Have you wonder what it is I do? This prayer letter is all about the tech side of ministry and how important your prayers are. Thank you for reading it and praying for us. Last year 1,340,834 students indicated a decision to become a Christian through our college and high school ministries. Your prayers for Evangeline and I are a vital link in what God is doing through Campus Crusade for Christ.
I thank God for you,
Marc
PS: Annada is a constant source of laughter in our life. She’s just recently learned how to blow raspberries and giggle. You can see short videos of her doing both at her Web site, www.annada.marcandevangeline.com.
Please click on the image to see our prayer letter:
Thank you so much for praying for us. We have had a busy month. And it began with a prank. When I returned to work after Annada was born, I found my desk covered in foil!
My co-workers had wrapped every pen and piece of candy in my candy dish individually. They left me a foil “Welcome Back” mat and a to-do list. Every other item on the list was “change baby.” (You can see a picture of my desk below.)
It was a fun start to a serious job. Once I got my computer and chair uncovered, my first day back was also my first day as a Siebel administrator. This additional role is a challenge. I don’t have a background in Siebel, so I am learning as fast as I can. Please pray God gives me the ability to pick up the new job quickly and that this new system will help Campus Crusade overcome some of the problems and limitations of our current donation system.
I try to balance my new role and family by coming home for lunch most days. Annada breaks out in a huge smile when she sees me. It is priceless!
Thank you for praying and caring for our family!
Marc
PS: A photographer and friend of ours took some amazing pictures of Annada on Valentine’s Day. To see them, visit http://annada.marcandevangeline.com/?p=322
You can read our prayer letter by clicking on the image:
I never meant to let four weeks go by without giving you an update on our family. In fact, I’m not even sure how a week has gone by, much less four.
It has been a great four weeks, though. Annada is beautiful and knows exactly how to melt my heart. (And get out of her crib fast – her doctor asked us to work on letting her fuss for three minutes. We have to set a timer to make it that long.)
I am so grateful for all of your prayers for our family. I took strength in them during my (very) short labor. My water broke at 5:47 a.m. on December 20th, the first contraction was at 6:11 and Annada was born at 8:35 – 15 minutes after we arrived at the birth center. Annada crowned in the car, so my midwife Robyn actually met us on the road and drove in front looking for police (my mom ran a stop light for the first time). If we weren’t going to make it, Robyn was going to pull off and deliver Annada on the side of the road! Now I regret teasing Marc about being afraid I would deliver at home.
The only reason we made it is because of my mom. I was a bit scared when, about an hour into labor (with contractions every 2 minutes), I started thinking I had 11 hours to go (the average first time mom is 12 hours). My mom came over, spent about 10 minutes braiding my hair and made the command decision that we were leaving ASAP. She knew things were going really fast.
After we arrived at the Birth Place, I ran in (no time for a wheel chair) and three pushes later, Annada was born. Marc and I were able to hold her right away. It was an incredible moment. I am just in awe of what God has done for us. She has tons of dark blonde hair, 10 toes and fingers and seems healthy in every way. In fact, she has already grown from 7 lbs 4 oz and 20 inches to 9 lbs 2 oz and 23 inches.
Because Annada was born so fast, I ended up on bed-rest for 3 weeks. (It would have been 8 days, but 5 days into “bed-rest” I was reinjured coming home from the beach. Yes, I’m hoping I learned a lesson too.)
I have healed well and am feeling great. Marc is an incredible dad and I’m pretty sure Annada learned her vast noise making abilities from him. She watches him closely and even purses her lips in a little “o” when he whistles. All three of us are learning a lot.
I do have a couple of prayer requests to pass on:
1) Please pray Annada would sleep well. Now before you laugh too hard, I’m not looking for a miracle. But Annada has acid reflex. We are trying figure out a way she can sleep and stay off medicine (her doctor’s recommendation). So pray that we and her doctor would know if it is time to put her on medicine. Right now she is sleeping in a newborn swing. We are praying she outgrows the acid reflex before she outgrows the swing (and then will transition to a crib on an incline).
2) Please pray I would figure out this “new normal” and what commitments to keep/make. Everything is a little more complicated now and I want know what God is calling me to invest in.
Thank you friends! It means a lot knowing we are going into the adventure of being parents with your prayers and support.
Love,
Evangeline