Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and you’ll agree; a change of plans is hard.
As a little girl growing up, Ann Patterson dreamed of becoming many things, from a singer to a National Geographic photographer. But the one dream she wouldn’t let go of: becoming a mother. Like most women, Ann had a plan: enjoy marriage for a few years, get pregnant, have four beautiful children—that looked just like her and her husband—and praise God for a long and happy life! But Ann would soon learn the truth behind Isaiah 55.
God’s plans were not her plans, because, after four years of trying to conceive to no avail, Ann’s plans were beginning to crumble. She was, as the tests kept coming back saying, “infertile.” Ann couldn’t help but ask, “God, there are so many women who get pregnant who don’t want their babies. My friends and family over the years got pregnant so easily. And now I’m being told that I will never achieve pregnancy naturally? How could You choose this for my husband and me?!” Christmas, baby showers, and family events would never be the same. Her dream would never come true; she would never be pregnant.
But that’s when Ann and her husband sought help. Through a Christian support group, they met other couples who had also wrestled with the same questions and dreams. And it was these Christian friends who pointed them towards God’s Word on His faithfulness and His sovereignty. Little by little, Ann began to trust in God and His plan for her and her husband. So finally, there came the day when Ann and her husband laid down at the altar their attempts at pregnancy, and they rose up and decided to follow God down the road of adoption. Ann knew that such a decision would mold her into a different woman – the woman that God wanted her to be. Her desires would become His desires. And she found herself praying for God to bless her with children, and not pregnancy. Wow! That’s when she felt true peace in her heart.
But adoption was not easy at first. After multiple attempts to adopt, none turned out successful; plus, it was just so expensive. Yet Ann and her husband did not lose hope! Every letdown was for her a reminder that God’s provision for a child would be even more of a miracle—and a miracle it turned out to be—because not long thereafter, a friend asked if Ann and her husband would pray for the salvation of her mother dying of cancer. That evening, Ann’s husband shared the Gospel with this elderly woman, and to their excitement, she accepted Jesus as her Savior. This dying woman was so grateful for this couple’s encouragement, that upon learning of Ann’s desire to adopt, she handed them a check. And not just any check—a whopping $12,000 check to help cover their adoption fees!
The Lord chose Ann and her husband to be infertile. And then, He took the grief, loss, pain and sorrow of infertility, and gave them a miracle. Because their child’s adoption already had one soul won to Christ before that little one was even part of the family. And that family has grown. This couple now has two adopted little girls. If you know someone who’s struggling with infertility or if you are trying to adopt and are in need of some encouragement, I invite you to visit joniandfriends.org and share Ann’s story with your friends on Facebook and Twitter. And while you’re there, don’t forget to check out a great short video clip on another adoption story at joniandfriends.org. Hey friend, at Joni and Friends we would like to pray for you, so share with us your thoughts and your prayer needs at joniandfriends.org.
© Joni and Friends, 2013
Compliments of Joni and Friends
PO Box 3333 Agoura Hills, CA 91376