Pregnancy Week 9

We'd been up for less than a half an hour today when we got a call from the Perinatologist. One of my blood tests was abnormal. Specifically, the AntiThrombin III, which means nothing to me but is another clotting disorder. It is one of the tests that was run a week and a half ago that I'd never had tested (not in the hospital when we delivered Tirzah, not in November or last month). It, in my estimation, is one of the worst ones to come back positive. Whereas the Lupus Anticoagulant would have meant having to inject myself two to three times daily DURING SECOND AND THIRD TRIMESTER, this one's confirmation would mean needing heparin injections FOR LIFE, pregnant or otherwise.

I'm discouraged and irritated by the roller coaster ride. I went back to the hospital today and had more blood drawn to look at the antithrombin's activity levels, which will determine whether or not I actually have a problem (there is the possibility that my levels are just lower than average but still functioning). We won't know anything until next week sometime.

Right now you can be praying for wisdom and clarity. We pendulum between being irritated that the doctors keep finding all these things that MIGHT be wrong and never are, and feeling like there HAS to be a link between Jaime, who was born in fetal distress with placenta problems at 29 weeks, and Tirzah, who they cannot seem to pin down a cause for her death.

Thank you for continuing to pray. We meet back with doctors on Wednesday, and hopefully will have the new test results then. Only 31 more weeks of seeming chaos to go. Yet there is joy in the fact that God knows me, the baby, and everything going on intimately, and He has predestined the outcome. It becomes easy to rest in His sovereignty in our lives when we focus on Him rather than all of the problems encircling us.

May the Lord richly increase your faith as you, too, continue to place your life at His feet.

All My Bags Are Packed...

I'm ready to go
I'm leaving on a jet plane
Don't know when I'll be back again...

We're all packed and ready to go. Right now there is rioting in Centro (downtown Oaxaca) but we will hopefully be avoiding it. Yesterday the guys were delayed coming home from the mountains due to a group of about 50,000 demonstrators marching. They made it home after several detours. We checked, and our flight is on time, so we're planning on leaving in about twenty minutes.

Please continue to pray for the Mattfeld family. Presidential elections are on Sunday, and depending on the outcome, there is the possibility of things exploding here in the city. They live a little ways out of the center of things, but it is anyone's guess as to what will happen come Sunday.

There are three major political parties in Mexico. The current president was elected a few years ago and was the first and only (since the founding of the modern Mexican state) that was from the PRI party. You've probably heard of Vicente Fox. His party is the PAN. However, this year there is a third socialist party. The key thing to be in prayer for here in Oaxaca is that the ruling party is PRI. However, the people here know the current govenor is a crook and the party is fraught with corruption. If PRI wins the presidential election on Sunday, July 2nd it could real ugly.

Don't you just love politics? :-)

Please be in prayer that Christ's peace would descend on all His people and on the world in general.

Last night Chris and Nathan and I stayed up until midnight discussing eschatology. It was interested. Pre-trip, mid-trib, pre-wrath, post-trib, amillenial. You get the picture. It was great but all the women went to bed.

May the God of all peace keep you my fellow beloved bond-servants in Christ.

Day 6 in Oaxaca

"May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, Selah that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!

Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. Selah Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!

The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, shall bless us. God shall bless us; let all the ends of the earth fear him!"
Psalm 67

Where you do you start? How do you describe the glory of God's grace at 6000 feet in southern Mexico? How can I possibly explain prayer with brothers and sisters in Christ around a sturdy, simple wooden table.

God's Word tells us that He will not give His glory to another. And we know that every tribe and tongue and people will come to Him one day. Well brothers and sisters in Christ, it is coming NOW in Oaxaca. It has BEEN in Oaxaca for a generation.

The greatest news I can give you is that ustedes hermonos y hermonas en Christo are on the move!

Our brother Nathan has been inspiring and sobering both. In one instant you can see the joy of encouraging brothers and sisters in the Lord and in the next you can see the work...the toil of the work...the difficulty facing a young man and his bride and their family as they push on in the quest to bring Jesus Christ glory.

I think most of all though. I have seen God move mightily to give a few men a vision to fulfill the Great Commission in this part of the world. What I've been convicted of is the lack of my effort in Spokane to share the Gospel. What a hypocrite and false man I am. I can lay down the law in my own heart and in my household and even lay down the law in our young people's gathering. But oh that I would just give my heart to the lost. That WE would give our all to the spreading of the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Don't be fooled as I so often am. This life is not about BEING like Christ but of telling others ABOUT Him. The good news.

I have so much to say...so much going on in my heart and my mind. All I know right now is that Megan and my life CANNOT be the same. How can I drive my family to service on Sunday and sit with other "Christians" yet not make time to speak to my neighbors about the salvation that has come down from above?

"And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18-20

That is what we've been commanded to do. More to come...including pictures.

Day 1 in Oaxaca

Well, we made it! This is our first morning in beautiful Oaxaca. We made it to Seattle fine on Thursday, but our flight to Houston was unable to land due to a thunderstorm. We diverted to San Antonia, sat on the plane for two hours, and finally left for Houston. We arrived to chaos (several planes had been stuck with us) and our flight to Oaxaca was either cancelled or gone. Long story short, we ended up at the biggest dive hotel for the night. Loren and Chris' room had blood on the wall...our room said "Kid Rock" on the mirror when it fogged up...it was impressive.

We went back to the airport the next day with the plan to catch a 11:30 pm flight. When we got there we discovered that the plane was very overbooked and we were on standby. At that point, we weren't sure that we'd get there before Sunday, when the rumor was that the next flight would leave. Then, HUGE miracle, seven people cancelled on a direct flight to Oaxaca. We were ON!! We spent all day Friday at the airport and hopped on a flight at 7, arrriving in Oaxaca last night at a little before 10. We stayed up late catching up with Nathan, had a sweet time of prayer in his backyard, and collapsed.

Today the plan is to check out downtown and all of the upheaval down there, try to find our luggage at the airport (did I say that we have NO luggage here?) and I'm not sure what else.

Thank you for all of your prayers. We are doing great, and ready to feel a little more like we're on a mission trip than "The Amazing Race". We'll be checking email a couple times here, so keep us posted on your lives. Keep lifting us up!

Psalm 96:3

"All our bags are packed, we're ready to go..." Remember that tune? We are officially packed and ready to head off to sunny Mexico.

It's funny. Try this experiment out with your friends, family, and co-workers:

Question: "Where are you going on vacation?"
Answer: "Mexico."
Responses: "Don't get too much sun." "Don't drink too much." "Don't get thrown in jail." [My personal favorite.]
Clarification: "We are going there on a stm (short term mission)."
Response: "What are you building?" "What is your project?"

Dead silence.

What do you say to those things when all you are doing is going there to...fellowship with brothers and sisters in the Lord...? Truly, what do you say? Our hearts have been joyfully serious in the last week as we've struggled to discern what the Lord would have us do while south of the border.

Here are some verses that really touched Megan today about the purpose behind our stm:

"And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God." 1 Corinthians 2:1-5

"If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing." 1 Corinthians 13:1-3

She said, "Many people have asked WHY we're going to Oaxaca. It would be so simple to say, "To build a church." How much more difficult to explain, "To build UP a church." I pray that we'd go down there with a heart like the Apostle Paul's."

And that is my prayer too.

I have to admit. I have been spiritually dead the last four days. My heart has been struggling to find joy in the Lord. I know what all the right answers are...I'm just having a hard time believing them right now. No, I haven't lost my faith, I just wonder what the Lord is doing with Megan and I at this point in our life together.

Increasingly we are dissatisfied with our American "church" experience. Church, and we know this, is not a building! It is a gathering of the elect saints of God. Those God has been gracious enough to reveal the glory of His Son, Jesus Christ. I think leaving the States will be positive for Megan and I as we try and discern what it means to be a disciple of the living God.

I can't wait to see my brother Nathan though and the brothers and sisters in Oaxca and the surrounding area. What will the Lord do in their midst? What will He do in the midst of my horrible crappy heart? For now I'll say as the Psalmist says:

"O Sing to the LORD a new song, For He has done wonderful things, His right hand and His holy arm have gained the victory for Him. The LORD has made known His salvation; He has revealed His righteousness in the sight of the nations. He has remembered His lovingkindness and His faithfulness to the house of Israel; All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God." Psalm 98:1-3

That is our prayer.

Pregnancy Week 8

GREAT news today regarding our pregnancy! We met with the perinatologist today. She did another ultrasound and baby looks great...growing good and strong heartbeat, and about eight weeks old. She said that with those indicators, it is very unlikely that I will miscarry 1st trimester (in the next four weeks). With that, she said I did not have to take progesterone! She had my latest bloodwork, and it all looked NORMAL!! She did order another five tubes of blood drawn to test for various other disorders that my regular OB didn't test for, but assuming those are good, we won't need heparin injections!! This was SUCH good news...

Otherwise, the plan is to ultrasound baby every four weeks to check for low amniotic fluid, slow growth, slow heartbeat, or anything else that might raise alarms, and go see Dr. McKenna every two weeks to check and be sure that my body isn't kicking into preterm labor. We'll probably start non stress tests at about 28-29 weeks, but she doesn't want to do those until she could do something about any signs of distress. She said she'd be very reluctant to take a 24 week old baby based on a machine's readings.

So, it went great. We see Dr. McKenna (my regular OB) right after we get back from Oaxaca, and then see her in mid-July and mid-August for ultrasounds.

Thank you SO much for all of your prayers. We do not take for granted the little flickering heartbeat we saw today, and know that every day we have this little one here is a blessing we are completely undeserving of (isn't every blessing?). We serve such a gracious God, and we are praising Him today. Thanks again for continuing to lift us, and this little one, up. If the Lord wills it, we'll be holding him or her come January.

Love,
Loren and Megan

Preparing for Oaxaca

After a crazy day of trying to get ready to leave for Mexico (in just three days now!) we had such a sweet evening as a family. We ate dinner out on the deck, and just as we were finishing up the ice cream truck came by so the girls all got giant ice cream bars, which they ate down at the park while playing soccer with dad. It was one of those evenings that just seemed touched by the Lord. Thank you for all of your prayers. What a blessing to have such a sweet night in the midst of the chaos right now. Please keep 'em coming over the next two weeks!

Abby keeps learning new words. "Whatcha reading Mommy?" "Missionary. Go tell people 'bout Jesus." "I...AM...STOKED!" (If that last one doesn't tell you she's ALL Loren...) Jaime brought home a book of papers from first grade. One is a career sheet asking what she wants to be when she grows up. Now granted, this changes every few months, but right now it's a missionary. She even drew a picture of herself giving someone a Bible. Our prayer is primarily that our lives will glorify the Lord, but I pray, too, that in the process our girls will see Christ and believe.

Now it's off to bed before another day of packing...

Father's Day

We all know what day it was today. It has been kind of an adjustment for Megan and I as we are getting used to being a blended family on her side. By God's grace we have a godly man in Larry that we can cherish the Lord together.

Tonight Sue (Megan's mom) provided a grand meal at her house for every one (Megan, Loren, Jaime, Emily, Abigail, Larry, Mason, Cheryl, Irene, and herself!). It is wonderful to watch God work His miracle one family gathering at a time. I could not help but think that the Lord has has loved us in an even more amazing way and include us in His family as adopted sons and daughters.

I came across this article from John Piper this weekend about our daddy in heaven. Its a good read and is only avaible for free until June 21st, 2006.

http://www.worldmag.com/articles/11958

Also, today was the last mission's meeting with the stm (short term mission) team. I was struck by what one guy was quoted as saying about our faith:

"Men choose a religion but a Christian is chosen by Jesus Christ."

Think about that.

The Minor Prophets

Okay. I'm full of questions lately with no answers. Here is another one to ponder:

If you had to describe the majority of the prophets in the Bible with one or two words what would you choose and why?

Megan said intense. Loren said desperate.

What leads a man to cast down fire on the priests of Baal and then run away ask God to let Him die? What state is that person's heart?

"Now Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and even more, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.” And he was afraid and arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree; and he requested for himself that he might die, and said, “It is enough; now, O LORD, take my life, for I am not better than my fathers.”
1Kings 19:1-4

End of School Days 2006

Well today has been rather eventful.

Emily graduated from kindergarten today, complete with cap and gown. I am officially through with the three trips a day school year! We survived!! And now I have two elementary students...wow. 25 with a second grader and first grader.

Here's a picture of her and her teacher Mrs. Korver. It will be about 2 years before we will blessed by Julie again on a daily basis. She has been a wonderful godsend to our children. She loves the Lord and obviously is a prayer warrior for the little ones.

Also...today...Megan...got us a new pet. A dog. A stray dog. A stray dachshund dog. She found it on our steps, so she claims. I'm more of the mind that she coaxed her into our house. No ID. No tags. No microchip. No good leads. Just an older, obviously nursing puppies doggie. We've found her what we hope is a good home and will only have her stay with us tonight. No, we don't have a name (temporary or otherwise) and yes, the girls want her to stay.


Tonight we also had youth event. Bowling at "Big Daddy's". It was fun. The kids are getting older. That is for sure.



Okay enough for tonight, but I'll leave you with this question. Okay two questions:

1. What is more important: correct doctrine or following Christ?
2. What has precedence: who Christ is or what He commanded His followers to do?

"A jealous and avenging God is the LORD; The LORD is avenging and wrathful. The LORD takes vengeance on His adversaries, And He reserves wrath for His enemies. The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, And the LORD will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. In whirlwind and storm is His way, And clouds are the dust beneath His feet. He rebukes the sea and makes it dry; He dries up all the rivers. Bashan and Carmel wither; The blossoms of Lebanon wither. Mountains quake because of Him, And the hills dissolve; Indeed the earth is upheaved by His presence, The world and all the inhabitants in it. Who can stand before His indignation? Who can endure the burning of His anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, And the rocks are broken up by Him."
Nahum 1:2-6

Week 6

Okay. Last week, my HcG level was low but it rose on its own. This week my progesterone level is low and barely rising. Two weeks ago it was at 8.3. This week it's at 9.9. The range is 11-90. Basically, I am not even on the chart. Which means I now have to be on progesterone (don't ask how that works...you don't want to know!). The doctors are not sure right now if this is a sign I am going to miscarry or if it is my body not working right and bringing my levels up will sustain an otherwise healthy pregnancy. Time will tell. Until then, I get to experience a wonderful array of side effects ranging from severe headaches to rashes to swelling to facial hair (so if I have a beard next time you see me, that's why!). The prescription will probably be here on Friday, so we'll see how my body reacts then.

We had an ultrasound yesterday, and got to see the tiny flickering of baby's heartbeat. Other than that, the baby just looked like a small white bean on a sea of black. Baby is 5 millimeters, so there's not much to see. Our next ultrasound will be next Wednesday during our appointment with the specialist. We should know a lot more then.

In the beginning...

Seeking 2026

"All Thy works shall give thanks to Thee, O LORD, And Thy godly ones shall bless Thee. They shall speak of the glory of Thy kingdom, And talk of Thy power; To make known to the sons of men Thy mighty acts, And the glory of the majesty of Thy kingdom. Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And Thy dominion endures throughout all generations."
Psalm 145:10-13

So, this is the Baker family blog, consisting of Loren, Megan, and our kids, Jaime, Emily, and Abigail. And the unborn child Megan is six weeks pregnant with. Here's your chance to learn all you can about HcG hormones, progesterone, non stress tests, and other wonders of high risk pregnancies.

By God's grace you will also get to walk with us as we seek the giver of life and true life. Our prayer is that you will laugh and cry with us as we learn to walk in Christ's steps and glory in the Salvation He has so freely and graciously given us. Truly our God is great and His love endures forever.

Keep seeking 2026!

Five Happy Bakers & One in the Oven