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r Micah turned 2 on January 20th! As we look at pictures from these last two yers, we just feel amazed that our baby is now a little man. He loves basketball and tries to swipe all the stray balls when the teens play at church! As I watch him grow I am overwhelmed by a sense of responsibility. This sweet, carefree toddler needs to be taught and loved. I love the verse in Proverbs, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Raising children is a lot of work, but the rewards from teaching and loving on them is immense! I pray that he grows loving God and loving people.
Tag Archives: Kids
Our Baby Boy!
Our baby boy, Micah Christopher Baran, was finally born! He came into the world early Sunday morning on January 20, 2013. This birth story provided a little extra excitement for us as January 20th marked a special holiday in the Philippines. The roads around the hospi
tal are shut down to make way for the parades and festivities that go on throughout the day. Because of this an ambulance took us to our hospital and not a moment too soon, just two hours later our little man was born! Weighing in at 7lbs. and 10 oz., Micah was very healthy and just one day past his due date . Our thanks go out to everyone who prayed and sent well wishes! We thank the Lord for this second gift, our little man!
A New Experience
Well, after seven months we’re almost ready to meet our baby boy! This pregnancy has gone by so quickly and we’re thankful that it has been an uneventful one. Now that we’re almost at the end of this pregnancy reality is setting in that we will be delivering this baby in a foreign country! Thankfully, Cebu is up to date in its medical field and is home to many local nurses and doctors. What we weren’t expecting was the different way a culture deals with medical issues. Not long after we started seeing our doctor we realized that fathers in the Philippines are not allowed to be with their wives during the birthing process. The only way around this is to write a letter of permission to the three doctors who will be delivering our baby. Even then permission is granted only for the father to be with the mother during the actual delivery, not the labor. This was a shock for my wife and I and it seemed like a great sacrifice until we met another missionary couple who has been living here for years. They went where few will go and the only hospital they had was nicknamed the “pre-morgue”. After hearing some of their stories, Elizabeth and I became very thankful for the hospital here in Cebu City! It’s still going to be a completely different experience but at the same time we realize that we are blessed to have a good hospital nearby. I will be asking for permission to be with Elizabeth this coming Monday. Please pray that their answer would be favorable. It’s amazing how different things are from one culture to the next.
Expanding the Baran Home by Two Feet
Yes, you read that right. The Baran family is about to expand by two more tiny feet! It seems we had one more birthday present for Abbie! After all the festivities and fun we placed one last gift in her little hands. Excited, she shredded the paper…and chewed on the paper until she finally saw the pink shirt. Imprinted on the shirt was a cute monkey and a little announcement…”This little monkey is now a big sister!!”. Right now she is completely oblivious but in about seven months she will get to meet her new little brother or sister. The due date is January 19th and Elizabeth and I couldn’t be more thrilled. Please keep us in your prayers as we continue to work on our house and in the ministries at church. Elizabeth has been experiencing morning sickness and isn’t always up to task but overall we are still making progress. We’re looking forward to this coming bundle and count ourselves very blessed! “Every good and perfect gift is from above…” James 1:17