Here’s a few more glimspes of Amara’s 1st Family Camp…
David discovered Amara’s new favorite sport!

If you look at the Family Camp pictures you can see how happy she was anytime she got on that grass. After this, she didn’t want to sit with anyone. She wanted down!

This one is a little wonky at the end – the camera shows the recording as all right side up, but apparently it didn’t record that way!

My dear wife sent me this link to Nancy Wilson’s recent blog post in Femina: Courtship In the Air. In this post she links to two other posts by her husband, Doug Wilson, from which he suggests 21 Questions to prospective suitors and prospective wives. These are great questions and well worth remembering when your time comes to ask them!

David and Kathy's Wedding

I have advocated a “courtship”  model (whatever that means)  of approaching marriage, and have found that the whole discussion seems to invite more questions than it answers. I still think it is a helpful discussion because it causes people to think more self-consciously about how we can help our children think about the future as they prepare for marriage, what kind of relationship we hope to have with them during the process of finding and deciding on marriage, and help them to be wise and godly as they choose their spouse.

Many years ago after a long conversation with some friends about that I think about courtship I wrote a paper called an Outline of the Journey to Marriage. I have gone over it with my children to help us talk about various issues related to courtship. I don’t believe this is “THE” way to do courtship; I don’t believe there are scriptures that can be used to support every point I made; I don’t think it is for every family. But I do think there may possibly be some reasonable and wise ideas that some folks may find useful.

The Happy Graduate

What a great night for the Reformation Covenant Church Graduating Class of 2010!

Peter, Nick, Ken, Kaitlyn, Charity, Grace and Ana

Grace had the opportunity to give a speech at her graduation, and did a wonderful job!

I’m so proud of her!!!

Grace's Inspiring Speech

The parents of graduating students of Reformation Covenant Church typically say a few words of encouragement and praise. Here is the video on my comments to Grace:

My dear Grace – Amy and I are so proud of you and so joyful that we have come to this point in your life. I mean that not merely in the sense that every one of us parents will say it today – I mean it in the sense that I am deeply, passionately and compulsively pleased with you. You are everything at I would wish for in a daughter, and can safely say that my prayers for you and about you have been answered by the Lord more abundantly and beautifully than I would have guessed possible.

The occasion of your graduation is a marvelous time to recognize and celebrate your educational and academic accomplishments – which I consider to be significant.

I encourage everyone to stop by Grace’s table downstairs and take a look at some of the wonderful things she has accomplished – and I’m telling you, the research paper on Conjoined Twins is not to be missed. She has read dozens of excellent books, completed a full series of mathematics and science (including Anatomy and Physiology this year), she is an excellent writer (especially her humorous writing), seriously studied various areas of biblical theology, and memorized several whole books of the Bible. Let it never be said that home schoolers cannot get a good education.

I want to pause to thank Amy for the tremendous job she has done – you are a marvel.

Now as impressive as all of this is, Grace, what brings me even more joy and satisfaction is the fact that you are a young woman of great character and strength and compassion.

You are someone that has long understood that the beginning of knowledge is the fear of the Lord. From your earliest days it was clear to me that you are a unique – a special and exceptional child of God. It’s not just that you were compliant and needed little discipline (which is all true) – it was and remains that you have always been eager to please your parents, serve other people (even your demanding brothers) and love and fear the Lord Jesus.

It is no less true today. You have been growing and developing marvelously and you have made a wonderful beginning of life. But today is just the end of the beginning. You are now ready to move on – taking all that you have learned, and taking all that you have done to prepare yourself, and begin to explore how you will best serve our dear savior as a mature adult.

You are indeed a beautiful, intelligent, funny, resourceful, teachable, and marvelously servant oriented young woman. As you, over the next few years, move into adulthood – my hope and prayer is that you will not just drift along with the current of life, but you will go forth from this night with confidence and conviction that God wants to use you in this world to His glory and for the betterment of humanity.

Proverbs poses the rhetorical question: Who can find a woman of noble character, a woman of moral worth, a virtuous woman, a mighty woman of valor? Such a one is hard to find in this world because she is so valuable, so rare, so worthy of honor and praise that she can only be compared to rubies.

My dear, You are such a one! You are a special treasure to me and to everyone who knows you.

You are one of the greatest joys in our lives – we love you more than life itself. Congratulations and well done, my beloved daughter, in whom I am well pleased!

Commencment Address by Pastor Chris Wilson

Adam is a member of the Concert Choir at Veritas Classical Christian School.  This year they were chosen to go to the state competition for all of the A and AA schools in Oregon – They are now considered the 5th Best Choir in the Sate of Oregon!  Well done!!!

Adam was chosen to do a solo, which he performed wonderfully!

Amy video recorded the Veritas performance of five songs and can be see in the follow three videos.

This one includes Adam’s solo (he starts at 3:50) with the song beginning after about one minute and thirty seconds.  The Choir is directed by the young man that wrote the song, and who recently graduated from George Fox University in Music.

I think Amara won this one!!!

You may remember that Adam became “Metal-Mouth Hayes” about 14 moths ago.

Today the hardware came off!  We now have new before and after pics – In reverse!  See how excited he was to get his picture taken?

The Last Day of Metal-Mouth Adam Hayes

Look how pretty those pearly whites are – And look at how happy he is!!!

The Happy Non-Metal Mouth Adam Hayes

Jon and Michelle are PREGNANT – The Baby is due in August!!!

I’m so excited to have another little Hayes coming – The more the better for me!

Here are the first pictures:

Amy and I have been married 10 years!  What a joy she is, and is the greatest blessing in my life!

We always wanted to do something extra special for our 10th anniversary. We finally decided on a Cruise to the Bahamas, and chose to wait until November to avoid any possible hurricanes (Funny thing: There was a small hurricane the week before our cruise).  We got a great deal on then newest and largest ever Carnival ship, the Dream.

Carnival Dream

We flew to New York city on November 13th and spent two wonderful days together in Manhattan, then traveled to Cape Canaveral, Florida; then down to two island in the Bahamas and then back on November 23rd.

Amy in Central Park

Doug in Central Park

Together on Gold Rock Beach

Here is a link to Amy’s pictures

My Beautiful Bride

Happy Together!!!

Maybe someday I’ll get around to blogging some of the pictures I took.

Since Grace was born I looked forward to giving her a “Hope Chest.”  It seems like something dads should do. But more than that, it is something that I have wanted to do to tell her how proud I am of her as a person, and young woman and someone that I know will be a wonderful wife, mother and grandmother. She has diligently prepared herself for her future as a homemaker, and I have every expectation that she will be a woman of greatness.

Amy suggested that I write a poem for this gift giving event.  What you see below is not so much of a poem as poetic thoughts. I love you grace!

My Treasure

Great as all creation,
Are the treasures of God your Father,
With humanity the crowning glory.
We, His Covenant People, are His special Treasure.
Has He not promised to give us His best?
To open before us His good treasures – This is His pleasure.
Rain from the heavens, blessing on all the works of our hands,
To make us the head of the nations,
Giving us whole salvation and joy,
In love, to judge our sins, and vindicating us before our enemies.
All of these and more are laid up in store for us.
Unsealed are His treasures for those whom He has called sons and daughters.

Let us treasure up the Words of His mouth,
Greater than all other things necessary or desirable.
Let us rejoice at His utterances, His commands and promises,
As those who have found hidden treasures.
By the voice of Him who loves us,
We gain the greatest treasure of all,
God our Father!

Of all the treasures given to me by God your Father,
You, my daughter, are among the greatest!
Of course I treasure many things:
Some are contained only in my heart,
Others live in my home, While others are born to my children.
Some treasures could be put in wooden chests,
Hung on my walls, or worn as badges of pride in my reputation.
But you, my daughter,
Are a treasure so rare and wonderful,
I have nothing that compares to you.
You are a singular treasure,
Exceptional and unique in the world.
Who among the beautiful daughters of proud fathers,
Has such a desire to please with guileless trust,
Displaying rowdy joy and depth of empathy and concern?
You love with loyalty, you stand with truth,
You bring light and joy to me and all!
You, my daughter, are a treasure given by God my Father.

It is time, my dear daughter,
To fill your treasure chest,
With good gifts from God your Father.
To bless those in your world,
In anticipation and hope of the good future,
That is laid out before you by God your Father.
The day will come,
When you will become the greatest of all treasures,
To the one who will be the father of your greatest legacies and treasures.
In anticipation, I call upon you to make preparation,
To make yourself an even greater treasure than you are today!

“Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times,
And the strength of salvation; The fear of the LORD is His treasure” Isaiah 33:6

Christmas Tide, 2009

Grandfather Hayes Baptizing Amara

The Sacrament Of Baptism

It’s a great privilege for me to baptized Amara this morning – My first grandbaby, daughter of my firstborn child, here with my parents. There are four generations of Hayes’ in this room, in addition to the almost innumerable families connected to the Shubins – and it reminds us of the faithfulness of God to His covenant promise to be our God and the God of our descendents. When God gave Abraham the sign of the covenant, circumcision, He said, (Gen. 17:7) “And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you.” In Christ, we are the children of Abraham, and the new new Israel of God. When people asked on the day of Pentecost what they should do in response the Gospel preached to them, the Apostle Peter said to them, Acts 2:38-39 “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”

The baptism of our children is a testimony that God our Father loves us so much that He brings our children into His family with us. They belong, with us who believe, to the membership of the church through the covenant made in Christ and confirmed to us by God in this sacrament which is a sign and seal of our cleansing, our engrafting into Christ and of our welcome into the household of God.  Our Lord Jesus said (Mk. 10:14-16) “Let the little children to come to Me and do not forbid them, for of such is the kingdom of Heaven. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter therein.  And He took them up in His arms and put His hands upon them and blessed them.” The Apostle Paul also declared that the children of believers are to be numbered with the holy people of God.

In presenting your child for baptism do you confess your faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord and do you promise, in dependence on the grace of God, to bring up your child in the nurture and admonition of the Lord?

Let us pray.

Most merciful and loving Father we thank You for the Church of Your dear Son, the ministry of Your Word, and the sacraments of grace.  We praise You that You have given us so great and gracious promises concerning our children and that in mercy You call them to Yourself, marking them with this sacrament as a singular token and pledge of Thy love.  We pray that what we now do on earth may be confirmed in heaven.  As in humble faith we present this child to You, we ask You to receive her, to indue her with Your Holy Spirit and to keep her ever as Your own, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

What is the Christian name of this child? Amara Zion Hayes

Amara – Means “Eternally Beautiful” – Zion, or course is the City of God

The Bible tells us that Zion is the beautiful city of God – the place where His people gather to Him in song, praise and worship – the place to which the nations come from all the nations to learn the Truth of God. Hebrews tells us that each Lord’s Day we come Mount Zion and the city of the Living God, the heavenly Jerusalem  – May the life and testimony of Amara Zion Hayes be a reflection of the beauty and glory of God in His Church.

Amara Zion Hayes, I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. And may the blessing of God the Father, and God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit descend upon you and rest upon you, now and forevermore.      Amen.

This child is now received into Christ’s kingdom, and do you, the people of this congregation, in receiving this child, promise with God’s help to be her sponsors to the end that she may confess Christ as Lord and Saviour and come at last into His eternal Kingdom.  If so answer, “Amen.” (Congregation responds ” Amen.”)   Jesus said “Whosoever shall receive one such little child in My Name, receives Me.”

Let us pray.

Almighty and everlasting God, who of Your infinite mercy and goodness has promised that You will not only be our God, but also the God and Father of our children, we humbly ask You for this child, that Your Spirit may be upon her and dwell in her forever. Take her, we entreat You unto Your fatherly care and protection.  Guide her and sanctify her, both in body and in soul. Grant her to grow in wisdom as in stature, in favor with God and men.  Abundantly enrich her with Your heavenly grace.  Bring her safely through the perils of childhood.  Deliver her from the temptations of youth and lead her to witness a good confession and to persevere therein to the end.  O God, our Father, give unto Your servants in whom You has committed this blessed trust the assurance of Your unfailing providence and care.  Guide them with Your counsel as they teach and train their children.  Help them to lead their household into an ever increasing knowledge of Christ and in a more steadfast obedience to His will.  We commend to Your fatherly care the children and families of this congregation.  Help us in our homes to honor You and by love to serve one another, and to Your name be all blessing and glory through Jesus Christ our Lord.   Amen.

Grandfather, David, Kathy and Amara

Heaven Scent

Smell her hair, rub your nose on her check
She is new and fresh
She is asleep and yet full of life
A gift given – and joy received
She is heaven scent

Like a sunny spring morning
With bird song and new blossom fragrance in the air
Hope and expectation everywhere abundant
God promises new life and joy in her cry
She is heaven scent

Too often our eyes are dimmed with concern
Too heavy our cares seem to be
Life sometimes has that musky smell of stale disappointment
And yet – In the peacefulness of her sleep – joy is remembered
She is heaven scent

Heaven is where the King rules
Heaven is where our love ascends
From heaven we look for all our prayers to be answered
From heaven we know that love always comes
She is the scent of heaven – A foretaste of joy’s aroma

My dear wife Amy, Mother-In-Law to Kathy, Grammy to our coming granddaughter, gave this wonderful shower talk last Thursday.  I just had to share it!

Grammy Amy Giving Her Wise Words

Fruitfulness in Community

Kathy’s Baby Shower Talk September 10, 2009

I’m so excited! Isn’t this exciting?!

We’ve had many happy days lately, celebrating many babies and brides, but isn’t that a wonderful thing?!

Once again we’re gathering to celebrate a new life in our community. A new little piece of Christ’s victory on earth. I think the abundance of baby showers we’ve had this summer is a wonderful sign of God’s blessing and goodness towards our community. We are actually seeing God fulfill His promises to us in our lifetimes – we asked Him to bless our efforts to promote faithful families for Christ’s earthly kingdom purposes and He is causing our cup to overflow! What a glorious thing it is that baby shower gifts are quickly becoming their own budget category for RCC members!

Grammy Serving Dinner to Over 70 At the Shower

One of the blessings of all these babies in our community is the joy we now have of having several generations in our church. Since this shower is not only Kathy’s RCC shower, but her Hayes and Shubin families shower, I decided to do the shower talk myself and bring a somewhat personal viewpoint to the birth of the newest little Hayes. Hopefully you will all find something edifying in our little chat tonight, but I have to confess from the beginning that it is a talk highly colored by the Hayes family story.

As anyone who knows me very well will tell you, Kathy most especially:

I am inordinately excited over the coming of this baby.

In my way of thinking, a Hayes baby has been a long time coming! In fact, with a daughter-in-law less generous than Kathy, I’d say I’ve been walking a fine line of making this little baby girl “all about me!”

A Beautiful Night

But, since Kathy seems to welcome all the fuss with open arms, I’ve decided that I’m free to go completely overboard and be as ridiculous as I please over being a “Grammy.” Many an eyebrows may rise over my age and my friends may laugh at my needing to take September off to “get ready for the baby,” but I don’t have to care! God’s faithfulness to give all women an avenue of fruitfulness is demonstrated in this little bit of baby excitement in the Hayes family.

This is what I’d like to talk to you about tonight. How each of us fulfill our calling by God to be fruitful from Genesis 1:28, but not always in the natural way we think of when we read, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.”

Let me quickly read that familiar passage for you:

So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it;

We’re pretty clear on our part in the dominion mandate in our community. Our family average is at least triple the national rate of 1.2 children per household, we work hard to have single-income households, find ways to educate our children without the state, create homes that are sanctuaries for those children and show them marriages filled with love and respect bound by the grace and mercy of Christ.

Godly fruitfulness is something we embrace and excel at in increasing contrast to the barren world around us.

However, some of us have been asked to face the question of, “how can I be fruitful, filling the earth and subduing it?” This happens for many reasons.

Perhaps you are like I was and discovered your lovely plan to “start with 7 and see from there” was halted by the sovereign hand of God saying “no”. How are you supposed to be fruitful if you can’t bear physical fruit?

Perhaps prince charming has tarried in riding in on his white charger. You can’t very well be fruitful and multiply all by yourself!

Perhaps your beloved child is in a season of rebellion or has fallen away from the faith and it seems to you that while you did multiply, you don’t feel it was very fruitful. (Bobbi’s fear)

Maybe you’re on the other end of the spectrum and with 4 children under the age of 5, you have begun to feel overwhelmed by single-handedly trying to fill the earth!

There are many circumstances that can bring us to the question of how are we to be fruitful for Christ in the particular situation in which He has sovereignly placed us. Thankfully, His word has much to say to us about being fruitful in whatever way He forms our journey.

I’d like to pass along 3 observations I’ve made in thinking through godly fruitfulness in my own life.

First

Fruitfulness is found in our community. Sometimes if we are feeling frustrated about not being able to be fruitful in the way we expected – we need to consider other avenues. You may not be having all the children you expected to, or not yet, but perhaps you can be useful to those who are. Our calling is to be fruitful AND multiply – meaning the calling to fruitfulness is additional to the calling to multiply. When physical fruitfulness is denied or delayed, it is time to put more energy towards being fruitful in other ways. Be a blessing to those who are physically fruitful. Contribute to the fruitfulness of the Christian community around you. Can you serve a young mother who is struggling with the weariness of running after toddlers? Can you be a friend, example, “auntie” or “nanna” to children in your circles who maybe don’t have an extended Christian family? You may not be filling the earth personally, but you can be fruitful through helping those in your Christian community raise up a generation that knows God and exhibits the fruits of the spirit to the world around. Raising a godly seed is not a job for sissies and I know extremely few, if any, Christian moms who would turn away a helping hand!

Romans 12:4-6 tells us that,

For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them…

The Gifts Shared In Abundance

Each part of the body of Christ has a place in helping our families succeed at bringing forth a fruitful generation on the earth. We are one with one another and when a generation rises up that knows God, we all have been fruitful together as a body.

Secondly

Are you using your community? Whatever end of the struggle you may be on, there are many women of all walks here who want to help you succeed. Take advantage of the opportunities to seek one another out that are already available such as our Ladies’ Fellowship breakfasts. Reach out bodly and ask someone about their experiences or for their advice. God gave us a rich community life, but it’s of no blessing to us if we retreat from it in times of stress and struggle rather than reaching out and using our community life.

Sharing your burden of feeling unfruitful may help you to bear it and you may find fresh ideas for pursing kingdom fruitfulness. Asking someone to help you when you are overwhelmed with all the fruit running around underfoot in your home may allow that helper find an outlet for their own gifts. You may think everyone else has their hands full too, but you don’t know until you ask. I’ve spoken to many women who would like to be helpful to the next generation of young mothers, but aren’t sure how to get started or what exactly is needed.

A specific example I can think of is homeschooling. I can only imagine how hard it is to succeed at teaching 3 grades and nursing a new baby! God is increasingly blessing us with veteran homeschoolers and I know from personal conversations that some of them would love to help you succeed in educating your children! Find a mother who loved homeschooling and just talk – you may just find that those who loved homeschooling like to share their experiences and wisdom with you. J Someone may even like to help – maybe they miss teaching!

Avail yourself of the community God has given you that your home may be fruitful. Reject the uniquely American idol of individualism and share your load. It may be that in sharing your load you will actually be blessing the person who is called on to help you. Amanda may think I’m helping her by holding Esther while she eats, but really she is blessing me by sharing that baby! Using your community is a blessing to that body and you become fruitful together in one another’s lives. Don’t let your fruit rot on the vine because pride keeps you from sharing the labor or the harvest.

Lastly-

Reach out to those in community with you. Each of us has particular fruits of the spirit that we excel at and those we fail at. Use your strengths to hold up the weaknesses of others. When you see a sister floundering in a particular season of life – don’t wait for them to become desperate enough to send out an SOS – just offer. Just as using your community blesses it, reaching out towards others produces fruit in their lives and yours.

We all desire to come before the Lord on our judgment day and hear, “well done thou good and faithful servant.” We desire to be fruitful with the gifts He has given us. Pursue fruitfulness, not only by having those beautiful babies and raising them for Christ, but by seeking the fruitfulness of your Christian community, using it and reaching out for help from it.

The beautiful baby and mommy we here to celebrate tonight is what I would like to end on. I told you this was going to be a particularly Hayes talk and now’s my moment to beg your indulgence because I want to finish not with thoughts on fruitfulness, but by taking a moment to personally commend our guest of honor to you tonight.

At the end of the book of Ruth we read of the birth of her first born son,

So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife; and when he went in to her, the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son. Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a close relative; and may his name be famous in Israel!  And may he be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has borne him.” Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her bosom, and became a nurse to him.  Also the neighbor women gave him a name, saying, “There is a son born to Naomi.” And they called his name Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.

In my imagination, I always thought a natural motherly possessiveness over her baby would’ve made it hard for Ruth to allow her firstborn to be so completely claimed by Naomi. However, that’s probably me reading this passage through the lens of my own selfish tendencies. Ruth, who loved Naomi enough to speak those beautiful words we know so well from Chapter 1, continues to pour out her love here at the end of the book in this sharing of her fruitfulness with her mother-in-law.

Great Grandma Hayes, Aunt Lenora & Cousin Bethany

Kathy is wonderful living example of Ruth in our home. However odd our family may seem to the world around us – Kathy is that kind of godly, loving woman whose joy in family causes her to pour herself out for them and unselfishly, joyfully share her best treasure with even me. Instead of being embarrassed or annoyed, Kathy is an example of being fruitful in community as she reaches out to me – taking me to her ultrasound, inviting me to have an opinion on her nursery colors.

She happily accepts me as “mother-in-law-friend” and “grammy” without being weirded out by my age and welcomes my ridiculous over-eargerness about this baby without ever seeming to become intruded upon. My daughter-in-law who loves me is better than the 7 babies I had all planned out for my “normal” family because in love she shares her fruitfulness with all of us at home.

So, I wanted to take a chance to praise Kathy before all of you tonight for this loving fruitfulness she pursues in the lives of her family.

I encourage you, Kathy, to continue in this pouring out, not for my sake, because I know this really isn’t about me however much we joke about it. It’s because pouring ourselves out is what we do as mothers and with that virtue alone you will be a wonderful mommy to our girl and your life will be filled with both the fruitfulness this baby represents, but also the fruitfulness of good works that blesses the community of our family and the world around you.

Shubin Women Support Momma Hayes!

Let’s pray together

Heavenly Father, Thank you for calling us to fruitfulness and for giving each of us the means and way you would have us fulfill that calling. Help us to humbly submit ourselves to your ways and your means. Give us strength to the task you have appointed. Accept our works through the work of your Son.

Thank you for the community of Christian sisters we have represented here tonight. Thank you for surrounding us with love and fellowship in a world that is increasingly hostile and isolated by sin. Help us to see one another’s needs and to fill them. Cause us to be true pictures of your love toward us in they way we lay ourselves down for one another.

Bless this new member of your body Lord. Give her and her mother safety, health and strength as she enters the world. Cause her to grow each day of her life in stature before both you her God and men her community. Give her sweetness of spirit and thankfulness of heart and make her a joy to her Savior, her family and her church body. Be her God and watch over her, guiding her feet on paths of righteousness we pray for we know that she is given to us in safekeeping only and that you are her Father who loves her.

Bless Kathy as she enters into motherhood. Give her strength for the tasks that are too great and joy for the times that are too sorrowful. Send her fellow laborers in Christ to lighten her load and to aid her success in raising her daughter for you. Send the peace of your Holy Spirit to her as she looks forward to the perils of childbirth. Make her path smooth and her way easy. We ask you especially Lord to cause this baby girl to turn so that Kathy doesn’t have to go through the trial of a C-section.

Bless each of us here that has role in the life of this new mother and child. Let us be a blessing to them both. Cause our celebration tonight to redown to your glory and to the edification and encouragement of one another we pray. Thank Lord for being our God and hearing our prayers as we call out to you to look down on us in love.

We pray these things in the name of Christ Jesus – Amen.

David and Kathy have been so excited to find out what gender our Grand-baby is.

Today is the day!

Mommy & Daddy Waiting

The technician, declared, “It’s a girl.”  What a happy moment for mommy and daddy!

A Beautiful Family Moment - Our Daughter

Aunt Grace smuggled in a camera with video capability – That’s my girl!

Mommy and Daddy get their first girl pictures

Is she right handed?

Cute little fingers

What a sweet face

Our Beloved Baby Girl!