December brought us Glenda, and with her, a fresh reminder of God’s faithfulness. Stephanie’s health had been poor in the final months of pregnancy, and we had real concerns about losing the baby. But the Lord sustained her, and by His mercy, she carried to full term.
Glenda came on December 4th. Konrad and China were still with us, so they went along to the hospital. I was thankful for their support and for running errands for us. Caleb and Belinda stayed with our other children at home.
The labor was long but uneventful, and the delivery went smoothly—nothing dramatic, nothing worth reporting, just a straightforward birth, which is the best kind.
Then came a scare. A few hours after delivery, Stephanie started hemorrhaging. The nurses struggled to stop it, and Konrad, China, and I were asked to leave the room. It was the middle of the night. The doctor was unavailable. And we were left outside, praying, waiting, fearing. But the Lord was merciful. Stephanie pulled through, and the bleeding was brought under control.
Early the next morning, they took her downstairs for surgeries to address her ongoing health issues, particularly her hernia. Everything went well, and by the next day, we were heading home—thankful, exhausted, and carrying a newborn who had no idea what a rollercoaster we had just been through.
The next few weeks brought their own challenges. Stephanie’s recovery was slow, and the pain from her surgeries was no small thing. She developed fluid buildup between the mesh they placed for the hernia and the muscle wall, which meant weekly trips to the hospital for drainage. But in time, that healed, and since then, her health has been better than it’s been in a long time. Glenda, too, has been strong and healthy—no more scares, no complications. Just a growing baby and a mother who is finally regaining her strength.
Seasons like these have a way of putting things in perspective. Life is fleeting, and our loved ones are precious. It’s easy to take the ordinary days for granted until one night in a hospital room reminds you how fragile it all is. We don’t want to waste the days we’ve been given.
We are deeply grateful to the Lord for His care, to the churches in Virginia for their prayers and encouragement, to the church in Huaral for their support. And especially to Miss Robyn, whose help through these months was a kindness we cannot overstate. She was a gift to Stephanie and, by extension, to all of us. We don’t know how we would have managed without her.
God has been good to us. He always is. But sometimes, we are given moments that make us pause and see it more clearly. Glenda’s arrival was one of those moments.
Juan David 