In the fall, we participated in an online study of India that was sponsored by Sonlight Curriculum and Mission India. The girls watched a series of videos that focused on India and the work that Mission India is doing. Bella even had a Passport to India...she had questions to answer each week, passport stickers to add when a part of the trip was completed, and we were all encouraged in how to pray for India and its people. The videos were age appropriate, but they didn't hold back either. We visited slums and met children who are living in deplorable conditions. We visited villages and and saw how families are surviving. We visited temples and saw how God is putting His gospel into action.
The kids who participated were also encouraged to collect spare change to give to Mission India. Sonlight was offering a funds matching challenge and the girls learned that every $1 dollar raised would be used to send a child to a community children's bible club. The girls had a special collection box and raided their piggy banks. But this was not enough for Bella...she really wanted to fully sponsor 100 children. She asked me if we could have a bake sale at Compass, our homeschool co-op.
So, in November Bella (and Sophia) held a bake sale. We made cupcakes, cookies, and brownies and they were a hit :) Bella made a banner and we had fun watching the goodies disappear. When all was totaled, she had raised over $44 for Mission India. We added money to make it to $50 and Sonlight matched that amount...grand total, $100! She reached her goal...100 sponsored children will now get to attend a local kid's bible club :)
I confess that I am so proud of her...God gave her a desire to do more and she listened. He inspired her with a plan and she put it into action. And God blessed her efforts.
Thank you, Lord, for the Kingdom perspective you are growing in my children.
"Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations..." Matthew 28: 19
There is something so special about choosing a child's name.
I have loved naming all my babies! It hasn't been hard for Steve and I to pick names we both love. Thankfully, we have similar taste in names, so it's been very easy for us to pick names together. Before I reveal our newest sweet babe's name, though, I thought I'd share some thoughts and reflections of our other children's names and how they came to be. After marrying into the Gonzales name, I was drawn to names with Spanish and European roots. We also have a tradition of choosing a family name for our children's middle names.
Elijah Shawn Gonzales: We both really liked the name Elijah (meaning "my God is the Lord") and after we learned our son would not live long, the name Elijah seemed even more appropriate. He is named after God's prophet, Elijah, who was simply whisked away to heaven one day.
"And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven." 2 Kings 2: 11
His middle name, Shawn (meaning "God is gracious"), is Steve's middle name, so he is named after his daddy :)
Isabella Anne-Louise Gonzales: Isabella is a name with Hebrew, Italian, and Spanish roots and means "consecrated or devoted to God". Anne (meaning gracious; merciful) is my middle name and my mom's middle name as well. Louise (meaning warrior) is Steve's Grandma G's name. Isabella was due on Grandma G's birthday (of course, she came a week late). Grandma G passed away before Bella was born, but she is very special to Steve and I am thankful for the time I got to spend with her too. We love that Bella's name honors two of her grandmas. Our prayer for our beautiful Bella is that she may live a life devoted to God; may she be a "gracious warrior" for His kingdom.
Sophia Rose Gonzales: Sophia means wisdom. Her name has Greek roots...as well as Italian, Spanish, and German. I like the German connection because my dad was born in Germany. Sophia's middle name comes from Steve's mom, Heather Rose...we are thankful to honor Steve's mom in our daughter's name. Rose is Latin and English in origin and the rose is a symbol of love and beauty. Our prayer for our sweet Sophia Rose is that she may live a life marked by our Lord's "beautiful wisdom".
One interesting note is that both Isabella and Sophia have really grown in popularity...I think they were the #1 and #2 names for girls last year. They were definitely not uncommon names when we chose them, but wow, who knew they would become so popular. Neither of them had made it into the top 10 yet when we named our girls...at least we were slightly ahead of the curve :) Our newest daughter's name doesn't even show up on some baby name lists. I did find it on one list...the most recent info was from 1880 when this name was ranked #869...it's slightly less common than her older sister's names :)
And finally, introducing...
Gracia Kathryn Gonzales: Gracia (pronounced gray-SHAH) is the Spanish form of Grace, meaning "the freely given, unmerited love of God". Grace also means elegance and beauty. And we have continued our tradition of choosing a family name for our newest one's middle name by naming her after Steve's Aunt Kathy. We love the name Kathryn (meaning pure) and we love Aunt Kathy...a perfect fit! Pure Grace is a wonderful name to describe how we feel about God's blessing upon our lives by giving us another sweet babe :) We pray her life is marked by God's grace; His pure, beautiful, elegant grace.
And there you have it...our newest little critter's precious name and a little bit about our other critter's names as well. I enjoyed reflecting and remembering how God led us to choose their names...thanks for "listening"~
...who you are, yet I am already so in love with you!
Are you a boy or a girl? Is your hair light or dark? What color are your eyes? Will you be quiet like Bella or talkative like Sophia? Will you be right or left handed? Were you really sucking your thumb like the ultrasound tech thought?
The best news is that you look healthy...we praise God! Your spine looks good, you wiggled your hands and feet a lot while getting your pictures taken, your fluid levels are good, your bladder and heart look good, and your brain is right where it's supposed to be. Plus, you have a mighty cute profile :)
I am excited that soon we will find out your gender. Our ultrasound tech is pretty sure she knows, so we had her write it down and seal it in an envelope. Your Daddy's birthday is coming up, so we borrowed a fun idea from another couple at church. We took the sealed envelope to a baker and he is baking your Daddy a special birthday cake. The outside will be white, but inside, the frosting will be colored blue or pink depending on what the tech wrote down. We will cut that cake in a few days and we'll know at least a little bit more about you. Some of our friends are coming over to celebrate Daddy's birthday with us, but in all honesty, I think they are really coming for you :)
Here's what I want you to know. If you're a boy, we will be thrilled...if you're a girl, we will be thrilled! Either way, we will be so happy and excited...because we have you! You have long been wanted and prayed for. God knows you already and He knows that you are the one who perfectly fits into our family.
"For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well." Psalm 139: 13-14
Ten years ago today I had my first baby. Ten years ago today he died in his Daddy's arms.
This day has been coming and going for ten years now...and I still never know what to expect. Sometimes it is very intense and the emotions can be so raw...other times it is more mellow and reflective. And often it's a combo of both.
As Elijah's birthday approached this year, I found it hard to imagine what our life would look like with a ten year old boy running around our home.
And God turned my focus to what Elijah's life has been like.
"...I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!" Isaiah 6: 1-3
My son has known the glory of God, literally, since the day he was born. He has lived his life in heaven. He has lived his life with our Lord. He was released from the very difficult medical life he probably faced here on earth and has lived a healed life in heaven. How glorious!
Oh, I still have so many questions, but God has healed me from so much of the Why? that troubled me for so many years. I am so very thankful for His healing in my heart.
My questions now are more about the mysteries of heaven and sometimes just good old curiosity. Is Elijah still a baby? Or do we continue to age and grow in heaven? Or something in between? What does Elijah know about his family here on earth? Does he have a relationship with his brother or sister we lost to miscarriage? Has he met any other of our family and friends who are already in heaven? Does he have friends in heaven that he can't wait for us to meet?
There are so many things to ponder...so many things I would love to know. These are things of glory, not of grief. There are some hints and clues in scripture that I find fascinating. I am thankful that God included them in His word.
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us."
Hebrews 12:1
These encouraging words follow the "Heroes of Faith" section of Hebrews. I don't know how this "cloud of witnesses" part works, but I am encouraged that at least some in heaven make up our cheering section.
"I shall go to him, but he will not return to me." 2 Samuel 12: 23
This may be a strange verse to bring comfort, but it does. These words are spoken by Kind David following the death of his first son with Bathsheba. It is the end of a sad story. These are words of a grieving father who expects to one day see his son again and for some reason, God chose for them to be recorded in scripture. I am thankful for the hope they bring...hope of one day being reunited with Elijah in heaven.
The details and descriptions found in Revelation are pretty awe inspiring. I'm not a theology expert, so I don't claim to know exactly how or when all will work out concerning the new heaven and the new earth, but I do see some pretty amazing stuff recorded for us in scripture.
"The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, clear as glass. The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel. The first was jasper, the second sapphire (one of my favorites!), the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, transparent as glass."
Revelation 21: 18-21
Wow! New Jerusalem will be beautiful! It's hard to even imagine. This is the description of the city...are there other parts of heaven? What are they like?
Truly, I don't think I can comprehend how wonderful heaven is and how wonderful it will be, but having Elijah there ahead of me has caused me to consider heaven very differently. God has shown me that heaven is glorious, every detail perfectly prepared by our Lord himself, and I am thankful.
"...as we look not to the things that are seen, but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal."
When I married Steve he already had a good washer and dryer...bonus for us because we were just weeks away from moving into our new house. A man with his own washer and dryer...a wonderful thing!
That washer and dryer moved to Colorado with us and then moved to PA with us too. They were a powerhouse pair (Kenmore, I believe) and they worked great...but they were electric. Our house in PA has a gas hook-up for the dryer, so we knew we would be needing a new dryer. We negotiated with the sellers to leave their washer and dryer with the house. Their appliances were newer, so we thought we were making a good deal. On moving day, it so happened that one of the movers needed a washer and so we simply gave him our older (but workhorse) set since we had newer ones waiting for us at the house. It felt good to bless someone else with something we no longer needed.
Well, we soon learned that the newer appliances were very basic, bottom end appliances, but they were working fine, so no worries. I did miss our other ones at times, but for the most part, it was no big deal...plus we were going to have to change to a gas dryer anyway, so no use moaning for something that I wouldn't have been able to use anyway.
That washing machine worked for 2 years...and then it died. Steve was able to figure out the problem, but the parts to repair it were expensive and it just wasn't worth it. Being in school means we have no extra money...definitely not the kind of money you need for a new (worthwhile) washing machine. We didn't panic and didn't really worry about it either. For about a month I lugged our laundry to my friend's house or did loads at the laundromat...not very convenient, but it was working. We checked into renting a machine and just about the time we were ready to have a machine delivered we got a call from my same friend who had graciously been sharing her machine with me. Her husband's co-worker's neighbor (did you follow that?) had a washing machine sitting outside with a FREE sign on it. For some reason the co-worker called our friends to see if he knew of anyone who needed a washing machine. Steve was working late that evening, so my friend's husband drove over, picked up the machine, and dropped it off at my house! WOW!
Steve installed it the next day and the laundry piles began getting smaller! Now, it did not take long to realize that this was another bottom-end machine, but beggars can't be choosers and I was choosing thankfulness:) We've had this machine for about a year and it's done pretty well. Sometimes it decides not to spin and Steve and I have wrung out sheets over the garden because the machine was being difficult and acting up...and then it's fine again. But because it does act up from time to time, there are some things that I don't even try to wash in it anymore.
Like comforters. So when Sophia had a puke fest a few weeks ago, I knew we were headed to the laundromat. Thankfully, the machine was willing to wash all her sheets and even a light quilt that night, but I knew better than to even try her comforter. So we headed to the laundromat.
The girls actually enjoy going to the laundromat...crazy, I know! They have fun with the baskets and I usually let them get an ice cream at the McDonald's across the street. It's not a bad deal.
I wanted to share this story, because to me, it's a strange and wonderful example of how God does care about the details. I want to be careful, because I don't believe that an indication of God's blessings is by how many material things you have. Obviously, we should be thankful for all the blessings in our life, material and otherwise. But we must also be careful not to measure out Lord's love by prosperity; the Prosperity Gospel is a dangerous thing. To be honest, I saw the broken washing machine as an irritation and an inconvenience, but not really as something to even pray about. I'm not sure if that's completely okay, but it just wasn't a big deal to us and in the bigger picture (orphaned children, homelessness, poverty, hunger) it just didn't seem like a very important thing to be concerned about. I was simply amazed at how God provided for us anyway...it grew my faith.
There are so many ways that God has cared for my family. He has especially been revealing Himself to us and changing us since He's had Steve in graduate school. I hope to share more stories of the kindness and care of our Lord...
...but in the meantime, enjoy these pictures of the girls from our latest visit to the laundromat.
