His ways are not our ways

It’s been awhile since we last sent you an update. God’s brought us into a new season recently and the last couple of weeks have been full of processing hard stuff. It’s with great heartache that Mark and I share this news with you. 

In June, Mark and I found out our family of three would become a family of four. We cried tears of joy and gratitude after finding out the news. We had prayed unceasingly for over two years that the Lord might add another life to our family. And He answered that prayer. Even though this meant we would be pushing back our departure date for PNG again, we were over the moon. 

At around 10 weeks we went in for a routine check-up to find the baby was measuring abnormally small. After many prayers, several ultrasounds, and countless tears shed, we were told on Wednesday our baby no longer had a heartbeat. I’m 13 weeks pregnant today and carrying a baby I will never get to know. I go in tomorrow for outpatient surgery and covet your prayers as Mark and I walk through this season. The last couple of weeks have been some of true heartache, grief, and lots of listening to what the Lord is teaching us through this all. This I know to be true: He hears me. He sees me. He’s gracious with me. There is nothing better than the Lord. I’m continuing to learn that the refining process doesn’t come without some pain. 

The minute I found out I was pregnant with this precious life, I had a feeling it was a girl. After praying and talking with the Lord, we decided on the name Hallie Rain. A name that perfectly expresses our hearts in this season of life. Hallie means God to be praised. The name Rain means abundant blessings from above. His blessings might not always look like we think they should, but we have been blessed to care for a life, whether that is a few weeks or many years. He has loved us and been gracious to us through it all. 

Amongst many other difficult obstacles that have presented themselves in the past three months, our timeline has changed four different times. We will be sending another update out to inform you all of our support raising progress, plans stateside, and an estimate of our launch date to Papua New Guinea. 

Prayer Request:

Please pray for tomorrow's surgery and recovery.

Prayer for wisdom, and discernment as we have many difficult upcoming decisions that need to be made.

We are so grateful for your prayers and partnership,

Mark & Shelbi Fitzpatrick