pity them.

It's A Boy!

It is official! We're having a Boy! The doctors say he is healthy and active. He's not quite a pound in weight, and is almost 11 inches in length. He's already had fun practicing some soccer kicks on my bladder, so sounds like he'll be daddy's little buddy!

We're so excited to welcome this little life into the world in February, but until then, we're gonna leave it all in God's hands. Continue to pray for our hearts to be open to the Lord's instructions as He prepares us for parenthood.

Heart Check: Mine Was Wrong!

I noticed my own heart this morning at 6:30AM. I was sitting and reading my Bible when I came across Proverbs 13:12, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.”

It hit me with so much force that I almost dropped my Bible. It felt like the Holy Spirit was screaming in my ear “THIS IS YOU!”

I read the words again and let them drip into the centerfold of my heart. This was me.

My heart was sick. I was sick and tired of support raising! For almost 20 months, I’ve dropped most social engagements, service opportunities, extra-curricular activities, family gatherings, church meetings… it felt like everything that was near and dear to my heart!

This morning I was to the point of breaking! My mind grasped why my heart was so sick. I was so desperate to serve our church family that I could have cried! I didn’t (and still don’t) care if the only job I’m allowed to do as a staffer is clean toilets! LET ME SERVE was the cry of my heart!

As staffers support raising, we are asked to step out of all forms of ministry. Our church is kind enough to allow us to do a few things like Life Group, Church on Sundays, and even The Rock on Friday nights, but otherwise, everything else is off limits.

I wanted to do campus outreach, share my love of the Lord with others, help take burdens off the pastors! God created me to love, share my life, and serve His people. That is what I’ve been longing to do! Was this too much to ask?

My heart was weary thinking about such things. It had been dwelling on them for weeks now, I just didn’t know it consciously. My husband even mentioned that I seemed less happy than normal. It finally all made sense!

My hope was in finishing support raising, and since it hadn’t happened (hope deferred) my heart was sick. It is good to want to serve, but not to put that above God. I was in the wrong. Wanting to serve is not too much to ask, but putting even good things like service before trusting in our God is sin.

But, if I would only put my hope in the Lord, all my longings would be for Him, and thus fulfilled, because He gives Himself fully to us! He is with us always, and that is the tree of life! That is where true joy comes from!

Yes, I want to serve and I hope to be done support raising in seven days time (students start moving into the dorms in a week), but I am now focusing on putting my hope in our Lord. He is good in all circumstances, and deserves praise no matter what the outcome. If my heart is right about it, I’ll be filled with joy in a week no matter what happens! Have you checked your heart lately?

12 Weeks & Lots Of Decisions!

We're now 12 weeks along, and there are a ton of decisions we're facing! Many have been easy. For one thing, it was easy to choose name options, since we've had up to 5 names picked out since we were first engaged. It was also easy to choose between a mid-wife and doctor. We like the personal and natural touch of a mid-wife, so we're going with that option. Easy.

The more difficult decision looming over us right now is reusable vs. disposable diapers. All we've been told are the benefits and drawbacks of each, but nobody really wants to say which is more worthwhile. I suppose it really depends on priorities and resources. Here are the few things I know:

Reusable Diaper Pros:

• Cheaper (Approx $400 vs. $2000 on average per child)
• Environmentally Friendly (It's estimated that disposables take 250-500 yrs to decompose)
• Healthier (Must change diapers more often and less chemicals used, so healthier for baby)
• Potty Training Helper (Kids will feel wet and will take to potty faster in theory)

Disposable Diaper Pros:

• More Time Efficient (Less time washing off and washing diapers)
• Less Mess (No need to wash off diapers, and less chance of leakage)
• Less Water/Detergent Used (Not sure how much less, but it seems significant)
• More Socially Acceptable (Let's face it, people who reuse are in the minority)

Part of me really likes the convenience factor of the disposable diapers, but the practical side of me sees the cost/benefit ratio scale tilted towards reusable. We may not be able to afford disposables! Missionary budgets are tight, and this would be a good way to save money.

What do other moms out there think? I would love to hear suggestions, corrections, and stories! Please share! We need help!

Two Little Words!

Two little words that are like music to my ears! They make illness and pain more bearable. They bring joy to our entire family! Yup, you guessed it: WE'RE PREGNANT!

Story time! I was feeling very ill at the beginning of June. For two weeks, I was dizzy, fatigued, sick to my stomach, and emotional. I thought I was going to die! So, I cried out to the Lord, and He gave me an overwhelming feeling of peace. Then, six little words hit me like a resounding gong: "Check To See If You're Pregnant."

I couldn't shake this thought, so I went out to buy one of those home pregnancy tests. The closest place was HyVee, so I went up to their pharmacy counter and asked the lady where the tests were. She gave me this look like, "You're not old enough to be asking me this", but pointed them out to me. I laughed the look off, and quickly made my purchase. I drove home, ran for the bathroom, and followed the instructions. Let's just say the plus sign was REALLY purple. I told Luke later that night, and he was super excited. We went for an official test the next day with the doctor, and it was confirmed.

We're due in February, which means we are only 9 weeks along! Not quite a honeymoon present, but pretty close. Yay for the newest Anderson! We can't wait to meet him/her!