The Borja's

Carlos and I met at a Millenium New Years party (Dec 1999). I enjoyed hearing about his recent trip to Kosova. In the summer of 1999, I visited Albania to help Kosovar refugees. It was a life changing experience. In fact, I wanted so much to go back that December to deliver Christmas gifts and see the families now that they had returned to rebuild their lives in Kosova. God didn't open the door for me to go, but I experienced an amazing connection with those on the trip as I prayed here in TN. So, when my friend Connie (who went on the both the summer and Dec trip) introduced me to Carlos, I was very excited to hear about his journey.

Carlos sent me an email a few weeks later saying that he wanted to get to know me, so we "courted" via email for a few weeks and had our first official date on Valentine's Day....and our journey began....We had a lot of ups and downs in our relationship, and the summer of 2003 Carlos asked me to marry him. We were married September 26, 2003.

The Lord brought us through many challenges from Carlos' career struggles to my own troubles at work. Looking back, we can see how faithful He was to bring us through each season step-by-step. Of course, during those times, we had a lot of tears and concerns about our future.

Finally, the summer of 2007 Carlos received great news about a new job that would finally bring our family financial stability in order for us to start a family. In November, we found out we were pregnant. We were scared and excited. Only a few weeks later, we started to experience complications. Our pregnancy was not the joyous time we had hoped for and at 31 weeks our son Ean was born. We were in shock, and instantly went into autopilot to manage our own fears and be there for our son in NICU.

I can recount the sounds, smells, and feelings of NICU at any piont of any day. It was the most difficult season I've ever experienced. I felt helpless and ashamed that I'd not been able to protect our son. With the constant sirens of alarms indicating that he had stopped breathing, I prayed with greater fervor in hopes that somehow God would save him. A few short days after he was born, we were told that Ean had blood in his brain and a hole in his heart. All Carlos and I could do was cry and pray. With the love and support of friends and most importantly Christ, we were sustained. Ean slowly made progress and we learned that the blood was dissipating and the hole in his heart closed. Yet, it still seemed like the impossible for him to learn all he needed to go home. Basic skills like sucking and swallowing needed to be learned as well as knowing when to breath.

At last, we were able to bring Ean home - but Carlos and I were so frightened. He was so small and fragile, and we had to learn how to use a heart monitor as well as administer several medications to him. Oddly, we wanted to stay at the hospital where we felt safe and secure.....

Looking back on those days, we wonder how we had the strength to make it through. It certainly took its toll on us individually and as a family. Yet, we find ourselves in a season once again of fully letting go and letting God. We are all like children...learning to accept the Father's embrace, reassurance, and acceptance. We look forward to see all that God will do in our family.