McEndarfer FAMILY is Born

Greetings, and "Happy Spring" to you!

Megan told the world that when her baby came so would spring and that has been so true.

Many of you have already shared in the joy of meeting our son, but we are still making his announcement official:

Nathaniel Jacob McEndarfer was born on March 10th @ 3:37 a.m., weighing 8 lbs. 13.4 oz.

A beautiful, healthy boy. 

We are now a family and nothing could be more thrilling. 

Nathaniel's name means "Gift of God" and every day with him is a reminder of God's blessing. His middle name, Jacob, is in honor of his great-grandfather, Jacob Aardsma, a Baptist minister who did his best to honor God with his life and family. We pray that his godly legacy will continue to be lived through our children. 

We are so filled with praise! We are thankful that:
1) God enabled us to have an unmedicated delivery without being induced, as the doctor who admitted us predicted. The birth experience was certainly traumatic but Mom and baby healed so quickly - thank you to everyone who prayed for us!

Our last "date night" together in the hospital, before Nathaniel was born. 

Proud Dad. 

Tired but happy Mom.

Brand new baby. 

2) Being first-time parents is difficult! Each day we are faced with many new decisions and the responsibility of a developing life while not being able to enjoy the closeness with each other that we are accustomed to nor the same amount of sleep! YET, God is so faithful to us. It is wonderful to see our marriage lovingly stand and the Holy Spirit control and correct our hearts when they are tempted not to bring glory to God and serve Him willingly and joyfully. Nathaniel is such a blessing to us as a healthy, happy baby, and on days when that is not enough, the reminder he is of how our Heavenly Father cares for us is certainly worth it. Please continue in prayer for us as we persevere through the infant stage. We want to enjoy every minute!

3) We have been so blessed by the body of Christ! There have only been two days since his birth that Megan has been completely alone with Nathaniel. Family and church family have served us so well with meals, visits, encouragement, company, cleaning - just getting us out of the house! Thank you so much to everyone who has ministered to us in these ways, especially the family that has stayed in our home with us to keep us company, welcome our son into the world, and keep the house running when Mom and baby both just wanted to sit on the couch! We are so thankful for the opportunity Nathaniel has afforded us to spend quality time with our families.

Grandma left church quickly after church to meet the newest grandson! 

Pastor Josh and son made sure to be among the first to hold Nathaniel. 

Nathaniel got plenty of snuggles from family that came to stay with us the week after his birth. 

Thank you to all our church family who brought us meals our first days home! 

4) Amidst the busyness of a new baby, we are thankful that God has enabled Benjamin to keep up with school and work seemingly without "missing a beat."

Balancing new and old responsibilities beautifully.

It seems that God is opening new doors for us and expanding our vision. As a couple, we felt God leading us to put our energy into building a strong foundation together. Now, as a family, He is nudging us to step out in service and discipleship. Pray for us as we seek opportunities to serve and be discipled, and as we pray for God to teach us what it will mean for our family to serve Him - as we seek God for HIS vision for our family. Please also continue in prayer for us as we prepare for enrollment at Moody. There is a long list of forms and tasks to be completed between now and August!

Ready to leave the hospital - TOGETHER!

As always, we are truly thankful for each of you who reads and prays and invests in our lives. The body of Christ is a beautiful thing. The New Testament calls it a mystery. Love is not a naturally occurring quality among fallen Earth. God has demonstrated such unexplainable love for us through the death of His Son, and the world is equally amazed when the Holy Spirit works through believers to express this supernatural love to each other. We are so glad to be a part of this body with you.

Grace to you!

The McEndarfers ~ Benjamin, Megan + Nathaniel