Most likely you have already heard of the birth of our son Steven John, whom the Lord gave to us in December of this past year. If you remember, Naomi was born in Guadalajara, a very big city about three hours away. Steven, however, was born in Tepic. The difference between the two births was quite remarkable. The clinic we went to in Guadalajara was very "natural", if I can say it that way. They encouraged me as a husband to do as much as was possible to help. The clinic we went to in Tepic, however, was very "clinical" and had much more of a sterile feel to it. I had to suit up in an operating suit, complete with blue booties and mask, to be able to be present at Steven's birth. Anne-Marie even had to plead with the doctors to let me in well before the final few minutes! Know, however, that though we were very happy with both clinics, we do feel a bit more comfortable with this past experience in Tepic. The doctors and nurses were professional, excellent, and caring!
The important thing, though, is that the Lord has now blessed us with two healthy and happy children. Naomi is growing up to be a real people-person, while Steven is the easiest baby imaginable, who loves nothing more than to return smiles. Here you can see a picture of us when Steven was born, and two more recent pictures.
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| Meeting Steven |
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| More Recently |
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| The Two Mexicans |
But, as you may have noticed, the title of this blog post is Birth AnnouncementS. What can that be, you might be wondering? No, the Lord has not given us twins! Rather we had the privilege over the past two Sundays to receive two different families as members of our church. Omar and Itzel and their eldest son Omar made public profession of their faith two Sundays ago, and four of their family of five received the sign and seal of baptism. This past Sunday, as well, another couple, Reynaldo and Zenaida, made public profession of their faith in our church. The latter was particularly special for me, as I have been giving them profession of faith classes for the past year or so. It is beautiful to see the fruit of the Lord's work in these different lives, to desire to profess their faith before the world, Christ's Church, and God Himself. We praise the Lord, for we know that it is He who has been at work!
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| Omar & Itzel & Family |
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| Reynaldo & Zenaida |
And finally, thank-you for all of your prayers for us and little and big things you have done to show your love for us! We do find ourselves quite well supported, and we thank-you for that. And thank-you for all your reminders to write this blog post and others! :-)
