I’M BACK!
No, but really, it’s been over a year since I’ve been here. I’ve been pregnant and had a whole baby…MY HOW THINGS HAVE CHANGED!
Having a baby is such a huge feat. Like, there was an entire human being growing inside of my body. I’m forever amazed by the Creator and how He created the female body; for their to be an entire human being able to grow inside of our bodies – WHAT?! How my belly grew as the weeks passed, and how baby girl’s movements got stronger and stronger as she grew inside of me – ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE!
I’m also pretty amazed at the fact I went through the process of having a baby in a country who’s healthcare system is still a bit foreign to ya girl. Everything is in Spanish…EVERYTHING! And I’m not saying that’s a bad thing – I am in a country where Spanish is the first language. However, what I am saying that it makes things so much more difficult for ya girl, and more uncomfortable.
I recall going into each appointment prayed up; that I would understand what was being said to me and what I needed to do after each appointment. The truth is, before I went to my first appointment, I prayed for the doctors – that I would get doctors that would be kind, understanding, helpful, and that would truly have our bet interests at heart. Ya girl was praying for God’s favor throughout the entire process – let’s just be honest! I have to say that I’m very grateful for my gynecologist and for the relationship we had (and still have truly). She was very kind and helpful – which was SUCH a big deal. She was very patient with me and the language barrier, when it came to some medical terms. I’m fluent in Spanish, but medical terms aren’t quite part of that “fluent in Spanish” vocabulary – yet. I’m so thankful for God answering my prayers.
But, aside from all of the discomfort of being pregnant in a “foreign country”, I super enjoyed my pregnancy. Being pregnant really opened my eyes to just how incredible the Creator really is; and knowing another level of His love. I had never even met my baby girl, but I loved her (and still do) sooo much already. As the weeks went by, and I began to feel her movements more and more, I couldn’t help but to be in awe at God’s work.
Our baby girl had some VERY strong kicks and was forever with the hiccups. Her little hands were ALWAYS moving – which tickled me all the time. I loved every bit of this! I was waiting in anticipation to meet our little princess, but also not wanting to rush the process, because I know the process is very important.
It was absolutely amazing getting to see our baby girl during the ultrasound appointments. I loved getting to see how she was developing inside of me. Like, look at that little face, and her little hands!
For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb.
psalm 139: 13, NIV
It was also during my pregnancy that I also began to learn even more about myself. Like, I always thought I was strong before, but shoot – ya girl is STRONG! I don’t mean strong in the fact that I can lift up heavy things – I mean, I can. What I mean is – ya girl was pushing herself until the VERY end of the pregnancy…tiredness, having to pee all the time, mental blocks, AND ALL!
What I didn’t mention before is that my husband and I took on the challenge of directing a Discipleship Training School (DTS) for the first time, near the end of the pregnancy (we will talk more about this later). Being directors of a DTS while preparing to welcome a baby into our family was not the EASIEST thing, nor was it in our original plan, but also not impossible (obviously, as I am writing to you now after having done it).
Many times during my pregnancy I remember thinking, “God created me for this”, and well, I refused to be one of those preggers that just “couldn’t do anything”. But I also had to learn how to have grace with myself. Because I am very strong, I tend to be harder on myself when it comes to needing to take a break and rest. It was one of those lessons that I didn’t enjoy so much but needed to learn. It was hard to ask for help and let someone else do something that I [normally] can do – let’s be honest, it was hard for me to ask for help. Who said that during pregnancy that I would also have a lesson on putting aside my pride – excuse me!
It was for sure a time of many lessons learned, and we will get into all of that at a later time – I have quite a bit to share. What I really wanted to do this time was to push past the “I need to start writing again”. I’m glad to have made it this far, and I appreciate you for sticking it through with me. God has really been working in my life this last year (He is always working though, ain’t He?), and I want to share some things with you all. I hope that they will bless you and challenge you as they have me. Until the next time…enjoy this picture of our baby girl’s first couple of hours in this world.
If you would have told me 5 years ago, that I would be married, living in Spain as a missionary, AND leading a Discipleship Training School for the first time and as a first time mom, I would have probably laughed in your face. But, as mentioned above, we’ll talk about all this later…
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