Samuel James

As some of you know, we have struggled for many years to have a child. After intense prayer and supplication, on the 17th of December we were finally heard of God, and our first son was born. We felt it only appropriate to name him Samuel.

We would therefore like to announce the birth of our first child, Samuel James Carroll, he was 10 lbs 6 oz. :-o.

(James says that Heidi is his hero)

When Judah was under attack by the armies of Israel and Syria, God gave the king Ahaz a sign that they would be victorious, the birth of a child, Immanuel. It was through the birth of this child that Ahaz and the entire nation of Judah could know that "God is with us," as he was a sign of their salvation from the kings of the two invading nations. The birth of another child, Maher-shalal-hash-baz was also a sign of their deliverance, and through his birth Judah knew that "God is against our enemies," who would be speedily destroyed. However, Immanuel and Maher-shalal-hash-baz were more than that, their birth was a type of the birth of another Child, Jesus Christ, truly God with us, and the herald of a more powerful salvation, salvation over death and hell, and the destruction of that awful monster, spiritual and physical death. It is His birth that we celebrate this Christmas season.

Having a child of our own has made us realize why, of all the many ways that God could have chosen to reveal His salvation to the earth, He chose to do so through the birth of a child.

Merry Christmas everyone,

James and Heidi