song of faith

Today was my sister Melody's 15th birthday.  Wow, I seriously can't believe she's 15 already.  Just yesterday she was 2, toddling after me in the backyard. Now, she is a young woman, blazing a trail in front of me.

A little less than a year ago, I hacked into Mel's blog and wrote a post about her.  Here's a portion that I thought was fitting for today:

 Melody is the third child in our family-- the first child born after my mom and dad made the decision to trust God in the amount of children that they were to have.  When my mom was pregnant with her, a woman at our church at the time prophesied over her, proclaiming that the baby within would be a "Warrior for the Lord".  My mom, unknowing the baby's gender, and having had 2 girls beforehand, assumed that maybe this meant that this new baby would be a boy-- a strong boy that would grow up into a courageous man, to do great things for the Lord, to greatly advance His kingdom through dramatic, great and mighty acts.  

 Lo, and behold, on November 4, 1998, a baby girl was born.  My parents named her Melody Faith which literally means, "Song of Faith".  In faith they gave their womb to the Lord.  They knew that it wouldn't be easy, everywhere we heard about the financial and domestic difficulties in the abundance of children.  But they believed that God's word says that "children are a gift from the Lord..." (Psalm 127) and that if God is willing to give you a gift, who are you to deny it?  They took a leap of faith, and were blessed.

  Melody was a blessing of a baby.  If you ask my mom, out of the 9 of us so far, she was probably the best-- most easy going and content.

  Melody is 5 years younger than me, but she has always been my best friend.  She has always had a soft and gentle heart.  She has always loved the Lord-- I mean it.  I'm not exaggerating when I say that.  I know it sounds weird, but she has.  God has always, always had His hand on her-- from the womb.  She puts me to shame, as I watch her pray, read her Bible, her zeal, love for the Lord spills over-- contagious.  Her heart for people, missions, inspires me.  I know that God has some amazing plans for her.

(You can read the full post here.)

Since I wrote this post, Melody has only grown beyond what I could ever imagine.  She has since written two novels, she is Momma's "go getter girl" for our Farmer's Market business, she has been teaching herself guitar...  her hard work ethic, her passion and drive are such an encouragement and inspiration to me!

I'm always bragging on her to my friends.  I have people that have not even met her that know how awesome she is!  I share her story of her heart for the orphans of Brazil, I share the story of her birth, and the meaning of her name... I probably annoy people with how much I talk about her, lol!

Melody Faith,

You inspire me daily, you keep me on my toes; I appreciate you so much!  Keep pressing forward, stay strong in the faith. I'm so excited watching you grow into the young woman that you are becoming.  I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for you next.  Keep inspiring others in their walks with Jesus!

You are my best friend, I love you so much, girlie!

Love,
Amy

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now. For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

~Philippians 1:3-6