Holly

We do have a new addition to our family...our new dog Holly. We got her at Christmas time for the boys. Matthew has been dying to get a dog since we have a backyard now. She is a very sweet black lab. We love taking her to the beach and river to run around and play catch. Here are some pictures at the beach. The last time we were at the beach, Mama and Jake got soaked by a wave and so this time Jake was not happy about being at the beach because he was afraid of "the waves taking us away" It wasn't long until he started having fun thoughYesterday we took Holly to the river and she got a hold of a dead salmon (which I found out yesterday are deathly poisonous to dogs) Thankfully we were already planning on taking Holly into the vet after the river to take her stitches out from being fixed a couple weeks ago and when Matthew told them she got a hold of a salmon they said she needed to be on antibiotics or she will die. Believe me, she has cost us a fortune and, I believe, has been like having a third toddler in the house! But we do love her and are blessed by her!You can tell they just love each other (as Jake is tightly holding Ben's neck)

Super Bowl & Birthday Fun

I have not posted pictures in awhile so I thought I would show just a few:) Sunday we headed over to my parents church and then went over their house for the Super Bowl and to celebrate Matthew and my birthday that are both this month. We had a lot of fun...the guys watched the Super Bowl while the girls played cards, talked and laughed.Here is a picture of me and my sisters with Sheryl(Derwin & Sheryl are the sweetest couple from my parents church who joined us for the day) Below is my beautiful Mom and KristenAll the guys watching the Super Bowl All the munchkinsBirthday time! I'm turning 30...Ahhhhh!Here is baby Faith covering her ears as everyone was singing "Happy Birthday"

God of All Comfort

I have had a lot on my mind and heart lately. It actually feels good to write it out and share it with you. This is my chance to be able to share what the Lord has been showing us through this time in our lives. It helps me to get some things off my mind, but at the same time I am hoping it might minister to someone out there as well.

Because we live in a small town with a smaller hospital, we had to be flown to Portland, Oregon to OHSU when I had gone into pre-term labor to be somewhere that was equipped for Seth to be born pre-term and deal with his gastroschisis. As soon as we heard we were being flown out, we had called our parents to let them know and they immediately were on their way to Portland to be there with us. Our parents were a huge blessing to us as we were at the hospital for that week waiting to see what was going to happen and then when we found out that the Lord had taken Seth to be with Him, it was such a relief to have our parents there with us. You see, it is an amazing thing to me how the Lord has orchestrated the lives of Matthew and I and our families. Matthew's parents had lost their first born son, Brian, just a few days after he was born. My parents had also lost a daughter, Marguerite, just a few days after she was born. And now the Lord who has brought Matthew and I together, took our son Seth to be with Him. With all three of these babies in our family, none of their causes of death were connected in any way. Some might say that is so weird! But I say, that is the hand of God in our lives. 1 Corinthians 1:3-4 says...
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."

We were and still are being comforted by those who have been comforted! The Lord brought our parents through very similar situations and have healed their broken hearts through the years and with the comfort that they have recieved by God they now in return were comforting us. This has been such a blessing and strength to us and I praise God for our parents and the comfort that they have brought to us.

Matthew and I have not experienced anything like this in our lives until now. We have not known heartache and pain and loss like this. But now we are able to reach out and comfort those in need like we were not able to before. We are now able to "comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." I know it's not a new thing. We have read these verses and have known them all our lives, but the comfort of God and the comfort that we ourselves have recieved and are now able to give out, is a new revelation to us. We now know the comfort of our God and how precious it is to be held by Him. I looked up the actual definition of the word "comfort". It is a state of being relaxed and feeling no pain. This is so true because in that moment that I am being comforted by God or by our parents, I am in a state of knowing that everything is going to be all right and at that moment not feeling my heartbreak, but being at peace. Knowing the God of all comfort is just one of the many ways that we have gone deeper with Him through all of this and we are so thankful to Him for allowing us to experience this comfort.

2010...A Year of Healing

As most of you know, the Lord took our precious baby boy, Seth Taylor Shrewsberry, home to be with Him on November 21st. It was the hardest day of Matthew and my life to meet our baby boy and then to have to say good-bye to him. It's the first time in my life that I have experienced a broken heart. My heart goes out to those with broken hearts because it is absolutely the worst feeling in the world! It's an amazing thing to me how much love we have for Seth and how much we miss him even though we did not get the blessing and privelege of raising him and knowing him as we wanted to. I don't know how anyone could go through something like this without the Lord Jesus in their lives. He has been the One holding our hearts and slowly piecing them back together as He is healing them. He has been our strength everyday. He has revealed Himself to us in a way that, I believe, He only could by going through something like this. We have always heard that to go deeper with God you will need to go through deep things. I always wanted to go deeper with God, but was always afraid to go through the deep things to get there. As you go through deep things though, I now know that He carries you through the whole way. I know it may sound strange, but Matthew and I are so thankful to the Lord for having us go through the deep with Him because of what He has done in our hearts and lives through baby Seth. The Lord has really revealed Himself to us in ways we didn't know Him. The Lord has been encouraging us to really trust Him and to put our faith in Him and we believe the Lord has said to us ever since Seth past away, "you have not gone this way before." This is true, we have not gone this way, the way of heartache and grief, the way of sadness and mourning. This scripture is found in Joshua chapter 3, as the Lord was preparing the children of Israel to cross over the Jordan River into the promised land. It's interesting because that is where our Pastor shared out of yesterday in church. We know that the Lord is good and only has perfect plans for us. This was one of them. "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11 We have the blessed hope of being reunited with our baby boy one day in heaven. What a day that will be! Heaven is so much sweeter to us. Going through this has given us a deeper desire for Jesus and heaven!
So as we begin a new year, I don't know what the Lord has in store for us, but I do know that it is going to be a year of healing for us. We are taking it one day at a time, moment by moment needing His strength to get us through. We know He is faithful and "being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in us will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." Philippians 1:6
We want to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers for us through this difficult time in our lives. We have been lifted up by your prayers and are greatly encouraged knowing we are loved and being prayed for. We hope and pray everyone has a blessed new year and whatever you are going through that the Lord would be priority and would be glorified in your lives this year. I want to leave you with Psalm 46:1-3, 10-11...
"God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear,
Even though the earth be removed,
And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
Though it's waters roar and be troubled,
Though the mountains shake with it's swelling. Selah
Be still and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!
The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

God bless you! We love you!
Love,
Matthew & Megan