Dear Friends and Family,
The year 2003 will be carved in our minds and deepest part of our souls forever. As most of you know we had a beautiful baby girl, Eliana Bell Barrera, on August 10th. Eliana’s life of only 5 months has made more of an impact than some experience in a lifetime. Eliana’s life has brought about so many questions, pain, gratitude, and immense perspective. Eliana was born with a rare condition called NALD (Peroxisome Disorder). We are blessed to have her, but only for a short time. So as I look back on 2003 I can say it has been life changing. It has been a time of questions. “If God is good how could this have happened? What was the reason for this? Was there something we did that would cause this? Why us?” But as we look forward to 2004 we have only one answer after many sleepless nights and endless questioning. God is in control! This statement has angered us, frustrated us, and left us so bewildered at times. It is such a cliché “Christian” thing to say, but in the end there is no answer more satisfying. It is the truth of that statement that gives us hope and anchors our faith when caught in a tornado of despair. Knowing that God is in control does not always comfort us in our times of difficulty, but we hold onto the promise nevertheless.
Our view of eternity has changed drastically. Without this experience we would not yearn for it the way we do now. We look forward to the day when we will see Elly whole and perfect. We await that day when God will show us the tapestry of our lives and how each thread was purposefully woven together for our good. We question so many times what good could come from this, but we must remind ourselves that death is not life’s biggest tragedy for those who trust in the Lord.
We humbly ask for your prayers for our family this coming year. Please pray:
1.For Our Marriage - May the stresses of caring for Eliana draw us closer to each other.We want to thank you all from the bottom of our hearts for all the ways you have come along side us during this time.We find that it is the simple things that encourage us the most.Often a hug or a look says it all and we couldn’t have had more loving support.We love you!
2.A Right Response To God - Help us make decisions based on the truth of God’s Word rather than the condition of our hearts.
3.To Be Great Parents - Pray that we may love Elly unconditionally and sacrificially
“Three
times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.But he said to me,
“My
grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
Therefore,
I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s
power may rest on me.
That
is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships,
in persecutions, in difficulties.
For
when I am weak, then I am strong.”
2
Corinthians 12:8-10
Home Page
A visit with the Barrera family
A visit to Great-Grandma Bell's
house
On vacation with the Lundquist
family
Grandma Bell's 80th birthday party
Quality Time
Grandma and Grandpa Barrera come
to visit
Happy Birthday Mommy
New Year's Day
Smiling Baby
Pretty in Pink
Christmas with the Lundquist Family
Little UNC Tar Heel
Just for Fun
Hanging out at Home
Visiting Grandma and Grandpa Barrera's
house
Daddy's Girl
Sleepy Eliana
A visit from Grandma Lundquist
Eliana - growing fast!
Eliana and Dad
Eliana with Grandparents
Eliana at Home (September 12 - 15,
2003)
Welcome Home Eliana! (Friday, September
5, 2003)
Thursday, August 28, 2003 &
Sunday, August 31, 2003
Tuesday, August 26, 2003
Monday, August 25, 2003
Friday, August 22, 2003