Our New Granddaughter In Guatemala

We were last in San Marcos, Guatemala in March and learned that our youngest daughter, Courtney, was pregnant. We arrived back here on November 4, and all of this time we have been waiting (NOT PATIENTLY) for our eighth grandchild. After three days of contractions, yesterday at about 4:00 a.m. things got intense, and Courtney elected to take a couple of cod liver oil and orange juice cocktails. She was really weary of all the waiting. An American-trained midwife, Jenny, was called. Courtney’s water broke at 9:00 a.m. At around 11:30 a.m, the potent cocktails were working well, and as Courtney was leaving the bathroom, the baby made her grand entrance. With Courtney hanging on to the kitchen shelves and husband, Josh, the big event was over in five minutes. Jenny made a fantastic Willy Mays catch, and little Mirabai let out a small cry. Talk about a welcoming standing ovation! She weighs eight pounds, measures 22 inches, has short, dark hair, and even has long finger nails. She is most beautiful, is perfectly formed, and so far has a sweet disposition. She has no wrinkles or blemishes. Big sister, Althea, almost seven, was in Vacation Bible School and went AWOL as soon as someone told her the good news. She had been praying for a little sister; God is good. She announced to her parents, “I told you.” All of us are greatly relieved, as is the whole village. It seems that nearly everyone in this small town of San Marcos on Lake Atitlan knows Courtney, Josh, and Althea.

In case you are wondering about the selection, Mirabai, it is the name of a 16th Century poet from India whose work Courtney admires. Whether it gets shortened eventually to Mira remains to be seen. To all of you who have been praying for our family, we proclaim a hearty, “Muchas Gracias.”