A week and a half ago, over Mother's Day weekend, Jonathan and I were highly blessed to be able to spend a few days with 11 awesome couples from our church at a marriage retreat (possibly the first ever such event for our church!). The pic is from a lovely dinner we had the second night to inspire romance. Brian and Lisa, good friends of ours with a young family, organized the event at a retreat type ranch in Southern Michigan, called Manowe. More details and photos to come on the retreat...
The night before we left for the retreat, my loving husband did something very special for me. He brought me home a bouquet of lilacs. Can I just tell you I have an awesome husband? We may not have children to run and laugh with this year for Mother's Day, but Jonathan blessed me with flowers to let me know to him we are parents. A miscarriage is an odd experience to try to explain and so hard to understand unless you've struggled through one, but God did bless us for a short time with the care of two tiny little growing babies. We believe they are now with Him and that is best according to His will. So, I joyfully accepted my first ever Mother's Day bouquet from my fellow sojourner, one who understands and sought to encourage me and not bury and hide our sufferings. There are others out there who also encouraged us that day, and we have been so blessed by the body of Christ. Thank you!!
And sometimes God trades our suffering for blessing. Sometimes He restores our soul in miraculous ways. We are blessed beyond words and cannot describe our emotions toward the little one you see in the next picture. Please join us in praising God and praying for a new little Shupe, expected this fall around November 2. We thank God for 17 weeks (as the doctors count) of health for mom and baby so far. Thank you to so many of you who have lifted us up. We feel we do not deserve this blessing and thank God for His goodness.
So, we introduce to you Baby Shupe:). This a picture at 14 weeks of his head (on the left) and part of his body (toward the right), with one little arm and hand giving you a wave hello toward the top of the picture. We're pretty excited:).
super sweet!!!
ReplyDeletewho but lu
We're waving back at you from Spain!
ReplyDeleteWe'll be praying for all three of you.
Awesome! We're soooooooo excited for you and can't wait for Elijah and our 2nd to meet your little Shupe. You guys will be great parents :) God is good.
ReplyDeleteWow, what an amazing testimony. We are praying for Little Shupe, and can't wait to meet the little shupey. We get to spoil, we're one of the aunt's and uncle's, that's our job right?
ReplyDeleteGod is using your story in more ways that you know. As I sit and cry at the computer, because of your love for your little ones, eachother, relationships, God and life, please know that you both have been an amazing encouragement to me.
I can't wait to see waht God is going to contiune to do through your little family.
You will never know how much I value the friendship that we have. Please know that as you say Hi, let me yell in your face at a ball game, or you call that is huge in my world right now. Thank you so much for your honesty, encouragement, your ear so many times(Angela) and for your love for my buddy Paul(Jonathan) he really loves you. Hey, We love you guys.
Arin
Thanks, Arin. You almost made me cry at my computer:). I'm so glad our little one will have such an awesome Aunt (and Uncle:)) - you bring so much joy to my life!!
ReplyDelete-Angela
Thank you also, Gut family, Krulls and Lu - we are so blessed!