Here we are, September 6th, the day you were married 2 years ago. We praise the Lord for bringing you together, and we delight to see God’s gift of Calia to your family. You are an amazing team serving the Lord Jesus! We love you, and yes, Happy Anniversary!
“Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever:
for they are the rejoicing of my heart.”
Psalm 119:111
We have exciting news!
Calia Grace Maxwell was born to Elissa and I last night, October 4th. With a headful of dark hair, she’s a little doll.
Elissa is doing very well and enjoying her bundle of joy. The labor went fast, especially for it being Elissa’s first. I was blessed to support Elissa throughout labor, and I’m thrilled to have Calia here.
Calia means “Beautiful” in Greek. As we prayed about what to name a little girl, the LORD kept directing us back to this. We love it because God’s grace is beautiful. He has transformed our lives through His grace, and we pray and believe that He will transform this sweet little girl into a beautiful, shining light for His glory.
Here are some pictures to tide you over until the real newborn session later.
For those who like details, Calia weighed 5 lbs, 13 oz.
Rejoicing in His gift of life,
Joseph, Elissa, and Calia
“And how shall they preach, except they be sent?
as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them
that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad
tidings of good things!”
Romans 10:15
One of our sweet neighbors, who also came to Joseph and Elissa’s wedding, wanted to throw a baby shower for Elissa.
Mrs. K (the neighbor) and Mom planned the event and enjoyed working together. Anna and Mary helped with invitations, food, and decorating.
The almost-four hour shower was full of joy. We had a special devotion by Mom; Elissa’s mom shared funny moments from E’s childhood; we played three games; we fellowshipped; we ate; and Elissa opened gifts. Whew!
Babies are such a joy, and it was exciting to welcome this little one to Joseph and Elissa’s family!
Love,
Sarah
“Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer,
and he that formed thee from the womb,
I am the LORD that maketh all things;
that stretcheth forth the heavens alone;
that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself.”
Isaiah 44:24
Hello!
Just wanted to give you a few photos I took last week of Joseph and Elissa and Baby. Time is quickly counting down until Baby makes his/her appearance. The baby is doing well and growing. Elissa is past 30 weeks now. We are grateful for your prayers during these last weeks.
Love,
Sarah
“Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD:
and the fruit of the womb is his reward.”
Psalm 127:3
The flat tundra in the photo below is where Joseph recorded. This was only part way down the mountain–we were still above the tree line.
If you remember in the previous post, Joseph descended faster than some of us. Actually, Jesse and the other brothers did too. At a certain point in our descent, we could hear Joseph singing. It was stunning. To hear praise for Jesus, out in God’s Creation, with natural amplification, was amazing. Joseph’s voice echoed off the mountain walls, singing praise to the only One worthy of our praise.
Jesse used iPhones to record the video. He was very patient, taking many clips in different locations. In addition, they used a practice track as they recorded for Joseph to keep timing.
Christopher’s forte is lighting, so he helped with that aspect. You have to realize we were out for a hike, not a video session, so our resources were limited and improvised. Christopher asked around for something white to use as a reflector. We examined what we had and came up with a mostly white windbreaker. In addition, we needed extra light. We produced two flashlights. Jesse used a hiking pole with an iPhone mounted to it for a mobile monopod. We had a real production team going.
It was a sweet sight to see so many of my siblings involved with helping Joseph on his special project. They all knew what joy this would bring Elissa.
I don’t believe you could have gotten a prettier day. It was picture-perfect. Notice some are even in their short-sleeves, and we’re at altitude.
A very special thank you goes to Jesse. He invested a lot of time and effort into post-production.
Love,
Sarah
“And my tongue shall speak of thy righteousness
and of thy praise all the day long.”
Psalm 35:28
We are excited to share with you a very special video that Joseph recorded for Elissa, August 21st, while we were in Colorado. It had been on his heart to sing her favorite song, and after summiting Mount Huron, he hurried back to the perfect location. The video is informal, and the background music was just practice music and spliced in. Joseph sent Elissa the music from Colorado. She was delighted! We’ll be sharing the behind-the-scenes pictures in a separate post.
May we each be a channel for Jesus. I hope this ministers to your heart today!
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live;
yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life
which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith
of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
Galatians 2:20
