In the midst of all my battling emotions, I feel like this is the time I need to write about our son's name. I have been wanting to since I started blogging, but never had the time or the prompting. Today I don't necessarily have either, but I feel like writing it out will at least bring light to my day as I remember all God has already accomplished in our family. And that He has not forgotten us.
After meeting our "baby John" in June 2010, we started talking about his name. We already had 2 boy names we loved before we met him, but they didn't fit him. We felt like we really needed to give him a name that was a testimony of his life. When we said the name "Izaiah John" aloud we had goosebumps and knew it was that perfect name for our son. It wasn't a name we ever would have thought twice about before, but Izaiah means "saved by God" and we felt like the light was shining down on that name, just as we felt like it was shining down on our precious boy when we met him in Haiti and couldn't get our minds off of him. As you know, his birth mother died in the earthquake. Then he was raised the next 3 weeks by his grandma and barely had food or water. At 3 months old weighing only 6 pounds and literally a day away from death, New Life sent up a medical team and rescued him. Saved by God at what seemed to be the final hours.
Several weeks later, we learned he had ANOTHER name! We found out that the woman who took a special interest and love for him at the medical clinic in Pestel was also his namesake. We were told he was named John Gideon after Gidion Phillips, who carried him out of the village and was the last one to hug and kiss his grandma, promising her that they would do everything they could to save her dying grandson. She did exactly what we would have wanted to do if we were in her position. She told his grandma over and over how much they all loved him and promised to care for him. She even saved his little mismatched socks that grandma had put on him the day she gave him into Gidion's arms. She carried them around in her purse, dirt and grass still intact, until she gave them to us to treasure forever. They are in a frame in his room by our favorite picture of the three of them. Gideon means "valiant, mighty, or powerful warrior". Once again, we had those goosebumps that our son's name was even more meaningful than we knew. The name became even more precious to us after a very close friend shared that God had put Judges 6:12 on her heart the week he was saved and literally fighting for his life, "An angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon and said, 'The Lord is with you mighty warrior." The way his life was so intertwined already with our hearts and our family and friends' hearts was clear evidence that he IS the child God chose from us since before time even began!
Gidion trying to hydrate Izaiah John Gideon
Grandma saying goodbye and giving her grandson a chance to survive. The most sacrificial gift of love.
leaving Pestel
Riding in the helicopter to Port au Prince
However, we had no idea what to call him! So we kind of backed down and even doubted if we should call him Izaiah since he was named John Gideon before we knew it and also had over 100 people already calling him baby John.
Then, in September 2011 we finally got to meet John's grandmother who so willingly allowed us to become his forever family. We had so many emotions before meeting her. What if she didn't like us? What if she thought we looked too young? What if she didn't want him to have white parents? What if she changed her mind and took him back? It was terrible. Terrible feeling like your child isn't "legally" yours, even though he couldn't be MORE our son if he WAS biological. The fact that the law still doesn't recognize that was a huge trust issue between me and God. But God is always faithful!
We met his grandma and an aunt and all fell in love as a family together! She hugged and kissed us so much that relief took over quickly! She brought John some candy and cookies - she definitely knew the way to his heart! We were able to share our love for John through a translator and she again welled up with thankfulness and told us with solemn seriousness this one thing:
"When his mother died and he came to me, I took a special passion for him and prayed that God would save him and He did."
Praying together as a family.
Family photoThey totally look alike! Although I do LOVE that all the Haitians tell me Matt and Izaiah look alike! And they mean it!! :)
Matt and I exchanged looks of joyful shock. We KNEW Izaiah was the perfect name for him and clearly his life story already, but we had no idea that his grandmother had specifically begged that God would save him. We had no idea that SHE actually chose that name for him through her prayers for his precious little life. We also had no doubts that we could call him Izaiah with her blessing. What a gift to us as his parents! To be able to call your child by the name you have chosen! Something I would have taken for granted before I was in a position where we didn't even get to meet our son until he was 7 months old and already named!
The icing on the cake is that he LOVES the name Izaiah! Several months ago, when he was learning to say people's names, he refused to say "John" but we always told him his name is Izaiah John Gideon. One day he pointed to a picture of himself and said, "Izaiah!" with a huge smile! He still does it every time and calls himself Izaiah in every picture! So we hope the transition into everyone calling him Izaiah will come naturally for all of you as it has for us. We spell it with a "z" instead of an "s" because it just adds a little more awesomeness to it. ;)
You can call him Izaiah, Izaiah John, Izaiah John Gideon, or even Zeke...but if you call him Izzy, I might have to hurt you.
You gave us our son, go ahead and give him all the Coke you want...(we paid for it later)
So there you have it!
Izaiah John Gideon
"Saved by God - God is gracious - Mighty warrior"
"A good name is more desirable than great riches."
Proverbs 22:1
