When Vadim and I got the joyous news that we were going to have a baby boy, we started thinking of what we would name our firstborn. We ended up having our top two names picked, either Arthur or Lucas. Both great names, don’t get me wrong. However, when our baby boy was born and we held him in our arms, Vadim and I both looked at each other and quickly realized that, for some reason, neither of the names looked like it belonged to him. Vadim suggested, “What about we name him, Elijah?” I’ve never been a huge fan of the name before, but for some reason, it felt right. It felt tender, and it felt fitting. Elijah. In November of 2019, we drove from the Pittsburgh Children's Hospital after a very long evaluation, where Elijah was diagnosed with moderate autism. I felt paralyzed from head to toe, not being able to hear, speak, or move. We came home and sat down, and tried to process the news and everything that comes with it. Unable to sleep, I was scrolling through my phone looking for answers. I even Googled, “Can God heal autism?” I asked Google, out of all things, if the Almighty God can heal autism? That’s just ridiculousness. (Story for another time: He was more interested in healing my heart instead.) I ended up then Googling, “What does the name ‘Elijah’ mean?” Since it wasn’t a planned name, I hadn’t done any research about it until that moment. In my search, the meaning of the name was, “Yahweh is my God. ” It blew my mind wide open. Every time I spoke, “Elijah, ” I was saying, “Yahweh is my God. ” How I needed to know this and how I needed to speak it. It was a declaration and a reminder that Yahweh, my God, was going to be with us every step of the way in this very unknown journey. And He was. And He is! Though the journey hasn’t been easy, Yahweh has been with us every step of the way. And He is with you, my sweet friend. He is Emmanuel, God with us. “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, does not become tired or grow weary; There is no searching of His understanding. He gives strength to the weary, and to him who has no might He increases power ” (Isaiah 40:28-31).