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(written winter 2001)
I was recently reminded of a conversation between my husband and I with
fellow Sunday school
members in the summer of 1999. We were commenting
everyone else seemed to have a testimony of his or her faith in God,
yet we
didn't. We believed you had to have had a test in order to have a
testimony. Fortunately, we had been so
very blessed, much beyond what we
deserved, over our lifetime together and apart. I grew up in a Christian
household,
attended church every Sunday, and tried to live by the 10
commandments. I asked Jesus to be my personal Lord and Savior
in the fourth
grade. I graduated from high school and college, married my best friend,
and loved my job educating
today's youth. The path my husband and I were
traveling down didn't have too many bumps. That was four weeks before we
found out we were expecting.
When we had discussed having children, we thought it would be fun to have
four boys.
We even decided on their names - Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John -
after the four gospels. We weren't even sure if we
would be able to
conceive because of past medical problems. So, we prayed that if was God's
plan for us to have children,
then it would happen. I also specifically
prayed for something I had always desired since I was young - twins. I
asked
God for identical twin boys. GOD ANSWERS PRAYER.
Twenty weeks into my twin pregnancy, we found out there was a problem.
One
of the boys was on schedule as far as size went, but had produced too much
amniotic fluid. The other boy was
three weeks behind in growth and was
almost out of amniotic fluid. We stayed hopeful things would turn out
positive.
However, along with the doctors, I feared we would lose one or
both of them. I would cry in the shower, but sing this
chorus I had sung in
church, "I cast all my cares upon You, I lay all of my burdens down at your
feet, and anytime
I don't know what to do, I cast all my cares upon You." I
would sing it over and over again until I felt like I
had truly accomplished
what those words meant - hand our situation completely over to God. I would
step out of the
shower with a sense of peace and was strengthened for
whatever came next.
Well, soon I was hospitalized. On December
17, 1999 I was admitted to a
Dallas hospital two hours away from our hometown of Paris, to await the
arrival of my
sons due April 1, 2000. The doctors prepared us for all
outcomes. They said severely premature babies have little chance
for
survival and suffer many medical problems. We were told the situation might
arise that we would have to sacrifice
the life of the smaller, sicker baby
in order for his twin to have a better chance of making it full term. They
reasoned
it was better to have one full term healthy baby, than two unstable
preemies. Well, my husband and I again turned to
our faith. We wanted both
babies to make it. GOD ANSWERS PRAYER.
On January 10, 2000, twelve weeks, or three months,
before they were due,
our identical twin boys were brought into the world through God's grace.
Named for being first
born, as it is the first book in the new testament,
Matthew was born weighing three pounds and measuring fifteen and half
inches
in length. He was later diagnosed with many medical problems including
neurological damage most likely to
reveal itself as cerebral palsy.
Matthew, whose name means, "Gift of God", spent three months in the hospital
before coming home on oxygen and other medical equipment. We loathed the
idea of him coming home on oxygen. What
a responsibility! But, soon, we
began to pray that Matthew's twin would come home in that manner - on just
oxygen
and medical equipment. For, Mark was born just after Matthew
weighing one pound and eleven ounces and measuring nine
inches in length.
To put it into perspective, he was about the size of a Beanie Bear. The
prayers of our friends,
family, community, and church families across the
country helped Mark, whose name means "Mighty Warrior", defeat
three bouts
of pneumonia and several other episodes of serious infections. His brain
bleed resolved with no apparent
residual effects and he made it through four
surgeries. Mark was a ventilator dependent baby for thirteen and a half
months. After fourteen months of hospitalization, he finally went home - on
just oxygen and medical equipment. GOD
ANSWERS PRAYER.
In our home, we have a desk top plate that has the bible verse, "In all thy
ways, acknowledge
Him, and He shall direct thy paths." We interpret this to
means in all ways, not just the convenient ones. Throughout
this time, we
had some difficulties, as one would expect. One area in particular was that
of family finances. We
vowed to continue to tithe to the church no matter
how tight money became. I had resigned from my teaching position,
sold my
new car, and juggled additional expenses of transportation, medical parking,
food, and the every day expenses
everyone encounters when bringing two
babies into the family budget. Whenever things looked bleak, something
would
come through to pay the bills. That something was God. He was
looking over us, as He had done probably unnoticed by
us for many years.
Those years God was not only taking care of our present needs, but also He
was "directing
our paths". The first spring after my husband and I married,
a college friend moved in with us for several months
to take a temporary job
in the area. Seven years later, God led that college friend's parents to
open their home
to Matthew and I for six months so we could be closer to
Mark. While staying with this wonderful family, I began looking
back at
other direct ways God was preparing us for this new road.
With preemies, especially those with severe medical
problems, the
probability our children will have special needs is great. I remember
having to work my way through
college. God provided jobs at day cares and
learning centers working with kids. Upon coming to Paris, I had not yet
been hired for a teaching position after enduring many interviews. God led
me to a local learning center from which
I received exemplary training and
more experience working with children with special needs. My first years of
teaching,
I complained my class was always one third special education
students while others had one third of the gifted and talented
students.
God was preparing my heart to reflect on how those students were successful
in my class and how to identify
with their parents on a personal level. I
was pregnant with the twins the last semester I taught. I was apprehensive
about seeing on my roll sheet the names of twin boys I had heard stories
about in the teacher lounge. I grew to care
for these boys who didn't
really give me any problems after all. God was guiding me when I chose to
sit on the bus
next to one of the twins on a field trip to the ropes course.
This was the twin with cerebral palsy. He and I discussed
his childhood,
family life, and his disability. I hope I remember his thoughts when
Matthew is dealing with similar
issues.
In that conversation of the summer of 1999 in a Sunday school classroom, my
husband and I had expressed you
had to have had a test in order to have that
testimony. Now I know the answers to the test. They include faith,
strength,
prayer, and love. I believe we've completed at least the first
section of the test. So, now we have our testimony.
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