The Psalmist regularly cries out, “Hear my cry! Attend unto my prayer!” While seasons come and go where the insidious doubt creeps in that maybe the Heavens are brass and God has turned away from our prayers, God will often show His hand in specific ways that reveal He is still actively involved. The birth of our twins was a showcase of His answers to prayer.
We had regularly requested that people pray for a handful of things pregnancy related at our deputation meetings and prayer letters: a healthy pregnancy, a safe delivery for both the twins and Marie, that the twins would not need to go into NICU, and that Marie would not have to have a C-section due to it creating a longer recovery for her with twins and a 14-month-old Serenity. When Marie first went into pre-term labor at about 29 1/2 weeks the beginning of June it very much seemed as though few, if any of those requests were going to be answered. If the contractions had continued much longer, Marie would likely have had a C-section, and the twins would have had to stay a minimum of 6-8 weeks in NICU. That was a difficult time, and in the midst of uncertainty and some tears, we chose to trust God, praise Him, and prepare for the arrival of our little ones much earlier than we had hoped or prayed for. Thankfully, God instead answered the prayers of His people and allowed the little ones to stay in the womb with Marie on modified bed rest.
That entered a new season as Marie was stuck on a couch with irregular, gentle contractions while I played the role of homemaker and caretaker, along with trying to stay on top of normal responsibilities. I cannot recall how many times the prayer went up, “Lord, keep the twins in a little longer,” or how many times we tossed around the phrase, “Every day they stay in the womb is a good day.”
A month went by, and at 34 weeks the Doctor was amazed she was still pregnant. After looking over the ultrasound he told her that if she could make it another week or two there was a good chance the twins would not need to be in NICU. Marie began her countdown, and the final things fell into place that we needed to welcome the twins home. We made it to 35 weeks on Thursday, July 14th and Marie was more than ready to have the little ones. Now it was a waiting game.
We didn’t have to wait long.
Marie had specifically prayed that God would make it clear when we were supposed to go to the hospital. On Saturday, July 16th, Marie started to feel the mild contractions much more regularly, but they were not intense. She began to debate with herself whether or not we should pull the trigger and call our friends to pick up Serenity and head to the hospital. Again, we prayed for wisdom and clarity and the Lord provided it. We arrived at the hospital around 9:00 PM. By 3:00 AM it was obvious the twins were on their way. Marie debated whether or not to have the epidural, but after praying to God for wisdom she decided against it.
By 5:00 AM we were in the Operating Room, with people on standby for an emergency C-section, and a team from the NICU to look the twins over when they came out. If my memory is right, there were about 10 different medical personnel in the room with us. Thankfully the Lord heard your and our cry, and kept her and the twins safe. Both twins were born within the hour, neither twin had to be taken to NICU, Marie did not need to have a C-section, and we were all back in the room with Marie nursing little William and Penny by 7:00 AM! While they both came out a little bruised, the twins were doing well, and to the nurses’ surprise, continued to pass all their tests and check-ups over the next 48 hours. We were thrilled that by Tuesday morning we were cleared to go home with the twins! (Picture: Family picture with our 8-day-old twins and Serenity!)
It was incredible to watch God’s hand through it all. We were regularly amazed at what God did and He used it to bolster our faith for the upcoming challenges and joys that we will face. While we are aware God would still be good if He hadn't answered any of our prayers, He chose to use this opportunity to encourage His people and provide an opportunity of rejoicing among our friends spread out near and far. He reminded us that He is always at work around us, and that one of the amazing aspects of Christianity is that we have access to God to bring our petitions to Him! We are now letting Marie recover and all of us adjust to a new routine. We will soon be gearing up for the final push of deputation before we move to Romania! We are so excited to get there, but so grateful to be here with our family of five. Thank you for your prayers for us all!