The Story of Joshua

Our little Joshua Daniel was born on August 29, 2010. But his story began long ago. It started, well I suppose you could say it started when I was a little girl and began my dreams of one day being a mommy...but if I started the story way back then, I think we would run out of room to tell it all. So, we will fast forward quite a few years and start it back in September of 2009. Nate and I had decided that we were ready for another baby to join our family. For the next few months we prayed and thought and dreamt of this new one that might come but as we waited we began wondering if our next child was going to be adopted. It is something that Nate and I had thought of before and just about that time our church began doing some preaching and teaching about adoption. The adoption ministry at our church is pretty big and very active and we bagan taking notice. One Sunday during the sermon I was just filled with this sense of all God was asking me to do was just save and love one child, that's all, just one. So often I get overwhelmed by the needs of this world and find myself shutting down because the need is so great, how could I make a difference? But in that moment, I felt the reassurance that God doesn't ask us to save the world...that is his job, we are just to obey his call on our individual life. Also at that moment I got a picture of a little girl baby, she was black, she was mine. I just began to weep and felt like perhaps God was calling us to adopt now.

The next Sunday there was an adoption expo at our church with all different agengies and tons of information. Nate and I were overwhelmed and excited at the prospect of beginning the adoption process. We attended a few informational meetings and were thinking we would begin soon after the holidays.

However, there was still a part of me that wasn't completely convinced that we had had our last biological child and it felt strange to adopt and then concieve more, not that we couldn't but it didn't quite feel right inside us.

So, we began to ask people to pray and seek wisdom from the Lord for us.

Right around Christmas, we were still really struggling with knowing what to do when my dad asked us how we were feeling about things regarding pregnancy or adoption. He told us that he had been praying and practicing listening to the Lord when he asked the Lord to give him a word of knowledge. He didn't ask for anything specific but just wanted to learn and listen. Immediately after asking this, he got a picture of me very pregnant, and then holding a newborn baby. I was glowing and filled with joy. He shared this with us because he wondered if I was pregnant and just hadn't told anyone or if it might be an encouragement to us in our search for God's will.

We were both a little overwhelmed by it but encouraged at the same time. This was on a Wednesday night. That Saturday, after having a very teary day, Nate wondered if perhaps I should take a pregnancy test just to see...

Well, you can guess what results we found!! :) God definitely cleared up any questions we had, our next child would come from my womb.

Why we felt so strongly to adopt, we still don't know at this point, but we do know that if God has put that in our hearts, in His timing we will obey and welcome another child into our hearts and lives.

So, 9 months later... we welcome Joshua Daniel into our lives.

My dad has continued to practice asking and listening to the Lord for our child. He felt like God revealed the sex of our baby to him. (He had to keep it to himself for all these months though because Nate and I wanted to wait and be surprised)

He also got another vision of the Holy Spirit coming upon baby Joshua and annointing him, how awesome is that!

God has blessed us with a family of 5 now. Who knows if He will continue to increase it as the years go by but for now we are overwhelmed with the gift of Joshua, a little boy with a big and amazing God that loves him and knit him together in my womb. I am so in love with this little boy and the joy and pride I see in Nate's eyes as he looks at his son is one I will never forget.

We love you Joshua Daniel Reinhard!