Her name

Our beautiful  "Hope" has been given an official name. Not keeping "Hope" as a part of her name was incredibly difficult for us. But we have decided to name her...

 

Ayla Elise

 

  

We will be keeping her Chin*ese name as a second middle name as well.

 

Naming her came fairly easy this time around.

The first time I saw her sweet face a verse from Isaiah came to me.

 

Isaiah 61:3... to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord.

  

Ayla means "strong oak."

We know that she is not physically strong. We know that she is dependent on blood transfusions and daily medications to sustain her life. We know that at 2, she is just now starting to bear weight on her legs.

 

But....  





From day one our sweet girl has battled for her life. She has endured more than many her age. She is a fighter and has such inner strength. She is surviving and beating the odds. It is our prayer that she will grow stronger everyday. It is our prayer that she will continue to over come. It is our prayer that she will become grounded and rooted in God's love for her, and our love for her too.  She is an oak of righteous, a planting of the Lord. I know without a doubt that God has big plans for her.

 

 All of our children are named after a family member. And that is where Elise comes in.  

Elise is a form of Elizabeth, which is my middle name and my mom's first name. Elise means "Oath or promise of God." And to us, that is exactly what she is. Not only that, God's oath to all mankind is such a glorious thing and it is our prayer that His oath will be the center of Ayla's life too.

 

 

 Psalm 139:13-16                   

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.