THANK YOU!

God is so good to me (Vanessa). I can really tell that my sweet friends are praying for us. I believe in the power of prayer and I am so thankful for all of the things that some of you have said and done to encourage me right now in this valley. I have been focusing on what it means to rest, both physically and spiritually.

The past two days have been so. much. better. Micaiah has still been waking up at night, but God has been giving me the energy I need to deal with this and focus on what is really important: Loving God and Loving my family.

He has been showing me some really sweet things about my little boy. One is that while he does have a very demanding personality at times, he is also VERY VERY sweet and he has some precious, kind and gentle attributes, as well. Today, we ran an errand to Target. While walking into the store, he just wrapped his arm around my shoulder and just laid his head on my shoulder. I couldn't even put him in the cart, because it was just too precious and I was cherishing it so much in my heart.

Sunday we didn't end up going to church. I realize that you may think that this was exactly what I needed after having such a rough day before, but sometimes you need to just be still and know the the LORD is LORD. We don't usually miss church, but after our crazy day on Saturday, my panic attack (we will call it this, because I'm not sure what else to call it), and still trying to get over sicknesses; the thought of Micaiah missing his morning nap and him getting even MORE overtired just brought up too many feelings that I had just dealt with, so we decided that it was best for us to just stay home, rest there, and have the day to re-group, and not feel guilty. It was also a cold, rainy day, and I have been extra cautious about his ears, and my throat, too. We went over to Hart's parent's house for lunch, and Micaiah was just so happy, cuddly, and enjoyable to be around. He made us laugh and smiled so much. It made me realize that the blessings that we have in being given our son are too good for words!

God has also given me some Scripture in His Word, as well as some that some of you have shared with me! I'm very thankful for these and am pondering them in my heart. One was Deuteronomy 1:29-31. I am trying to memorize these few verses...

²⁹ Then I said to you, “Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. ³⁰ The LORD your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, ³¹ and in the wilderness. There you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.”

My prayer is that I will see how God is carrying me, that I will not try to carry myself, and that I will be able to follow my Guide through the Jungle (if you know what I mean!)!

I don't want to rely on myself. I want to rely on God. I want to rely on HIS strength, not mine, because I am weak and will fail, but he never does. That is more than encouraging!

Please keep praying for us! (Thanks, again!)