update

Well I am still having trouble posting pictures on this blog, but I just sent more photos to my mom, so then she will forward them to everyone.
I wish we could be with everyone for Thanksgiving. I wish everyone could meet Eliana and Andrew, but it will happen soon. Oh how I wish to eat turkey and stuffing, mashed potatoes, and pies. When we get to spend Thanksgiving in the United States (or Christmas), we will have such a good time.
I remember how little time I got with Mallory when she was just a little baby, and then I went to Alaska. But now we have a baby, and I have lots of time with our little baby. This morning I woke up to Eliana handing me Andrew, and asking me to burp him.
I hadn´t changed a diaper by myself yet, and Eliana had to do some work on the computer today, and I was with Andrew, and saw he had a dirty diaper, so decided to change it myself. He does not like having his diaper changed. I took off his diaper, and he started crying, and kicking his legs. And then I realized that he was peeing, and it was shooting up, but I was able to block it with my hand, but it soaked his shirt. I wanted to be able to say to Eliana, ¨look, I changed his diaper all by myself¨. But looking at Andrew crying, and covered in urine, I realized I needed help, and called for Eliana, and within seconds she was there, and took over, and soon he was clean with a new diaper, and dressed and in his blanket. Thank God for Eliana.
I know Andrew is going to grow so fast, and I don´t want to miss anything. I also don´t want to forget anything. He is such a good little boy, and we love him so much.

Andrew is sure eating a lot. Eliana is breast feeding (I think almost all mothers in Peru breast feed), so that takes quite a bit of time.
He is able to lay on his stomach and lift up his head and turn it to the other side. I was surprised, and didn´t realize a 3 day old baby could do that.
Andrew likes to lay on my chest and sleep. I think because it is warm, and he can listen to my heart. Probably reminds him of being inside of Eliana.

I am having trouble uploading pictures to the blog, because our internet is slow. Sometimes they will go on, and sometimes they won´t. But I am able to send pictures to my mom from my msn mail, so then she can send those on to anyone that wants them. But I imagine later will be posting more to the blog. But here is on that I was able to upload. Andrew is a real calm baby. I can´t believe it, because he doesn´t cry much. He seems to be quite content. He has even given us a few smiles. We are very proud parents.

(above) I think he´s deciding whether to sleep or cry.

(above) isn´t he tiny?

( above) People from the church coming to visit. They were so happy to see Andrew, and hear what Eliana had to say.

(above) what a cutie!

Isn´t he handsome!

Here is our son, Andrew Lee. Eliana and Andrew is now home, and we are so blessed. Sorry to not write much. The internet is not working at the house, and so I am at a computer lab so everyone can see photos... I know Mom and Dad could hardly wait. But I need to be getting back to the house, and wish to post more real soon. Thank you everyone for your prayers.

thank you

God, thank you for this wonderful blessing.
And thank you to everyone that prayed for Eliana and Andrew.

he´s here!

Andrew was just born!, and Eliana and Andrew are well! I haven´t seen them yet, but I need to buy juice for Eliana, because they said she needs that. Someone call my mom and tell her!. They are on a trip, so call her cell.

please pray for Eliana and Andrew

Eliana is doing ok, although its been a hard past few days. This is our third day at the hospital. When we first came in, they were going to send us home, but Eliana started leaking some water, and for that reason and maybe for others, they decided to keep Eliana in the hospital. They have induced Eliana, but it did not do much, so we are still waiting. Right now Eliana is dialated (spelled that right?) to a 4 out of 10. Right now she is in the third story of the hospital where the women wait there (they have beds) until they reach 6, and then go to the second story where is the delivery rooms.
I will tell you about some differences here in the hospital, but I do not want to speak bad about it, but just to tell you so that you can pray. In the United States, the husband can usually be the entire time with his wife, and family can come in and see her. But here it is different. Eliana is in the third story, and we cannot enter to see her, and so I know she feels isolated and feels like she is going through this a lone. And that breaks my heart. But by the grace of God, I have been able to speak to Eliana several times, and encourage her, and pray with her. Last night I was in the second story in the waiting room, and they brought her down, and so I got to spend some time with her, so that was great.
This is really hard for Eliana, she is in pain, but emotionally she is not doing well. These days are like a dark night, and it is difficult to see a light at the end of the tunnel. But soon the sun will rise, because Gods comfort comes.
God is allowing all this for a reason, and God is in control.
If you pray, here are some things to pray about:
1) that Eliana can have some peace, and continue to be encouraged.
2) I do not know if Elianas water has really broken, but she is leaking quite a bit, and that could be bad if she leaks too much, because when Andrew comes, their will be no lubrication? So please pray about that.
3) that Eliana does not feel a lone, and that soon the family can see her, and I can see her more.
4) that God will take care of Eliana and Andrew, and soon we are all in the house together.

Waiting

I´ve heard it said that the last days of pregnancy seem to last forever, and now I am able to say that it is certain.

Tim and I, we are waiting the arrival of Andrew and it seems like that time is never going to arrive, but really the doctor said the arrival date is the 20th of November and that is when I complete 9 months of pregnancy. We really wish that Andrew is born soon… today if it is possible!

Lately I have been feeling stronger pains and contractions, but it is not frequent and passes and so soon I feel better, but we really wish that the labor contractions would start and so we can then go to the hospital. We have everything ready, and only lack the precise moment to go to the hospital.

I know that when I start the labor contractions, it is a lot of pain; this is what all the women say that have gone through labor. But really I don´t imagine what the pain is like and how difficult it can be. I know that God is preparing me for this and the only thing I can do is to trust in God and to trust in his promises and then the rest of the work is God´s and not mine.

I remember, the months before, I was reading something in the Bible that made me understand some things. In Psalms 71:6 it says ¨I have depended on you since I was born; you helped me even on the day of my birth. I will always praise you.¨ (NCV) And in Psalms 22:9, ¨You had my mother give birth to me. You made me trust you while I was just a baby.¨ (NCV)

Those words made me understand that it is God who brings forth the baby. Now when I imagine being in the delivery room, I can imagine that God is there and know that the reason I feel pain is because God is doing his work. That makes me calm, and I want to always stay calm, knowing that it is God who is in charge of the birth of Andrew, and that God is bringing Andrew close to us.

I was also thinking about how difficult it will be for Andrew, because it will be painful for him, but I will speak with him and tell him that we both need to be strong, and when it's time for him to be born, that he can be ready and be born as fast as possible, and also tell him not to worry because God will take him in his hands, and show him the way where he should go.

I think the time is near, but it seems so distant and we are very anxious that the day arrives.

Well, I just wish to ask for your prayers for us and that we can be in your thoughts.

Scriptures quoted from The Holy Bible, New Century Version, copyright 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission.

Come, Andrew, Come!

The crib is assembled, the bedroom is painted light blue (and white), the bags are packed (for the hospital), the diapers are bought, the baby clothes are washed and folded....

All we are lacking is Andrew. Actually he is here, he is just still in Elianas tummy.

The doctor said today after examining Eliana that his heart beat is good, and that he is farther down now, which I think is normal, although it gives Eliana more discomfort.

The due date is November 20, and the doctor said that if he doesn´t come by then, they will wait another week, and if he still isn´t here, they will induce labor. But with Elianas growing discomfort, and swelling feet, and also stronger contractions (not labor contractions, the other kind), it seems that he is almost here.

The law of nature shows us the law of the Spirit.

This is from a David Wilkerson letter that they send out to homes in I imagine many different countries. The letter is in spanish, but we translated it into english so you could read it too.

There is a kind of fish that is found in the mammoth cave in the state of Kentucky. It is a small shellfish which has a very pale head and two black spots that appear to be eyes. But when biologists dissected the black spots, they discovered that these "eyes" were false, with no function whatsoever. Externally, the spots only appear to be eyes, with a surface appearance that is perfect. But behind those eyes, everything was ruined. The optic nerve had been cut and become dry, becoming a useless thread. Simply, these fish have eyes but can not see. What happened? In the past, this species was very colorful and had eyes that were operating normally. However, it preferred the darkness and cold and so it buried itself in the ground to hide from the light. Over time, the bright colors of this shellfish became faded. No longer needing to see, so that sense was removed. It completely lost the function of seeing, because of its constant denial to light.

Here is a powerful lesson about our spiritual walk: What we do not use, we lose.

Translation: We must put in practice our spiritual abilities if we hope to have a spiritual life. You can not just go to church on Sunday and expect to receive sufficient strength from the service to face the coming weeks. We must have our own daily walk with Christ.

Eyes on Jesus.

When our eyes are on Jesus Christ and him dying for us; when our lives revolve around this; when it is what is at the core of our hearts, everything begins to change...
- we will care less about ourselves, and more about others.

- the resentment and unforgiveness that once chained us up spiritually, will fade away.

- we will begin to walk in God´s will.

- instead of judging others, we will love them, and wish them well.

- we will be humbled and become less, and Christ will become more.

- we will have the strength and the courage to stand up against sin.

- we will become better husbands and wives, better fathers and mothers.

- those that are in leadership positions, they will lead with the heart of a servant, just like Jesus lead his disciples but he was like a servant to them.

- our hearts will praise God.

- our lives will be a light that shines in a darkening world.

- instead of thinking bad of others, we will pray for them.

- We will be able to encourage and strengthen others.

- Our words will be for the good of others.

- Our hearts will break for what breaks God´s heart.

- We will love, oh, how we will love.

- We will not fear death.

- We will think of ourselves as unworthy of receiving anything good from God, yet look around, and see that God has given us absolutely everything, he even died for our sin, so that we could be forever with him.

God, do this in me, and those that want to have this too, do this in them too. Make us lights for the world to see, and use us to do good works. Give us servants hearts, and make us less, so that Christ is more in our lives. Make us weak so that we can really be strong. Make us know that our wisdom really is nothing so that we can have real wisdom. Put our eyes on Christ.

An interview with Billy Graham.

Billy Graham turned 90 years old.

Here is an interview where he speaks about getting older, praying for the nation, missing his wife Ruth, etc..

Anyone ever attend one of his crusades?

The cross and the storm.

A man stood on a hill, at the foot of a cross. The same cross that his Savior had died on.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something. He looked, and there in the distance was a storm. Dark clouds were on the horizon, and lightening flashed in them like flickering flames in lanterns.

A voice whispered ¨look at the cross¨.

The man looked up at the cross, but soon turned his gaze again to the coming storm. The clouds were now as black as a moonless night, and they were beginning to spin and roll and come closer to the earth.

Again, the voice whispered ¨look at the cross¨.

The mans heart was filling with fear and worry, and his eyes remained set on the storm. The storm drew nearer and nearer, and lightening was striking the ground like white hot spears.

¨look at the cross¨, said the voice.

The wind blew, and the trees bent. And the man ran. Away from the storm, and away from the cross.

Above the noise of the storm, the voice shouted ¨Look at the Cross!¨.

The man replied ¨Why!, Who will save me from this approaching storm? Who will save me from death!¨.

The voice echoed through ¨This storm may very well kill your body, but it cannot kill your soul. That cross represents my grace to you and to all those who believe. You were bought for a price. I took your sin, and hung and died on that cross. You are now mine, and nobody can take you from me¨.

The man stopped running, and through the darkness, and the rain, and the wind, he could see the cross, and he made his way to it.

The man put his arms around the cross to keep from being thrown down by the wind. He looked up at where Jesus had once been, and thought about how Jesus had died for his sin. The fear began to leave him, and was replaced by a peaceful assurance of his eternal salvation, and a strength to face the storm.

In the middle of the raging storm, he had security. With his focus now on Jesus and him sacrificing himself for us, his purpose was clear. The man pulled the cross from the ground, set it on his shoulder, and with a heart full of compassion and love for others, he set out to tell people about Jesus.
________________________________________

What is your storm? What causes you to fear and worry? Its so easy to have our eyes on those things, and not have them on Jesus. There is nothing in this world that can give us the security that we desire. Jesus died, and by believing in him, we find security. Salvation is a free gift from God through the sacrifice of his Son, Jesus Christ.

Our foundation has to be Jesus Christ and him crucified for us. There is no other strong foundation. If our foundation is on the hope of a long life, or money, or good health, or fame, or even relationships, then we are on a weak foundation.

I am as guilty as anyone of not keeping my eyes on Jesus.

Jesus says for us to pick up our crosses and follow him. I had never understood that, but now I think I am starting to.

If someone were to literally always carry a big wood cross, they would always be thinking about that cross. The cross is what Christ died on, and it represents his death for us. So I think to carry our cross, that would be to always think about what Christ did for us. I guess to not just think about it, but it is our reason for living, and doing what we do. God´s grace through Jesus´s death is not just how we are saved, but it is the only strong foundation to stand on, and that is every day of our life. To forget about the cross causes me to think about other things... things that are not important. It causes me to worry and fear, but I truly believe this... when our eyes are on Jesus and him dying for us to save us, we find peace, and joy, and strength to go through the storms of life. Everything is from Jesus. The love and compassion to be able to do the will of God, we have to look to Jesus.

May God help me to do this, and that my eyes can remain on Jesus. Everything, absolutely everything is in Jesus Christ.

How wonderful to spend a life with our eyes on Jesus. In the middle of the storm, we have hope and security. In the middle of a storm, we are a light for the world.

I would like my posts to point to the cross (meaning that my posts will help people look to Christ and his dying for us on the cross and not to other things)

If anyone that reads this blog ever think I am getting off track, and someone needs to say something to me, then I encourage you to do it. Because I would much rather be told that I am doing something wrong, than to continue doing whatever I am doing wrong. I can´t promise that I will always take everyones advice, but if someone does tell me I am doing something wrong, I would like to pray and ask God to open my eyes so that I can understand, and that I can do what God wants me to do. I want this blog to be encouraging and to build people up.

Thank you for everyone that reads this blog. It is a blessing for me to be able to write on here, and I really hope that this blog is a blessing to you.

God is in control.

If you are like me, you have been worried and afraid about this election, and who will be president, and where is the United States headed.

But one thing has not changed, and will not change.......

GOD IS IN CONTROL.

And we should continue to trust him, even when the future seems dark and hopeless. We can be in the middle of a world that is falling apart, but God is still there. We may not know Gods plan, but that is ok, we can still trust God that he is good, and that he knows what he is doing.

With all that is going on in the world, lets remember Jesus and what he did for us on the cross. He died so that we may be forgiven, and be saved.

Jesus said "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.¨ Matthew 11:28 NIV.

God knows what he is doing... we can trust him..

Whether Obama is president or not, we should pray for him, and whether McCain is president or not, we should pray for him... that they will be sensitive to God´s voice, and that they will cry for what makes God cry, and they will love what God loves...

We should pray for our country, because God hears our prayers, and only he can heal our country.

I was reading some posts on a blog, and I must say, I think it is a wonderful blog. They haven´t posted in it for a while, but you can still read the past posts. It is a christian blog. Here is a quote from their last post, and I wanted to share it with you, because its really good. You can visit this blog at http://christcenteredhome.org/

¨I recall my high school and college years trying to imagine myself in a successful career doing something I love at that “perfect” job. I also recall working that “perfect” job and longing for the days I would become a mother. Now I rock crying babies, wipe snotty noses, wipe very dirty bottoms, explain complicated things to a two-year –old such as breast feeding, spank bottoms, clean up many spills, sing a sick toddler to sleep, wipe away tears, put passies in mouths, bake birthday cakes, spend many dollars at the one-hour photo in Wal-mart, gain nearly fifty pounds in pregnancy, carry a kicking baby inside my belly, sacrifice a flat stomach for a cottage cheese body, and become a human milk machine . This is my successful career and the “perfect” job that I love doing.¨