Their Names Explained...

Greetings, dear friends!  I wrote this on August 14 for our monthly prayer letter that we send to our ministry partners, but I have decided to re-post it here, as I'm sure many of you would be interested in knowing how we came up with our twins' names.  Enjoy!

Today is a special day, the day that our twin boys were due to be born.  As it is, they were delivered 3 weeks early, on July 24, and both are doing well—one in our safe and loving arms, and one in the much safer and even more loving arms of Jesus.  We are doing well and adjusting to life with five children, and we are all completely in love with our little Boaz.

Yes, Boaz David Washington Hoffman (still known as "Bart" on this blog) was born on July 24th at 9:47 AM, weighing in at a whopping 5 pounds 10 ounces and measuring 18 inches long!  And, as expected for the last several months, our son, Jonathan Omer Lincoln Hoffman (known as "Aaron"), was never able to fully develop and was delivered straight to Heaven.  There has been an appropriate mix of joy and sadness, but overall, we are grateful—grateful for our twins, and particularly grateful for Bo’s great health, especially considering where we were six months ago. 

As usual we spent a lot of time (some would say too much time!) coming up with our babies’ four names each, but because each has a very special meaning, we want to share them with you:

· Boaz:  The name is Hebrew and means, “strength.”  As you will recall Boaz was a prominent land owner in the book of Ruth who shows kindness to the young Moabite widow, who had come to Israel with her mother-in-law to find shelter there under the wings of the God of Israel.  He was known as a kind, just and generous man and, at potentially great cost to himself, served as her Kinsman-Redeemer.  Our prayer for Boaz is that he finds his strength in the God of Israel and grows to be kind, just and generous as he trusts in Christ, our Kinsman-Redeemer.

· David:  Another Hebrew name.  David means, “beloved.”  David, the second and greatest king of Israel, was an immensely talented yet flawed man who trusted in the mercy and grace of God.  And as we prayed so much for our boys’ hearts as they were developing in utero, we felt it appropriate to name Boaz after David, a “man after God’s own heart.”  Our prayer is that baby Bo would be a man after God’s own heart and look to His mercy and grace as he grows.  In addition, David is the middle name of Sarah’s maternal grandfather.

· Washington:  So many great Washingtons to choose from, so we choose three!  First, George, our first president.  He was known as capable, courageous and humble. Second, George Washington Carver.  Born to slave parents, through diligent hard work and study he became one of America’s greatest inventors, yet he remained humble to the core, acknowledging Christ as the true genius in all his discoveries.  Third, Booker T. Washington, legendary educator, founder and first president of Tuskegee Institute and, most importantly, a committed follower of Christ.  We pray for Boaz that he grows to be capable, courageous and humble with a love for learning that reveals to him the author of all truth and the greatness of the Creator of all things.

· Hoffman:  We don’t know of any world renowned Hoffmans in our lineage.  The best that can be said of us is that because of Christ’s sacrifice for us, we are children of the King!

Thank you so much for your prayers.  The delivery went very smoothly, and Sarah is recovering well.  Keep going, and you can read about baby Bo’s twin brother's name!

 · Jonathan:  Daddy was the initial advocate for this name, but now I love it, too!  Jonathan means “Given by God,” and we absolutely believe that he was...given for a time and given for a purpose.  In the Bible, Jonathan pledged his life to David.  While developing, our boys were pledged one to another—(Boaz) David pumping blood so that Jonathan could live inside the womb, and Jonathan ultimately giving up his life so that (Boaz) David could live outside. 

· Omer:  I never knew my grandfather, but my mom was very close to him, and to this day, when she speaks of him, she calls him “Daddy.”  Grandpa was a farmer, so this name, meaning “bundle of corn or grain” seems appropriate.  I love the stories that my mom shares about growing up on the farm, and I look forward to Heaven, where I will be able to get to know this mild-mannered man who so strongly influenced my dear mother.  I am honored to be naming our twins after my grandfather, Omer David Wolf.

· Lincoln:  Abraham Lincoln, the man who led our nation during its darkest hour.  He was humble and brave and concerned about justice and rightness and truth.  We wanted to name our son after this man who trusted God during pain and trials and who fought for the freedom of all people.  Hopefully our family will honor this legacy as we continue our earthly lives.

I will continue to write updates on here as time allows.  God was gracious as we welcomed our Bo and said goodbye to our sweet Jonathan. Thank you for your fervent prayers for us...we have again been held by the Lord through a difficult time.  He is faithful, and He has used you.

To God be the glory, great things He has done.  We watch and wait and long for eternity...we joy and we grieve, and we trust our Great High Priest, who weeps with and prays for us.  Thank you, God, for never leaving or forsaking us, for giving us joy in the journey, and for using our little family to bring you praise!