We received a lot of public congratulations when we announced that we are expecting our fifth child. We very much appreciate everyone’s happiness on our behalf. Many of our friends and family have privately asked questions about our plans so we have compiled a quick Q&A list of what we know so far.
Q. How is Angelita doing?
A. This is a good question, she is physically very sick, weak and consistently nauseous. She tends to remain sick throughout her pregnancies. She is happy to be expecting and she is asking for prayer that she will be able to weather our upcoming move and all the stress involved.
Q. When is the baby due?
A. In April. We waited to publicize our joy until we passed the first trimester mark.
Q. Are you having a boy or a girl?
A. At this point we have not decided to find out. We might have an answer before April or we might just choose to be surprised.
Q. Was this a planned pregnancy or are you surprised?
A. It was not in our plan to have another blessing but we are happy that apparently it was part of God’s plan for our lives.
Q. Where are you going to have the baby? (Sometimes asked: You are coming back to the U.S. to have the baby…RIGHT?)
A. We are planing to give birth in Ecuador barring any unforeseen issues. We have several good options in Ecuador, one place we have investigated is called Maternidad Clínica La Primavera. We have been told that this clinic is state of the art and offers a higher quality care than we can get in our home country.
Q. How will this effect your ministry?
A. We don’t know but we don’t expect many changes. Missionaries have babies all the time, and ministry expands and contracts On a regular basis. We are just happy that our family has the privilege to swim in the ebb and flow of of God’s calling in our lives.
Q. If you have the baby in Ecuador, will they be a U.S. citizen or an Ecuadorian citizen?
A. Yes, both. One interesting aspect about having a baby in Ecuador is that Ecuador is a jus soli country, which means that birthright citizenship is offered to children born there. Along with that, an easy path for our family’s immigration will be given to us through our baby. We still have a lot to think and pray about concerning this option but it is drastically cheaper for us to become citizens than it is for us to maintain a missionary visa. Regardless of how we decide to live in Ecuador it is interesting to us that we will have our very own anchor baby!
Q. Is there anything you need? What can we do for you?
A. We need your prayers! We try not to worry but when we do we know that our supporters are praying and our God is working. Just knowing you are thinking and praying for us gives us peace. When you pray please ask our Lord to bless Angelita with energy and health as the upcoming months are going to be stressful and busy.
We are extremely blessed and are looking forward to living in Ecuador and serving God as a family.
Blessings,
The Downings
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Prayers for an easy pregnancy and good health for all.
Thanks Jackie! By the way we saw a video of one of your grandkids today. So cute! Made our day.