Happy 1st Birthday Eileen Shiphrah

Looking back over Eileen’s first year on the outside...I am so thankful for her cheerful and lovely presence.

She is bright, joyful, beautiful and giggly. She’s really living into her name. I thought I’d post something I wrote when she was born and we named her.

many of you have read this before when I first wrote it, but here it is again: Eileen is a Scottish/Gaelic name that means “bright, shining one” and we chose this name for its meaning and after a friend of mine. My friend Eileen spread kindness to those around her, she loved beautiful things, being quiet and walking in the forest. She also carried her Bible everywhere she went. We hope our Eileen will be a little bit like her. Eileen is also a variation of a family name on Orcxance’s side of the family.

Shiphrah means “to be beautiful” and is an Old Testament name that has special meaning for us. As a nurse I have been able to serve as a “midwife” to many women and this upstanding Bible woman is an inspiration to our family, as she chose life and stood up for righteousness in dangerous times.

“...but the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive....and it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that He provided households for them.”

We pray that she would grow up to fear the Lord, that He would someday provide her with a husband and children of her own, and that she would always understand that life is a blessing.

Our family continues to encourage and help the women around us to choose life and we are excited about our little daughter joining the team!

And now she’s been on the family team for a whole year and we’re celebrating her!

Surviving one’s first year is a huge accomplishment here in Congo so when a baby makes it to age 1, there is a certain sense of relief and everyone rejoices! It has been fun to see Eileen develop in her own way and how different from Molly she is.

We are thankful Eileen has reached this milestone and we are getting to know this little girl better and better. We call her Shiphrah, Shippy, Eileen, Ellie Mo, Shiffy and Baby. She is such a wonderful part of our family!