Feb 25, 2015

39 Weeks and Feeling All The Feels

There is something that happened today. The reality of what life will soon be really sunk in deeply. The "inevitable" became exactly that, inevitable. Just when I think "Oh no big deal there's plenty of time" my husband says the words "Yeah, you might get to meet your cousin next week, Grey!" while talking to our nephew.

Next week.

Today marks 39 weeks.

And then I remembered pregnancy is 40 weeks (more likely 41) ....next week....maybe.

HOLY CRAP

Between all the travel and moving and "nesting" and daydreaming I kind of forgot to remember that little fact. Soooo this is pretty much how I feel in the meanwhile…






Don't misunderstand me, I am READY to see this little girl. We are set as far as the necessities go. Her room is almost ready, but she won't be in there right away anyway. We are as ready as you can be, I suppose, technicality wise. But our hearts...

My heart is full of so many feels. I am brought to tears at the lifetime of prayer and anticipation that has gone into this pregnancy. I am slightly sad at the passing of the season of just my hubby and I, being kids and being crazy, responsible for just ourselves. Our hearts are equally full of anticipation, hope, and "what the hell are we thinking?!" moments. I feel blessed beyond measure that I have the opportunity and privilege of having a low risk pregnancy that allows me to deliver in the comfort of my own home (AND that I even have a home of my own to do so) I know so many who would have been couldn't.





 God saw us fit, despite ourselves, and we are saying "yes" to His "yes". Just like every other step we have made in our crazy life journey....we are saying "yes" and a few "if that's what you're into, God."



When I think of where we are now, and all that had to happen for us to be here, I cannot help but feel loved so much by my Jesus.

Justin built us a bedside co-sleeper- cause he's already an amazing daddy

In our time since being home God has provided an adorable little home for us, a job for my husband (that he didn't even have to go out and hunt down) innumerable hand-me-downs and gifts for our little one, the amazing care and support from our midwife, Alex, food every day and a hope for the future. We moved into my dad's old place, an adorable little apartment on your way towards Bass Lake. It's a little mother-in-law unit on the bottom story of a house (our landlords are AMAZING and so generous) We made this little Hobbit hole in the woods all our own and it feels SO good to be in our own little space again.







The sneakiest of sneak peaks into the nursery
We brought a little bit of Morocco home with us



Justin was approached by an old friend for a position at Starbucks. Not ideal, considering his expertise, but hey, it can pay the bills for this season. Well, that was an unfair assumption of what God really had for him. Not only does he get to work in an air conditioned, well lit, environment, there are windows! This might sound pretty ridiculous to most of you but those are huge perks to a chef who is used to
much more of a harsh work situation. AND, he will be making enough that we can afford to have me stay home with our little one and pay off some major student loan debt. He is only two days in, but loving it so far.



We still plan on volunteering much of our time with our dear friends at YWAM Yosemite, just not full time as staff right away. Once we said yes to God about this releasing to work, the blessings overflowed. Funny how that works. We are praying about the ways we can be used locally to minister to our community here. Part of setting down roots is getting plugged in and we are opening our hearts to the people of this town as much as we can. Justin has incredible reach at his job and is even encouraged in his pursuits there by other believers. I have an incredible opportunity to host women in my home or even at my second home, Cool Bean, to really dig into the Word and just "do life" with these people.


We are leaving our hearts open to where God leads us next, our next steps. For now, we are relishing these moments, living for today.

I better get back to folding our little one's laundry and daydreaming about dressing her up….
Priorities ya know?

Note the computer for size reference…IS THIS REAL LIFE?!
Pray for us if you think of it? Just that God would be glorified in our story, that we would have a worshipful and successful delivery here in our home with Justin and our midwife, and that our little one continues to grow happy and healthy :)

Plus, I am OVER keeping her name a secret, so she can come already so I can shout it from the rooftops! (It's too rad not to)



Feb 5, 2015

We're Back!

Well hello again everybody! It's been quite some time since we have officially updated on here, which leaves us much to talk about!  First off, we are finally home in Oakhurst and just loving it.  Mama B is doing very well and growing so much these past few months.  We cannot wait to see little Baby B and yes we have a name, but no, we aren't telling anyone yet!  Time seems to have flown by since we were last in California, so lets get you all updated on our last few weeks in North Africa.



Since our last e-mail update, a lot has happened. We had the a great opportunity to work alongside our fellow DTSr's the last few weeks of our outreach, meeting with locals, attending English classes, and supporting local "workers". We have never known hospitality the way we experienced it in North Africa. Our hearts for Muslims have grown and been filled so much with God's love for them. It was an unforgettable experience that we were so blessed to be a part of.


We flew from North Africa to Dublin January 17th, stayed the night in Dublin and finished our journey home the next morning. We finally arrived in Burbank the evening of the 18th and made a mad dash for Mexican food with our friends Troy and Allie who picked us up from the airport. Priorities people. We spent the next week back in Avalon surrounded by our amazing family and friends. It was such a huge blessing to see everyones faces again. We had the most adorable shower at our home church and felt so blessed by our community there! Receiving gifts for our sweet girl made everything feel so much more real...this is really happening!



We were prayed over and loved on and sent on our way. We made our way up to Oakhurst and it has been so so good to be home. We have spent the last few weeks praying about God's direction for us as we enter into this new and exciting season. It has been extremely nice and relaxing to just settle in for a little bit and seek out what God has to say for this next season in our lives. He has revealed some new promises to us, all while fulfilling some old ones.


For this next part of our lives, we are just resting in what God has for us.  Settling in has been a dream of ours for some time now and it is nice to finally be able to do just that.  We have spent much time in prayer about our next step with YWAM Yosemite and although God has not given us complete answers, we are excited to be apart of the base in any capacity. As we figure out our roles there and in this community, we will let you know. As for now, please continue to pray for direction for our lives, as well as our little girl who will be here in just a few short weeks!


God has been so good to us in 2014 and His promises for us this year are incredible. He miraculously provided for us to go on our outreach and to have some financial stability as we journey back home.  While we are seeking out what God has for us next, we realize that we still need some financial support until we know what our next step is. The biggest expense we will be having will be paying for the birth of our beautiful little girl in a couple weeks. Along with the expenses of the birth itself, there are also other costs that we will incur while we are here. If you feel like the Lord is asking you to join us on our journey financially, you can send payment via PayPal to justin.barigian@gmail.com. Thank you for your continued obedience with the Lord as we seek out His plans for our lives. If you would like to hear more about our DTS or what our future plans may look like, give us a call or an e-mail.





Thank you so very much for all that you guys do. We are beyond blessed to call you family and the closest of friends. Our daughter will have so many to look up to as she grows up in this beautiful community. Look for an update near the end of this month as we figure things out and please continue to pray for the health of the baby, our next steps and finances. You guys are the best!