Page 44 - Journey of Hope by Raymond Moldenhauer

GRANDPARENTS SO FAR AWAY

Oh, the wonder and awe of our God and Savior. No one would
ever ask for such a trial, but we are in this place, and we are now
in awe of God as we long to see His power, love, grace, and
mercy.

As we reflect back on the birth of our grandchild, we remember
the prayers, the fears, and the tears of that day. Knowing that
God is sovereign, and loving, and hears our prayers is what is
carrying us through. We look at Alyssa and the miracle of life,
and the blessing from God that she is, and we stand in awe of
how blessed we are – knowing that she is in His tender care, and
that He formed her in the womb, and that all the days of her life
were fashioned for her – when as yet there were none of them
(Psalm 139:13-16). We are blessed at how He gives the Doctors
and Nurses in the NICU the wisdom to do what is best.

We have seen our son transformed from being a boy to being a
father – strong and brave, concerned for his precious little girl,
and tender and compassionate towards his wife, the mother of
his child. We have seen our daughter-in-law transformed into a
loving, protective, strong, and wonderfully tender mother.
Their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ has grown by leaps and
bounds. We have witnessed little Alyssa develop before our
eyes in ways that are seldom seen. We have grown closer to Ray
and Kathie, and have a unique bond between us - as we have
not only prayed together, but wept together, laughed together,
and waited, waited, and waited together.

It has been hard being so far away. We call several times a day,
and Ray’s ministry of recording and e-mailing every day has
been such a blessing. And this week, we were finally able to
hold Alyssa for the very first time.