Okay, so we caved! We went to the doctors today for our 5 month check-up, and we told the doctor we wanted to know if the baby is a boy or a girl. He laughed and said, “I thought you would want to know”. So. . . . . After another ultrasound, measurements, and some looking around, we discovered with 90% certainty that we’re having a GIRL!!! We are so excited! He will tell us with 99% certainty at next month’s check-up. Little Emma is due December 20th, and she looks very healthy. Her heart rate is good, everything looks strong, and we even counted her 10 little toes! We shared the good news with our parents via computer phones this afternoon. Everyone is very excited, but still won’t believe it until she’s actually here. I can’t believe it’s a GIRL!

I also want to share with you all how thrilled I was with your emails from our last entry. It was so wonderful to hear about your own personal pregnancy and delivery experiences. We each have unique stories of how our little blessings came to be. Thank you so much for sharing them with us!

Other exciting news. . . Tomorrow we are starting construction on Mary and Raul’s new house! Mary and Raul and their 3 children have become very special to us and to many others at First Baptist Church Bethlehem since we met them 4 years ago. They have also become a special part of the lives of the Crossroads community – our English speaking congregation here in La Paz. I think I shared a bit about them in an earlier e-mail, but their home was basically eliminated earlier in the year in order to make room for a road to be widened. They have been renting a home in their same neighborhood with the hopes of one day rebuilding. At a business meeting 2 weeks ago, Crossroads voted to give their mission budget to help Mary and Raul begin to build their home. Raul is a very talented man who works very hard to support his family. He is so artistic and resourceful, it’s amazing to watch him work and to see the finished product – it’s always perfect. Mary has been helping us with our Spanish and is always a blessing to be around. This couple’s love for the Lord is evident in everything they do. We are so excited to have the opportunity to help them in such a big way. We will be doing construction mainly in the evening so Raul can continue to work his other jobs because it is so much cooler in the evening. Raul has the plans for his house all ready to go. We challenged him to be the “Jefe” or boss for the project since it is his house. He had a very hard time accepting that role. One thing about Raul and Mary is that they are very humble people, and Raul feels that the one supplying the money (the “patron”) should be the one with the “Jefe” title. He has reluctantly accepted the title with the understanding that it’s God’s money and God’s house for Mary and Raul to use. We are so excited to begin this project – and it will be ongoing over the months to come.

Some new pictures have finally been added to our blog site, so check them out when you get a chance! http://www.missionlapaz.blogspot.com/