“Unto the woman he said, in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children… But she shall be saved in childbearing.”
– Judah, Genesis 43:10
Special Spring Update 2024 — Babies, Visas, and Totes
Good News!
The curse is being reversed. We have quite an update for you all today! On Leap day (February 29th) just a few minutes before midnight, Ezra Jay Pliska was born in our home in Louisville. God was so gracious, our midwives were spectacular, and both mom and baby are as healthy as could be. What an answer to prayer! He was born weighing in at 9 lbs. 7 oz. and measured 22.5 inches long. Right now, he sleeps about 20 hours a day, and we…well we don’t exactly. But that’s how it goes! Sophie is excited to have a new brother, and we are excited to teach her how to handle him gently. She’s always eager to hold him, tickle him, smack him, sing to him, and all the playful things toddlers love to do. I’m reminded of the journey of faith it is for every Christian mother to go through the pain of labor to bring new, little disciples of Jesus into this world. God’s design is simply incredible.
More Good News!
But there’s a second answer to prayer we received last week. No more than seventeen hours after our son was born, our visas were approved in Japan! Our missionary sponsors in Japan sent us the great news right away. I checked my email, and yep, visas for three of us were sitting in my inbox. You’ll have to forgive us for waiting so long to say so, but it took a few days for this news to settle in. As I said in our last update, one of our concerns about the timing of our visa approval was whether or not we’d have sufficient time to get our newest child prepared to go with us in that ninety-day window. (More on that below.) If Ezra wasn’t here yet, the three of us who are approved could technically hop on a plane today and begin our new life in Japan tomorrow. Things are different now. But we have until June 1st to get there before our visas expire; and we will need every minute of it.
Our Clock Is Ticking
In light of all this news, here’s what the next three months will look like for the Pliska family of four. First, we are doing everything we can to expedite the process of getting Ezra added to our visas. We were told originally that we could add him to our visas in Japan after we got there. And while this is true, there’s a likelihood that the Immigrations Office will require Ezra pick up his visa paperwork in person in the U.S.—yes, an infant. This would mean all four of us would have to fly back to America just to pick up his paperwork, just to fly back to Japan! If we can expedite every step of the process, we hope and pray to be able to get his paperwork before our ninety-day window expires.
Aside from this, we’re keeping ourselves busy with the things I wrote about in our last update. We’re working on our Japanese. I’m working through lectures and assignments for a couple of classes at seminary. During the work week, I’m helping out with Bible classes at the Christian school or preparing for other teaching opportunities at the church. We’re both reading, exercising, spending time with each other, and enjoying family day every Thursday. Pray for a man who I won’t name here who owns a Korean restaurant here in town. We’ve eaten there many Thursdays for the past few months trying to get to know him and his family. We plan to give him a Bible soon as a gift for his great food!
What to Pray For
Soon, Lord-willing, we’ll be getting our yellow totes back out and start preparing for the big move. Pray for our faith in the delayed providence of God. Pray for Sierah as she learns to balance mothering two. Pray for our minds as we dial in on the Japanese language. And most especially, pray that Ezra’s visa application goes much faster than ours! We’re so thankful for each and every one of you.
Grace and peace,
Joe, Sierah, Sophie, and Ezra Pliska
