What a wonderful time of fellowship and celebration we had this past weekend. Friday morning our first visitors arrived at 10:30 and our last group of visitors left at about 9:15. During that time there was about a thirty minute period that we did not have someone in our home. Saturday arrived bright and early and at 10:00 exactly our first visitors came. From then until 9:30 at night our home was filled, at one point with over 20 people at once. What a tremendous blessing!

There were some of you that we had never met before. What a blessing it was to be able to put a face with your name. Many of you are friends and family that we have known for years and came all the same to visit and celebrate with us. It never ceases to amaze me how many wonder friends and family continue to keep us supported in their prayers. Nor does it cease to amaze me how many lives a little one like Samuel can touch. We had the privilege of getting to have another little miracle in our home with similar physical struggles like Samuel. He and his parents (they lived in the Ronald McDonald house with us during our stay) can also attest to the amazing power that the Lord gifts to these little guys, not only to endure the sufferings that they do, but to bring blessings and encouragement to a world in need of these living sacrifices. They make us so much more aware of Christ’s daily presence in our lives and are living proof that miracles do happen. Both of these little guys continue to touch lives every day in countless ways that we could never imagine. Yet society as a whole says that they and so many more like them, the sick, the infirm, the elderly, and the unborn, have nothing to offer. I live with a little guy who defies that lie with his every breath, and I am so blessed to have been given the gift of life with Samuel. To know that when he hears my voice he will turn towards me, to know that when I look down at his angelic face he struggles to focus his vision on me. This is why we celebrate the life of not only Samuel, but every precious life. Because there is so much that those society looks down upon have to offer.

Another highlight of the weekend was being able to introduce Samuel to one of his youngest and most faithful prayer warriors. There are two young girls we know of specifically who have been prayer warriors for Samuel since birth. Each of these girls have prayed daily for Samuel and both families tell how their daughters are quick to remind the family not to forget baby Samuel in their prayers. One of these young soldiers of Christ attends our local church, while the other (pictured above) lives some distance and has never before met the little boy she has prayed so devotedly for. This little three year old actually crumbled to pieces when one of her older sisters wanted to pray for Samuel during their evening prayers and have her pray for someone else on their prayer list. What a blessing to let her finally hold and touch the child she has so diligently loved and interceded for.

We were also very excited to have collected a large pile of supplies for the Pregnancy Resource Center, a gift given to help further their mission not only in sustaining and saving life, but also in educating about life. Those resources will be heading over to the Festus Center by the end of the week to be put into use for the sanctity of life.

Thanks to you all who came in support of the miracle of life, and to so many more of you who were unable to make it and yet kept all of us in your prayers over the weekend. I have compiled quite a few pictures over the weekend and plan to create Samuel’s fourth DVD. As a side note, anyone pictured in these images have given me prior authorization to post their pictures on the blog as well as use them for this update.

May God richly bless you as He has our family.
Kaitlyn