Bless the Lord, O my soul!It surely has been a long, yet immensely blessed, couple of weeks since we last wrote an update. Our recent travels have taken us to a few area churches, including First Baptist Church in Waldoboro, Morrill Baptist Church, and Rock of Ages Church in Wiscasset just yesterday. We have friends in all these churches, and have been able to get to know many more brothers and sisters in Christ in the recent weeks. Friends in homeschool circles, colaborers in jail ministry, believers who have been in parades and door to door with us in the Gospel work. We were also able to go one Sunday to the meeting in Union to visit the saints there. In all these settings, we are encouraged to see the name of Jesus Christ lifted up, servants in service to their Master, and God.
The biggest news is that which I have already shared, but am happy to share some more. Samuel David Cowperthwaite made his entrance into the world at 835pm Monday, February 8, 2010. He weighed in at 7 lbs. 9 oz. and is quite happy and healthy. Sara is also doing quite well, healing just fine and happy to be home. The older children are all adjusting well to having a baby around, needing to be careful with him, and helping mom and dad out with all the things that got behind with us in the hospital for 3 days.
I won't tell the whole story of the labor and delivery, but do want to share just a bit of the spiritual side of this experience. Our son Joshua died at birth not quite a year ago, March 25, 2009. We had so many plans for our family with a new baby. We had hopes and dreams about our son, never dreaming that we would lose him so quickly. In the days that followed, we found a peace that we could not explain, but that knowing God's plans were being revealed and that we must trust in Him as we walked through this dark valley. God revealed many things to us by His Word in the following days and months.
When we found out that the Lord had blessed us with another baby on the way, we were overjoyed, but also conflicted. No amount of children born will replace our beloved Joshua. We have no desire to attempt that, but do look forward to having more children as the Lord blesses. We have been drawn closer to the Lord, leaning on His strength through these times, and standing at Sara's side as she prepared to deliver Samuel, it all came rushing back to me. I have found that times of greatest need is when you find out what you really believe.
At just the time that Sara felt a need to push the baby out, I dropped to my knees by that hospital bed. I had been considering something for some time that I had not expressed to Sara, but as we talked the last few days, she felt some of the same things. When we lost Joshua, I asked myself (and God) how I would survive. Would I love Him more than even my own life? Would I still serve God as He has called? The strength to continue did not come from me, or Sara, or anyplace but God's mighty Hand in lifting us up, protecting us through the valley of the shadow of death.
This past Monday in that hospital room, there was no perceived threat to Sara's life or to Samuel's, but still the thought would not leave my mind. What if I lost my wife, my help mate, the one whom I love so much? Would I still serve my Master, is this a test I would pass? What if we lost another child, either during birth or in the days to come? This is what brought me to my knees. I cried out to God at that moment, in praise to Him for giving me a wife, and all my children, even those that have gone to His presence before me. I renewed my promise to go wherever He leads, and trust Him for provision and strength to do whatever task He sends me to do.
I concluded that I will serve the Lord my God no matter the cost. He is more precious to me than my wife, my children, my health, even my own life. I have not yet had to face the loss of my life for the cause of Christ, but I am willing. That is a place I don't think I had ever been before, but this realization has given me peace to know that nothing can come that can take my God from me. He is my rock and my fortress, in Him will I trust. As we look forward to where He leads our family in ministry in the coming months, we know that with God at the wheel, we will never be led down the wrong path. We must learn more and more to seek God's will, listen to His leading, and focus every moment of our lives on the one who deserves all honor and glory, our hearts, and our very lives.
When Samuel was born, alive and healthy, I again dropped to my knees by the bed and praised God. We are blessed to hear from the nurses that our testimony was clearly one of glory to God. We shared the Gospel verbally with many(and CDs for those who had no time to talk), and encouraged others that were professing believers. In it all, I believe that God was given the glory, and that the gospel of Jesus Christ was proclaimed. In the darkest times, and in the brightest parts of our lives, we ought to honor and glorify God, and proclaim mercy and salvation through our Savior. What better time to share, right?
As we look forward, we have prayed long and hard about when to leave, where to go, and such. We plan, Lord willing, to leave Maine on March 22. We want to visit family in Toledo and Blufton, Ohio. From there, we plan to visit the saints in Richmond, Kentucky for a few days and gather for worship with them on Sunday, March 28. From there, we will head south to McDonough, Georgia to the home of Gerald and Pamela Scarbrough. Our camper has been parked at their home while we are in Maine. They are starting a new work there, and our friends Oliver and Tisha Leigh John-Baptiste are currently in McDonough helping with door to door witnessing, Bible studies, and whatever else is going on.
We desire to work with these families for a time to reach their community with the Gospel and the encourage believers in studying God's Word.. We also want to do some traveling to Florida and Mississippi to visit some other friends and churches there. As usual, our length of stay is not yet determined, we will be praying about the need there and how best we can be used.
Sara and Samuel are both doing quite well, we are back into our school routine today, and enjoying the book "God's smuggler" and our study in the book of James. This study has been challenging, convicting, educational, and all around a blessing as our family does it together with others from the chapel. Our plans upcoming include sharing the Gospel wherever we go (including the hospital), getting back into the jail this week, visiting a few other area churches, Bible studies, along with meetings with families and whatever else comes our way.
Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;
Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;
Psalm 103:1-4 KJV
