"you say that's exactly how this grace thing works"

To wrap up the last 48 hours of so I need only use one word:


FINALLY


Monday night, after over a week of bed-rest, Jared's sister Andrea went into the hospital to have her baby. Early Tuesday morning they induced labor and then finally today she gave birth to a healthy baby boy (8 lbs. 3 oz, 20 1/2 inches long)! 

This is the picture that Sue (Jared's mom) sent me a little while ago. Andrea hasn't decided on a name just yet, she's waiting to see which of the ones she's been thinking about fit him best.

***UPDATE: Andrea decided on Kamdyn Michael!***

Meanwhile, at around 9 o'clock Tuesday morning, Jared's phone rang-- it was ASP Fire calling him. They finally got dispatched and he sped off to Albany, the home base of the company. He called me around 7pm last night to let me know they had arrived safely to their camp near Grants Pass, OR where the the Oak Flat fire is burning. 

As of about 20 minutes ago it was at 1,250 acres with 1,050 firefighters currently working to contain it. If you want to track the fire, this link has updates pretty regularly (it's the one Jared checks).

Timing is everything. This fire season has gotten off to a VERY late start and Jared was about to jump out of his skin waiting for the ball to get rolling. If anything has ever tested his faith, I think this was it. But being the man he is, he held strong, though he had just decided he was going to start looking into other options in case the season didn't pan out, and God came through on this one. As He always does. Though we both already knew it, this proved once again that God has a plan.

Now my faith is being tested. Because now Jared is out there battling a wild fire and there is nothing in this world I can do except pray that he comes home safe. I don't think there has ever been a time in my life where I have truly had no other option than to give it entirely up to God. Usually there is some element that I can change, something I can do to make a difference in a situation. But now, there is nothing. I have no power over Mother Nature and those flames. All I can do now is trust Jared and trust God.

And keep sending love out into the universe. And hope it gets all the way to Grants Pass.