passport. Lily's passport that was "absolutely" going to be here Thursday didn't come today, and we are leaving first thing tomorrow morning. Please be praying for us as we finish packing, travel, and as we shuffle plans to try to figure out when we might have it, how we can get it to Florida by Monday night, or how we can travel without it!

Thank you!

Dad's home!

Matt left Haiti early yesterday morning and arrived home to our ice storm late last night! We are SO glad to have him safely home. Lily's passport isn't here yet, but we're praying it will come tomorrow or Friday..."The Plan" is to leave first thing Saturday morning to head south...

We are all just so excited and ready to GO HOME (and not just for the warmth, either :) Thank you for all your prayers for Matt...The next two days will be spent shopping for items we cannot get in Haiti and packing!

passports, planes and peace

Passport...
The last few days have been a whirlwind! Friday morning at 11 am we got Lily's birth certificate...and by 1:02 pm had her passport application, photos, and Matt's "absent parent" certified affidavit expedited and off to Washington DC. Hopefully, they will have it by Monday and we will have her passport by Friday! Thank you for your continued prayers...it's all looking like it will come together.

Planes...
The missionary airline we fly from Florida to Haiti also added a second flight on February 3rd, so Lily and I are on it! We will leave this Saturday for the drive to Florida.

Matt, after trying to get home 5 different ways, found there to be no flights out of Cap-Haitien available until next Thursday, so had resigned to the idea that he would not be coming home to help us pack and get to Florida and back into Haiti, something we were both really struggling with. However, this morning someone mentioned to him that he should try getting a flight out of Port-au-Prince, and several ticket purchases and phone calls later, we've got it!

So, Matt will fly to Port-au-Prince first thing Tuesday morning (his last meeting is over on Monday at 5 pm). Then from Port to Miami, Miami to Atlanta, and Atlanta to Columbus, finally joining Lily and I again late Tuesday night. He'll have Wednesday, Thursday and Friday to help us pack, and then we'll hit the road first thing Saturday morning, driving from Columbus to Atlanta, then the next day, from Atlanta to Florida, and then Monday, drive to the airport to give them all our things by the noon deadline Monday. We'll fly back into Haiti at 6 am Tuesday morning.

WOW, what a ride it has been...and still many adventures ahead :) Life never seems to slow down, and Miss Lily has just added to the excitement!

and Peace...
Finally, we have had a lot of questions and concerns lately about returning to Haiti. When Matt and I committed to go to Haiti, it was not a commitment to a specified amount of time, not a commitment until a certain task was accomplished, nor a commitment until we came to certain changes in our lives. Individually, Matt and I both heard, felt, saw and experienced the Lord's call on our lives to go to Haiti, and both committed, individually and as a couple, to go to Haiti until the moment God called us somewhere else, not a moment earlier or a moment later. This wasn't just a one time calling, either, but a call we both continue to, even to this week, feel the Lord make on our lives.

Lily in our lives has, of course, added to some of the sacrifice AND blessing of this call. But she hasn't CHANGED the Lord's calling on our lives, and we have to, and desire to, continue to be obedient to His leading, trusting that HE will take care of this precious gift that He has given us.

We have such peace about returning to Haiti next week with our small family, and are so excited to continue to be a part of the work that we see the Lord doing in Haiti! God has shared His heart for this small country with us, and when the Lord shows you something so intimate and beautiful, you can't help but be a part of it! THANK YOU so much for your continued prayers, love and support....

We'll let you know when the paperwork is finished and when Matt has made it home!

"For I determined to know nothing except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified." 1 Corinthians 2:2

...and will be, soon! Matt has made it safely back home and day two of meetings are underway. He's currently meeting with several people from OMS headquarters, other OMS missionaries, and local church leaders and pastors about their vision for the church in Haiti and about church planting ideas. He's also been able to get down to the Seminary a few times and hang out with the students and staff, and check in on his Hebrew class which he will start teaching again on Monday. It's been such an encouragement to him to see everyone! Everyone seems to be doing well, though most of our Haitian friends are quite disappointed to see Matt without the baby!

Please be praying for him as he struggles to keep up with his four new Masters classes, prepares to start teaching again, attends meetings from 8:30-5:30, and comes home to a house with no food and no help from me...he had baked beans and beef jerky for dinner last night :) Most, he misses his baby and is struggling to be separated...life is hard enough in Haiti WITH your family by your side!

Meanwhile, Grandpa has been invaluable to Lily and I, walking her around the house during midnight fits, helping with laundry and diaper changes, and giving me a break whenever he gets home from work. He's also taking us to our doctor appointments, hoping to pick up her birth certificate today, and is preparing to drive us to Florida...I'm SO thankful for him, and don't know how I could be doing this in Matt's absence without him!

I'm SO thankful that even in our absence from each other, that the Lord continues to be intimately present in each of our lives...being, truly, Everything that we need.

What we know for sure...

...That the Lord knows what's going on and has promised to take care of us! :)

Today Lily and I put Matt on a plane in Philly for Florida, and tomorrow morning he heads back to Haiti. We continued on to Somerset, PA, and tomorrow will drive the rest of the way to Ohio.

The Florida/Haiti airline found an extra seat for Lily and I, and we are now set to fly into Haiti February 5th, giving us plenty of time to get her passport (hopefully :) and getting us into Haiti a little earlier than expected.

So, we'll either be apart from Matt for 2 weeks from now until February 5th, or, Matt will be home after this week of meetings and fly back into Haiti with us Feb. 5th. We're going to wait and see how the next couple of days go and pray about what the Lord would have us do, and then we'll make the decision.

Please be praying for us as we continue to travel, and for Matt especially, as he is away from his new daughter!

good-byes gettin' a little harder!

We had such a touching and sensational baby shower yesterday...thank you Barb and Laura!!! Lily got to meet lots of family and friends from both sides! Stacey's aunt and uncle and cousins and their kids drove a few hours each way to be there, and tons of Matt's family came, as well as some dear friends!
They all came bearing diapers of all sizes and some truly beautiful clothes, useful baby essentials, and meaningful keepsakes. Thank you ALL for coming and for being a special part of our lives!

Pictured here are FOUR generations of Ayars!

This morning we were able to attend our home sending church, Sharptown UMC.It was so good to be there and to see everyone, and just to worship "back home" again...Pastor Doug and his wife, pictured here, married us, and are planning on being our retreat speakers in Haiti for our fields annual Spiritual Retreat...They've also agreed to baptize Lily this summer!

Now, we are packing up, and tomorrow will put Matt on a plane for Florida and on to Haiti! Good-bye's are significantly harder this time around for all of us...

Please be praying for Matt tomorrow as he travels and prepares for some very busy days back in Haiti!

the plot thickens...

The midwife has signed off, but we have been assured that it "IS NOT POSSIBLE" to pick up her certified birth certificate one second sooner than Friday...the day that we HAD to have her passport by in order to drive to Florida and make our Haiti flight on the 27th. I think we can have her passport a day or 2 after getting her birth certificate, by the 26th or 27th, but if we miss our flight on the 27th the only next flight available seems to be February 10th.

We're praying that an earlier flight date will be opened up through a cancellation, but if nothing opens up in the next few days, Stacey and Lily simply have to wait for the February 10th flight. If this is the case, Matt will probably go to Haiti for this week of important meetings, and then rejoin us in the States...otherwise, we will be apart for three weeks...no good for a daddy of a 2 week old baby!

Please keep praying for an open flight date, and that we will continue to rest in the trust that the Lord is in control of this situation, and that whatever HE has for us is what we want!

meeting family and moving things along...

We've gotten some great time in Delaware with Matt's immediate family, and yesterday with Matt's grandparents, aunt and uncle! Lily was thrilled (ok, so she was sleeping, but she'll be thrilled one day by the pictures) to meet her Great-Mom Mom, Great-Pop Pop (from where she gets her hair :) Great Aunt Candy and Great Uncle Angelo. We had an awesome day with them and will get to see them one more time at the Delaware "Meet Lily" shower on Saturday!


Matt is all set to leave from Philly for Florida and then on to Haiti on Monday. We had a large setback yesterday in Lily's paperwork...after several trips several different places and hours on the phone, we discovered that while we thought we have been waiting these 2 weeks for her birth certificate to be processed, they were actually waiting for the hospital to send over her paperwork, and the hospital has been waiting for the midwife who delivered Lily to sign the paperwork. We had been told this was done on January 5th, only to find out yesterday that it still hasn't been done, and we are, therefore, still at square one...almost 2 weeks after her birth.

Needless to say, this has been quite frustrating, and we're beginning to question whether Stacey and Lily are going to be able to fly into Haiti January 27th as hoped. This is just another one of life's opportunities to "practice what we preach", and trust that the Lord will continue to provide for our needs in His perfect way and perfect timing! Please keep praying that this all comes together as He wills!

plans, plans

They're meant to be changed, right?

We received a phone call this morning requesting that Matt be back on the Haiti field on January 20th for a series of meetings. We had planned on returning, all together, on February 10th, so this has changed quite a bit. The only dates available for Stacey and Lily to fly back into Haiti are January 20th, January 27th, and February 10th. We will not have her passport by January 20th, nor do we want to be separated as a family from January 20th until February 10th, so we are going to try to join Matt back in Haiti on January 27th.

Please be praying for all three of us as we move flights, hotels, doctor's appointments, are separated for at least a week, and push, push, push to get her passport by then. We have her social security card, and her passport application prepared, and are just waiting on her birth certificate so that we can apply for her passport.

Please also be praying that this brief time we have left with family and friends be meaningful, healthy and precious!

Thank you!!!

Sunday was Lily's first church service at Cornerstone Church in Bear, DE! It was a GREAT service, and such a blessing to us all to be surrounded by this loving group of believers again!

family

Praise the Lord...we have arrived safely in Delaware! Lily was amazing in the car and with all of the traveling, and we got into the Ayars house around 6 Saturday night! We had family Christmas together almost immediately, which was wonderful, but our best gift BY FAR was learning that Casey and Laura, Matt's brother and our sister-in-law, are PREGNANT! We are SO excited, and our new niece or nephew will be born sometime in August! Please be praying for them as Laura will be going on bedrest in a few weeks for the rest of the pregnancy... WE ARE SO EXCITED!!!

Pictured here is Lily in her new Eagles gear, "watching" the big game today...pictures of her with her Great Aunt Patty and Great Grandpa, checking things out with her Uncle Casey, opening Christmas presents, Uncle Casey and Aunt Laura, Lily's new dress before her first trip to church...

This morning we were able to worship at Cornerstone Church, one of our "home churches." It was wonderful to be there, and such a blessing to worship with these brothers and sisters. After countless numbers of phone calls and conversations, we are close (we think!) to having her birth certificate, a necessary paper in order to apply for her social security card, a necessary document in order to apply for her passport. Thanks for all of your continued prayers and encouragement...

We've received some awesome phone calls and emails from Haitian friends who are very excited to meet Lily :) That will be a fun homecoming. For now, it is nice to be in the same place for 2 weeks and to have some great time with Matt's family...

the Lily Tour

Our "Lily Tour" has begun! We started off Friday morning, blown away that our first week has already flown by. I already feel that panic that she is growing up...already she is looking so differently than she did a week ago! Our first stop was to see some dear friends in New Bedford, Pennsylvania. Lori, June, Judy and Debi showered her with love, presents and attention...we are SO blessed to have these women in our lives. Before my mom passed away, she spent hours in prayer that the Lord would bring people into our lives to be there for us where and when she couldn't be, and I know these women are a direct answer to these prayers. We love you!

After a short visit with them, we hit the road again and braved the snowy trip to Somerset, PA. Lily's has now gotten to meet her great-grandparents, her great-aunts and her great uncle...they are all loving spending some time together! We'll have pictures up of this soon...

We're all having a big lunch together, and then Lily's back in the carseat for the last leg of our trip...for a while, anyway! On to Delaware to meet grandpa, Uncle Casey and Aunt Laura, as well as great-grandparents, great-aunts and uncles...all the Ayars!

the road back to Haiti...

We are on day five with sweet baby Lily, and today is the first day back for all of our students in Haiti! Please be praying for them and Emmaus Biblical Seminary as school is back underway, and for the people who are working overtime to fill in for us! We miss everyone, especially the students...First day back from Christmas break was really exciting last year, and we hate to be missing it!

The students stories and testimonies from their Christmas breaks last year were moving and inspiring and some, miraculous. For our students, 4 weeks home doesn't mean sleeping in, eating tons of good food, watching Christmas movies and going to parties. For most, it means 4 weeks of opportunities to do ministry in their communities that they cannot normally do because they are in school full-time.

Thank you for your continued prayers for them and for His work that they are doing throughout Haiti!

Meanwhile, we are working our way back to Haiti. Missionary Flights International flies into Cap-Haitien every Tuesday and Thursday, and each day that we have tried to book for the end of this month, they have already been full. Right now it is looking like the earliest available date that we could fly back in AND have Lily's passport and paperwork finished is February 10th. This is significantly later than we had hoped, but for now it is looking like our only option.

We will finish out this first week with Lily here in Ohio as I continue to heal and we three continue to adjust to life together! Friday afternoon we head for New Bedford Pennsylvania to have lunch with some dear friends, and then carry on to Somerset, Pennsylvania Friday evening for dinner and an overnight with my grandparents, aunts and uncle. Saturday we head for Middletown, Delaware, so that Matt's family can finally meet their granddaughter/niece/great-granddaughter!

Sunday we will be at Cornerstone Church, and the following Sunday at Sharptown UMC. These two weeks will be spent with Matt's family, and January 17th is a "Meet Lily" shower :)

We'll be heading back to Ohio the next weekend, returning for several days of doctors appointments, immunizations, and continued work on Lily's Birth Certificate, Social Security number and passport.

Please be praying for all of these travels with a new baby, for her health and safety and all of our continued adjustments, for our safe return to Haiti, and that all of the necessary medical work and paperwork will be completed in plenty of time!

The Lord has been working on Matt and I immensely this week: because of this precious new one He has given us, because of the new year, and because of this "down time" we have away from Haiti. Intimacy with Him has been something we have both been increasingly hungry and desperate for, and our family devotions today from "My Utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers spoke directly to that!

Check it out:

"Once we get intimate with Jesus, we are never lonely and we never lack for understanding or compassion.

We can continually pour out our hearts to Him without being perceived as overly emotional or pitiful.

The Christian who it truly intimate with Jesus will never draw attention to himself, but will only show the evidence of a life where Jesus is completely in control.

This is the outcome of allowing Jesus to satisfy every area of life to its depth.

The picture resulting from such a life is that of the strong, calm balance that our Lord gives to those who are intimate with Him."

Check out ayarsbaby.blogspot.com for future updates on Lily!Ah, it truly seems like just a moment ago that we started praying together that one day the Lord would bless us with a beautiful baby, and suddenly, she's asleep on our chests. The number of miracles that have taken place and continue to between that day and today are just overwhelming! We're going to get this blog back to being about work and ministry and keep updates and photos of Lily on her blog: ayarsbaby.blogspot.com

Aunt Lisa and "Grammy" Ayars both left this morning, and I think Lily is missing them as much as we are :(

The next few days we have doctors appointments and rest scheduled...there's not a lot of sleep to go around right now! Friday, we're off for Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware...Lily and Grandpa!

coming home...

Just 24 hours after Lily was born yesterday she came home today! We are all doing well, and she is wonderful! Wanted to show you some more pictures...

Our Gift

By the grace of our Father, Lily Sue Ayars was born at 11:39AM today, January 2, 2009. She weighed in at 7.5lbs and 21 inches long. She is completely perfect. Stacey is doing just fine as well. Everyone is very healthy, but a bit tired. Stacey had a very smooth delivery.

We know you're all dying to see some pictures; we'll have some posted by tomorrow.

Matt's mom arrived this afternoon to greet her second grandchild. We couldn't be more blessed.

Again, thank you all for your prayers. We'll get some photos posted as soon as we can.

We love you all

Just in time

Unbelievable. As most of you know, Stacey was scheduled to be induced this morning at 8AM. At 2:00AM this morning, Stacey went into labor; no induction needed. We arrived at the Ohio State University Hospital around 5:00AM and are patiently awaiting Lily's delivery. The Doctors say that everything looks great. We'll be sure to keep you all updated on the latest news.

We're deeply grateful for all of your prayers. Thank you.

a happy new year...

We hope everyone had a wonderful New Year's Day today! My grandparents and aunt came in from Pennsylvania for our "Family Christmas" and traditional New Year's sauerkraut and pork. It was truly a wonderful day. I am always so grateful for time with family.

Lily is quickly losing her last chances to come on her own :) Tomorrow morning Lisa's boyfriend Adam heads back to Colorado, Matt's mom flies in from Philly, and Matt and I head to the hospital, checking in at 8 am and hopefully having Lily tomorrow afternoon or evening! We absolutely covet your prayers, and have been so grateful for all of the prayers and deeply encouraging emails and letters. The Lord has been so faithful to us this entire journey, and I just don't know how I could go into this delivery and parenting without the confidence that He will be our strength and at the center.

Thank you so much for your prayers tonight and tomorrow...We will be sure to post an update as soon as we have one!

"But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord,
I say, 'You are my God.'
My times are in Your hand.
Be strong and let your heart take courage,
All you who hope in the Lord."
Psalm 31