Arrival

 

I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever;
With my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations.
 
I will declare that your love stands firm forever, 

That you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.

Psalm 89:1-2

 

It was a long time coming, but the day finally arrived.    Early in the morning, Linnea and I rushed to the hospital, filled with excitement. We had waited a long time for this moment; a moment that we weren’t quite sure was ever going to happen. 

The doctors had essentially told us no; that there realistically was no chance.  That we should look into other options.  But we tried our best to remember that God is faithful and He will keep the promises that He makes.

There was still a little more waiting to do, as we anticipated his arrival throughout the day. He certainly didn’t seem to be in any sort of rush, but finally, late in the afternoon, we were able to meet him in person for the first time, and God’s promises to us were fulfilled. Ethan Norman Anstey born March 2, 2022 at 4:58 pm, weighing in at 7 pounds and 10 ounces and measuring 21 inches.  A perfectly healthy baby boy; a miracle that we were told wouldn’t happen.

As I held him for the first time and tried my best to keep the tears at bay, I couldn’t help but think of all the other promises that God has kept throughout my life.  How He has been faithful to me throughout all of the ups and downs.

We chose the name Ethan for a number of reasons.  The actual meaning of his name is Hebrew for strong.  This somewhat mirrored my name, as Andrew is Greek for manly and strong.  Secondly, Ethan in the Bible was one of the chief musicians and songwriters in the courts of David, which echoes Linnea’s love and passion for worship and music. 

Finally, Ethan was also the author of Psalm 89, which centers around the faithfulness of God, throughout the generations.  So, today, we will sing of the Lord’s great love and make His faithfulness known.  Our prayer is that Ethan will experience the same great love and faithfulness of God that we have throughout our lives.

We want to thank everyone for your prayers, support and words of encouragement throughout this journey.