Published on April 16, 2009
in Lives.
Do you remember this picture of our Promise Flower that bloomed the day Anna died? If you don’t remember, here’s a refresher of what I originally wrote in my post entitled First Fruits & Ruth Update posted on September 28, 3 days after Anna died:
Ruth’s mom Becky found a single stem plant that split and bloomed into two beautiful flowers. It was the very first flower that that plant had every had- it’s first fruit – and it was perfect and beautiful. Did I mention it bloomed the morning Anna passed away? It has become a symbol of hope in Ruth’s hospital room, a promise flower, and we believe it says something about our future. Twins? I don’t know – I hope so! Does it signify the first fruits of Marlison & Luana that received the Gospel after hearing Anna’s story? I believe so. Does it mean even more things? Probably. But most of all it means hope.
Well, it turns out that it meant exactly that – TWINS!!! We found out at Ruth’s ultrasound this morning that we are indeed having twins – identical twins! They are almost 7 weeks along an measure .85 cm and .75 cm with healthy little heartbeats!
When I saw that it was twins I was so thrilled that tears started to well up in my eyes. Ruth’s mom Becky started jumping up and down and later confessed that she nearly kissed the doctor, even though he had nothing to do with it except to share the good news. It has been a huge thrill to tell people that Ruth’s pregnant with twins. It was very good to tell my dad, mom and Ruth’s dad and see the tears in their eyes again- but this time from joy! God be praised – He deserves all the glory!
Twins also means much more bed rest for Ruth. There was a small section of her placenta that is detached from the uterus, which is of some concern. So be praying that that heals up quickly and the bed rest does the trick. Ruth will be going to the doctor this afternoon and learning more of what we should be doing. It may also mean that I would cut my trip to the States shorter to be able to get back to care for my pregnant wife! Thank you for your prayers – God is good all the time, and all the time God is good!
*Plans subject to change
Whenever you see a * it’s always worth seeing what it means, isn’t it? Many times it means that the statement made is not exactly as stated – it is a disclaimer or what was claimed!
Take our rivers for example. There really should be an asterisk used with our rivers: the Amazon River* (*flooding subject to change). Cities and towns all over the Amazon plan on it flooding every year, but there are still years when it sure goes outside “the norm” and rises further and faster than other years. This year is a great example. The river typically crests in June, but already it has reached as far if not further than it’s crest height! It will be interesting to see just how high it will come.
Yes- this is a street in Alter do Chão completely submerged by the early flood waters
Take our summer plans as another example. Ever since coming down here to Brazil, Ruth and I had planned to have our first furlough this summer- the summer of ’09. It fit great into our family plans, ministry plans, and all of our other “plans.” But God has an interesting way to get us out of our little plans so that we rely on Him. Due to the God’s goodness and Ruth’s pregnancy, we will not be taking our furlough this summer. The doctor said “no way!” that Ruth should travel to the States! Even though we were quite bummed because we were so looking forward to seeing you and visiting again, we know God’s ways are above ours and it will make our reunion next summer (summer of ’10 – Lord willing*) all the better!
I (Nate) am still planning to come to the States for a short visit in August and early September. Both my mom and dad’s side of the family are having reunions in early August and then I will have around 4 weeks to get as much visiting in as I can! I will keep you posted with my travel plans as they firm up more and more, and I really look forward to seeing you.
Ruth and I up on the serra (ridge overlooking the city)
In reality, our lives come with a great asterisk on them – we make our plans, but the Lord is in control of it all and we ultimately rely on Him not just for the big things, but for everything. As Ruth and I are learning, it’s not an easy or fun process to learn to trust in the Lord and his timing, but the fruit it bears is a life of hope, patience and peace – and there’s nothing better!
Published on April 10, 2009
in Music.
This morning as I was working on an update for the Project AmaZon website (it’s a great update- go check it out!), I was listening to my music in iTunes. Set to “Random,” the song When I Survey came on – a piano solo/arrangement I did several years ago while I was worship pastor at First Free in Moline. It and another Easter Hymn I love called Were You There? made their way onto the 1st CD I ever produced, Sing the Power: A Collection of Hymns As the lyrics of the wonderful hymn went through my head, I was filled with praise and wonder at the love of God all over again! Hallelujah! I wanted to share these two songs with you today, on Good Friday, the day we especially remember what God did for us. May your Easter be filled with powerful worship to the Risen King! Enjoy these arrangements. (You may want to right-click these links and choose to save the files.)
When I Survey | 4:49 | 6.8MB | Arranged and played by Nate
Were You There? | 7:18 | 10.4MB | Arranged and played by Nate
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