Friends,
Right before Thanksgiving Jen and I discussed taking the month of December off of blogging. It's been over a year of her and I writing together and it has really been fun. Writing has helped us both process the thoughts in our heads; it gave us a moment to pause and think about our feelings and beliefs.
During the week of Thanksgiving Jen found a lump in her breast. She immediately called the doctor because of the history of breast cancer in her family. We were hoping it was just a blocked milk duct but, after a whirlwind of appointments, found that it was cancer.
Everything happened very fast and of course the fact that she's at the end of a pregnancy had an impact on the decisions her, Levi, and her doctors had to make.
A couple of weeks ago she had a lumpectomy, putting off a mastectomy until the summer, once baby was born and chemotherapy was complete. The surgeon found that even though the tumor was small and in an early stage, it was fast-growing and there were precancerous cells left behind. She needed that mastectomy ASAP.
The baby will be born early, some time early January, followed by surgery and then chemo.
To say this is overwhelming is putting it mildly. There is so much to think about, and with four little ones three and under it is going to be an exhausting year. Both sets of parents will be coming to help. I plan to go out the last week of January. I know her church family is going to love them with meals and help. It's a time for Jen and Levi to receive.
In an e-mail Jen wrote to close friends and family she said:
Please pray for the obvious, that I will be cancer-free. That means a lot of things have to go right, but basically we just need me to be healthy. Of course as a mom my burden is the impact on my family. I know this will put extra pressure on Levi (who already gets bombarded every evening with 3 boys who are obsessed with his every move!), who never complains but already carries so much weight in our home. Our parents have generously offered to stop their lives and stay with us for some of these crazier periods, so we're beyond grateful for that. Unfortunately many of you know more than I do about what's ahead of me since you or your loved ones have gone through cancer with all its baggage. You especially will know how to pray.
Please pray for Jen and her family. This season of Advent is a time preparing for our Lord to come. June was born Christmas Eve three years ago and I followed the path of Mary and felt her anticipation of His coming. This year Jen's cancer has brought me to a new place of desiring Jesus to come. Not just anticipating Him, but truly wishing He would show up and bring us Home. It's a longing I've never truly grasped before. Please pray with me for Jesus to come in this situation and heal our Jen.
Love to you and yours,
Ann
Showing posts with label prayer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label prayer. Show all posts
Friday, December 21, 2012
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Pour Out My Soul
Jen,
When I was in elementary school my family, at the encouragement of my mom, decided to sponsor a child from Compassion International. Christine was the most faithful to writing our little girl in India named Annie. Annie's parents were missionaries and to this day are faithful to their ministry in loving God and loving others. Fortunately for us, Annie liked to write us back. I remember how exciting it was to receive a letter from Annie and how I always regretted I didn't write more. Thank God for Christine!
It was really sad when Annie was too old for us to sponsor anymore because we lost touch with her. Until...good ole Facebook! Annie found us, which was a miracle really. How cool is it that we're friends with her on Facebook and are able to see her little baby girl's smiling face over thousands and thousands of miles? Once Annie and I were reconnected I began to read her blog. She is very inspiring to me because she always seems so full of Hope and Joy.
When I was in elementary school my family, at the encouragement of my mom, decided to sponsor a child from Compassion International. Christine was the most faithful to writing our little girl in India named Annie. Annie's parents were missionaries and to this day are faithful to their ministry in loving God and loving others. Fortunately for us, Annie liked to write us back. I remember how exciting it was to receive a letter from Annie and how I always regretted I didn't write more. Thank God for Christine!
It was really sad when Annie was too old for us to sponsor anymore because we lost touch with her. Until...good ole Facebook! Annie found us, which was a miracle really. How cool is it that we're friends with her on Facebook and are able to see her little baby girl's smiling face over thousands and thousands of miles? Once Annie and I were reconnected I began to read her blog. She is very inspiring to me because she always seems so full of Hope and Joy.
Photo of Annie and her family taken at her daughter Gracia's christening.
Last summer Annie wrote a post about Hannah from the Bible. I never really read Hannah's story but knew she was a woman who struggled with infertility. After reading Annie's post I read the story for myself and was struck how admirable it was that Hannah poured her heart out to the Lord. She told Him her desires.
From 1 Samuel 1:9-17 it says:
Once when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on his chair by the doorpost of the LORD’s house. In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the LORD, weeping bitterly. And she made a vow, saying, “LORD Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.”
As she kept on praying to the LORD, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk and said to her, “How long are you going to stay drunk? Put away your wine.”
“Not so, my lord,” Hannah replied, “I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the LORD. Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.”
Eli answered, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.”
She poured her soul out to the Lord! I am a coward in this area. Somehow, I have these strange fears of the Lord hearing my prayer and denying my request. He continues to prove His love for me, yet I still don't trust Him. I want to learn how to "pour my soul out to the Lord!" I remember there were times in my life when I did and how freeing it was. The next time I am troubled, please remind me of this story. I want to live this one out.
Ann
________
Ann,
This is such an amazing story. Praise God for Annie and your family loving her!
I hope we will always remind each other of this important part of our faith. "Freeing" is a great word to describe how it feels when we just let it out, give it to Him, and be done with it! (And let's hope when we're 80 we can look back on 40 years of faithfully living this out.)
Jen
From 1 Samuel 1:9-17 it says:
Once when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on his chair by the doorpost of the LORD’s house. In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the LORD, weeping bitterly. And she made a vow, saying, “LORD Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.”
As she kept on praying to the LORD, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk and said to her, “How long are you going to stay drunk? Put away your wine.”
“Not so, my lord,” Hannah replied, “I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the LORD. Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.”
Eli answered, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.”
She poured her soul out to the Lord! I am a coward in this area. Somehow, I have these strange fears of the Lord hearing my prayer and denying my request. He continues to prove His love for me, yet I still don't trust Him. I want to learn how to "pour my soul out to the Lord!" I remember there were times in my life when I did and how freeing it was. The next time I am troubled, please remind me of this story. I want to live this one out.
Ann
________
Ann,
This is such an amazing story. Praise God for Annie and your family loving her!
I hope we will always remind each other of this important part of our faith. "Freeing" is a great word to describe how it feels when we just let it out, give it to Him, and be done with it! (And let's hope when we're 80 we can look back on 40 years of faithfully living this out.)
Jen
Monday, April 2, 2012
Blessed Be His Name
Jen,
I remember the first time the desire to have children hit me. It was the day my niece, Clara, was born. I remember how sad I was that I couldn't see her right away and I remember the first time I met her when she was a four months old. I totally fell in love! She was the cutest baby in the whole wide world!
A couple of years later my sister, Christine, and I became pregnant at the same time. Her with a boy, Sean, and me with a girl, Catina. It was our dream come true, minus the attached back yards. These kids are so bonded even though they live in New Mexico and we live in Michigan (so much for attached back yards!). Then June came along. Clara loved June right away and is such a lover of little ones. I'm really looking forward to her meeting our Ada.
I remember the first time the desire to have children hit me. It was the day my niece, Clara, was born. I remember how sad I was that I couldn't see her right away and I remember the first time I met her when she was a four months old. I totally fell in love! She was the cutest baby in the whole wide world!
A couple of years later my sister, Christine, and I became pregnant at the same time. Her with a boy, Sean, and me with a girl, Catina. It was our dream come true, minus the attached back yards. These kids are so bonded even though they live in New Mexico and we live in Michigan (so much for attached back yards!). Then June came along. Clara loved June right away and is such a lover of little ones. I'm really looking forward to her meeting our Ada.
In between Catina and June there was another little--one conceived in my sister. I remember the day she called to tell me she was pregnant. I was at a friend's 50th birthday party hanging out by a pool and feeling a bit sorry for myself because I really wanted another baby, and it seemed like those around me who were my age were pregnant. Her phone call shocked me out of my pity party and I was so excited to get to know another niece or nephew!
A couple of months went by when my sister, who is normally always sick when she is pregnant, started to feel better. At first I thought maybe it was because her baby was so different than the other two. But Christine knew in her heart something was wrong. I was with my parents when I got the phone call that she had lost the baby. We all just sat there, not knowing what to do. She was so many miles away and it really really sucked that we couldn't be there! We had no words and felt helpless to do anything.
Later that year Christine and her family moved from their home to work at a home for children who were neglected. Christine and her husband, Jonathan became house parents and at one point had 10 children in their home. And to think at times I think I'm overwhelmed! During their stay they fell in love with three little girls. These little girls wormed their way into the hearts of their house parents and their house siblings, Christine and Jonathan's kids, Clara and Sean. When they felt it was time to move on from being house parents it was very hard to leave their little girls. They kept in touch as much as they were allowed, and for a brief time had hope they might even be able to take these girls into their home.
Being away from these three girls is another loss for Christine and Jonathan and it's hard to understand "The Plan" in all of these losses. This reminds me of the lyrics to a popular song, which read:
A couple of months went by when my sister, who is normally always sick when she is pregnant, started to feel better. At first I thought maybe it was because her baby was so different than the other two. But Christine knew in her heart something was wrong. I was with my parents when I got the phone call that she had lost the baby. We all just sat there, not knowing what to do. She was so many miles away and it really really sucked that we couldn't be there! We had no words and felt helpless to do anything.
Later that year Christine and her family moved from their home to work at a home for children who were neglected. Christine and her husband, Jonathan became house parents and at one point had 10 children in their home. And to think at times I think I'm overwhelmed! During their stay they fell in love with three little girls. These little girls wormed their way into the hearts of their house parents and their house siblings, Christine and Jonathan's kids, Clara and Sean. When they felt it was time to move on from being house parents it was very hard to leave their little girls. They kept in touch as much as they were allowed, and for a brief time had hope they might even be able to take these girls into their home.
Being away from these three girls is another loss for Christine and Jonathan and it's hard to understand "The Plan" in all of these losses. This reminds me of the lyrics to a popular song, which read:
You give and take away, You give and take away
My heart will choose to say, Lord blessed be Your name
Sometimes it's a hard thing to choose, but I pray our hearts will continue to say it!
I am praying blessings on this family, that they will know His love despite loss and that those around them who are part of the body of Christ will be given the wisdom of how to love them tangibly. They are a great family who have chosen to live their life for Christ; they have chosen to step out and love those around them and I am asking the Lord to bless them beyond their comprehension.
May those who have suffered a loss be comforted.
May those who have suffered a loss be comforted.
Ann
_________
Ann,
My heart breaks for Christine's loss. Miscarriage is devastating in so many ways, including the fact that it's a death that often goes unnoticed or can be easily forgotten. I do pray that women like Christine who've endured this would somehow find peace in their experience.
Her story of loving the girls from the children's home makes me think of the verse that gave me great comfort during my waiting years. It refers to the barren woman, but I believe it applies here. Sometimes we're mothers to children who are not our "own."
Isaiah 54:1-3
“Sing, barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labor; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband,” says the LORD.
“Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes. For you will spread out to the right and to the left; your descendants will dispossess nations and settle in their desolate cities."
Yes, God bless this family, and bless all their children.
Jen
Monday, February 27, 2012
Walking With Them
Jen,
Recently, I was driving through Birmingham, the same route I would go to visit our Fertility Specialist’s office. It’s weird but every time I drive past there I have these mixed emotions. It’s the same feeling I used to get when I would drive to my appointments when I was trying to get pregnant. I was very anxious and nervous and not once did I feel confident that this next test or procedure would be the one. There were no guarantees and only God knew what would happen. These moments of intense emotions remind me to pray for our couples who are trying to conceive.
My heart has been heavier for them lately. Maybe because I now have a third child and never thought I’d be here without having to wait very long. Getting pregnant this past time more easily (11 months of being “open” to it) feels surreal and I know I did not accept the pregnancy as quickly as the others. I guess I was in shock and can’t believe it really happened. I mean, I got pregnant like a “normal” person and there was no anxiety involved. Having to work harder to have babies has been a part of who I am and I think this has thrown me for a loop. I was accepting that trying for long periods of time was a part of what I had to do to have children. I have such a heart for these women who are waiting for their babies and I don’t want them to look at my story and think I don’t remember or understand how they feel. I don’t want to forget because the journey has refined me in ways I am so grateful for.
I remember when we began praying for people who were trying to get pregnant and the Lord continued to give us more and more people to pray for. One woman’s name, we’ll call her Leah, was given to me by a dear friend and for some reason I knew this one was special to me. It’s hard for me to just pray for someone and not let them know that I’ve been through a similar situation, so we began to e-mail and talked once on the phone. I remember you started e-mailing with her as well and together we prayed for her. Recently, I was wondering how she was doing and in my response to her e-mail wrote the following:
I know this sounds funny because I know we don’t know each other well, but I do think and pray for you often. After each child has been born I have these weepy hormonal moments the first few weeks and I remember the first week after Ada was born I thought of you and cried. Not because I felt sorry for you, but because I really want your prayers to be answered. In the midst of infertility it is so hard to pray for ourselves. This is where Jen and I come in. We can pray for you. We can be your voice.
Exodus 17:10-13
So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up-one on one side, one on the other--so that his hands remained steady till sunset. So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.
I would love for us to be your Aaron and Hur.
One of the reasons we started this blog is to pray and love those who are waiting for their children. I’m excited about what is to come next!
Ann
__________
Ann,
I am excited, too. If not only to share the stories of these couples, but also to remind us of the divine and unpredictable nature of conception. The stories are real and close to home, and every single journey is unique.
Jen
Recently, I was driving through Birmingham, the same route I would go to visit our Fertility Specialist’s office. It’s weird but every time I drive past there I have these mixed emotions. It’s the same feeling I used to get when I would drive to my appointments when I was trying to get pregnant. I was very anxious and nervous and not once did I feel confident that this next test or procedure would be the one. There were no guarantees and only God knew what would happen. These moments of intense emotions remind me to pray for our couples who are trying to conceive.
My heart has been heavier for them lately. Maybe because I now have a third child and never thought I’d be here without having to wait very long. Getting pregnant this past time more easily (11 months of being “open” to it) feels surreal and I know I did not accept the pregnancy as quickly as the others. I guess I was in shock and can’t believe it really happened. I mean, I got pregnant like a “normal” person and there was no anxiety involved. Having to work harder to have babies has been a part of who I am and I think this has thrown me for a loop. I was accepting that trying for long periods of time was a part of what I had to do to have children. I have such a heart for these women who are waiting for their babies and I don’t want them to look at my story and think I don’t remember or understand how they feel. I don’t want to forget because the journey has refined me in ways I am so grateful for.
I remember when we began praying for people who were trying to get pregnant and the Lord continued to give us more and more people to pray for. One woman’s name, we’ll call her Leah, was given to me by a dear friend and for some reason I knew this one was special to me. It’s hard for me to just pray for someone and not let them know that I’ve been through a similar situation, so we began to e-mail and talked once on the phone. I remember you started e-mailing with her as well and together we prayed for her. Recently, I was wondering how she was doing and in my response to her e-mail wrote the following:
I know this sounds funny because I know we don’t know each other well, but I do think and pray for you often. After each child has been born I have these weepy hormonal moments the first few weeks and I remember the first week after Ada was born I thought of you and cried. Not because I felt sorry for you, but because I really want your prayers to be answered. In the midst of infertility it is so hard to pray for ourselves. This is where Jen and I come in. We can pray for you. We can be your voice.
Exodus 17:10-13
So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up-one on one side, one on the other--so that his hands remained steady till sunset. So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.
I would love for us to be your Aaron and Hur.
One of the reasons we started this blog is to pray and love those who are waiting for their children. I’m excited about what is to come next!
Ann
__________
Ann,
I am excited, too. If not only to share the stories of these couples, but also to remind us of the divine and unpredictable nature of conception. The stories are real and close to home, and every single journey is unique.
Jen
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Faith & Healing
Dear Jen,
Why is this topic of healing always an issue for me? I struggled with it when I learned of your baby Elisabeth. I believed she could be healed but at the same time she had a condition that never had been healed before so I knew that this was most likely not in God’s plan for her. I guess I feel the same way about Down Syndrome. The Lord knit these babies in their mothers’ womb and praying for “healing” is a struggle because who is to say they should be different than what they are now? Elisabeth taught me what true Hope is. She had a purpose beyond her little life. Why can’t we think the same of these babies with Down Syndrome?
Then I wonder if maybe I lack the faith I should have. Am I way off-base and I should be praying that certain conditions should be different? The Lord knows my struggle and continues to give me peace as I seek His thoughts and ways on it.
Ann
Ann,
This was definitely among the hardest parts of our journey with our daughter. We’d waited so many years to finally conceive, and then we find our our baby had a lethal condition. Right away people dismissed the prognosis (God will heal!) and like you’ve experienced, ignored the medical information (Doctors are wrong all the time!). Levi and I felt a specific calling to accept the bad news and yet live gracefully with it. Of course we hoped beyond all hope that our baby would be born screaming and normal, but around that time I had read Philip Yancy’s Prayer, and my thoughts about healing were actually being lived out in front of me: God CAN heal, but He is in charge and He doesn’t always choose to do this. I believe the healthiest perspective is to acknowledge how confusing this is to us as humans. We desire healing and He created us to have these longings, but we live a broken world and this is one of the examples.
I cannot picture Elisabeth any other way–if I imagine her to be healed from her fatal dwarfism, I am picturing a different baby. At the same time, if we lived in a perfect, heavenly world, there would be no fatal illnesses or painful medical problems. Or for that matter, no cellulite or wrinkles or jealousy or judgement. Even though our babies are perfect gifts, WHATEVER their conditions, I do think there is room for healing. They aren’t flawless. We pray for their health just like we pray for the health of our seemingly “normal” babies (have we not both prayed for our quick-tempered children to get control?!).
I love how Philip Yancy says it:
When I fall sick, or learn of physical suffering in a friend or loved one, I bring that request to God, whom the Bible describes as “the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort.” Sickness, not health, is the abnormality that Jesus came to expose. While not solving all the problems on earth, Jesus’ miracles gave a clear sign of how the world should be, and someday will be. His acts of healing restored to specific individuals what had been spoiled on the planet as a while.
Maybe I’m the one with the faith issue, because I’m perfectly fine with living with all this gray.
Jen
Why is this topic of healing always an issue for me? I struggled with it when I learned of your baby Elisabeth. I believed she could be healed but at the same time she had a condition that never had been healed before so I knew that this was most likely not in God’s plan for her. I guess I feel the same way about Down Syndrome. The Lord knit these babies in their mothers’ womb and praying for “healing” is a struggle because who is to say they should be different than what they are now? Elisabeth taught me what true Hope is. She had a purpose beyond her little life. Why can’t we think the same of these babies with Down Syndrome?
Then I wonder if maybe I lack the faith I should have. Am I way off-base and I should be praying that certain conditions should be different? The Lord knows my struggle and continues to give me peace as I seek His thoughts and ways on it.
Ann
____________
Ann,
This was definitely among the hardest parts of our journey with our daughter. We’d waited so many years to finally conceive, and then we find our our baby had a lethal condition. Right away people dismissed the prognosis (God will heal!) and like you’ve experienced, ignored the medical information (Doctors are wrong all the time!). Levi and I felt a specific calling to accept the bad news and yet live gracefully with it. Of course we hoped beyond all hope that our baby would be born screaming and normal, but around that time I had read Philip Yancy’s Prayer, and my thoughts about healing were actually being lived out in front of me: God CAN heal, but He is in charge and He doesn’t always choose to do this. I believe the healthiest perspective is to acknowledge how confusing this is to us as humans. We desire healing and He created us to have these longings, but we live a broken world and this is one of the examples.
I cannot picture Elisabeth any other way–if I imagine her to be healed from her fatal dwarfism, I am picturing a different baby. At the same time, if we lived in a perfect, heavenly world, there would be no fatal illnesses or painful medical problems. Or for that matter, no cellulite or wrinkles or jealousy or judgement. Even though our babies are perfect gifts, WHATEVER their conditions, I do think there is room for healing. They aren’t flawless. We pray for their health just like we pray for the health of our seemingly “normal” babies (have we not both prayed for our quick-tempered children to get control?!).
I love how Philip Yancy says it:
When I fall sick, or learn of physical suffering in a friend or loved one, I bring that request to God, whom the Bible describes as “the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort.” Sickness, not health, is the abnormality that Jesus came to expose. While not solving all the problems on earth, Jesus’ miracles gave a clear sign of how the world should be, and someday will be. His acts of healing restored to specific individuals what had been spoiled on the planet as a while.
Maybe I’m the one with the faith issue, because I’m perfectly fine with living with all this gray.
Jen
Monday, December 5, 2011
Healing & Prayer
Dear Jen,
Do you remember this story from Lent, earlier this year?
_______________________________
During Lent I really wanted to wait on an answer from the Lord. I have heard people make comments about praying for the healing of June’s hearing loss and for some reason it has always rubbed me the wrong way. At the same time I believe we need to ask for healing and have prayed for June. I wanted to have peace with what to tell people when they suggest praying or even imply that we don’t have enough faith. A week or two into Lent, Kate e-mailed and asked people to pray for her college roommate’s son who is profoundly deaf. I was more than willing to pray but again felt this irritation. Was it because I felt when people implied prayer was needed, they were implying something was wrong with my child? Was it because my child wasn’t healed and now you’re asking me to pray for someone else’s?
I continued to ask the Lord about this and tried to figure out what my feelings were. I was talking to my sister-in-law, April, who also has two children with hearing loss. I was telling her about how I was feeling and how mainly I am upset because I don’t think anything is wrong with June. She was created by God and I think she is great the way she is.
We were having this discussion on Good Friday (the last day of Lent) and she told me she hung out with her step-sister, Jen, the night before. They were watching one-hour documentaries on different topics and one of them was on healing. April expressed to Jenny some of the feelings I had been having and Jen said “But the Lord has healed.” April looked at her like, “What?” And, Jen said “The Lord has healed you so that you can see your child as whole.” It was my answer! How amazing. My daughter is whole in my eyes and we are healed!
Ann
Do you remember this story from Lent, earlier this year?
_______________________________
During Lent I really wanted to wait on an answer from the Lord. I have heard people make comments about praying for the healing of June’s hearing loss and for some reason it has always rubbed me the wrong way. At the same time I believe we need to ask for healing and have prayed for June. I wanted to have peace with what to tell people when they suggest praying or even imply that we don’t have enough faith. A week or two into Lent, Kate e-mailed and asked people to pray for her college roommate’s son who is profoundly deaf. I was more than willing to pray but again felt this irritation. Was it because I felt when people implied prayer was needed, they were implying something was wrong with my child? Was it because my child wasn’t healed and now you’re asking me to pray for someone else’s?
I continued to ask the Lord about this and tried to figure out what my feelings were. I was talking to my sister-in-law, April, who also has two children with hearing loss. I was telling her about how I was feeling and how mainly I am upset because I don’t think anything is wrong with June. She was created by God and I think she is great the way she is.
We were having this discussion on Good Friday (the last day of Lent) and she told me she hung out with her step-sister, Jen, the night before. They were watching one-hour documentaries on different topics and one of them was on healing. April expressed to Jenny some of the feelings I had been having and Jen said “But the Lord has healed.” April looked at her like, “What?” And, Jen said “The Lord has healed you so that you can see your child as whole.” It was my answer! How amazing. My daughter is whole in my eyes and we are healed!
Ann
Friday, December 2, 2011
Unity
Dear Jen,
At small group today we were asked how to pray for our baby. Greg and I had different requests and I don’t believe it’s a bad thing. We are processing things differently so why would we not have different requests?
I have asked people that our journey towards this baby would bring Glory to God and that our baby would as well. Greg is asking first for her not to be Down Syndrome. He says he has to ask the Lord for what he would desire for her most and it would be for her not struggle. In this, Thy will be done. He will love and accept her regardless but this is what he will ask.
One of our friends mentioned that Greg’s children have really brought Greg to his knees. With our struggle to get pregnant with our first two and now in this the Lord has taught Greg to talk to Him about them all. During these times it is when I have become more dependent on my community because I do not have the words or even know how to pray. I depend on these people to pray for me. Both are good; both have taught us much.
Ann
Ann,
Even to this day Levi and I handle our experience with Elisabeth so differently. My prayer is that your differences will continue to unify you and not cause dissension.
Jen
At small group today we were asked how to pray for our baby. Greg and I had different requests and I don’t believe it’s a bad thing. We are processing things differently so why would we not have different requests?
I have asked people that our journey towards this baby would bring Glory to God and that our baby would as well. Greg is asking first for her not to be Down Syndrome. He says he has to ask the Lord for what he would desire for her most and it would be for her not struggle. In this, Thy will be done. He will love and accept her regardless but this is what he will ask.
One of our friends mentioned that Greg’s children have really brought Greg to his knees. With our struggle to get pregnant with our first two and now in this the Lord has taught Greg to talk to Him about them all. During these times it is when I have become more dependent on my community because I do not have the words or even know how to pray. I depend on these people to pray for me. Both are good; both have taught us much.
Ann
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Ann,
Even to this day Levi and I handle our experience with Elisabeth so differently. My prayer is that your differences will continue to unify you and not cause dissension.
Jen
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