Olivia Comes Home June 4th 20009

This is a day that we, along with many others have been praying for over a very long time. I just had to have this outfit to bring her home in because of what it says on her onesie

"I'm Mommy's Dream Come True".

Many of you have heard Tracy and I talk about what a blessing Agape'Care Cradle was when we lost Annie and Thomas and how we have just been so touched by the friendship we have found with Shannon and many other people involved with Agape'Care. Back in May I was asked by Shannon, the director of Agape'Care to write an article for the newsletter. I have decided to post my article on here so that hopefully others will know how great God is and how faithful he is to those who call upon his name and trust him to work his will in their lives, and so that I don't ever forget and take for granted the great works he has done in my life.

Three years ago we had the most wonderful spring we had ever experienced in our lives as we stood among thousands of beautiful newly bloomed flowers and before God and pledged our marriage vows to one another. We knew from that moment we would approach spring with a renewed excitement for the season. Little did we know just one year later, as spring was approaching, our joy of expecting our first child together, our daughter Annie Grace, would suddenly turn and bring the darkest cloud over our lives and in an instant cause us to question how there could be anything to ever celebrate again.

Life at that point seemed so unfair, what good could possibly come from our daughter being born too early and only having a few hours with her? Then about eight months later we conceived our son, Thomas William. We felt like God had heard all the prayers that we had cried out to him about our desire to have a child and God was answering. As winter started to disappear and the weather slowly started changing we once again looked forward to spring and having our son. Then just when we thought things were going well we again found ourselves at the hospital giving birth on Easter morning, too early for our little Thomas to survive.

The scripture Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you” declares the Lord “plans to prosper you and not harm you, to give you hope and a future” kept ringing out loud to me. How God? How can your scripture tell me this and how can it be true? How are you giving us a future and more importantly how is there any hope after you have allowed us to lose two of our babies? It seemed like everywhere we went people were celebrating new life with no worries. I envied them; I wanted so desperately to feel like we had not been singled out to suffer by God.

We still had a desire for a child but after talking with the doctors we only received more bad news, it would take a miracle for everything to fall into place and for us to bring home a baby.

Then, slowly and softly God started to speak the answers to my heart. “Believe Me”, just “Believe Me”. “For God will use all things for the good of those who love him and have been called according to his purpose” Romans 8:28. I knew God was speaking this to our family. God was calling us to live and live abundantly regardless of what our circumstances were. He wanted us to “Believe Him” and what his Word was speaking. Believe him to strengthen us, to give us new hope, to renew our love for life.

Here it was the end of fall and God was asking me to live as if it were spring. A few weeks later we found out that the miracle we needed was happening and we were once again expecting. In just a few weeks we will be giving birth to our daughter Olivia Faith.

We know the kind of faith it takes to believe for things unseen, to believe that God is good and that he will never leave us and he cares when our hearts are breaking. We also know the kind of peace he brings in time of trouble, when nothing around you makes sense and no one can understand your pain. Olivia derived from Olive, a symbol of PEACE.

In a couple days we will be celebrating Mothers Day and shortly after Fathers Day. We know what it is like to sit among so many whose flower beds are blooming the most beautiful and biggest of flowers and to look at our flower bed and see our flowers fading and wilting, our petals falling to the ground. God will bring new life and life abundantly regardless of the condition of your flower bed if you are willing to let him water it and your heart is willing to receive the life he has for you this spring.