Welcome to the world, baby Hope!

Introducing our daughter, Hope Elizabeth.

Hope's Name:

In the usual discussions over names, we turned down some of each others' favorites and eventually settled on a first name. On our drive across the country we were discussing middle names and Kacie suggested the name Hope. As we talked it over Isaac liked it more and more and suggested it as a first name instead.

Hope has been a major theme or lesson for Kacie this year. As some close to us walk through suffering and as we wrestle with the more mundane difficulties of cross-cultural adjustment, scripture has clearly spoken that in the midst of this broken world, we are not just enduring but should be people of the greatest of joy and hope. This is from some of Kacie's writing this year:

"We know that this is not all that there is. We know the redemption offered, we know He is doing something here, we see beauty and we rejoice, we see love and we sing, we well up with joy at the knowledge of a God who has pursued this broken bride, in a Jesus who is alive and holds his arms out to all who come. We sing because we see things being redeemed, we see new life, and most of all we see what's coming, the hair-raising end to all of this. We are a people of joyful hope. In the midst of the mourning."

We have joked that Hope's nickname should be Essie or Escha, in reference to eschatological hope. As for her middle name, our kids' names represent the christological trio of prophet, priest, and king. Judah is the kingly tribe, from which the kings of Israel and Jesus himself would come. Eliyah is the Hebrew (and Indonesian) form of Elijah, a prophet. So, in our search for a third name we hoped to find a name that represented the priesthood. Elizabeth, wife of a priest and the woman who prophesied Jesus' birth, is both associated with the priesthood and also a name we have both always loved.

We are so thankful for the answered prayer for a smooth and healthy birth for Hope. She was our heaviest baby at over 8 pounds, and is doing great. Kacie is also recovering quickly. Our older two kids have been beside themselves with delight at this new baby sister. Judah in particular wants to watch her every move! We are enjoying adjusting to our new family dynamics and the sweetness of the newborn stage. It sure would be nice is Hope stayed as good of an eater and sleeper as she has been in her first week of life!