Happy 21st birthday Nate!!  Your Dad and I will be celebrating 29 years of marriage later this month.  It stands to reason that we did lots of things before you joined us.  We traveled, studied, practiced “being married”, ministered at church and were personally and professionally very successful.  Yet I have a deep and abiding sense that all of that was preparation for and in anticipation of…you. I have lots of fuzzy memories of the time before Nate-  after you arrived it all became crystal clear.

We hoped, prayed and waited for you. We waited and waited.  Getting proficient in “natural family planning” was part of that process.  Consulting with nuns and nurses,  reading books and phoning doctors, taking temperatures, counting days and making charts were the regimen.  This was in the midst of our preparation to serve as missionaries in Siberia.  We knew God wanted us to live in Irkutsk, Siberia. Russian language had to be acquired and financial and prayer support needed to be raised.

Our specialist came back to us 3 months before we were to get on the plane for Russia.  “I’m sorry,” he said, “The fertility medicine you have been taking is just not working.  You have to stop taking it now because I can’t monitor you overseas.  There is nothing more I can do for you.”  That was the end.  I was so sure we would have kids.  I was crushed.  I wrote a letter to the 12 faithful women who agreed to pray for me and gave the news.  We were studying Russian in an intensive program in Columbia, South Carolina, and I posted my letter from there.

By the time those ladies got the letter in Wisconsin, we had gotten the news that I was expecting you.  God heard our prayers and moved.  “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” Proverbs 13:12.  We spent 5 months in Irkutsk on that first trip before returning to the States to deliver you.

We couldn’t know that your eyes would be blue, that your hair would be curley and that you would charm everyone you met.  We did know that you made us parents, were an amazing ambassador for Christ and opened many Russian hearts in your very first year.  We only had 361 days together before we brought home your new brother on your first birthday.  You appeared to be (and still are) overjoyed at the prospect of being a big brother.  Nothing is sweeter than hearing you brag about your brother, your love and admiration for him obvious in every word.

Teething on pickles at your Baba Ada’s dacha, speaking an amazing concoction of Russian and English and dancing to Russian disco music were a few of your early exploits.  Now an aspiring fiction writer, poet and history buff your intellect and passion take my breath.  Acting, writing and directing came very naturally to you, and your penchant for drama has added a dimension to our lives we could never have imagined.

Watching you mature these last several years has been a treat.  You are an overcomer.  Facing adversity, learning from failure and pursuing truth are your MO.  Mostly an extrovert, listening to you unpack the psychology of military strategy is an unparalleled  adventure not for the faint of heart. It is exciting to hear and see your faith become your own.  We waited and waited for you, we hoped and prayed- “a longing fulfilled is the tree of life”-Nate you are our longing fulfilled.  Happy Birthday to the man who made me a mom.

Twenty years ago today my life took a drastic turn.  You arrived with great fanfare and your own entourage.  Not that you were unexpected, or unwanted no the very opposite.  We were eagerly anticipating your appearance no one more than your dad and your bigger brother.  We just didn’t expect the excitement.

Blue and floppy are descriptive words. When applied to a newborn they are terrifying and forbidding words.  From your first entrance nothing has been regular or ordinary about you.  Since your arm and shoulder tore through a weak C-section scar left over from your 361 day older brother-a routine delivery became an operating room circus.  It wasn’t good luck that had the instructor for neonatal resuscitation in the room that night. The group of specialists and experts on scene worked to ensure your future, and mine.  I know that there was a divine coordinator for all their heroic efforts.

An exhausted group of physicians paraded through our hospital room the next morning, astonished at how robust you were after starting your life with no respiration, no reflexes, the wrong color (blue)and a slow weak pulse.  I think that first APGAR test was the only one you have ever failed and you couldn’t study for it.

You were named for your grandpa John Karcher.  He is deeply devoted to God and has a loving servant heart.  We hoped you, Karcher John, would grow to have your own devotion and servant spirit.  We saw the inkling of that at home in Siberia.  From our earliest memories you have been a great listener and quick learner.  You mastered English and Russian and were correcting me with my word choice and pronunciation at the age of 4.  Living cross culturally in Siberia until the age of 5 you were known for your grin, affection for “George” the cat and open friendly personality.

Part of making your decision to follow Christ included the question, “Hey Dad- what is the food like in Hell?”  When dad speculated about the things to eat in Hell you quickly asked if it was,’too late to decide now” and quickly secured your place in heaven (where the good food is).  You were 7.

Martial arts, French, horse back riding, Japanese, playing the guitar and cooking are just some of your renaissance hobbies.  Engaging in epic Dungeons and Dragons games spanning over days and weeks boggle my mind. This is just the tip of the iceberg that is Karcher.

Decisive, intuitive, thoughtful and  flexible are a few of the words that describe you at 20.  A brilliant and dedicated student with a dry sense of humor,a loyal friend, and an engaged and loving younger and older brother you have so many exciting opportunities on the horizon.  The humbling thing for me as your mom is that I may have guided and encouraged at different times, but you are so different from me, so much more in so many ways – all the credit  (glory) for you goes  to God.

Today your Dad and I celebrate the gift of Karcher.  From your unforgettable entrance, to the young boy who loved justice, through the young man who challenged himself and us, every day has been a gift.  We will always have your back and support you in your adventures and dreams.  Extraordinary every step of the way.  Watching you being Karch is one of our wildest dreams come true.  Happy Birthday .