Our last two months have been filled with travel and excitement, concluding with the much-anticipated arrival of our fourth child, Judson Taylor. Mother and baby are both doing very well. Judson was born on Sunday, May 1, at 2 p.m. He weighed 8 pounds 9 ounces and was 21 inches long. We are all very excited to have another boy in the family. Hardly a moment has gone by without one of the older children not being right by Judson’s side.
Starting in March, we were blessed with a missions house to stay at. We unpacked there, and then I headed to California for a missions conference. I got back, and the next day we drove to Maine, Virginia, and then Florida. On the way we were rear ended at a stop sign. No one was hurt, but a struggle would ensue to get the insurance company to cover the claim.
After spending a week in Florida for conference number four, we spent a few weeks in West Virginia visiting local churches. The blessing of having a home to stay in for the birth of Judson is hard to describe. We couldn’t have asked for a better midwife and delivery.
With my wife 39 weeks pregnant, we had one last conference in New York, 5.5 hours from our temporary base. We spent the week with some amazing Christians. Even our children were able to make several new “friends.” The members entertained and fed us in their homes. There were activities and several conference meals that gave us unique opportunities to get close to many of the church members. Perhaps the most memorable part of this week was entertaining the idea of birthing our child in the “stable” that we lodged in. The pastor had made a guest room in a portion of his barn, and being only days from the baby’s due date, any day could have been THE DAY. Prayerfully, the Lord allowed us to get back to West Virginia, and the baby joined us three days later.
In closing, I had a unique meeting this month at the cell phone repair shop. After about a year, we decided it was time to get my wife’s phone repaired. It was smashed last year when it slipped from her hands and fell ever so softly onto a concrete floor. As I spoke with the man behind the counter, I could tell by his accent that he was from somewhere in Africa. Imagine my surprise when he told me he was from Kenya and still had family there. Pray that God allows us to get together for lunch and that Arthur accepts the Gospel.
We pack up again at the close of May and add a sixth member to our van. We are beyond grateful for your past and future prayers.
Fellow servants for Christ,
The McDonalds
