Two babies in three days!!!

WOW!!!  What a week we have had at Mid-South Love Home!  We had two residents who were both due any day!  One had her little girl at 12:24 a.m. on Wednesday!  The other had a baby girl at 9:33 this morning!  This baby is being adopted and the adopted parents were at the hospital with us and it was an amazing experience!!  Both little girls are very healthy and both moms are doing great!  The one mom and her baby came home today so we are excited about having a newborn around the house again!!!

As our residents get closer to delivery date, I always try to have a talk with them about what they are expecting from me as far as labor and delivery goes!  Some have family who are with them during the delivery, some want me to be with them, and others want to go completely solo.  While driving the mom to the hospital Tuesday night, I explained to her that she needed to just let me know what she wanted from me.  I told her I could drop her off and leave, drop her off and stay around outside in case she wanted me there, or I could go with her from the beginning.  She asked me to walk her in and I wheeled her around to the women's pavillion.  Once we got there, she said, "I'm good."  It took me a second to grasp what she was saying but she was telling me that she was ready for me to leave.  I told her "ok" and explained that if she changed her mind at any point, I would be right back.  Well, I didn't hear from her again until 12:55 when she sent me a picture of her and the baby!  This is her first baby and she went natural ALL.BY.HERSELF!!!!  The more I thought about that, the more I understood a little about how her childhood/growing up experiences had molded her.  She was a foster child in and out of homes, group homes, etc.  She is used to taking care of herself and basically running solo.  I was so proud of her but it also broke my heart!  I am thankful that she is back at the Love Home so she can get some love and support as she learns to be a mommy!!

My other girl has been with us since September and realizing that her time at the Love Home is coming to an end is a happy/sad thing!  We love this girl so very much and God has totally rocked her world!  Every so often she goes on what I will call a "rampage" where she just goes on and on and on and on about how thankful she is that she landed at our house.  She was having one of these moments during labor today.  She said that she was walking around the house yesterday and thinking about how much her life has changed since she has been here.  She just thanked me and Brad and is so very grateful to our whole family.  She said today that she has just always wanted to be happy and smile.  She said that now she is just so happy with her life and she is just so excited!  God has done God-sized things in this young woman's life!  We are so thankful that we were able to play a part!  John Waller has a song "Somebody Else's Story" that says:

I wanna be a part, I wanna be a part
Of somebody finding love
Somebody finding love unfailing

I wanna be a part, I wanna be a part
Of somebody finding life
Somebody finding life everlasting

And I wanna play a part, I wanna play a part
Of somebody finding hope
Somebody finding hope in God of Heaven

It's my desire
Lord, you would use me
To change somebody else's destiny

I wanna be a part, I wanna be a part
Of somebody else's story
Somebody else's story of redemption
I wanna be the one, I wanna be the one
To shine the light of Jesus into their darkness

So lead me to that someone, I pray
Lord, I wanna bring You glory
In somebody else's story
Somebody else's story

I wanna be a part, I wanna be a part
Of somebody finding comfort
Somebody finding comfort when they're hurting

And I wanna play a part, I wanna play a part
Of caring for the widow
And sheltering the orphan

It's my desire
Lord, You would use me
To change somebody else's destiny

I wanna be a part, I wanna be a part
Of somebody else's story
Somebody else's story of redemption
I wanna be the one, I wanna be the one
To shine the light of Jesus into their darkness

So lead me to that someone, I pray
Lord, I wanna bring You glory
In somebody else's story

I wanna be a part, I wanna be a part
Of somebody else's story
Somebody else's story of redemption

This hope in me was not meant to be
Contained inside, I've got to give it away, give it away
This hope in me was not meant to be
Contained inside, I've got to give it away, give it away

I wanna be a part, I wanna be a part
Of somebody else's story
Somebody else's story of redemption

I am not trying to "toot" our horn and if you think I am, you totally don't know our hearts!  This is what life is all about!  Being involved in these young women's stories is one of the greatest blessings of our lives!  I know that if you have read this blog since the beginning, you know lots of the struggles we have gone through!  Most have been just needing support so we can do this ministry!  Today I told God that I am 100% confident that He will provide for the needs of this ministry so we can continue to be His hands and feet...so we can continue to be a part of other women's stories!!!  I don't know if you are involved in using your gifts and talents in ministry or not!  If you aren't, find something you are passionate about and use that to be a part of somebody's story!  If you want to be involved in this ministry, DO IT!!!!  Don't just read this blog and think "That's nice"!  He wants to use you!  If you support this ministry, these stories are of how YOU have played a part in someone else's story!  This is YOUR ministry too and you can cry with me as you read those words and know that God has used you in the lives of the 9 girls/8 babies we have had so far and this precious girl's story specifically!!!!  Thank you!!!  I cannot show pictures of either of these two stories.  Please don't let pictures be the only thing that moves your heart!  I can PROMISE you that these moms and babies are precious blessings from God above!  Please get involved!  We need you!!!