fr. Dayspring's Artist Julie Sawyer Phillips

interesting story shared !
=)

DaySpring Artist Julie Sawyer Phillips knows what it’s like to wait and pray for a very special blessing. And now she knows what it’s like to receive one. Earlier this year, Julie and her husband adopted their son, Jackson. Julie says, “For years, I hoped and prayed I would one day be a wife and mom. My story is a reminder that God does grant us the desires of our hearts—sometimes in ways we never would have expected.”

Julie is best known as the artist for DaySpring’s Really Woolly line. Her favorite part about illustrating it is “giving the sheep their little personalities.” She says, “I like to make them seem real. I want people to be able to relate to them.”
A little over a year ago, DaySpring began creating Really Woolly baby items. This addition came at an interesting time in Julie’s life because she and her husband, John, planned to adopt.
A team of four people met at Julie’s home to pray and brainstorm the new baby line. During the meeting, we asked God to bless the child He would one day bring to Julie and John. The team felt joy and peace about God’s plan as ideas flowed and the baby products began to be created.
"My story is a reminder that
God does grant us the desires of our hearts—sometimes in ways we never would have expected."
John and Julie had a special dinner with friends later that year. The son and daughter-in-law of the missionaries who ran the orphanage where they planned to adopt joined them as well. Julie said, “It was an odd day for dinner and we had to drive a couple of hours so we could meet. But it was the only time that worked.”

During the dinner, everyone prayed for John, Julie, and the child who would one day be theirs. On the drive home, Julie and John talked about their excitement and wondered how God would answer their prayers.

The answer came sooner than they could have imagined. Later that week Julie and John received a phone call. The orphanage had a baby boy for them! Their son had been born four days earlier. Julie quickly realized that was the date of the dinner. She said, “Our friends were praying for us and our baby the same day he was born! What seemed to be an odd time for dinner turned out to be God’s perfect plan!”

A few months later John and Julie boarded a plane to meet their son, Jackson Benard. The missionaries from the orphanage met them at the airport with Jackson, and Julie got to hold him for the first time. She said, “They handed him to me and said, ‘It’s time for his bottle. You’re the mom!’ And that’s how it all began.”

A team from DaySpring recently went to Julie’s home again. This time we brought the completed Really Woolly baby items along for little Jackson. While we were there, Julie pointed out a small nest on her back porch. She said, “As I had my quiet time with God in the morning over the last few months, I’ve watched a pair of birds diligently building their nest. It’s a sweet little reminder of God’s care and what’s happening in our lives too.”

Julie wants to share her story with you because she says, “We all know what it’s like to wait and pray for something. It took many years for God to grant my desire to be a wife and mom. I’m learning that His will isn’t always easy or simple, and the journey may not be what we expect, but we can trust His heart. I prayed for Jackson to be blessed before he was even born, but I’m the one who got the true blessing in the end.”

by Holley Gerth

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