If you had asked me (Leah) one year ago how 2018 would play out, I would have missed the mark by a long shot. The year brought many joys, big changes and unfortunately the loss of two wonderful men in our lives. The year taught us that no matter what our “plans” are, God is in control, and His plans far exceed our own.
The Best Part of 2018
Obviously, the best part of 2018 was welcoming our perfect baby boy into the world. Elijah “Eli” Allen Reynolds was born on Oct. 19.
Raising Eli has been a humbling but rewarding experience. When it comes to looks, he is a perfect mini version of his daddy. We are honored the Lord has entrusted us to raise him.
Job Changes, Big Move
Earlier this year, Matt felt a tug on his heart to start looking at new jobs. The Lord opened the door for a position at Cru, commonly known as Campus Crusade for Christ. In late May, we made a leap of faith and moved from Louisville, Kentucky, to Orlando, Florida. Matt now serves on the digital team at Cru as a cloud engineer.
For the first few months, I transitioned to a remote staff position for the company I worked for in Kentucky. Once Eli came around, however, I left that job to pursue the even harder job of fulltime mom.
Pastor in the Making
Matt’s greatest accomplishment of the year besides becoming a father? He finished seminary! He now holds a Master of Divinity degree from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Matt was also ordained as a minister at First Baptist Church Lancaster in August.
Right now, he is using these accomplishments to serve at our church, helping with the youth group, worship team and children’s area.
Building Great Community
Moving to Orlando meant finding new community. We have been very blessed through our church Trinity Lake Nona, where we have already built many great relationships. They have been incredibly generous to us during this transition to parenthood, from bringing us food after the delivery to imparting wisdom and support during this season of life.
The Loss of 2 Great Men
This year, we made two unplanned trips back to Texas. The first was to attend the funeral of Grandpa, Matt’s paternal grandfather in May, and the second trip was in July to attend the funeral of Pawpaw, my maternal grandfather.
By God’s goodness, we got to say “see you later” to both of these men, instead of “goodbye.” They both loved the Lord and left incredible legacies that we can’t wait to share with Eli some day.
These are just a few highlights from the year. If there’s a verse of the year, it would have to be this:
“The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.” Prov. 16:9
For 2019, we simply pray for wisdom in understanding God’s direction and in raising our son.
Merry Christmas and happy new year!
Love,
Leah, Matt and Eli Reynolds
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