“Behold, children are a gift of the Lord,…”
– Psalms 127
This is an earlier picture. We now have, wait for it…
9, yes NINE children and counting. There’s a story to that:
Our Family Story
My amazing wife, Katrina wrote this a few years back. It was posted on Facebook to her friends, but I’m posting it here publicly because I want people to know the amazing God we serve.
The bible says he knows the number or hairs on our heads (Luke 12:7, Matthew 10:30). Have you tried to count your hairs? Oops lost one, that one doesn’t count anymore. But wait…you need to not only count yours but everyone you know plus everyone they know plus everyone they know, ect. That’s a lot of hairs to know about.
Let me tell you a story. An amazing story about how great God is. I moved to Nashville sometime around summer 2002. I started attending church and got involved in a singles small group. I was also attending Lipscomb University to finish my bachelors degree. Time went by, Life went by. 2004 arrived and so did a mysterious pain in my abdomen. Many doctors visits later, I was diagnosed with an Ovarian Cyst. Surgery was scheduled for November 18, right before my Thanksgiving break so I could recover over break. I didn’t make it to that date. I ended up in the ER weeks before and Emergency surgery was scheduled for November 3. It took almost a month to recover. What was supposed to be a laparoscopic procedure turned into full fledge surgery that left me with a c-section scar. A chocolate (blood filled) cyst was found on my left ovary the size of a grapefruit. It was starting to leak which was the cause of all the pain. They also discovered an immense amount of endometriosis that they took out and cleaned up. I wasn’t prepared for that road to recovery. I couldn’t climb my apartment stairs so I moved in with friends for several weeks. I eventually felt normal again but it took time.
February 2005 arrived and the same old pain was back again. Another Cyst, another surgery scheduled. This time the cyst was the size of an orange. After just 4 months the cyst was almost as large as the first one. I told them if they couldn’t guarantee it wasn’t coming back to take my ovary out. Surgery was scheduled for March 18, 2005. A Laparoscopic procedure was done removing the cyst and my left ovary. Recovery was much faster and less painful this go round. They told me to be prepared, I might never have children. At that time I wasn’t dating anyone and had no plans to marry so I didn’t worry about it.
Fast forward May 2005. I graduated from Lipscomb. I was still attending church at Belmont. I had a dream about a guy in our small group. I hadn’t seen him recently at small group. He kind of came and went. I had talked to him a few times but didn’t think we had anything in common even though I thought he was really cute. He didn’t seem that interested in me, so why was I having a dream about him? The next Sunday he showed up at church and I got up the nerve to approach him. We talked, my sister butted in and invited him to lunch with us, he accepted. That day was the beginning of a whirlwind summer. We swapped numbers….we started dating….we found we had a lot more in common than I thought…things progressed. I was gutsy and went wedding dress shopping with my mom before he even proposed. (In my defense my parents didn’t come to nashville often and I was trying to take advantage of them being here). November 18, 2005, He proposed! A scavenger hunt of our favorite places in Nashville, eventually led me to him. Four months later on March 18, 2006 we were married.
Just a little time line of dates and in case you missed it:
November 3, 2004: The day of my emergency surgery
November 3, 2005: The day I went wedding dress shopping.
November 18, 2004: The day I was supposed to have surgery.
November 18, 2005: Chris proposed to me.
March 18, 2005: The day I went from two ovary to one. I was told I might never have children.
March 18, 2006: The Day I said I Do. The day God redeemed my womb for his purpose.
Twelve years later we have 6 beautiful children, and three angels in heaven. Twelve years later God is laughing at the doctors that told me I might never have children.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD”
Isaiah 55:8
We also have a home school academy we run at our homestead in Ohio, Molding Arrows Academy.