Jackson Thomas Rinehimer
Born March 25th in Louisville, KY
9lbs 8oz 22 inches
He's finally here!!! Meet the newest member of our family... Both he & Erica are doing very well. We praise the Lord for this precious gift. Here are a few pictures of our new son:)

Still Waiting...

Waiting seems to be the them of our life so far back in America... As most of you know, we have been waiting on God to provide the perfect job for John in His perfect timing for many months now. And our baby boy was due 2 days ago (on March 10th), but there is still no sign that he's ready to come! We were ready for him to be late, as we know most first babies are... but still, we are anxiously anticipating what day he will come! (Many of you have asked to see a picture of my pregnant tummy, so here you go~ this one was taken on my due date, March 10th)

In the meantime, we are thankful that God has provided work for John as he is substitute teaching at Christian Academy of Louisville while he looks for what career God has next for him. And I am SO thankful to God for the ways He has provided through so many family & friends for us to feel ready for our baby to arrive! Especially through my mom, who has made it possible for us to have the nursery ready! I know we don't "need" all of these things... especially after living where we've lived the past two years of our lives... but it sure does make me feel nested & ready to be a mommy! Thank you to everyone who has helped us get ready for our baby boy!

"Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for Him to act." ~ Psalm 37:7

Holding on ... !!!

Have you ever felt like this guy pictured to the left?... Hanging on & not sure of what God has planned next. We all have times in our lives like this where we wonder ... "Where is God in all of this?" Romans 5:3-5 tells us ... There's more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we're never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit! (the Message Bible).

We have been feeling a lot like this guy pictured above... holding on & not sure what the next step is that God wants us to take. Last week, we heard from Southeast Christian Church about John's job, and they actually ended up choosing someone else. We were so shocked & totally surprised when we got the phone call. We truly couldn't believe it... that we've waited this long (5 months) to hear & go through this process & now this is the outcome. But we truly do trust in Jesus, and we know He has something else planned for John. Although, it is overwhelming to say the least, with a baby due in just 1 week & no jobs yet; we are holding on to Jesus & know that there is more of His Faithfulness up ahead. It is actually so encouraging in our relationship with the Lord to experience first hand that we really do trust in Jesus more than a job.

Our good friend at Southeast Christian Church, Michael, who was involved in the entire interview process, was so encouraging to John. He told him that it came down to John & this one other guy... and out of 55 people, for a position this big, I think that is quite an accomplishment in itself that they considered John so seriously & it took them a whole week to decide. Especially since this other guy is 10 years older with 16 years of missions experience & has been working in a similar job already for some time! Tough competition! They said that it just basically came down to age & life experience when they were comparing him & John, and that was the ONLY thing that kept John from getting it. Which we totally understand. It's a big deal to oversee a multi- million dollar budget with limited experience in that area. But I am still just so proud of John & how far he made it & how much he impressed everyone involved in the interview process. Michael told John that he wishes he would have had a tape recorder when they debriefed after John's interview so that he could hear how highly everyone spoke of him, calling him a rising star & that for just turning 30 he has a ton of life experience. And he said that once they came to the final decision, everyone said that if another position opens up, John will be the first person they call.

So... anyways, we just wanted to thank you all for your FAITHFUL prayers for us over this whole process and let you know how much we appreciate each of you. We have no idea what the next step is for us... For now we will just keep trusting in God to provide & pray that He opens our eyes to see whatever He has for us next! We love you guys and appreciate you & your friendship more than you know!

Jesus also encouraged us with Psalm 32:8~ "I will instruct you & teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you & watch over you"

Love you guys & we'll let you know when the baby arrives!!!:)