Dedication

Here we are a few weeks back now, at the twins dedication at our church. The second one is just just a sweet smile that my dad was able to catch on Evie and since she doesn't seem to have as many on film, I couldn't resist sharing it! The day was special with both sets of our parents able to attend and support us. Our church does a special thing where if we choose, we can read a letter to the kids and congregation stating why we are going through that motion with them. I will include our letter here;Evangeline Hope and Evan Charles Ben,

You are sweet gifts to us that were initially quite a surprise.
When we found out that you were both on the way,
we were filled with joy
and honestly a little fear as to how we’d handle giving you all you would need.
What we have found is that God is incredibly faithful and that there is plenty of love to go around.
He has provided for you through so many of the people that love and serve Him,
and he has given us the grace we have needed to get through every day.
When you were still being formed
we prayed that you would come to understand just what all that means as you grow.
That God is there: ready to fill you with Himself in every way.
We pray that your lives would be full with a passion and zeal for the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, our Jesus.
We pray that you would honor him with your actions and words, and moreover
that your hearts would be captivated with His love for you.
That you also, would commit yourselves to live a life in Him and for His glory,
and that you would pass this legacy of Christ-filled living on to your children,
and they on to theirs.

Your names represent some of our hopes for you.
Evangeline Hope: we know you like to tell us what you’re feeling all the time,
so we pray that you would embody the meaning of your name by being a bearer of the good news and the hope of Jesus within you.
Evan Charles Ben: your middle names are after your grandpa and granddaddy,
men who have passed their legacy of faith on to us.
Your first name means warrior.
We pray you will be a warrior of the lovingkindness of Jesus,
and translate that to those around you.

We know we will not get this right all the time.
We will fail to always communicate the true character of Christ.
However, we will rely on Jesus and hope in Him that we can be humble in those moments to ask for your forgiveness and grace.
We are dedicating you to the Lord today because it is our deepest desire for you to come to know Jesus in an authentic and sincere relationship.
We are committing ourselves today to show His saving love, grace, and mercy, in the way that we parent you throughout the years.
Romans 15:13 says, “May the God of all hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him,
so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
We pray this for you.

We love you.

Mommy and Daddy

We came out of that day thinking, why do we dedicate? Well, the answer.... we do it more for us in a way, that we would cerimonally show on the outward what our hearts have commited to on the inward. Stating that this is our intent as parents, for our family. And for our children, in the hopes of all that we wrote above, because they are His. Its our job just to figure out how to witness and show that to them. It was a beautiful day, and we are so thankful to have the step of the letter to really be focused on our reasons for all of us. So we share it with you and in this cyber cerimony do it all over again, and ask that you would support us and pray for us in these goals! Love to you, The Hills