Showing posts with label blessings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blessings. Show all posts

Monday, April 20, 2015

He's here!

We're thrilled to announce the arrival of

Gavin Kenneth Alan Esau 

February 4th, 2015 @ 1:59am.
6 lbs. 13 oz. and 19.5" long 


On the evening of Wednesday, Feb. 3rd, I saw my doctor one last time and she gave me the news I had been dreading... considering I was already 10 days overdue, I would need to arrive at the hospital at 6am the next day for induction.  I left feeling very discouraged and defeated.  I had really wanted to avoid induction.  After getting home from my appointment that night, I called the American nurse that would be assisting with the delivery and told her the news.
She prayed for me over the phone and asked that God would allow this baby to come on its own that night and that induction wouldn't be necessary.  I wrote to my family and asked them to pray for the same thing.  
And wouldn't you know it!?  I went into labour a mere hour later!!  We arrived at the hospital at midnight and by 1:59am, I was holding sweet Gavin in my arms! Such a testimony of answered prayer and the gracious love of our Father!!
Thank you to everyone who prayed for me throughout this pregnancy and offered words of encouragement and support!  We truly felt covered in prayer and are so thankful for the network of people we have around us, loving and supporting us.

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Nearing the end...

Well, we're almost finished our 2.5 years in Thailand and I'm having to remind myself of this a lot these days....

Hahaha.... I'm kidding (kind of) ;)

But there is indeed a lot to get done in these last days.  For quite a while, it felt as though the list just kept getting longer and longer, but rather than getting things checked OFF the list, they were being added faster than we could accomplish them.  It was getting to be a bit defeating at times.

 But, I'm happy to report that we're making good headway on crossing things off now, and its helping the stress level diminish, which means the excitement can build!!

As I look forward to re-engaging in Canada with friends and family, I must admit there are still many things I will miss about our life here in Thailand.  

Here are a few of them, in no particular order......

Ganyaa.... this woman is near and dear to my heart.
Gonna miss her a TON!
Ganyaa & Mae Dtu... love these women and so thankful God brought
them into our lives.  Still confident they WILL find Jesus! 

Our teammates, Jason & Corina.
When we return to Thailand in September, they won't be here anymore.
Just writing that makes me teary-eyed.
OK, moving on before I completely lose it.... ;(

Each one of the kids that come to our Sunday morning outreach every week.
Love these kids.

Ridiculously cheap and DELICIOUS Thai food and drinks.
Honestly... nothing compares.

Our house.
This place has become a true haven for me.
A place of peace and rest.
Thankful for it everyday.

Sunshine.
Now, don't be fooled.
I WILL NOT miss the humidity, but I will miss the guarantee of sun everyday. ;)

Our teammates

And of course,
my dear, dear friend, Lauren.
Literally wouldn't have survived these last 2.5 years without her.
Her friendship is one of those rare and precious gifts that comes along once in a lifetime.
Though we don't live in the same city anymore,
I'll still miss being in the same time zone as her and our regular texts and FaceTime calls.


So as I reflect on this past term, and I look at these pictures (and there are many more I could add), 
it reminds me again of the fact that God has never once left our side.  
There have been some tough times.... and I mean, tough.... 
but the gifts he has blessed us with... 
the relationships, the opportunities, the people....
I know this is where we were meant to be.
God has taught us more about ourselves than we ever dreamed possible.
He's stretched us and he's moulded us into more of the people he wants us to be.
And more than anything, He's shown us more of who he is as our Father...
loving, gracious, compassionate and oh so patient.
I'm humbled that He's called us to this journey and I'm eternally thankful for the fact that He promises to be here every step of the way. 

I can't wait to see what He has in store for us next :)