Esperanza

Note: I am going to be sharing some pictures of my new little sister, but due to her special needs some may be bothered by her pictures. If you do not know how to look at her through the eyes of God, please do not continue reading. Also, please do not share her pictures or details apart from this blog.

Ok, so I wrote this update a week and a half ago, but didnt feel like it properly portrayed my thoughts or feelings, so I held off. Well, due to the chaos of our house, I am just getting back to it and I am just going to post it. I am sorry if  what I say does not make sense, please just try your best to understand, and if you don't, that's fine. 

If you would like to read more about the following post (from some people who are better with their words) feel free to visit...

My dad's blog http://hopeforhome.blogspot.com/2013/09/loving-hope.html

or Brittney's blog http://brittneyfulp.blogspot.com/2013/09/esperanza.html

"Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my HOPE is in you all day long." -Psalm 25:5

For me, as a Christian, I feel that hope is such a simple concept yet, at the same time so complicated. So, to just hear it broken down I looked it up... "Hope- The feeling that what is wanted can be had" (Dictionary.com). Ok, simple enough. The hard part is putting that into "action" while still looking through the eyes of God.

Let me further explain....

I hope that one day I will be able to visit Wrigley Field and see the Cubs kick the Yankee's little butts. I hope that one day I will be able to tour Venice, Italy. The list goes on. But really, in the end, when I am standing before God, will it really matter if I got to see all the things I wanted? Of course not!

But... then there are things that are a little closer to God's heart. The state of someones heart, the impact we have on others... a child's life.

That leads me to another form of "hope"... I would now like to introduce you all to the newest Fulp, Ruth Esperanza (Hope in Spanish). Esperanza has Kleeblatt Schadel Syndrome. "This syndrome is caused by premature fusing of the fibrous sutures, resulting in abnormalities of the skull and facial bones," (a quote from my dad's blog because I sure don't know how to explain it). People often call it "clover head" because it causes three large lumps on the head. Before we actually received her, we looked at pictures of this syndrome online.... but nothing compared to the severity of little Esperanza's case.

Borrowing a miracle, Esperanza will pass soon. No words can describe the difficulty of this. We receive a new little sister, and the same moment we are falling in love with her, we know that we may only have her for a few short moment. As Britt said, "We get to carry her to Jesus." That is an amazing privilege and a terribly difficult responsibility.

This is where the real hope in life becomes hard. We, as her family, hope that she will stay with us for a long time, but God might not want the same. We hope that He will choose to miraculously heal her, but God might choose to do that through taking her. Hope no longer becomes simple.... it is rather complicated. How to you really balance your hopes and wishes with His?(Please do not get me wrong, I am in no way doubting God's plans, just explaining the confusion that sometimes seems to come along with a life submitted to Him.)

We must learn to hope, but with the full realization that that might not be Gods will. We must learn to hope while (at the same time) surrendering our hopes and dreams to him.

But, in all things, we serve a wonderful God. He is all-knowing and all-powerful. Our God reigns.

"When peace like a river attendeth my way

When sorrows like sea billows roll

What ever my lot you have taught me to say

It is well, it is well with my soul"

September 15th was Guatemalan Independence day, so...

From 14 of the 17 Fulps....

Feliz día de independencia!!!

(Happy [Guatemalan] Independence day!!!)

Very last thing.... we received a 3 year old boy on Monday, Christian... but I will update you on him (probably) over the weekend :)