The Journey of a Treasured Promise...

It's a BOY... Ian Nathanael!!!

The Journey

of a Treasured Promise...

~Journal Entry March 17, 2010~

My All in All ~ Faithful Father,

I am amazed and blessed beyond words...

It is confirmed and recorded this day

that after four years of waiting and prayer,

I will finally get to meet my precious "Ian Nathanael"

at the end of July 2010!!!

I give You all the praise and glory for my

"gracious, gift from God"...

My heart rejoices and awaits the arrival

of my baby boy!!!

Thank you Daddy, for all the dreams

and treasured promises You have given to me...

I look forward to the amazing things You

have in store for this son of mine...

May he grow to be a man

after Your own heart!!!

~Journal Entry July 12, 2005~

I had a dream last night

that I was going through labor

and gave birth to a baby boy...

Then my cousin Melena,

(which intrigued me and I thought ~

why was it specifically "her" in my dream?)

came into my room

and asked, "what is his name?"

I said, "Ian Nathanael"...

My Sweet Jesus,

I look forward to finding out

if this is to be my future!!!

I praise You, for You have given me

a special dream...

~~~~

I have had four dreams,

all the same exact dream...

1. July 12, 2005

2. Oct. 21, 2005

3. Jan. 30, 2006

4. April 22, 2006

From the 1st to the last = 9 months

* 4 years ago,

I had 4 dreams

about my 4th child...

(which I didn't figure out until this year...

I didn't understand it then because I had all

4 dreams before I got pregnant with my

3rd daughter Nadia. which of course

I thought she was a boy...

Honest mistake ;-)

~Journal Entry January 30, 2006~

My Sweet Jesus,

I lift up my dream from last night to You.

It's been on my heart and mind all day...

Are You preparing my heart for this

little one, "Ian Nathanael?"

Ian meaning:

"God is Gracious"

and

Nathanael meaning:

"Gift from God"

May this child have a heart

that is humble ~especially

before You, Lord...

A spirit of peace and patience

and slow to anger...

The mind of Christ ~

full of much wisdom and knowledge.

Strong in health...

But most of all, loves You

and knows You at a young age...

Honors You and glorifies You

with all of his heart!!!

May Your Holy Spirit

continue to prepare my heart

for this special gift...

~Journal Entry April 22, 2006~

My Faithful Father,

I do believe and have faith in You

knowing that You have shown me

my son, Ian Nathanael...

Thank You for showing me in dreams

and through peace in my heart...

May he be a man who desires

Your closeness and seeks

You out with his whole heart ~

holding fast to Your word alone.

Wanting to honor You and praise You

with all of his breath...

May he be peaceful and humble ~

yet strong and wise...

I lift before You my pregnancy with him,

that it will be wonderful and enjoyable

with no complications of any kind...

And that Ian and I will be

supernaturally covered in great health...

Father, may my delivery be a

wonderful and beautiful experience...

Thank You!!!

I am so excited to be pregnant

with my son Ian ~

I give You all the Praise and glory!!!

~~~~

Now faith is the substance

of things hoped for,

the evidence of things

not seen. ~Hebrews 11:1

Faith: is not just some kind

of mind power.

Faith: is connected to the reality

of God's word.

Faith: actually sees the promises of God

coming true before they happen.

Faith: is the "evidence of things

not seen."

Faith: is almost like entering another

dimension in time and space

where you see the thing

you are praying for happen

before it actually happens

in reality...

Faith: in God's word is a higher reality

than our physical reality...

And the invisible or spiritual world

creates the physical world...

~Journal Entry October 7, 2006~

(3 months pregnant ~

with my 3rd daughter Nadia Joy)

My gracious Father,

Thank You again for these dreams...

I truly believe they are from You.

Please help me to keep my faith

strong and firm

and not to be a wave

tossing about at sea...

~~~~

Be anxious for nothing,

but in everything

by prayer and supplication

with thanksgiving,

let your requests be made known

to God.

And the peace of God,

which surpasses all understanding,

will guard your hearts and minds

through Christ Jesus.

The things which you learned

and received and heard

and saw in Me,

these do, and the God of peace

will be with you.

~Philippians 4: 6-7 & 9

~Journal Entry December 12, 2006~

(day of my ultrasound

revealing ~ my pregnancy

with Nadia Joy)

My Great I Am,

Father, I am left in total reliance

on You.

Only You are in control

and know everything...

I trust and believe the things

You have chosen to show me

about Ian Nathanael...

I believe one day

in Your perfect timing,

the full picture will be revealed...

I lay my heart down

at Your feet in peace ~

I trust You...

I rejoice in You

for the blessing and gift

of my Nadia Joy!!!

~~~~

Those who trust in the Lord,

are like Mount Zion,

which cannot be moved,

but abides forever...

As the mountains

surround Jerusalem,

so the Lord surrounds

His people

from this time forth

and forever...

~Palm 125: 1-2

When Nadia was about two,

I started having the stirring

for another baby...

Now, it was a totally different

story for Jon...

According to him, we were done.

~~

One day I was feeling really confused

and discouraged about having

another baby

reasoning every thing ~

telling myself all the reasons

not to go through with it...

That evening, after all the girls

were in bed,

I snuggled up on my sofa

and began spilling my heart out

to the Lord...

In that moment

He told me to go back and read

my journal ~

starting at the 1st dream He gave to me

about having a son...

As I read on,

It brought all those moments

back again and refreshed

the faith inside me...

Confirming to me He was going

to bring it to pass in His timing...

But there was still

one big hurdle...

My husband, Jon...

(who plays a very big part

in having another baby...)

I decided to place my faith and trust

in the Lord

and would have to trust Him

for my husbands peace about it...

(and honestly at times,

wasn't easy to do...)

~~

One evening,

Jon was out with his cousins,

Todd and Melena...

Jon got talking with Melena

and she brought up,

if Jon and I were going to have

another baby...

(and again you know where he stands)

She shared her heart

and what I believe the Holy Spirit

was having her say to him...

Needless to say,

a week later after thought and prayer,

he CHANGED his mind!!!

He told me that Melena

got him thinking and that he had peace...

God is sooo good!!!

Now I understand why

He had Melena in my dreams...

(to use her to give Jon peace!!!)

~Journal Entry October 1, 2009~

(almost 2 months before I found out

my pregnancy with Ian...)

My Gracious Father,

I put my total trust in You ~

Your perfect timing for my pregnancy

with Ian Nathanael...

May I hold onto Your peace

and press forward with

faith and hope

in this joyous time ahead,

waiting for You to confirm

Your perfect will...

And Father,

when confirmation comes,

may I stand strong and not waver

in Your word and promises...

"For this child I prayed,

and the Lord had granted me

my petition

which I asked of Him..."

~1 Samuel 1: 27

~Journal Entry September 16, 2009~

My Wonderful Maker,

Thank You for continuing

to encourage me to sow in prayer...

Especially in this season

I am in...

Waiting for the Joyous confirmation

of precious Ian Nathanael...

I am so blessed as I look back

on Your faithfulness

at the time I was preparing myself

for the newness of motherhood...

My sweet Malea Faith...

I felt so strong about her name,

as I have come to find it being

very monumental in my life!!!

Faith had taken on a new

meaning for me...

I would describe it as a new tree

being planted and beginning

to take root...

I always new to have faith,

but to actually put faith in action,

was a big step for me...

And usually with firsts

and lack of experience,

you can be caught up in a daze

and feel like your dreaming...

(like the roots, when their fresh and new,

they haven't found their place yet,

and still need to grow and be watered,

to catch a hold and to sink deep...)

But yet,

Your faithfulness Lord,

carried me through and met me

right where I was in my faith...

Malea to this day,

is oh so full of faith...

Always planning things ahead

believing that they will

happen...

I began to really cling to

and hold fast to Hebrews 11:1

~Now faith is the substance

of things hoped for,

the evidence of things

not seen...

I noticed my faith begin to deepen

as I started to truly trust

in You Lord, and Your word ~

finding so many promises

that I could stand on and claim

for my family and I...

I will worship towards Your

holy temple,

and praise Your name.

For Your lovingkindness

and Your truth.

For You have magnified

Your word

above all Your name...

~Psalm 138:2

How awesome this is...

I know Your name "Jesus" is so great

and there is so much

power in Your name alone...

But...WOW!!!

You say, You magnify "esteem"

Your word higher than Your name...

This has made me desire

to draw closer to Your word

and to place my faith and hope in it...

"So shall My word be

that goes forth from My mouth,

It shall not return to Me void,

But it shall accomplish

what I please,

and it shall prosper in the thing

for which I sent it..."

~Isaiah 55:11

"What we do now impacts

the future..."

~~

I have had such a strong need

to prepare and intercede

for the lives of my children ~

months in advance,

before I would get pregnant

with them...

With each one,

the neat thing was,

the Lord would stretch and grow

my faith in areas

I was trusting and believing

for Him to accomplish

and change in my life

and for my family...

With each child,

I tend to say that their names

have a very monumental

meaning in my life,

because the meaning

had always been a place

I was at, that the Lord

was teaching me to grow in...

You know the saying,

"You live up to your name"

It's been neat to see the truth

that it's had for my family...

Therefore, having been justified

by faith,

we have peace with God

through our Lord, Jesus Christ,

through whom also we have access

by faith into this grace

in which we stand,

and rejoice in hope of the glory

of God.

And not only that,

but we also glory in tribulations,

knowing that tribulation

produces perseverance,

and perseverance character,

and character hope.

Now hope does not disappoint,

because the love of God

has been poured out in our hearts

by the Holy Spirit

who was given to us...

~Romans 5:1-5

In my preparing and pregnancy

with Kala Hope,

I had an even greater

determination to press forward

and have hope in the Lord

that He would help me

change some past mistakes

and to trust Him in areas

that I was placing my faith in...

Two months before I got pregnant

with Kala, I was reading

Psalm 91,

when I got to verses 9-11,

I had written "Kala Hope 9/13/02"

Kala was born 11 months later

on 8/2/03.

Kala means:

"Refuge ~ guarded of God"

And Hope ~ is directly connected

to standing on the promises of God

and expectantly waiting for Him

to keep His word

and answer prayer...

Still to this day when I read

Psalm 91 and see her name dated,

I continue to thank and praise God

for His faithfulness

and for reminding me

that He is in complete control

and that He has every detail

of our lives planned out

before it even comes to pass ~

And that we can place

our faith and hope

in all of His wonderful promises

that He has given to us!!!

He will perfect and fulfill

all of His promises and purposes

in our lives...

He is like a master artist

who is painting a beautiful picture

of our lives...

He is committed to perfecting

and finishing it

and making it a masterpiece...

And my little Nadia Joy,

who fits her name so well...

Has been the topping on the cake!!!

Nadia meaning

"Hopeful and Blessed"

And which I always add...

"With great JOY"

Has been a perfect example

of my pregnancy and delivery

experience with her...

A true supernatural experience

which I will forever

be in AWE of God!!!

Don't let anyone ever tell you

there is no such thing

or say to you

that you can't have

a quick, natural, and pain-free delivery...

Because with God,

ALL things are possible!!!

I was truly hopeful and blessed

with great Joy!!!

~~

I am so excited for this new season...

And for new experiences and moments

to treasure within my heart!!!

Something really neat

I came across was:

That the name Ian,

is actually a form of the name John...

and that the name Nathanael,

means:

"Gift from God"

and it's the same meaning

for Jonathan too...

What an extra special blessing

for my husband Jon!!!

~Journal Entry March, 18, 2010~

My Amazing Father,

Today my pastors wife,

shared with me

that she awoke from her sleep

and that the You gave her

a word for me...

You told her,

that You had given me those dreams

4 years ago ~

not for that season

but for this season...

To teach me how

to ponder them (the dreams)

and your promises in my heart ~

Just as Anna in the bible did...

I give You all the praise

and glory Lord...

For I am in total awe of You...

I am so very blessed!

Please forgive me for the times

I've doubted and strayed...

Help me to remain strong in You

and to truly ponder and treasure

these promises from You

in the depths of my heart...

Father, help me to know

and be so in tune

with my children and sensitive

to the destiny of their lives.

I want to know You

even greater than before...

to be in Your presence

seeking Your perfect will...

May I live a life that:

~Puts You first

~Is devoted to You

~Honors You above all

~And has a heart completely

surrendered to You...

Thank You for the example

of Anna's life!!!

"Delight yourself in the Lord

and He will give you

the desires of your heart."

~Psalm 37:4

Thankful to have You

Lord of my life!!!

"For assuredly, I say to you,

Whoever says to this mountain,

'Be removed and be cast

into the sea'

and does not doubt

in his heart,

but believes that those things

he says will be done,

he will have whatever he says.

Therefore I say to you,

whatever things you ask

when you pray,

believe that you receive them,

and you will have them..."

~Mark 11:23-24