The last Sunday in January is Presentation Sunday. In commemoration of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple by Mary and Joseph 40 days after his birth, many churches pray for couples who are desiring to have children, but have encountered difficulties in doing so. Last year, this was us.
In the fall of 2009 Justin and I decided we wanted to have a baby. We had tried to get pregnant on our own for about a year before we started seeing doctors for assistance. I could sense something was not right earlier, but my doctor told us that many couples simply take several months to conceive, so we kept trying on our own. It was very frustrating to know something wasn't right with my body, but to not be able to do anything about it. Many people get pregnant so easily, so for it to take a long time for us was upsetting. It's hard when people ask, "When are you going to have kids?" Because we didn't know.
We were lucky to have some friends who had shared their own struggles with infertility. It turns out that 1 in 4 couples have difficulty getting pregnant, so we were not alone. Initially I was embarrassed to tell people, but once I did share it with close friends, I felt so much better. In 2010 my doctor started me on Clomid, a hormone pill that helps with ovulation. I could tell that it was making a slight difference, but it was not enough. After a few cycles, my doctor told me that she wasn't confident enough in her knowledge of fertility issues and she referred us to Seattle Reproductive Medicine. We started going to see them in December of 2010. I immediately liked it there because they doctors and nurses were so warm and caring. The doctor assured us that she would get us pregnant. She did many tests and an ultrasound to first figure out what was keeping us from getting pregnant. She agreed with my regular doctor that I was not ovulating, but she was unable to find a reason. The doctor decided that Clomid was the best way to go for me, and with better timing of the pills with ultrasounds to make sure they were working, she felt it would be a good first step for us.
Our good friends, Heather and Craig, had been our support system throughout this process and had met with us several times to share their story. They had their daughter, Emily after several years of effort. They invited us to Presentation Sunday at Cedar Park Church in Bothell. We had committed to go with them several weeks prior, but on the morning of, we were not excited. We didn't know exactly what it was all about, and felt awkward going to a service all about infertility. When we got there, we were surprised to see so many couples and young families at the service. The Pastor talked about God and his desire for us to have families and that anything is possible through him. After his message, he passed the microphone and let couples share their stories. Time after time, couples spoke about their struggles and their success stories. There were couples that had been told by doctors that there was zero chance of them ever getting pregnant and then God blessed them with a child. It was reassuring to hear that God can make miracles in these families, so I know He can do it on ours. At the end of the service, the Pastor invited all the couples who wanted prayer to come up to the front of the sanctuary to be prayed over. Justin and I went to the front, knelt down as many people laid hands on us and prayed.
One woman came and prayed with us for awhile, but she kept stopping in the middle of her sentences and would say, "God wants me to tell you, Fear Not. Keep Faith". We didn't know exactly what was meant by that, but it felt good knowing that God was there for us. When I told my friend, Tiffany, what this woman had said, she got excited: "That's what God said in the Bible when good news was ahead!" It was 3 weeks later that Justin and I found out I was pregnant!
Luke 2:10: "And the angel said unto
them, Fear not:
for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy".
In Luke 1:12 an angel of the Lord said, "Fear not, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John. You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth."
Luke 1:30-31: "The angel said to her, "Fear not, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus."
This year we made a point to go back to Cedar Park. This time we are on the other side. It's so often that people can speak of coincidences. I don't believe Parker was a coincidence. He was a miracle. God gave us our baby in his perfect timing. This year we went back to celebrate our miracle and to share our story. Last year I was there in tears of sorrow and longing. This year I had tears of joy and gratitude. We got to share with the congregation about our son and to pray for couples that are currently trying to conceive. I believe that many of these couples will be back next year sharing how God has blessed them with a child.
Listen to the service and us sharing at: http://www.cedarpark.org/docs/podcast/20120129am.mp3
We are the second couple to share, about 1/3 of the way through the audio.
