20 weeks = 5 months

Hello friends. All I have to say is.........

Whoa! We're halfway there! Whooooooa, livin on a prayer!
- the poet, Jovi

Today is the halfway mark in my pregnancy. I am thrilled to be here but the thought of waiting 20 more weeks to hold Isaac stinks. I know he's not done cooking yet, but I'd love to snuggle him for just 10 minutes.

Needless to say, I haven't yet come down from the high of the ultrasound. There were so many answered prayers and "God" promises that came true last Saturday.

I am ashamed to put this into words, but God gave me a promise last year on December 16. I was in the throes of fertility drugs and frankly, depression. We had, at that point been trying since April to get pregnant and no matter how many times I charted, took my temperature, or took drugs, we could not conceive. I went to the bible needing a pick me up. I had every intention to find something comforting to read. By God's design, I ended up in 2 Kings,
chapter 4. This is the passage God gave me that night:

8
One day Elisha came to Shunem, where there was a woman of influence, who urged him to dine with her. Afterward, whenever he passed by, he used to stop there to dine.
9
So she said to her husband, "I know that he is a holy man of God. Since he visits us often,
10
let us arrange a little room on the roof and furnish it for him with a bed, table, chair, and lamp, so that when he comes to us he can stay there."
11
Sometime later Elisha arrived and stayed in the room overnight.
12
Then he said to his servant Gehazi, "Call this Shunammite woman." He did so, and when she stood before Elisha,
13
he told Gehazi, "Say to her, 'You have lavished all this care on us; what can we do for you? Can we say a good word for you to the king or to the commander of the army?'" She replied, "I am living among my own people."
14
Later Elisha asked, "Can something be done for her?" "Yes!" Gehazi answered. "She has no son, and her husband is getting on in years."
15
"Call her," said Elisha. When she had been called, and stood at the door,
16
Elisha promised, "This time next year you will be holding a son in your arms." "Please, my lord," she protested, "you are a man of God; do not deceive your servant."
17
Yet the woman conceived, and by the same time the following year, in the same season she had given birth to a son, as Elisha had promised.

This is one of those rare and special times that God spoke a promise to me through his word. I can relate to parts of this woman. It was very stirring that the woman reacted by asking Elisha not to deceive her. At that point I felt very deceived; by doctors, by my hopes, by my emotions and even by my own body. All my heart wanted was to conceive and bear a child and no matter how hard I tried I couldn't make it happen. Not that I have ever entertained any holy prophets in my home, but I felt that at that time, God was telling me to hold on and to know that my son was coming. I also felt that God was asking me how big my faith was. Ashamedly, it wasn't very big.

As you know we lost a baby in February of this year. It seems like a lifetime ago. I thought that pregnancy was the answer to my prayer. When it turned out to be another baby in glory, I was crushed. The scripture haunted me. I thought that maybe I had misunderstood, or just let emotion cause me to see what I wanted in those verses. My faith ran low. I was an Israelite. God put his promise in black and white and yet I doubted. Even when I found out that I was pregnant with Isaac, I cried and feared, even though God brought those verses to my mind time after time.

When I say that I always thought that this baby was a boy, this is why. God promised me a son and when I saw him on the ultrasound, I saw God's promise in the flesh. My Isaac, the boy whose name is laughter. And as my friend pointed out, even the title of my blog refers to laughter. And I believe that as we see God's promise fulfilled in 20 weeks time, that there will be much laughter and glory to God for giving me the desires of my heart through my son.

The control freak side of me is hoping that Isaac won't be here on or before December 16. That is too early. I am just hoping that God is using that as a symbol and not a concrete thing. But I know that God is going to take care of Isaac no matter when he decides to come out and greet us all. But God gave me a promise, and I am done with doubt.

Prayer Focus:

1) My angels - Isaac and Gurt, that God would continue to grow them and keep them healthy.

2) My great uncle, Kenneth Reed passed away last weekend. Pray for my great Aunt Leora as well as their children and grandchildren as they deal with his loss. Pray for comfort and strength in the days ahead.

3) My friend Miriam. She and her hubby and daughter are stationed in Guam. She is expecting a son a few weeks before Isaac. Her son may have hemophilia so she is VERY high risk and she has to come back to the states until she gives birth next January. I am thrilled that she is coming but this means that she and her daughter and soon-to-be son will be away from her husband for all but 2 weeks out of possibly the next year. Pray that her son will NOT have hemophilia and that God will comfort and protect them as they are making plans.

4) My cousin Danna- she ties the knot Saturday! Pray that God will bless her marriage and maybe even bless her with an Isaac of her own someday.

5) Ryland- he just locked the keys in our new Chrysler Pacifica. He is stressed. Pray that he gets someone to drive out here to the boon docks to let him in his new car or else I am going to make him ride a bike tomorrow. Okay- just kidding.

Love you all,
Mindy