2015 End of Year Update

Welcoming Paton Fulginiti into the World

On Tuesday, October 27^th at 3:58am, our family welcomed Jacob Paton Fulginiti into the world.  He weighed 7 lbs and 9 oz and was 21 inches long.  We are affectionately going to call him Paton.  

Why call him Paton?  We named our son after the 19th Century, Scottish missionary John G. Paton.  Paton was a man of courage, zeal for the glory of God and he was a man who enjoyed a deep relationship with his family.  We hope that our son would exhibit these same qualities as this great man of God.

We would commend everyone to listen or read the following lecture on John G. Paton's life, family and ministry to get a full appreciate for our son's namesake.  Click here to access it.

Prayer Request:

Our most urgent prayer request is for Amy.  She received an epidural upon arriving at the hospital that never quite worked.  The next day, Amy began to experience sudden pain in her back and neck.  The doctors believe that she is experiencing some negative side effects from the epidural which is causing her spinal fluid to leak.   In addition to her pain, she's had dizziness, nausea, vomiting and overall weakness.  She's on bedrest for the foreseeable future.

In the midst of our family's joy, this is definitely challenging and discouraging for Amy and all of us.  Would you pray for Amy to experience relief and recovery during this time?

**UPDATE**

Thank you for praying!  I wanted to give you a quick update on Amy's wellbeing.  She is still moving slowly, but is progressing.  Her headaches and dizziness have subsided a great deal.  She's able to get up and move around a bit, which is a good sign!  Recovery is still slow, but it's moving in the right direction.   

Paton is doing great.  He had his first doctor's appointment and everything is looking good.  He sleeps and eats well.  

We have been very blessed by your prayers.  Thank you so much!

-Zach, Amy, Zachary, Mae & Paton

Summer 2015 Trials

Post was originally composed on July 15, 2015

Over the past three weeks, God has been stripping away our family's desire for comfort and stability.  Last update, I mentioned some trouble in our home.  Thank you for praying for us.  Here's a little bit of what our family has been through recently:

• Returned from Myrtle Beach to find the A/C in our home was not working properly. 
• To avoid the heat, we decided to stay with my parents for a night and came back to our house to find a a toilet had run all night and leaked all over our downstairs.  Parts of four different rooms were ruined by the water damage.
• It has been three weeks and the drying company still has not completely dried our downstairs.  Blowers and dehumidifiers are still running.
• All of our downstairs hardwoods need to be ripped up because we were unable to match new flooring with that which remained.
• YESTERDAY, the repair crew came by to rip up the tile downstairs to more completely dry the subflooring but instead of ripping up the downstairs, THEY MISTAKENLY RIPPED UP THE UPSTAIRS BATHROOM TILE.  We were shocked, stunned and very upset.
• After three weeks, the floors are still not dry, the downstairs hardwoods still need to be ripped up and now the upstairs bathroom tile needs to be removed and replaced.
• It's now been seven weeks since we lat slept in our beds and it looks like it'll be another 2-3 weeks before the damages are repaired

Wow, I'm exhausted and overwhelmed just re-living the last few weeks.  Needless to say, we are tired and discouraged.  We would sincerely ask that you pray for our family in the midst of this season.  Ask God for speedy repairs to our home.  Ask God to give Amy & I patience.  Ask God to minister to our kids while they are required to be flexible.  We've been living with my parents and they are tremendously gracious to host us but are eager to be back home. 

In the midst of all of this, I've been reminded of Philippians 3:21 which tells us that our citizenship is not here on earth but rather in heaven.  Life as a sojourner or a foreigner is not usually easy.  And such is life for the Christian.  Even in these small things, we are reminded of our need for a Savior and long for Him to return soon.

Thank you for partnering with us.  Thank you for interceding on our behalf.

-Zach, Amy, Zachary & Mae

Building Laborers... For the World