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What's In A Name?

In the NICU, a surprising majority of the nurses who care over our baby ask us, "How did you choose the name Evangeline? I love it!" We smile because that's a sweet compliment for us as newbie parents. Kevin actually had never heard of the name before, but I first heard it when I was at Pastor Greg Laurie's Harvest Church in Riverside with my best friend Zerah when we were 19. We were surprised at the beginning of Sunday service when they said that they were dedicating a baby to God! I had never witnessed a baby dedication before, and the hope was that the baby would come to saving faith when she became older and eventually get baptized. There were these two happy parents who went up holding the cutest little baby! She was wearing a cute little pink headband with a giant flower and a white dress. I remember the man introduced the family, and said, "This baby's name is Evangeline, which means 'good news' or 'gospel'..how wonderful!" I was instantly drawn to that name, but never thought about it as a future baby name. Honestly, at 19, I couldn't care less about having children! I was set on getting married at 26 and having a child at 30. (None of that happened the way I planned...)

When Kevin and I found out that we were having a baby, we would come up with boy and girl names. We actually could never agree on a boy name, but it came naturally for us to choose the name "Evangeline" because we loved the meaning behind it. It comes from the Greek word euangelion which means "good news" and also refers to the four gospels of the Bible, since those writers are the bearers of good news. The good news of God is that while we were sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8) and that that if we came to believe in Christ Jesus, we would have eternal life (John 3:16) So Evangeline's name means "good news" or "gospel." In a sense, Evangeline was our good news because for the majority of our marriage, we were told the bad news that we couldn't conceive a baby naturally. For two years we were married and I struggled heavily with trusting in God for a baby. When I finally accepted it within our 2 years of marriage, and nearly going a year without menstruating, we were surprised to find out we were pregnant on Valentine's Day! What a blessing and surprise from God! 

So, it only makes sense that we would name her middle name after the day we found out we were pregnant....Yep, her middle name is Valentine! She's the little love of our lives and we cannot thank God more for such a beautiful gift. When we tell people that, they either go, "OF COURSE her middle name Valentine!" They say it with tears in their eyes after we tell them about our pregnancy story, with genuine joy and happiness. The other half of people go, "Oh really? Are you sure other kids aren't going to make fun of her?" (ahem, thank you Michael!!!!) I am very strong-willed so the only thing I could say in response is, "So what? I don't care if they make fun of her. And she shouldn't care either. What matters is that she knows that is extremely loved by God and her parents!" Also, Valentine's Day can also be a very depressing day for many people because of their identity as a single man or woman. As parents, we want Evangeline to stay away from those kinds of thoughts. We want her to have an identity based on Christ, not on if she has a boyfriend or husband when she's old enough to even think those things!

Finally, her last name means "little goose" and it has French origins. Kevin's relatives came from France, over to Canada, then Chicago, and somehow California became their home. 

And that's that. Our daughter's name is Evangeline Valentine Gausselin. Such a long name for such a small girl! 

If there is anybody I know personally who is meant to exist, it is this baby. First, she wasn't supposed to even be conceived. Then, she was in imminent danger of passing away during my preterm labor bc of her umbilical cord possibly prolapsing into my cervix, causing her to suffocate...God REALLY loves this baby! My goodness! Evangeline is a fighter to the core. I hope she fights the good fight!








We love you Evangeline! We praise God for you and are so privileged to be your parents. We hope that one day you live up to your name and find your identity in the Good News of Jesus Christ! 
Love, Mommy & Daddy


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