It
is with great joy that we announce the birth of our beloved son, Levi
Joel, one of the greatest treasures ever entrusted to us. In his first
few weeks of life, he has managed to capture our hearts with his
sweetness and softness. He is truly a gift and a delight. The meaning of
Levi is: Joined, attached. The meaning of Joel is: He that wills or
commands and Yaweh is God. I have prayed this last year that the Lord
would give us a name for our son, and now more than ever I have no doubt
that He led us to name our precious boy Levi Joel. I know even already
that one day his name will tell a story about him and about the Creator
who made him. It was after I got home from the hospital that I found out
that Levi means: Joined, attached. At that point, we had already found
out that our baby has what is called Apert Syndrome, a very uncommon
condition that affects about 1 in every 160,000 babies, characterized by
premature fusion of certain skull bones, as well as toes and fingers
that are fused together. We knew nothing and had never even heard of
Apert Syndrome before he was born, but we can already see God`s grace
and mercy over us as a family in the ways He has been preparing us for
just a time as this and believe that God has a very unique and special
purpose for this little one`s life. Throughout my pregnancy and now that
he is born, we have and continue to pray daily over baby Joel`s life.
Our biggest desire for him is that he can know Christ as his personal
Savior and bring Him glory and honor. We face many surgeries in baby
Joel`s future and many health risks, but just today I was again reminded
that it is Jehovah who establishes our steps. He is God, He who wills
and commands, and we have chosen to put our trust in Him alone. As of
now, baby Joel is doing great and is a very easy and content baby!
Marvin, Michayla and I are all so in love with him and enjoying his
newborn stage.
We
are so thankful for all of the love and support poured out on us by
family, friends and our church body. We have felt the prayers holding us
up throughout this time and have felt God`s presence in a very special
way. We
covet your prayers on
behalf of our son that the Lord would even now prepare him for the road ahead and protect his brain, his eyes, his
ears, his lungs, his breathing, his heart, his hands, his feet, and
every part of his body, that he will love and serve the Lord, and that
his life will be used to bring glory to our king, Jesus. Please pray for
baby Joel`s breathing, as he has, at times, seemed to have some trouble.
Also please pray for direction, wisdom and grace for our family as we
look down a
long road ahead of us with many changes and challenges and face many tough decisions.
Emmanuel: God is with us, and we trust in His great love. To Him be the glory forever and ever!
With much love,
Marvin, Sharon, (Michayla and Joel) Lopez
Amen and Amen! What a powerful testimony Joel's life is to all of us of God's complete sovereignty and goodness. What a powerful testimony of God's leading you to name him. I love his name! We are so privileged to have him part of our family! He is sooooo cute and sweet and I just can't wait to hold him!!!!
ResponderEliminarThank you for taking time to pen such beautiful thoughts and details for us all, Sharon. We continue to pray for Levi Joel, knowing that he and his whole family are held in the perfect palm of God.
ResponderEliminar