Jonathan Elijah

Ushered into the Glory of Heaven February 2, 2010 ~ Born February 3, 2010How completely characteristic of the the Donahue family to have written on the board in their labor and delivery room the goal for the day: "Glorify God and Enjoy Him" - the answer to the first question of the Westminster Shorter Catechism. As a godly couple facing the trial of their lives, it is no surprise that they arrived at the hospital with the catechism's question printed on their minds - "What is the chief end of man?" As strong as soldiers headed into battle, Steve and Joanna were the picture of grace and strength during the birth of Jonathan Elijah. God answered their every prayer, though not in ways expected.Joanna had wanted Jonathan's siblings to meet him but was hesitant, not knowing how best she wanted the children to remember their brother. The Lord sent freezing rain so transporting the children to the hospital by the grandparents wasn't wise. God chose that the siblings would, instead, have beautiful pictures in which to remember Jonathan.
Requests were made that Steve and Joanna would have the grace and strength to love Jonathan completely and say good-bye at the same time. Evidence of greater love has never been witnessed by those who walked beside this family during the labor and birth.

We had prayed that Jonathan's passing would be peaceful and not filled with trauma. He died during the labor tucked safely beneath his mother's heart.
Today, a multitude of friends and family joined together at a snow-covered country church to memorialize Jonathan's life. One of the pastors and close friends who spoke said that Jonathan has done more for the cause of Christ in his short life than that of some Christians who live 80 years. We are forever changed by Jonathan's life. We are forever changed by observing his parents walk triumphantly through this very fierce trial.

Requests for comfort are now the greatest priority as they endure the season of grieving. How does one return to a busy life filled with the joys and challenges of parenthood with one, much-loved child missing? May God carry them close to His heart.

Steve, Joanna, and Jonathan - in your mission "To Glorify God and Enjoy Him," you have been successful. We are forever changed by your testimony.

A Saint Among Us

After waking in the middle of the night, I (Joy) couldn't quickly return to restful sleep as sorrow-filled thoughts evaded my consciousness. As has been the case so often during the past few months, the quietness of the night brings the reminder of a fierce trial that surrounds a close friend.

On Friday, November 13th, I received a call from Joanna. I was excited to hear her voice, knowing that she was probably calling to share the good news of her twenty week, mid-pregnancy ultrasound. The tone of her voice caused me to sit down quickly as I could tell something was wrong. With calmness in her sorrow, she said the ultrasound showed a serious medical condition that would surely take the life of their baby at birth. I listened in disbelief, my mind racing with a flood of possible solutions and ways to avoid the projected outcome. Then I came to the end of my inward fighting against the truth and asked if she could tell me the details once again. This time as I listened with acceptance, my heart felt as if it would break in two. A baby who was growing and kicking like any other healthy baby was going to die? How could it be? Yet the fact remained - their baby had a condition called Anencephaly and would surely die shortly after the birth. There was no cure. No medical intervention would save the life of this much loved baby. Our conversation ended with the question whose answer is usually joyously announced, "Did you find out what it is?" Joanna's voice broke as she said, "It's a boy."

I have never walked beside someone faced with so great a trial or difficult assignment from the Lord. Yet as I have watched Joanna's response to this terribly painful battle, I am convinced there is a saint among us.

Never in my life have I seen a Christian so quickly submit and humble herself under the mighty hand of God. Surely there is much turmoil in Joanna's heart, yet outwardly she has maintained a posture of submission to the Lord's will. Anger, sarcasm, and stubbornness - reactions of many when faced with a trial - are far from Joanna's speech and attitude. Instead, she has relied on God to carry her through her sorrow-filled days and she has come to Him as the loving Father that He is.

At the onset of the trial, Joanna was met with the option of aborting her son, which some might justify in light of the fact that he is destined to die regardless. Yet, she resolved to honor the life God placed in her care by loving her son fully for however many days God gave her to share with him. He was given the name "Jonathan Elijah".

As news spread of Jonathan's condition, she was met with well-meaning friends who, despite the certain fatal outcome, challenged Joanna to either claim a miracle of healing or deny, through faith, the existence of the condition. Both suggestions only serve to further exhaust a soldier who is already overcome by the battle in which they are immersed. Instead of weeping with those who weep, onlookers often add to the burden by assigning an additional challenge that forces the battle-torn soldier to delve into a theological debate defending her beliefs regarding the practice of claiming miracles. Even worse are those who inadvertently challenge the soldier's faith by equating the battle to the supposed lack of belief in the power of God to perform a miracle. Lord, forgive us for doing this to our weary brothers and sisters. In this phase of the battle, Joanna remained steadfast though her heart was wounded.

The next wave of grief would come from those friends who, because they didn't know what to say, said nothing at all about the great sorrow that rested on their friend's shoulders. They didn't realize that in their silence, it was perceived that they didn't care that this dear girl was facing the greatest trial of her life. A simple, "I'm so sorry" would have been sufficient. A card or a quick email reminding her that prayers were being lifted up on her behalf would have have been like drops of water on a dry, parched ground. Yet, Joanna only briefly mentioned the sorrow related to their silence. She quickly turned her focus back to her Lord and did not dwell on the much-needed support from friends.

Joanna has spoken so highly of the care she has received from her midwife, the high-tech medical team, and support from an organization that cares for families whose children have life-limiting illnesses. As much as these people have given her, surely they are the greater recipients to have observed Joanna's God-given strength and grace throughout this trial.

Through a series of meetings and conferences the hospital has been prepared for Jonathan's arrival. Jonathan's toddler sister and four big brothers have all been prepared through twice weekly visits from hospice. Steve, Joanna's husband, has been a rock to which the family has anchored during the storm. God has paved a path of grace and provision for this precious family.

This Tuesday, February 2nd, Joanna will be admitted to the hospital to prepare for Jonathan's birthday. Prayer requests surrounding the details of the birth are many.

May God be glorified as Joanna has so beautifully offered her body as a living sacrifice. May Joanna feel the support of a multitude as they boldly lift her before the throne of grace in this, her hour of greatest need. May we, as fellow sojourners, learn from the example set before us through Joanna's submission in this sorrowful trial. There is a saint among us.

Sullivan, Harrison, & Sheridan's Homeschool Christmas Program

Sullivan, Harrison, and Sheridan prepared the following Alexander Homeschool Christmas Program for the blog! Sullivan and Harrison recite the scripture they recently memorized, Exodus 20:1-17 (The Ten Commandments), and Sheridan follows with her recitation of Luke 2:1 and singing her version of her favorite songs.

Alexander Christmas Letter 2009

Merry Christmas from the Alexander family!To read a recap of the events that shaped our family's year, please visit the following four links:

A New Alexander Adventure: Moving to the New Farm

Tim & Joy's 25th Anniversary Celebration

Elliott's Graduation Celebration

Our New Farmhouse's Before & After Pictures

Our family wishes you a Merry Christmas and a wonderful 2010!

Farm Day 2009

Our 2009 "Day to Give Thanks for Udders" Customer Appreciation Day was a great success with hundreds of guests visiting our farm yesterday. It is very hard to know exactly how many people came throughout the afternoon, but we estimate around 400. It was a lot more than we were expecting.

Our new sign at the road was ready just in time!Guests visited the animals and toured the restored farmhouse. Oma, our grandmother, welcomed visitors to enjoy hot apple cider and cookies indoors. Unfortunately, I only made about 200 cookies, so we ran out early.
Sammie, our farm dog, with her red bandana Mama decorated the farm with over 70 pumpkins that she was blessed to find discounted for only one penny each!

View of our farm from the road Mama painted the unsightly pumphouse and converted a coffee table thrift store find into a cute cow spot-decorated bench.
Elliott's turkeys have all been slaughtered and most have been sold. Tomorrow Elliott and Oliver will be helping our friends, the Wilsons, finish processing their final 100 turkeys.
It was exciting to see Elliott's hard work pay off as many of his turkeys sold in our new farm store.
Oliver, Mr. Joel Salatin (author and prominent pioneer in organic farming in the United States), and Elliott at an event a couple weeks ago The hay loft was converted into a movie theater for a showing of the recently released documentary "Food Inc."
Daddy constructed and Oma painted the cow for the childrens' cow milking stationSheridan demonstrating milking the cow (it had water with dish soap in it so it would appear like bubbly milk) The cow milking station was a big hit among the children!Daddy operated the hay rideChildren also enjoyed the swingsOliver was in charge of the new farm storeIt was a great day, but we are so happy to be finished! Our Customer Appreciation Day is the biggest farm event of our year, and it often seems that everything we do around the house and farm is in preparation for this one day. It is so nice to have it out of the way. Now we can relax and fully enjoy the holidays and upcoming winter.
A barn cat, affectionately named, "Sheridan's Kitty", cuddled up in the hay


~Meredith

Barn Dance

(All photography courtesy of the Henderson family unless noted otherwise)The barn dance was a great success! Elliott and Oliver began planning a "Young Adult Barn Dance" a couple months ago and spent the past week clearing out the hay loft, wiring electricity, building an outhouse, constructing stairs to make the hay loft more accessible, and completing a host of other jobs in preparation for the big event. Their hard work paid off and approximately 125 old & new friends came out for the evening. After several days of pouring rain and dreary weather, the sun finally began to shine brightly and gloriously less than one hour before the first guests arrived. As friends came and eagerly awaited the square dance caller's arrival, a volleyball game took place in our front yard.Harrison watching the volleyball game...

I'm sure the cows must have been confused as to what was going on in their barn and why they weren't being milked until 9:30 pm!

Sweet Sheridan...Friends getting reacquainted... (Following three photos taken by Alexanders)Beth Nell, Kate, Maddie, and I...Kendal, Kelsey, and Erin...Mr. Henderson took some incredible pictures around the farm...

Everyone was invited to sign this board in our new farm store, which doubled as the snack and drink area... (Photos above and below taken by Alexanders) The girls brought something sweet to share, the guys brought something salty, and each family brought a drink, so three tables were filled with refreshments! After eating, everyone gathered in the hay loft for the dance.(Photos above and below courtesy of Micah)(Following two photos courtesy of the Henderson family)

After the dance caller left, some enjoyed roasting marshmallows around the bonfire while others continued to dance in the hay loft.

Thank you to all of our friends who made the long drive out to our farm to join us! To read more about the evening, check out the recent posts written by Oliver, Anna, Abigail, Rachel & Sarah, Allie, and Micah. Also, watch the video Elliott created here.

~Meredith

Penny Pumpkins

In preparation for our upcoming events, I (Joy) planned to purchase some pumpkins to help with the decorating effort. I knew we couldn't afford to buy full price pumpkins so I eagerly awaited the passing of October 31st when I hoped they would be reduced.

On Sunday, November 1st, I noticed pumpkins at Walmart that had been reduced to just $1. "Just as I had hoped!" I thought. I mentioned to Timmy that we should probably buy them right away. However, he nonchalantly suggested we wait a while. I was agitated on the inside but reminded myself that usually when Timmy says or does something that doesn't make sense to me, I usually don't regret having followed his lead. So I chose to not voice my disapproval that we weren't scarfing up the bargain pumpkins.

However, as the days passed, I began to search for pumpkins at other places, only to find that everyone was sold out. No pumpkins anywhere. I wondered how I would decorate without pumpkins. How could I make our place look warm and welcoming with just a bale of hay?! I began to regret my silence just a few days earlier when I was perched directly in front of plenty of pumpkins that were just $1.

As the week drew near to the end, I decided to call the Walmart where I had spied the $1 pumpkins. The sales associate said the pumpkins were still there but the manager told them to throw them all away that day. Much to my disappointment, we were scheduled to be processing almost 100 chickens that day so it would be impossible for me to leave for the one and one half hour round trip to buy pumpkins. My thoughts went from, "God must have not wanted pumpkins this year" to "That sure didn't do me any good to be silent when I should have told Timmy we needed to get those pumpkins right that minute!".

After processing, I decided to call the Walmart one more time and ask if they disposed of the pumpkins as planned that day. What a lesson God had for me in following my husband's lead. The manager decided to further reduce the pumpkins to just one penny each! Imagine my delight as my good husband drove me to the Walmart 45 minutes away after an exhausting day of processing chickens to purchase 78 pumpkins that only cost 78 cents. I hope the reminder to follow my husband's lead won't fade when the pumpkins make their way to the pigs and cows after Thanksgiving is over. May I long remember that God often works through our husbands in ways that are not discernable to us as wives, working out the details both great and small for our ultimate good and His glory.

I'm so glad to see that God did want pumpkins this year!