Pictures of Joy to Share!

Hot off the presses, here are some adorable photos of Caleb Bates! As you can see in the first photo he was born this past Sunday. Please keep Caleb in prayer as he will most likely stay in the hospital until January. Gilda returned home Wednesday night, but keep her and Mark in prayer as they will still be at the hospital every day. The second photo is of mama Gilda and the final photo is the birth certificate with Caleb's little footprints on them. We will be starting a meals ministry for the Bates so if you are famous for some family recipe or know how to cook a mean lasagna from Costco, please email me so we can bless them with this. Mark and Gilda would love anything as long as it isn't served on a tray with embossed crevices to hold mass- produced meals. So as long as you don't buy it at a hospital or American Airlines it should be all good. And as a side note, Mark told me that one of the nurses on the floor gave Caleb the nickname, "The miracle baby". First off I thought that was really cool, then I thought about it for a second. Mark and Gilda were at one of the best hospitals, on a floor that specializes in very difficult pregnancies. I mean these nurses take care of some of the most difficult cases and Caleb is the shinning star. But Caleb had something going for him that many babies do not, parents and friends who prayed and prayed. Mark and Gilda had the absolute best attitude throughout the pregnancy (and continue to do so) and it is a testament of their lives. We looked a few Wednesday nights ago about how people will judge us and thereby judge all Christians by our actions. Well I am proud to say, I want people to judge Christians by how Mark and Gilda act. If people look at Mark and Gilda's life and what an amazing attitute they have had and all the loved ones who have come to visit and pray, that is a testament of what a Christian community is.