There are so many things I could share that God has done in my life. I will share more. Tonight, I feel I should share about the what God did regarding my fourth and fifth child.

My fourth died in the womb. He is Joshua Michael, born in 2002. I was in my second trimester when we learned he had died. It was very difficult for my family. They admitted me into the hospital and induced labor and I gave birth to him. When they brought the baby to my husband and me, we were amazed at how perfect he looked to have been so little. It gave me a deeper love for babies who are aborted. As time went by, I grieved his death and the Lord gave me a deeper love for women who miscarry or lose a child. I know Joshua is with Jesus. His ministry was fulfilled on this earth as the experience caused my husband and I to grow much, much deeper in our faith and understanding about the God who gives and who takes away. We have been better able to support and empathize with families who have experienced loss.

After losing Joshua, I told my husband, 'I will never have another baby. I could never chance such an experience again.' So when my husband and I were intimate, we worked hard at NOT conceiving. The Lord spoke to me one night and said, 'Be with your husband tonight. I want to give you a son. He will be healthy. His name will be Thomas. His ministry will be unlike your other children.' I obeyed the Lord and within a few weeks I learned I had conceived. I had decided that this baby 'could' not be named Thomas, as my husband nor I liked it. I left it in the Lord's hands. I did look up the meaning for the name. It's meaning is, ironically, 'twin'. I was told several times that me or the baby could be in danger but I remembered the word God gave me. 'He will be healthy.' I gave birth to him in 2003. His name is Benjamin Thomas.

Do not fear obeying the Lord. For in obeying, He blesses.