Friday, December 05, 2008
O'Connell Family Photos Christmas 2008
The Extended O'Connell Family:Clarence & Barbara O'Connell
Charles & Letha Phillippe
Michael & Carla O'Connell
Orlando, Kellie & Lucas Alvarez
Ben, Ryann, Connor, Ethan & Audriana Stanley
Jeremy, Megan & Keaton Williamson
The three sisters: Ryann, Kellie & Megan
Lucas' First Snow & Sledding
Lucas and Daddy during the Lucas' first snow. We were in Ohio on our way to visit friends in Wooster driving my mom's Mustang! Not a great snow car! :)
Mommy and Lucas sledding at Grandpa and Grandma O'Connell's house.
Lucas and Keaton's first sledding expedition with Mommy and Aunt Meggie. What fun, even if we had no idea what was happening! :)
Visit to Pittsburgh
We had a wonderful time visiting dear friends in Pittsburgh. It was such a beautiful time to travel, seeing as autumn is my favorite season. Thank you to all of our friends from the medical teams and their warm reception. We had a great time with you and hope to see you again soon!
Orlando's Oath Ceremony
Orlando was sworn in as a U.S. citizen on November 7, 2008. We praise God for this incredible blessing! It will make traveling between our countries much easier and all of our family will legally be able to be in the U.S. if God would bring us back here to live in the future.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Visit to Springfield, MN
We had a wonderful time visiting with our good friends, Natalie and Tom, as well as meeting their two little ones, Ethan and Sophie. Natalie and I studied together with Latin American Studies Program during my first trip to Costa Rica in Fall of 1997. During this trip Orlando and two firsts! He went rifle shooting and golfing! :)
Monday, October 13, 2008
A Blessing from the Lord
Lucas is growing and changing everyday! He is such an incredible joy in our lives. He has changed the way we look at the world and value life. We are reminded constantly of the verses we prayed as we patiently waited for Lucas in Psalms 127, "sons are a blessing from the Lord."
We are beginning to wrap up our time here in the United States, as we will be departing on December 10th. We have many more travels in the next couple of months. We are speaking in churches and sharing with families and individuals the great mission God has laid upon our hearts. It will be so hard to say goodbye to loved ones here, but we know that an incredible work awaits us in Costa Rica. We are excited to begin our new life together with Lucas there.
Please pray for us as we begin to transition our mindset back to Costa Rica. We can see God's hand at work in each step that we take. Pray for us to keep our eyes on Christ.
We are beginning to wrap up our time here in the United States, as we will be departing on December 10th. We have many more travels in the next couple of months. We are speaking in churches and sharing with families and individuals the great mission God has laid upon our hearts. It will be so hard to say goodbye to loved ones here, but we know that an incredible work awaits us in Costa Rica. We are excited to begin our new life together with Lucas there.
Please pray for us as we begin to transition our mindset back to Costa Rica. We can see God's hand at work in each step that we take. Pray for us to keep our eyes on Christ.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Lucas Samuel...Cute and Growing Everyday!
My first bath at home...okay so it wasn't my favorite new activity.
This is how I love to sleep...snug as a bug in a rug.
Mr. Bright Eyes! :)
My first walk (or ride :)
As my outfit says, I am "Dog-gone Cute!"
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
I had lots of visitors!
Aunt Ryann, Cousin Audriana, Uncle Ben & Me
Tito Orlando, Tita Rina & Yo
Grandpa & Grandma O'Connell & Me
Monday, August 04, 2008
First Born: Lucas Samuel Alvarez-O'Connell
Lucas Samuel was born on August 4, 2008 at 7:49am, weighing in at 7lbs. 14 oz. and 20 inches long.
Lucas is an answer to so many prayers and we thank God for his faithfulness through this whole process. We want to share with you the special meaning of his name.
Lucas: Bringer of light Samuel: God hears
We pray that he will truly be a bringer of light to this dark world and God definitely heard our prayers! Thank you for celebrating with us!
We also want to share with you the incredible testimony of God's blessing in Lucas' conception. If you haven't heard our testimony before. Please read on! :)
***Orlando and I had been patiently waiting on the Lord for about 2 years, hoping that at some point we would have the awesome privilege of being parents. During a class that I was taking last semester at ESEPA, one of my classmates shared on October 4th about how he and his wife had had a difficult time getting pregnant with their second child. He talked of how after much waiting and trying many different "methods" to get pregnant, they felt the Lord telling them to just pray and wait on the Lord. Orlando and I had not done anything medically to try and get pregnant. We have just been doing "the normal." J However, I felt a strong nudging from the Lord that I needed to be more intentional about my praying and really seek the Lord and this blessing that he wanted to fulfill in us. That night I wrote out Psalms 127 & 128 in my journal along with a short prayer expressing my desire to fully trust in the Lord in this miracle and that I would give him complete glory knowing that he was the one who could open my womb.
The Lord has a great sense of humor and He never leaves us alone in our time of seeking. Two days later we attended a prayer and fasting time at our church with a few other leaders that we know well. The focus of the prayer time was praying for our children. All of the other individuals and couples had children of teenage years or older, so I just thought to myself, "Lord, is this from you?" During one of the dynamics we were to write down the names of our children and commit to praying for them daily. One of the ladies suggested that we write down names of children we would like to have. I did so, and once again we prayed, asking the Lord to fulfill this petition. That day many people realized our desire to have children and began praying with us.
Almost every Sunday someone would say at church, "Oh, I just know that you will return from the States with a baby!" Part of me was ecstatic at the thought and another part of me felt like a doubting Thomas or a laughing Sara. But, we continued to trust in the Lord and wait.
It may not always seem that the Lord is quick in answering or as tangible as this miracle was but within two to three weeks of having begun praying, I became pregnant! Now, this may sound like a simple process but we didn't know that we were pregnant until December 5th. I did three home pregnancy tests but they all came out negative. I began to think that there might be something else wrong. However, after the advice from a friend at church, I went to have a blood test done. As I walked out of the clinic, results in hand, I opened the paper for the first time seeing the words "POSITIVA" on the page and began crying on the streets of Alajuela. It seemed so surreal and almost too good to be true. Orlando was with me sharing in the excitement and within the hour we had shared the news with my in-laws and brothers-in-law who were thrilled. We decided to wait until Christmas Eve to share it with my family in person. Again, it was a joyous occasion for all!
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Alive and Kicking!
It has been an awfully long time since I've blogged. I've tried to keep everyone updated through letters and emails, but blogging seems to have fallen by the wayside through our time in the States and pregnancy. I am only 3 days away from my due date! This really has been such a wonderful pregnancy. I've had very few aches and pains and have stayed active and healthy. I pray (and ask that you do along with me) that the labor and delivery go just as smoothly. We eagerly await the arrival of this special little one that God has blessed us with!
We are still diligently working on our financial support raising efforts. We trust that God has great plans for us upon our return to Costa Rica and need many new people to assist us in our ministry through their giving. We really do see each supporter as a part of our ministry. Many people love missions but are unable to go. Others go but still like to support. By being a part of our financial ministry team, you are a part of reaching others for Christ. We cannot do the work we do without you. So, please pray about how you might be able to be involved in missions through giving. We would love to have you on board!
Besides raising support, we are also having a wonderful time visiting with family and friends. It has been 5 1/2 years since we've spent a significant amount of time in the States (4 months). The time we've had to renew relationships and love on those who pour out so much love on us has been incredible. My immediate family has been an amazing support through this pregnancy, and I know will be taking on even more in the few months we still have here.
Please continue to pray for us, especially in the following ways:
* Pray for a smooth and safe delivery for our baby (and me!)
* Pray for my family as they are making many adjustments to having us here, the new baby and all of my four grandparents living with them.
* Pray for our support raising efforts, that God would touch the hearts of those who are to be a part of our financial ministry team.
* Pray for our ministry in Costa Rica, as we begin to prepare for what is waiting for us upon our return.
We are still diligently working on our financial support raising efforts. We trust that God has great plans for us upon our return to Costa Rica and need many new people to assist us in our ministry through their giving. We really do see each supporter as a part of our ministry. Many people love missions but are unable to go. Others go but still like to support. By being a part of our financial ministry team, you are a part of reaching others for Christ. We cannot do the work we do without you. So, please pray about how you might be able to be involved in missions through giving. We would love to have you on board!
Besides raising support, we are also having a wonderful time visiting with family and friends. It has been 5 1/2 years since we've spent a significant amount of time in the States (4 months). The time we've had to renew relationships and love on those who pour out so much love on us has been incredible. My immediate family has been an amazing support through this pregnancy, and I know will be taking on even more in the few months we still have here.
Please continue to pray for us, especially in the following ways:
* Pray for a smooth and safe delivery for our baby (and me!)
* Pray for my family as they are making many adjustments to having us here, the new baby and all of my four grandparents living with them.
* Pray for our support raising efforts, that God would touch the hearts of those who are to be a part of our financial ministry team.
* Pray for our ministry in Costa Rica, as we begin to prepare for what is waiting for us upon our return.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)