Jehovah Jireh

Wow... has it really been this long since I've posted??! Not like there are tons of people following this blog, but I thought I should probably get on here and share what's been happening over the past couple months. Life has changed completely for us - but in the best ways one can imagine! I will try to play catch-up a bit and go in order of events. This may take a while, or perhaps even a couple different posts. I'll give you the "Reader's Digest Version" as Shane often requests. Otherwise you'll be here for WAY too long!

Let me first share our "week of miracles" (as I've come to call it). The day of Shane's graduation from Asbury was Saturday, May 22nd. That Tuesday (May 25) he received official notice that he was accepted to New York Chiropractic College in Seneca Falls. Wednesday (May 26) my sister and her husband received a phone call that they'd been waiting months - in fact YEARS - for... a call about a baby they would be adopting! And then that Saturday (May 29) we sold our townhouse!!! All these things took place in a span of ONE WEEK. That Sunday I was leading worship at church and just could NOT contain my joy or my thankfulness to God for all He had done in that past week. Don't get me wrong - I am thankful every single day for His goodness, but all of those things packed into 1 week was nothing short of miraculous! We sang "Because of Who You Are" that morning and I want to share these words that spoke to my heart and inspired the title of this post: "Because of who You are I give You glory, because of who You are I give You praise, because of who You are I will lift my voice and say, 'Lord, I worship You because of who You are!' Jehovah Jireh, my Provider; Jehovah Nissi, Lord You reign in victory; Jehovah Shalom, my Prince of Peace - and I worship You because of who You are!" I could barely hold it together that Sunday morning... He has truly been our Provider in ways that I could never have fathomed. We had prayed for months that the house would sell, but with the market in rough shape, we truly didn't know if selling was the way that He would choose to answer that prayer. We trusted that He would provide an answer, and we actually had one prior to the sale of the house in the form of a renter who was coming to the seminary right after we were hoping to move back to NY. But He took that answer and bumped it up about 5 notches when he provided this buyer for the house. I just cried and cried when Shane called me to say, "WE SOLD THE HOUSE!" I was (and still am) in awe of how God has continually provided for us along the way. We serve an awesome Father! So with the sale of the house came the closing of that chapter of life in Kentucky. It was bittersweet as we made such wonderful friends during our time at Asbury, and those friends will stick with us forever. God is so good... I can't say it enough!

Now that Shane had graduated and the house had sold, all we had left to wait for was our little bundle of joy - Parker Joy, that is! :) She opted to come 5 days after her "estimated due date." She's like me... what can I say?! The delivery was long (which I will write about in a separate post), but I was able to do everything just how I wanted - no intervention and a completely natural childbirth without complications. Again... I can't say it enough, GOD IS GOOD! On Monday, June 14th, 2010 at 8:22pm, Parker Joy DeHaven came into this world weighing in at 7 pounds, 15 ounces, and 20 inches long. Jehovah Jireh, my Provider. My world changed the moment I saw my daughter. Watching the video (yes... I have video!) is always emotional for me. I kept saying, "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!" and, "Thank you, Jesus! Thank you, Jesus!" after I held her in my arms. There is no greater experience in life and words cannot express the fullness in my heart that occurred when I held her in my arms. It's amazing to me how God opens your heart in ways you could never imagine after having a child. I never knew I could love someone that much or so immediately, nor did I realize that I could love Shane more than I already do! When Parker was born, I believe that a new part of my heart was laid bare - one that I never knew existed. I love more deeply now than ever before, and I am humbled that God has chosen me to be a mother to this beautiful little girl. Jehovah Jireh, MY PROVIDER!!! Pictures still to come...