I'm so overwhelmed by what I'm going to tell you, I get tears in my eyes almost every time I share the story or think about it! I was going to post this story earlier, but I typed it once and lost it, and didn't feel like typing it all over again that day. Then Danielle posted about her little prayer warrior, and I wanted to share my story, too.
This all started on Marcy 5th, the Wednesday after we found out that our last IVF pregnancy test was negative. During the greeting time just before the offertory, I was standing talking to two of my friends, as another friend's 5 year old daughter, Abby, was walking by. She caught my eye because as she was walking, she kept looking at me like she wanted to say something, but didn't want to interrupt. As she walked past my one friend, I caught her eye and smiled at her. I guess that was her cue, because she leaned in between my two friends and softly said, "We're praying for you." Of course, I had to hold back the tears, but my heart was touched to the core. Over the course of this IVF, we have had MANY, MANY people praying for us (and we are SO thankful!) But there was just something about the sincerity in her beautiful eyes as she looked at me... to think that this little girl was praying for ME! After the service, Chris and I caught up with Abby's mom and dad. I shared the story with them, and Abby's mom, Lisa, told me, "Oh, yes, she's our little prayer warrior. She will pray for something FOREVER, sometimes even AFTER the request has been answered (surgery past, seizures controlled, etc.) Sometimes I get so frustrated with all of her prayer requests that I have to limit her to TWO at bedtime!"
Wow - to me that was overwhelming, amazing... and CONVICTING! To have the effectual, FERVENT prayer... of a 5 year old... poured out at the foot of the throne of grace... FOR ME! How often do I pray with that kind of abandon?!?!?
The story doesn't stop there, though! That following weekend, we had a big snowstorm here. Abby's dad is the pastor of our chapel in Scottsburg, IN, which only meets on Sunday mornings. They had Sunday school all together that morning (her dad told me this Sunday night), and Abby asked prayer for me (that I would have a baby) in their combined SS. Every time I talk to Abby's parents, they remind me that she is praying for me. Lisa told me that one time Abby's older sister, Sarah, told Abby, "Abby, you don't have to pray for Mrs. Heather EVERY time!" To which Abby replied, "Yes, I DO! That's how God hears me!" Oh to have that kind of child-like faith!
Then, Easter night after the evening service, we went out to Steak-N-Shake with Abby's family and another family. The kids (6 of them) were all at one table and the adults at the other. We prayed separately from the kids, but after the kids table had prayed, Abby continued to sit with her head bowed and her hands folded. Gina asked Lisa about it, and Lisa said that Andrew didn't do a good enough job praying for what Abby wanted, so she continues to pray until she asks God for all of her requests. When Abby finished, Lisa asked her, "Abby, what were you praying for?" Abby sweetly replied, "Mrs. Heather to have a baby." Again - overwhelming!
Then, yesterday, my friend, Angie, sent me a message, and told me that her girls pray for us every night, that we will have a baby. As I hear these things, I can just imagine God up in heaven, listening to the sweet prayers of this little girls on my behalf. I can feel Him wanting so much to give them their requests, but instead, having to whisper back, "Keep praying, girls, keep praying. I hear you, but it's not time yet. Soon... soon... but it's not time YET!" Can you guess whose little girls will be among the first to know when God does bless us with the answer to their prayers (and those of MANY others)?
Thank God for the parents who have taught their children to pray like that! And Lord willing, when God blesses us with a child, I will be able to teach them that very same thing! And if your child prays like that, PLEASE don't discourage them! Satan will do that soon enough!
3.29.2008
3.28.2008
Happenings...
HI! Just thought I'd take a minute and share what's been happening here in the past couple of weeks.
Chris and I went to our first regular youth activity last Friday night! We had a great time. I've missed going on youth activities and hanging out with teenagers. This particular youth activity was a great one for being the first... it was very informal, and there was really no scheduled activity, so we just hung out with the teens and got to know them better. It was "March Madness," so we went to a place called Mr. Gatti's. It's a pizza buffet (kind of like CiCi's) with an arcade and special party rooms. We had a room with a big screen TV, ate, and then spent some time in the arcade. It was great to get to know some of the teens outside of our SS class (9th&10th grade).
Our Easter was wonderful... we had great services, and on the way home on the bus, we stopped so that all of our bus kids could have an Easter egg hunt. It was fun. Then, for our Easter evening service, it was basically a musical service with a 10-15 minute challenge from Pastor at the end. The choir sang 4 special numbers, and then we had 6 other specials, plus a bit of narration, and the orchestra joined the choir for two of the songs, I think. It was wonderful!
I LOVE our church's music... not "contemporary," but very meaningful and a wide range of musical styles. I was pleasantly surprised by this, since we attend a fundamental, independent Baptist church. No offense intended, but it seems like most of the churches I've attended have one, maybe two styles of music that they sing constantly. For instance, one of the churches only used Ron Hamilton songs and songs from the Wilds. I have NO problem with that music... in fact, I LOVE the songs, but a steady diet of that is a little much! :-)
ANYWAY... it also snowed on Easter. What a blessing that was (*can you sense the sarcasm*?) It was a little shocking since we had a beautiful sunny 70 degree day on Friday!After church Easter night, we went to Steak-N-Shake with two other couples and their kids. We had a great time of fellowship with them! I only wish our evening services were earlier so that we didn't have to stay out so late!
This week has been a pretty regular week. I broke my sunglasses last Friday (I'd had them since I was in college), and Chris surprised me on Wed. by telling me I could go to Sunglass Hut and pick out some polarized sunglasses. WOW - what a difference they make compared to my $15 pair that I've had for ages! I was expecting him to let me get a $20 pair at Walmart, not an expensive pair from Sunglass Hut! But I am so thankful, and my eyes are thanking me every time I wear them! My eyes are incredibly sensitive to the sun, so it's nice to put on sunglasses and not have to squint... even if you DO have sunglasses on!
Yesterday I went to a Pampered Chef show... the third one in the last month and 1/2! I don't buy anything, I just go for the fellowship! It was a lot of fun! And since Chris doesn't usually get home until late, it's a great way to pass the time that he's not here!
I've also gotten a couple of free gifts of stamping stuff recently. That always makes my day! My sis-in-law sent me a bunch of stuff that was passed on to her from a friend of hers that was cleaning out her craft room. Then a friend of mine offered to let me use her hostess benefits from hosting a Stampin' Up party! That was SO sweet of her! I'll have to do some more stamping. I've been tired recently, and have been reading a lot, so I haven't been doing much stamping unless it's out of necessity! I'm going to try to remedy that in the next few days, though!
Well, that's about it for now. D - the little boy that I take care of for work - is going to Cincinnati for testing this coming week (Sun - Thurs.) Please pray that he is cleared for the throat reconstruction surgery that he so desperately needs! Thanks!
Oh, yes... one more WONDERFUL thing... after 5&1/2 months, we FINALLY got our insurance reimbursement check for our FIRST IVF cycle! It is almost enough to pay off the credit card, and we should be able to do that with our paychecks! Hallelujah... that is a HUGE load off our backs! God is good! I'm also thankful that the insurance company screwed up initially, since they paid out much more than they SHOULD have according to our policy. Yeah!
Chris and I went to our first regular youth activity last Friday night! We had a great time. I've missed going on youth activities and hanging out with teenagers. This particular youth activity was a great one for being the first... it was very informal, and there was really no scheduled activity, so we just hung out with the teens and got to know them better. It was "March Madness," so we went to a place called Mr. Gatti's. It's a pizza buffet (kind of like CiCi's) with an arcade and special party rooms. We had a room with a big screen TV, ate, and then spent some time in the arcade. It was great to get to know some of the teens outside of our SS class (9th&10th grade).
Our Easter was wonderful... we had great services, and on the way home on the bus, we stopped so that all of our bus kids could have an Easter egg hunt. It was fun. Then, for our Easter evening service, it was basically a musical service with a 10-15 minute challenge from Pastor at the end. The choir sang 4 special numbers, and then we had 6 other specials, plus a bit of narration, and the orchestra joined the choir for two of the songs, I think. It was wonderful!
I LOVE our church's music... not "contemporary," but very meaningful and a wide range of musical styles. I was pleasantly surprised by this, since we attend a fundamental, independent Baptist church. No offense intended, but it seems like most of the churches I've attended have one, maybe two styles of music that they sing constantly. For instance, one of the churches only used Ron Hamilton songs and songs from the Wilds. I have NO problem with that music... in fact, I LOVE the songs, but a steady diet of that is a little much! :-)
ANYWAY... it also snowed on Easter. What a blessing that was (*can you sense the sarcasm*?) It was a little shocking since we had a beautiful sunny 70 degree day on Friday!After church Easter night, we went to Steak-N-Shake with two other couples and their kids. We had a great time of fellowship with them! I only wish our evening services were earlier so that we didn't have to stay out so late!
This week has been a pretty regular week. I broke my sunglasses last Friday (I'd had them since I was in college), and Chris surprised me on Wed. by telling me I could go to Sunglass Hut and pick out some polarized sunglasses. WOW - what a difference they make compared to my $15 pair that I've had for ages! I was expecting him to let me get a $20 pair at Walmart, not an expensive pair from Sunglass Hut! But I am so thankful, and my eyes are thanking me every time I wear them! My eyes are incredibly sensitive to the sun, so it's nice to put on sunglasses and not have to squint... even if you DO have sunglasses on!
Yesterday I went to a Pampered Chef show... the third one in the last month and 1/2! I don't buy anything, I just go for the fellowship! It was a lot of fun! And since Chris doesn't usually get home until late, it's a great way to pass the time that he's not here!
I've also gotten a couple of free gifts of stamping stuff recently. That always makes my day! My sis-in-law sent me a bunch of stuff that was passed on to her from a friend of hers that was cleaning out her craft room. Then a friend of mine offered to let me use her hostess benefits from hosting a Stampin' Up party! That was SO sweet of her! I'll have to do some more stamping. I've been tired recently, and have been reading a lot, so I haven't been doing much stamping unless it's out of necessity! I'm going to try to remedy that in the next few days, though!
Well, that's about it for now. D - the little boy that I take care of for work - is going to Cincinnati for testing this coming week (Sun - Thurs.) Please pray that he is cleared for the throat reconstruction surgery that he so desperately needs! Thanks!
Oh, yes... one more WONDERFUL thing... after 5&1/2 months, we FINALLY got our insurance reimbursement check for our FIRST IVF cycle! It is almost enough to pay off the credit card, and we should be able to do that with our paychecks! Hallelujah... that is a HUGE load off our backs! God is good! I'm also thankful that the insurance company screwed up initially, since they paid out much more than they SHOULD have according to our policy. Yeah!
3.17.2008
The Little Rascal
Face Mask (for a breathing treatment... it's easier to give when he's asleep!) :-)
WILD hair!
Camo Boy... I LOVE this outfit on him!
Feeding Pediasure to his dinosaur
Chicks Dig Me!I can't remember if I've posted about this yet or not, but I've had a little drama with my work situation for the past couple of weeks. (Please just skip the explanation if you've heard this before!) First of all, the week before our pregnancy test, my office manager called to ask me if I was willing to switch cases. (For those of you who DON'T know, I work for a nursing staffing agency and do home health care for special needs kids.) Well, Lil' D, the boy that I've been working with on and off since I moved here, is doing really well. So - the office staff finds it much easier to put any nurse there, regardless of their skills, because his condition is so stable. Well, D's mom told me that in the 2 weeks while I was out during our IVF, she had 4 different nurses in 5 days! All that to say, since I am one of the few RN's that work there (NOT in a supervisory position), and I have skills with trachs and vents, they wanted me to take on a new baby that had just come home from the hospital with a trach and a vent. I kind of himmed and hawed about it, since I tend to become VERY attached to my kids and their families, and develop a strong loyalty to them. After all, these parents entrust their child to me 40 hours a week... and I spend all that time with them... so it lends itself to attachment! :-)
ANYWAY, the day that we found out our pregnancy test was negative, I went into the office to talk to the manager about what I had decided about the cases, and then discovered that the recruiters had not scheduled ANYWHERE for the WHOLE MONTH of March! Needless to say, I was a little shocked! The last thing I needed that day on top of learning that there was no baby was to find that I now had no work. Well, at my job, there is always SOME kind of work, but not necessarily anything stable. The guys did schedule me in for 2 days at "D's" house, then another day at another case. At the time, we didn't know if D's insurance would re-authorize him for skilled nursing care. The pediatrician was acting like D's mom just wanted free babysitting, instead of him needing skilled care. So - with all of that going on, I've ended up working the past week & 1/2 at D's house, not knowing if tomorrow he won't have nursing anymore. Yesterday, the office called D's mom, and let her know that the authorization has been approved until May 11th. Thank the Lord! I am so glad... I'd hate to have to take another case right now!
Here's some recent pictures of the Little Rascal. His mom let me give him a haircut last week, so now he looks like a handsome little man, instead of a hippy girl! :-) I love this kid!
BEFORE the hair cut... his ragamuffin hippy hair. Everyone kept thinking he was a girl!
AFTER his hair cut... he got a little hair in his eyes. He's such a handsome little man now!
At the park... CHEEEESE! (I think this is one of my fav pics of him!)
Behind bars at the park
DUCK Menagerie. D LOVES ducks! I think he has 9 of them now... some stuffed and some rubber duckies (like for the bathtub). He loves to try to carry them all at once. In the above picture, he had thrown them all up on the couch, then laid down to take a nap. He fell asleep with all of his ducks (and a horse) around him. He is so funny, he'll walk around the house saying "Duck" and then quacking!
3.12.2008
Our Babies' Names...
After our last IVF was unsuccessful, I was talking to a dear friend. She encouraged me to make memories of our babies... whether it was a memory box, scrapbook, memory garden, or whatever we chose. She also encouraged me to name our babies.
Since we believe that life begins at conception, every one of our fertilized embryos is considered, in our opinion, to be a baby. Since it's impossible to know which gender the embryos were, we decided to name 5 boys and 4 girls. So - here are our babies' names with their meanings. We didn't necessarily pick them FOR their meanings, but some were picked b/c of names of family members, etc.
Girls First:
Janae (God has answered) Ruth (companion, friend)
(this name was picked to be similar to my mom's name - Janet Ruth)
Katie (Pure) Anne (Grace)
(this name was picked to be similar to Chris' mom's name - Kathleen Ann)
Mary (Beloved) Dorthea (Gift of God)
(Both of my parent's mom's names are Mary Ruth. Dorthea is my mom's mother's name {she died when my mom was ten.} One of Chris' grandmother's name was Dorothy, too, so I figured we came close with Dorthea.) :-)
Adelyn (Good humor, pleasant) Janine (Gift from God)
(Chris' other grandma's name is Jeanine, I just spelled it different.)
And the Boys:
Brady (spirited) Quinn (wise, counsel)
(I just LOVE this name for some reason!)
Aidan (Little Fire) Gregory (on the watch)
(I really like the name Aidan, and my middle brother's name is Greg)
Jeremy (exalted of the Lord) Burton (from the fortified town)
(Burton is Chris' grandpa's name, as well as his next youngest brother's name.)
Ethan (Strong) Samuel (Asked of God)
(Again, I just liked these names!)
Drew (manly, strong) Joel (Jehovah is God)
(Joel is my baby brother's middle name.)
There you have it... the names of all 9 of our babies! :-) I only have pictures of 5 of them, though. God is good... it's nice to know that they are all in Heaven with Jesus right now. I wonder if we'll recognize them when we get to Heaven...
Since we believe that life begins at conception, every one of our fertilized embryos is considered, in our opinion, to be a baby. Since it's impossible to know which gender the embryos were, we decided to name 5 boys and 4 girls. So - here are our babies' names with their meanings. We didn't necessarily pick them FOR their meanings, but some were picked b/c of names of family members, etc.
Girls First:
Janae (God has answered) Ruth (companion, friend)
(this name was picked to be similar to my mom's name - Janet Ruth)
Katie (Pure) Anne (Grace)
(this name was picked to be similar to Chris' mom's name - Kathleen Ann)
Mary (Beloved) Dorthea (Gift of God)
(Both of my parent's mom's names are Mary Ruth. Dorthea is my mom's mother's name {she died when my mom was ten.} One of Chris' grandmother's name was Dorothy, too, so I figured we came close with Dorthea.) :-)
Adelyn (Good humor, pleasant) Janine (Gift from God)
(Chris' other grandma's name is Jeanine, I just spelled it different.)
And the Boys:
Brady (spirited) Quinn (wise, counsel)
(I just LOVE this name for some reason!)
Aidan (Little Fire) Gregory (on the watch)
(I really like the name Aidan, and my middle brother's name is Greg)
Jeremy (exalted of the Lord) Burton (from the fortified town)
(Burton is Chris' grandpa's name, as well as his next youngest brother's name.)
Ethan (Strong) Samuel (Asked of God)
(Again, I just liked these names!)
Drew (manly, strong) Joel (Jehovah is God)
(Joel is my baby brother's middle name.)
There you have it... the names of all 9 of our babies! :-) I only have pictures of 5 of them, though. God is good... it's nice to know that they are all in Heaven with Jesus right now. I wonder if we'll recognize them when we get to Heaven...
3.08.2008
STILL SNOWING...
We DO have a step outside our front door!
10 inches of snow!
YEP -10 INCHES!!! (this was in the drift outside my front door, so it's probably TOTALLY accurate. However, I didn't even stick it in the DEEPEST part of the drift!)
My bushes are COVERED!
More covered plants
Snow hanging precariously from the eaves
My tree is getting buried! (I LOVE this tree!)
Here is a pic for comparison... this is the tree NOT halfway covered in snow!
So - this is our snow accumulation since yesterday morning... and it is STILL SNOWING! It's supposed to snow until about 4 pm. Chris still went to work today, and I'm SO THANKFUL that I don't have to go anywhere today. Up north, people drive sanely in the snow. Down here, they can't even drive sanely in PERFECT conditions, rain makes them freak out, and snow... well, let's just say it's not safe to drive! :-)
3.07.2008
GRRRRRR....
OK - I have to complain first! GRRRRRR... I am SO TIRED OF SNOW!!!!! We live somewhat south, after all, and though I grew up in North country, I really could live without seeing a speck of snow. I would actually love to live at the beach somewhere! Anyway, it has been snowing since I left the house for work at 7:45 am this morning. I was looking at a Land's End catalogue today at the swimsuits, and dreaming of being at the beach.... and being WARM! :-) I am really thanking God, though, that we don't live up north anymore!
Please pray for my job situation... things got majorly screwed up while I was gone, and at the moment I don't have any definite work for the rest of the month. I'm rather frustrated about it, but hey, at least I have a job, right?
Well, one good thing about it snowing is that my hubby is home... so WHY am I sitting here?!?!? Gotta run... Have a fantastic weekend!
Please pray for my job situation... things got majorly screwed up while I was gone, and at the moment I don't have any definite work for the rest of the month. I'm rather frustrated about it, but hey, at least I have a job, right?
Well, one good thing about it snowing is that my hubby is home... so WHY am I sitting here?!?!? Gotta run... Have a fantastic weekend!
3.04.2008
THANKFUL THINGS....
Instead of my regular devotions today, I decided to look up and meditate on some verses that have been my favorites over the years, as well as some that others have shared with me during this time. What a refreshing comfort it is to know the personal God who loves and cares for me!
1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Isaiah 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Psalm 139:17 How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! 18 If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.
Psalm 68:19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.
Psalm 34:18 The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart...
Psalm 40:5 Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.
2 Corinthians 1:3 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; 4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
2 Corinthians 4:8 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
2 Corinthians 4:17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; 18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
Psalm 119:50 This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me.
Psalm 119:76 Let, I pray thee, thy merciful kindness be for my comfort, according to thy word unto thy servant.
Psalm 103:2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
Psalm 116:12 What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?
Jeremiah 33:3 Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.
Psalm 62:5 My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.
Psalm 113:9 He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the LORD.
2 Samuel 22:31 As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him.
Psalm 18:30 As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.
1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Isaiah 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Psalm 139:17 How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! 18 If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.
Psalm 68:19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.
Psalm 34:18 The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart...
Psalm 40:5 Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.
2 Corinthians 1:3 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; 4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
2 Corinthians 4:8 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
2 Corinthians 4:17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; 18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
Psalm 119:50 This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me.
Psalm 119:76 Let, I pray thee, thy merciful kindness be for my comfort, according to thy word unto thy servant.
Psalm 103:2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
Psalm 116:12 What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?
Jeremiah 33:3 Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.
Psalm 62:5 My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.
Psalm 113:9 He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the LORD.
2 Samuel 22:31 As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him.
Psalm 18:30 As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.
3.03.2008
Results of the Pregnancy Test
A dear friend sent me a CD with the following song on it soon after we had found out that we miscarried our babies in December. This song has become very dear to me, and again fits the situation that we find ourselves in at this time:
For My Good and For His Glory
It's for my good and for His glory,
Again, I am sorry to send a mass, impersonal e-mail (or blog post!) like this, but it would take me forever to type e-mails to each one of you that have prayed for us through this in vitro fertilization cycle. We are SO disappointed to have to tell you that our pregnancy test and bloodwork both came back today - NEGATIVE. For whatever reason, God has chosen NOT to give us a baby to hold through this process. As the lyrics of the song indicate, this is very painful for us, and our hearts ache... but we also know that God can see the bigger picture and has a REASON that He has chosen not to give us the desire of our hearts at this time. We are thankful, though, that we now have 9 babies up in Heaven waiting to meet us when we get there. Though we would LOVE to have them HERE, they are so blessed to not have had to live through the trials of this life, but to go directly to an eternity in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I'm sure many of you will wonder what we do from here... and we have no answer for that at this time. We believe that had God wanted to give us a baby through the IVF process, He would have done it in these 3 tries. So, unless the Lord gives us a HUGE sign that He wants us to go through that again, we do not plan on that. (Not to mention, it is expensive and emotionally draining!) At least we can now look back and not have regrets at not having tried that option when it was available to us. A couple of people, even today, have asked us about adoption. At this point, we do not have any peace about pursuing adoption. Of course, God may just choose to give us a baby on His own... I mean, if He can make a virgin conceive, NOTHING is IMPOSSIBLE with Him, right?!?!? :-) (I don't mean to be sacriligous, just finding a little humor there!)
So - all that to say, I guess we would just ask you all to please continue to keep us in your prayers. Pray for wisdom for both of us as we seek God's will concerning our family. Although we know that God's grace is sufficient, please pray for God's hand of grace and comfort to rest on us. Pray that we are able to truly trust God for His will in our lives. It is far too easy to do "lip-service" and pretend that we are OK, but the words not getting through to our hearts. Also, please pray that we will continue to grow closer to God and each other.
Again, we cannot thank you all enough for all of your prayers on our behalf. They mean so much to us, and we often are overwelmed at the love, care, and support you have shown to us through this difficult time. We pray that someday we may be able to share with you that our family has grown... though how that will happen we are just waiting on the Lord to show us!
We appreciate you all so much. Thank you for your prayers.
Serving Christ,
Chris & Heather Beth
Ps. 91:1, Lam. 3:22-23
For My Good and For His Glory
words by Rebecca J. Peck
I must admit that I don't understand
I must admit that I don't understand
why God would let me face this painful circumstance
All I have to cling to is His word and His name
But that's enough, so I will trust
It's for my good and for His glory,
It's for my good and for His glory,
This trial's not the end of the story
There's a bigger picture God alone can see
Faith will take me through this sorrow,
For I know He holds tomorrow,
And He assures me
It's for my good, and for His glory.
Because I love the Lord He's promised me
To work all things for good, through tears I still believe
That His ways are higher than any of my own -
Though my heart aches, He makes no mistakes.
It's for my good and for His glory,
This trial's not the end of the story
There's a bigger picture God alone can see
Faith will take me through this sorrow,
For I know He holds tomorrow,
And He assures me
It's for my good, and for His glory.
Again, I am sorry to send a mass, impersonal e-mail (or blog post!) like this, but it would take me forever to type e-mails to each one of you that have prayed for us through this in vitro fertilization cycle. We are SO disappointed to have to tell you that our pregnancy test and bloodwork both came back today - NEGATIVE. For whatever reason, God has chosen NOT to give us a baby to hold through this process. As the lyrics of the song indicate, this is very painful for us, and our hearts ache... but we also know that God can see the bigger picture and has a REASON that He has chosen not to give us the desire of our hearts at this time. We are thankful, though, that we now have 9 babies up in Heaven waiting to meet us when we get there. Though we would LOVE to have them HERE, they are so blessed to not have had to live through the trials of this life, but to go directly to an eternity in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I'm sure many of you will wonder what we do from here... and we have no answer for that at this time. We believe that had God wanted to give us a baby through the IVF process, He would have done it in these 3 tries. So, unless the Lord gives us a HUGE sign that He wants us to go through that again, we do not plan on that. (Not to mention, it is expensive and emotionally draining!) At least we can now look back and not have regrets at not having tried that option when it was available to us. A couple of people, even today, have asked us about adoption. At this point, we do not have any peace about pursuing adoption. Of course, God may just choose to give us a baby on His own... I mean, if He can make a virgin conceive, NOTHING is IMPOSSIBLE with Him, right?!?!? :-) (I don't mean to be sacriligous, just finding a little humor there!)
So - all that to say, I guess we would just ask you all to please continue to keep us in your prayers. Pray for wisdom for both of us as we seek God's will concerning our family. Although we know that God's grace is sufficient, please pray for God's hand of grace and comfort to rest on us. Pray that we are able to truly trust God for His will in our lives. It is far too easy to do "lip-service" and pretend that we are OK, but the words not getting through to our hearts. Also, please pray that we will continue to grow closer to God and each other.
Again, we cannot thank you all enough for all of your prayers on our behalf. They mean so much to us, and we often are overwelmed at the love, care, and support you have shown to us through this difficult time. We pray that someday we may be able to share with you that our family has grown... though how that will happen we are just waiting on the Lord to show us!
We appreciate you all so much. Thank you for your prayers.
Serving Christ,
Chris & Heather Beth
Ps. 91:1, Lam. 3:22-23
3.01.2008
What a mess...
I know this post is about 2 weeks late, but I thought I'd share anyway!
The Saturday before we did our IVF transfer, I worked like a mad woman! :-) I cleaned the house and cooked Autumn Chowder, Chili, and Hearty Hashbrown soup. Well, I left the Hashbrown Soup to simmer on the stove, and went to do something else. I forgot that there is milk in this soup, causing it to boil over even on a low temp. So, I walked back into the kitchen and found that probably two cups of liquid had boiled over. This is what it looked like AFTER I had cleaned some of it up!:
Thankfully it didn't get on the burner (though that probably would have alerted me to what was happening sooner), but it filled the little bowl (I can't remember what you call those things under the burners) underneath and ran over into this area underneath my stove top! It took me a good 15 minutes to clean up the mess, but thankfully the soup still tasted good! Maybe I should pay more attention when I'm cooking! :-)
The Saturday before we did our IVF transfer, I worked like a mad woman! :-) I cleaned the house and cooked Autumn Chowder, Chili, and Hearty Hashbrown soup. Well, I left the Hashbrown Soup to simmer on the stove, and went to do something else. I forgot that there is milk in this soup, causing it to boil over even on a low temp. So, I walked back into the kitchen and found that probably two cups of liquid had boiled over. This is what it looked like AFTER I had cleaned some of it up!:
Thankfully it didn't get on the burner (though that probably would have alerted me to what was happening sooner), but it filled the little bowl (I can't remember what you call those things under the burners) underneath and ran over into this area underneath my stove top! It took me a good 15 minutes to clean up the mess, but thankfully the soup still tasted good! Maybe I should pay more attention when I'm cooking! :-)
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