Our Family's Journey of Faith

Well, our little Colombian is finally here. Tuesday, May 3rd at about 11:45, we welcomed Logan Riley Howard into the world. This was really a great experience having our 3rd child in Colombia. Our dear friend Michelle Schirra traveled all the way from Columbia, S.C. to help us welcome him into the world. Michelle is a nurse at Lexington Hospital, and she helped with both Kendall and Parker, so we were so excited to have her and the peace of mind that she would be with us and Logan. Our surgery was planned for 2 p.m on Tuesday the 3rd, but the doctor called us very early on Tuesday morning to ask us if we could change to 10 a.m. I know it's only 4 hours difference, but when you are talking about major surgery, it seemed like a lot to ask. But Amanda handled the change with grace and calm.

We had no idea what to expect when we got to the hospital, but when we arrived, we payed our bill (cost of everything was $700 for everything, surgery and hospital stay, so buy your tickets now ladies and have your babies here), they then asked for us to give them diapers and towels for Logan. So basically, you have to provide most everything for the baby. So before we knew it, they had Amanda in a wheel chair and got her prepped for surgery. I was pretty nervous during this process because I had no idea what was going on, they were just doing things and not telling us a whole lot. But thankfully someone came and got me and told me to wait for the surgery. They then brought me into a changing room where I put on scrubs. One of the nurses asked me if I had a fear of blood... Great question..haha. This was such a surreal experience for me. They then told me I could go on back, so I proceed to the operating room only to walk into a room with 3 other women laying on gurneys looking like maybe they had just gotten out of surgery as well...so weird. But I finally stumbled my way into the operating room where I saw Amanda.

The first thing I noticed was the sheet between Amanda and her stomach was quite low. I immediately knew that this was going to be challenge for me no to see the surgery. There are some things in life you don't need to see...this is one of them. So I got a little stool and I tried my best to bend down really low so I wouldn't be able to see what was happening. Must have been an interesting site for the medical staff to see the gringo bent like this. Well, just as soon as I sit down, they start the process. Well, I've only done 2 c-sections before this so I'm no pro, but I notice that Amanda is really starting to move pretty violently. I'm like, what in the world, so I look up and the doctors and are both really pushing hard on the baby trying to get him down so he'll come out. Amanda and I are just looking at each other wondering what is going on, but thankfully, all that pushing brought us our little man a few minutes later.

They immediately took him to the Pediatrician who checked his vital signs and took some blood and put him under the hot lamps to start to warm the little guy up. I got to take him for a couple of minutes to Amanda where she got her first look. They then took Amanda to recovery and Logan to the nursery. Michelle and I had to wait for almost 4 hours to see Amanda and the baby again. This seemed like a long time, but we tried to pass the time which went really slowly. We occupied the only private room in the entire clinic and we were thankful for these accommodations which we thought were really nice. They finally brought us both Amanda and Logan and they were both doing great. One interesting thing, they don't have the facilities to wash the baby, so Michelle and I had the privilege to take Logan to our sink and wash his hair. Things are just different here in the way in which they care for babies, not necessarily worse, just different. All this to say, we are thankful that God protected all of us during this whole entire process. Amanda is doing amazingly well. I was shocked when I went to pick her up in the morning, she was sitting in a chair and moving around just great. I truly believe we had a great doctor-- so thankful for that. Both of them are during so good, and it's been fun to share this experience with our church. We are thankful and proud that our son will be both American and Colombian. That may not make a lot sense to most of you, but it something that we are thankful for. We are so thankful for all of you who have prayed for us because God was so good to us during this whole process. Also a big thanks to Chad and the kids for letting their mommy come to help us during this time. We greatly appreciate you.

Oh one last thing. The wonderful people from our church had a surprise baby shower for Amanda. While we were out picking up Michelle, they set up everything in our house and so many people for the church came to show their love. Amanda was surprised and we both felt very loved. Thanks to all those who participated and helped with that.

Our Suite. Only 1 in the whole clinic

Next Day picture as we are leaving

Back to real life

This is the first time the kids got to see Logan

Parker is taking a good look and trying to figure out what he thinks about little bro

When we asked Parker what he wanted to name the baby, he said, "Johnson Coca-Cola" This sign made me laugh

Our friend who will be having a baby soon

The boys at the shower

Pastor helping to serve

This past weekend, we had the opportunity to partner with other SAM missionaries in a neighborhood health clinic. Our teammates, Frank and Luz, facilitate the OANSA (AWANA) ministry in a poorer neighborhood of Santa Marta. Through this ministry, they do community outreaches to help the meet the physical needs of the people as well as the spiritual needs. Jon and I had both helped with this type of activity before, but this was the first time the youth took responsibility with some of the activities. Jon and I had taught our group of students how to share the gospel with braclets and 5 colored beads. This is an activity that Child Evangelism Fellowship uses in their backyard Bible club program. For several of our students, this was the first time that they had shared their faith. What a powerful thing for these kids to learn and gain confidence in while they are young! Jon and I were greatly encouraged by the students in our group as we saw them interact and share their Saturday afternoon with young kids they didn't know. There were several kids who made professions of faith and we pray that this will be the beginning of a life-long walk with our Lord Jesus.

In addition to the evangelism bracelets, we also played games with the kids, sang songs, offered medical consultations and free medications, and cut people's hair. There were numerous volunteers from our church and it was exciting to see everyone working together to show the love of Christ.

Again thank you to all of you that are supporting us financially and with your prayers. You are apart of the gospel being proclaimed in Santa Marta, Colombia. We are so thankful for each and every one of you.

Prayer Requests:
1. Pray for those who received Christ as their Savior this past weekend. Pray that they would return and hear more about who God is and His plan for them.
2. Pray for our youth lunches that take place on Tuesday afternoons. We have been having youth from Jon's classes in the school over for lunch. This has been an encouraging time to get to know the kids better, practice English, and pray for them. Pray that it would be a beneficial time for them as we learn more about how to minister to their needs.
3. Pray for our upcoming youth retreat at the end of June. Our theme will be "Your Identity in Christ." Pray that the students' hearts will be prepared and that they would be able to
4. The cesarian is on the 4th of May. That time is quickly approaching and we are anxiously awaiting the coming of our little boy. Please pray for a quick recovery for Amanda and smooth transition for our little American/Colombian boy.