Remembering again...

Even though she has great belief, sometimes her nerves pit themselves in a battle against her faith in a great hospital staff and in God.  "Remind me again why we do this?"  That's one of the things running through Ashley's mind moments before surgery.  A calm reading of Psalm 113 and a prayer together help to ease those nerves and calm her down.  This post is an effort to remember a few things we hope not to forget and in the future, if ever needed, to remind us why we do this again and again.  

Tonight I remember:

How sweet and peaceful Ashley looked while resting "skin to skin" with Micah on her chest.

How wonderful and caring the nursing staff has been to us.

The blessing of fresh fruit.

How I appreciate a visit and prayer from a chaplain (other than myself).

How swift, efficient, and professional Dr. Francis was in performing Micah's birth.

How grateful I was when Dr. Cullen raised Micah up and kissed him on the forehead out of love.

How good it is to care for others who are nervously pacing the waiting area for a baby to come.

How wonderful it is for church family to come love on our new child.

How much of a blessing it is for family to stay with our other boys at home and rough house with the boys in the snow.

How sleep deprived you can be from all of the hospital and baby's interruptions.  We forgot how on edge we can be whenever he coughs, aspirates, or lies still sleeping for too long!

How much a sock monkey can make you laugh.

The thoughtfulness of fresh flowers can be from a friend in your hospital room.

How much a visit from hospital administration can mean and how much they care.

How grateful an Arby's sandwich from church family tastes when you got your wife's food ordered, but forgot to take care of your own meal by the 6pm deadline.

How meaningful it is to have a faithful elder of the church utter solemn and joyful words of prayer over your child and wife to a faithful and loving God.

and

How wonderful it has been to see our boys smile and hold their little brother.

While we may at times forget our experiences in the hospital, we are grateful for a God who never forgets us.  From Isaiah 49 we read:

15 “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast

    and have no compassion on the child she has borne?
16 Though she may forget,
    I will not forget you!
16 See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;
    your walls are ever before me."

More sweet visitors for Micah and snow!

Ashley has been doing remarkably well thanks to the great hospital staff and healing provided by a great God.  Tonight's visitors were just icing on the cake for what has been a great first day for Micah and a great first experience having a baby in Washington.

We embrace in the idea that photographing those who love Micah and recording their care will produce images he will appreciate in years to come as he matures and continues in these relationships.  Some of those visiting may later be his babysitters, Bible teachers, sports coaches, and mentors.  To know that he has meant enough for them to come visit in the snow encourages us and we hope to use it later in Micah's life to encourage him.

Here are a few of our wonderful visitors from tonight (and thanks to Tammy, Caleb, & Scott who didn't  make it in a photo tonight) :

Kylee enjoys some Micah time:

We know who the star of this party is...

Ashley never stopped smiling.

Erika loves this little guy.

Brad is a natural at holding babies.

A wonderful visit from the Tabers.

This big guy loves the newest church member God has placed in his care.  We're so thankful for the elders at our church!

Coy and Brad would have stayed a lot longer!

We felt bad for our nurses.  Around 1am more of the white fluffy stuff was coming down.  By about 3am they said we had 2-3 more inches of snow!  Some of our nurses have been able to brave the weather for shift change and others have had to work over extra hours.  We've been very blessed by great nurses in Sarah, Jeanine, Missy, Maci, Erica, Erin, Lindsay, Desiree, and Sara!

More white fluffy stuff at 3am!

Micah William Wiles - Our thanks and photos.

Micah - This name is a derivative of the Hebrew question, "Who is like the LORD?"  Its purpose is to bring honor to God emphasizing that He has no rivals.
William - This is a family honoring name that has a meaning of "Will protect".  The latter part of Psalm 113 gives praise to God because He protects and provides for the lowly.
Wiles - Of German origin meaning "cunning" or "crafty"  that showed up in England in the 1500's and immigrated to the United States in the 1700's to settle in the Virginia area.   Our line has traced the Wiles name from Virginia to Cherokee, NC, to Kannapolis, NC, to Nashville, TN, and now to Washington, IN.

The following verses from Psalm 113 give the direction, purpose, and meaning we hope Micah to have in his life.
4 The Lord is exalted over all the nations,
his glory above the heavens.
5 Who is like the Lord our God,
the One who sits enthroned on high,
6 who stoops down to look
on the heavens and the earth?
7 He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
8 he seats them with princes,
with the princes of his people.
9 He settles the childless woman in her home
as a happy mother of children.
Praise the Lord.

Now, enjoy some of our favorite Micah photos from Christopher's camera in his first 6 hours here in Washington, IN.  May they move you to praise God for His good gifts!

Click here to see the full album: Micah William Wiles first photos

Micah just moments after being born.  Praise God!

Micah comes to visit mommy for the first time during surgery.

Gabriel and Ethan adore their little brother.

Micah in the hands of great nurses.  

Still using those wonderful lungs.

Ethan is a good big brother.

Nonna is proud of her youngest grandson.

Aunt Em was really excited to meet Micah!

Haha gets some snuggle time.

Mommy finally gets to rest with her boy. 

Mommy and her many men.  

God is good!

We're thankful for faithful doctors who care so much for their patients like Doc Cullen!

Mommy finally gets to rest with her boy.

The last photo reminds me of Exodus 33:14 - "The Lord replied, 'My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.'”

Thanks for your prayers!

Micah William Wiles

We give thanks to God that Micah William Wiles was born at 8:34am weighing in at 8lbs 2oz and 20inches long.  He and mommy are doing very well. 

Micah means "Who is like God?"  You will find his theme verse at Psalm 113:5. This Psalm of praise embodies the mission we have for Micah's life and gives honor to God.  William is a family name that means "Will Protect" and Psalm 113 speaks of how God protects and cares for the lowly.  It is a good day, and God is good!

Waiting

Here we are, on the brink of the birth of our third child. We have two God honoring names chosen with two beautiful matching passages of hope to inspire this child and all those who meet him or her.

Ashley has been taken back to surgery.

God has been good to us. Thank you for the prayers!

Lord willing, Baby Wiles will be delivered in mere hours, we're excited!

So many of you have been so good to call, text, and pray for us.  We appreciate you so much and we want to update you quickly with news about the Baby's arrival.

This blog site will be our primary means of notifying those people that care.  To receive an email of the updates I make to this blog site just enter your email address to the right.  You can always unsubscribe later.  

Please continue in prayer for Ashley and the Baby to come!

Last night as a family of four.  Number 5 comes!

Baby Wiles - Living Lessons: Bulletin Article -Sunday- Dec 8th, 2013

“Hugs can do great amounts of good, especially for children.” – Princess Diana 
“Children are great imitators.  Give them something great to imitate.” – Anonymous

First moments with Gabriel.

On Monday morning, if the Lord is willing, we will be at the hospital holding our family's newest member.  We don't know yet whether baby Wiles is a boy or a girl, skinny or chubby, bald or wooly.  What we do know is that God is blessing our family and our church with another opportunity to love. 

First moments with Ethan.

What an honor it is to hold, love, and cherish young life as it makes its debut into this world.

Jesus put a high honor on children in Mark 10:14-16 where the Scripture says, "’Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.  I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.’  Then Jesus took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them."

In honor of this moment and the Holy God who inspired these verses,  I'd like to ask you to make dedicated time today to shower love and affection on the children God has put around you.  Hug them, hold them, and tell them how much they mean to you. 

Church Bulletin Article for Dec 1st, 2013 - "Commitments"

Living Lessons:  Sunday, December 1^st, 2013  

Commitment, that has been the word of the week before me.  Some of the following questions have recently been asked by myself or others:  “How committed are we to helping in tornado cleanup?”  “How committed are we to the homeschool cooperative and education?”  “How committed are we to the our church family and seeing it grow?”  “How committed are we to following Christ?” “Are we over committed?” “Are we fulfilling our commitments?”

Commitment, it’s an idea that can develop deep trusting relational bonds between two human beings.   

Commitment, it’s a concept that can create deep wounds and divisions in a group. 

Today, I was inspired with the thought of a sermon or series, “From Jephthah to Jesus: Commitment in the Bible.”  Jephthah was so determined to fulfill his vow before the Lord that he would sacrifice his own family’s and descendants’ well-being.  This story of faithful commitment lands him in the great Hebrews 11:32 "Hall of Faith" passage in the midst of Bible greats like Gideon, Barak, Samson, David, and the prophets.  Wow, that is commitment!

Jesus as well went so far as to say, “You shall not make false vows, but shall fulfill your vows to the Lord.” He also stated, “Let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’, anything beyond these is of evil.” (from Matthew 5:33-37)  What another great verse encouraging commitment!

If you or I make a commitment, we should endeavor to get it done.  It’s something many of us need to work on.  This holiday season, in the midst of busy times and many commitments, please endeavor to keep your vows.  Most importantly, remember to keep the vows you once made to your Lord and to His bride, the Church.  May your holidays be blessed with fulfilling commitments. 

Perks of the Position: Bulletin Article for Sunday 11-17-13

Perks of the Position:  Some positions get fancy new trucks.  Some positions entail expensive golf outings.  Some positions get insurance packages that rival our president.  The position I currently hold has perks that are out of this world!  Even though many of the perks I enjoy are heavenly in nature, there are some that I am blessed with right now!

 

Photo I took of Emma in the rear view mirror of a bus in Honduras.

This week I was blessed with the opportunity to write another reference letter.  I’ve written several for members and for those related to our members in my last two years serving in Washington.  Whether it is a college scholarship, job application, or character witness, I enjoy writing reference letters!  Why?  It’s because they are positive, honest, and personal.    

Reference letters are an opportunity for me to open up to a board of complete strangers about people I am proud of.  They are chances for me to share the great things that people are doing as a part of God’s kingdom.  They are meaningful moments for me to show admiration for the blessings of God through people around me.  Since I endeavor to be completely honest in my writings, reference letters are an opportunity to deeply  examine others lives and rejoice at the goodness found.  David does the very same thing. 

“Since I know, O my God, that You examine the heart and rejoice in uprightness, I, in the integrity of my heart, have willingly offered all these things; so now with joy I have seen Your people, who are present here, make their offerings willingly to You.” – 1 Chronicles 29:17

David basically wrote a reference letter to God about the people.  If Jesus were to write a reference letter for you today, what would it say?  Let's endeavor to give Him great things about our faith to share with our Father. 

Thank you Emma for your willingness to be examined and let me see your uprightness.  With integrity and rejoicing I can offer my observations before God!