GOD KNOWS OUR NAME

"But now, this is what the Lord says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: 'Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine."  Isaiah 43:1a  

When we received information on Ryan from Cathy at Open Door, we had the privilege of finding out Ryan's real name.  Ryan is just a screen name that Reece's Rainbow uses.  However, because of the confidentiality we must respect in this adoption process, we cannot share Ryan's actual name.  Us knowing that real name though was another way God used to connect our hearts to this little boy.  

If we have the privilege of adopting Ryan, we would like to honor him and his heritage by keeping his birth name as his middle name.  We are planning on BENJAMIN as his first name.

What a name means has been important to Andrew and I as we chose all of our children's names.  That is why we are so excited about the name we have chosen for Ryan:

Benjamin means "son of my right hand" and Ryan's birth name means "constant".  I think this is a beautiful combination.  The Lord has kept Ryan safe by his side as he waited for a family, and His love for Ryan is constant.