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What If It's About More Than the Baby? Living Out God's Heart for Adoption: Part 2
Episode 247th February 2024 • Again • Entrusted Ministries
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As Christians we are called to love sacrificially and without limit. Listen to part 2 of a radical testimony in which Jen and her husband Eric love without a guarantee of a return, obediently following God's prompting. The Sovereignty of God is undeniable in this powerful story.

Scriptures Mentioned:

1 John 4:18

Isaiah 61:3

Matthew 13

Daniel 3


Songs Referenced:

"Oxygen". "Loved", and "Mountains" by Fresh Life Worship

Transcripts

Steph:

They're the joyful agains our children shout on the swings, the

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exhausting agains of cooking and laundry,

and the difficult agains of discipline.

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So much of what we do

as mothers is on repeat.

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So what if we woke up with clarity,

knowing which agains we were called

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to, and went to bed believing we

are faithful in what matters most?

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We believe God's word is

the key to untangle from the

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confusion and overwhelm we feel.

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Let's look up together to embrace a

motherhood full of freedom and joy.

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Thanks for joining us for this

episode of again, brought to

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you by interested ministries.

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I'm your host, Stephanie Hickox.

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And in today's episode, I'm joined

by Jen Frackman, as she shares an

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incredible testimony in which the

sovereignty of God is undeniable.

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It's absolutely one of

those goosebumps stories.

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Jen and her husband, Eric display love

in a most uncommon sacrificial way.

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As they were longing to bring

a child into their home.

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They chose to love women and

children in difficult situations.

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After I originally heard this story,

I pulled her aside and said, I

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want to be like you when I grew up.

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Jen is the type of person

that takes every blessing.

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The Lord gives her and she multiplies it.

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She serves a radically and

lovingly and tirelessly.

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And it's absolutely

evident in this testimony.

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If you haven't had a chance

to listen to part one.

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I'd encourage you to stop

now and go back to that.

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You'll hear Jen's raw

and authentic account.

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Of her struggle with infertility.

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And how the Lord called her and her

husband to serve him through it.

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But today we're bringing you part two

in which we dive even deeper into.

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What did it look like practically

for Jen to love a woman facing

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an unexpected pregnancy.

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We pray that this testimony of

God being in so many details.

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Inspires you to see him at

work and your life as well.

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And encourages you to have eyes

to see where you can be his hands

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and feet to the world around you.

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Jen: So fast forward the next day I

got a phone call and It was, would

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you believe, Easter Sunday morning.

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And I just am like, Oh

Lord, you redeem everything.

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And years prior on Easter Sunday

morning, I got a horrible phone call.

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And then this Easter Sunday

morning, I got the best phone call.

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And it was from a birth mom who, I was

looking to place her baby in adoption,

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but wanted to meet with us first.

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And so I said, absolutely.

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When do you want to meet?

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And she's I can meet now if you want.

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I was like, great.

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So I literally called our babysitter and

was like, can you come over like now?

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And she's like, absolutely,

she knew the story.

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And so she's like, I'm praying for

you as we drove out of the car and

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out of the driveway and downtown.

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And I just remember being

like, what do I bring?

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What do I say?

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I feel like I'm in an interview.

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And I don't know, I

don't know what to say.

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How, how do you go about

having this conversation?

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So I just brought some family photos and

like our photo album that we had and my

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Bible, and we just prayed and I just,

the whole drive down, I was like, God.

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You're going to have to do this

because I don't know what I'm doing.

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I am nervous.

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I am scared.

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How are we going to know who she is?

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I've never met her before.

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All the things, all the things you wonder.

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So we meet at a Starbucks in

the inner city of Chicago and

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it was a shady area, I will say.

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In fact, like the next week on

the news, a person was killed in

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a drive by shooting as they were.

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Walking out of that exact same Starbucks.

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So we were not in our

comfort zone by any means.

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And we we walked in and sat down

and we waited and sure enough,

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there was a pregnant lady who walked

in and we just motioned at her.

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Are you looking for someone?

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Cause we might be them.

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She came over and sat by us and we

introduced each other and it was very It

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was very heavy and it was very hard and.

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I just remember being like,

I don't know what to say.

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I don't often have that.

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I can be pretty chatty, as you probably

know, I didn't know what to say.

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I just waited and , you know, Oh, my

name's Jen and this is Eric and here's

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some family photos, if that would help.

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I, what do you, how do you want to.

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Go about this.

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And do you have questions for us?

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That kind of thing.

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And finally I remember feeling

like the spirit was just so heavy

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in that place that I didn't know

how to move on apart from praying.

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And so I said to her, this

might be really weird.

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May we pray for you?

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I said, we are people of faith

and this just feels heavy and

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hard, and I don't know what to do.

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And I just wonder if you

would mind if we prayed.

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And she looked at us like.

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Okay.

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And so, I looked to Eric

and said, please start.

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And so I put my hand on her

and Eric prayed and then I

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prayed and I am not kidding.

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This stuff never happens to us.

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But there was a man who came over

as soon as we had finished praying.

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He was of Middle Eastern descent

and he looked her right in

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the eye and very strongly and

lovingly said, you can trust them.

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Their God is a good God.

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You may trust these people.

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And I just was like, Oh, my word.

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I got goosebumps.

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I started crying.

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Eric got goosebumps.

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He was like, and mind you,

this is Easter Sunday.

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And so Eric goes, he is risen.

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And I just remember, and he looked

and he smiled and he goes, absolutely.

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And I was like, Oh my

word, this is amazing.

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Like so crazy.

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And

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she.

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I did.

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Steph: know him before

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Jen: That's exactly what I said to her.

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I was like, I promise A,

I did not pay that man.

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B, I have never seen him before.

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And C, this stuff never happens to us.

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I don't, that is crazy.

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But she just said, she

was like, that was crazy.

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I was like, yeah, that was.

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And so then it really.

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The heaviness lifted and we

just spoke to one another and

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just got to know one another.

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And it was like, she had asked me a

couple of questions about how we would

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raise her, what, what we could provide

for her, why we wanted to adopt.

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Um, and then, and then I remember her

saying, I am all alone, like all alone.

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Would it be weird if you were

in the delivery room with me?

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Started bawling.

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I was like, you have no idea.

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And Eric couldn't, I couldn't even talk.

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And Eric just said, you have no idea.

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That's what she's been praying for.

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I had literally been praying, Lord.

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I want to catch the baby.

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just want to be in that room.

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I want to be a part of it.

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I want to be there for that mom.

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I don't want that mom to have

to go through this alone.

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And so in that moment, I

said to her, I promise you.

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No matter what, even if you choose

another family, if you think these

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people are whacked, I don't want them

to adopt this kid, but I will follow

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you through this pregnancy and I will

be in that room with you no matter what.

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And she was like, okay.

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And I'm like, I would love nothing more.

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So I, I just, I was so excited about

that and so excited to just care for her.

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Looking back.

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It's so weird that I didn't have fear, but

I didn't, I had no fear at all because I

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felt so, I was not certain that she was

going to choose us, but I was a thousand

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percent certain that we were supposed

to be in her life for this moment.

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And so I didn't know how it was

going to end, but I was like.

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Super excited that the Lord allowed

us to be able to see this beautiful

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soul walking through this really hard

time and to be somebody that could

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love her and to show her dignity

and honor and just be with her.

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Steph: That's what sets

your story apart so much.

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You so often hear of people who have

this God given love of a child, but

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it's really rare for people to have

such a love for the birth mom as well,

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and even though through those very

hard years of infertility, with all

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of that pain that they've The Lord was

giving you a burden for these women

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that needed to be seen and for you to

follow that through regardless of whether

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it was going to benefit you or not.

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It's just so Christ like and so inspiring.

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I love it.

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Jen: I just felt so excited.

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Like when do you get this opportunity?

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Like it just felt so exciting

to me and I was just so

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grateful to be able to do that.

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So we I started to go to every

single doctor's appointment with her.

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And that was fun and funny all

in the same, because the two of

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us walk in and so who are you?

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Steph: what it looks like?

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Jen: Exactly, exactly.

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Oh, we would laugh so hard sitting in the.

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Waiting room as people were walking

by and I'd be like, I would literally

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have my hand on her tummy and I'd

be like, oh, I can feel you baby.

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I could feel the baby moving.

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We were like, okay, this is a

different situation than I thought.

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So, I got to know her

doctor, which was so cool.

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He was just an amazing OB and

we, he was very much supportive

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of the whole situation.

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And so she was.

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Amazing.

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And she, she gave me the ability to be

in every doctor appointment, anything,

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any question I had, I could ask any

question that the doctor had to her.

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She never made me leave the room.

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She was like, you may stay

as long as you want to stay.

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And she just was absolutely amazing.

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And I learned my role was not

to fear and worry when I would

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hear things that maybe I.

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Wouldn't have done when I was pregnant,

I was, because I had miscarried, I was

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so careful on all of my pregnancies.

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And there were some things that

were just different that she

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had chose to do, which is fine.

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But instead of being fearful or

controlling or demanding of, well,

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maybe you should look this way, or

maybe you should do it this, this

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way, or have you thought about this?

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I didn't do any of that.

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I felt like my role is to love her.

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And to support her.

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And so I will pray for

the things that might.

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Confuse me but I'm going to love her.

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Steph: I know we talk frequently

about the kind of mother in

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law that we want to be someday.

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I think that was really,

really good training

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Jen: yes, that's exactly it.

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Yes, I fully agree.

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I remember saying that at one

point I feel like I'm learning

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how to be a mother in law.

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My role is to support and

to encourage back off,

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Steph: Wow.

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That's, I can't imagine

that that would be, yep.

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Hold your tongue.

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Jen: Yeah, there definitely

were things like that.

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And so I, I would, I would

just say, how are you?

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And, and we'd just talk things through.

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And so I loved that time of getting

to know her and just seeing her laugh

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about things she's amazing in math.

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And so whenever we would go out to lunch

afterward, she would be adding up the

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order in her head as to how much it was.

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And I was like.

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Girlfriend, you are like amazing

at math because I wasn't even

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probably close to what she was doing.

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So she's just like things like that

that I was like, Oh, that's cool.

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She's really good at this.

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And I like the way she smiles or

the way her eyes raise and her

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eyes twinkle when she would laugh.

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And so it was just so fun to get to know

this woman and to become friends with her.

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We would text.

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multiple times a day.

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Sometimes I would be like, Hey, what did

you do when you were a kid at this age?

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Or so what'd you do today?

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Did you go for a walk?

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Who'd you hang out with?

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What'd you do?

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And just had a friendship and

just loved her the best we could.

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And there were a couple

of different things.

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As time went on, we needed to

sign up with different agencies.

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In the state of Illinois,

you have to, as the adoptive

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family, have to have an agency.

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And then, as the birth mom,

she has to have an agency

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that represents her as well.

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And so, She had to sign on with an

agency and sadly, when she did that, the

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caseworker that she was assigned called

me and told me that I needed to back

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off, that I cared too much about this

woman and that I was doing way too much

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for her and I was being too involved

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At this point, I had known her for a

couple of weeks, maybe, maybe even a

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couple of months and had been doing

Everything I could to care for her and to

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within the legal realms of Illinois laws

on adoption, we did everything legally,

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everything as we were supposed to, but

the best we could, we saw her as a friend

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and as family and, and cared for her.

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And I remember telling that lady

I can get pretty feisty when,

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when I, when someone ticks me off

and, and I, I remember being like.

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Righteously angry for the birth mom.

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Just being like, who, who are you

to tell me that I have to back

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off caring for someone like this?

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This is a human being

made in the image of God.

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And I don't care.

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One iota, what you think about this,

but you are going to be backing off if

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you are thinking anyone is backing off.

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And so we, I, I definitely called

the agency and said, we need to get

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a different caseworker on this case.

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And we need somebody who sees her not as.

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paperwork and a file number.

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And they did.

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They gave us another one

and she was wonderful.

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She was so sweet and so

loving and loved our story.

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Loved the relationship we were

having and guided us through

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it in such a beautiful way.

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And I remember the birth mom just saying

like that, that meant a lot to her.

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She's I, I loved that you

fought for me there and that.

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That meant a lot.

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Steph: It's so sad that someone

would oppose the support

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you're trying to give her.

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That's just mind blowing.

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Jen: yeah.

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Well, honestly, it wasn't abnormal.

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You would be sadly surprised how many of

our friends, people that we would tell

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or come into contact with, or we would

tell the story and they would be like,

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Oh, we'll see how that works out for you.

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Or just don't get hurt.

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Don't get so involved.

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You're just going to get hurt.

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And I'm sure in their hearts, they, it's.

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They were trying to protect us.

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They were fearful for us as well.

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Like we were involved and, and

my heart was definitely in that.

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And so I could see how, if you

were outside of the situation,

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it could seem, like maybe.

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We were going to get hurt someday.

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And I kept going back to even if she

doesn't choose us, even if I thrown

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to the curb after this and I am made

a fool for her not giving the baby to

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us, but she chooses life for this baby.

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Then who cares?

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I have the Lord.

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My relationship with the Lord, he will

heal my heart and he will bring me

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whatever baby he wants to bring us.

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But if I can walk this lady

through it and I have the Lord.

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I am strong enough to be able

to handle the heartache, but

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she doesn't have the Lord.

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At that point, she did not have the

Lord and she didn't have anyone.

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So I'd rather sacrifice for that

than to protect my heart because

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I didn't want to get hurt.

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How can you love someone if

you are living in fear of them?

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You can't.

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Perfect love casts out fear.

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Steph: That's exactly the verse

that's been going through my

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head as you're sharing this.

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I, I can see how your trust in

the Lord and your love for her

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left no room for you to fear.

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Jen: You couldn't, you couldn't.

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Humanly speaking, yes,

there were times that.

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If I thought too long by myself, I could

fear, but anytime that happened, I was

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like, no, Lord, I'm going to trust you.

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I'm literally setting my heart and

my mind and my emotions on you.

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And I am trusting you and

overarching over all of it.

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I truly did not fear.

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I felt a sense of this is where

the Lord has you and just.

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Trust me, and I did not ever pray

that she would give the baby to us.

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I remember very clearly saying,

I will only pray for her and for

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the baby to be placed wherever

the baby needs to be placed.

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But I do not want to manipulate

any situation or even pray.

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Selfishly, that we would get this baby.

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I wanted the baby that God had for us

and if this wasn't the baby, great.

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We will wait for the baby that the Lord

has for us, but right now I know my job

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is to love this woman well and to see

this baby through being, being born.

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So we loved her like Christ loved

the church the best we could and we

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tried everything we could to bring

dignity and honor to her and I would

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do things like, there's this song

by Fresh Life Worship that came out.

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In 2015 it was called Oxygen and

there's another one called Loved.

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And so I would play those in

my car over and over every time

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I'd go to a doctor appointment.

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And then whenever we would go to lunch

afterward or we would go somewhere,

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I would play it in the car for her.

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And I would say, these

are our theme songs.

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These are our theme songs.

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And so one of them, the The song

Oxygen says, I will fight for honor.

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You called me out, you washed me clean.

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I'll fight for honor.

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Though none go with me, I will follow.

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All for you, Lord.

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All for you.

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Where you lead me, I will follow.

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All for you.

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In your presence, I find shelter.

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All for you.

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All for you.

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I will give my life to you forever.

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And, and then it goes on to say, I will

fight for honor, not by my will, not by

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my might, but by your power, I will fight.

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And I just remember crying on the way

to the appointments and just being like.

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Yes!

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Yes!

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I will fight for her!

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That, that, that justice gene that

God gave me that I so often hate

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because it makes me angry when

things don't have justice in it,

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that, I'm putting that towards this.

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There's another song by Fresh

Life that was called Loved and it

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says, it's going to be all right.

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It's going to be okay.

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It's a cold, dark night,

but we'll find the day.

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Know that you're loved and when the

world starts to blur and your soul gets

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heavy and when you're at your worst and

the ground is unsteady, know that you're

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loved, no matter what may come your way.

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You don't have to be afraid.

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No matter what you're fighting

through, he'll be there holding you.

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No matter the sorrow, no matter

how tough, today and tomorrow,

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know that you are loved.

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It's going to be all right.

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It's going to be okay.

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Know that you're loved.

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Know that you're loved.

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And so I would tell her all the

time, this is our theme song.

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So whenever she would say, I'm

having a hard day, or I don't

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feel well, or I'm just sad.

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I'm just sad about this situation.

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I'm sad about all of it.

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I'd be like, yeah, it is.

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It's hard,

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but we love you.

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I love you.

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Baby loves you.

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God loves you.

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And, and I'd tell her go listen

to the song and so she would.

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So, as we were doing this and the

new wonderful nice lady of the

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agency started to love her and the

lady at the maternity home, who

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was amazing, started to love her.

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You could see the countenance

of this birth mom.

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Just change.

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She, her situation did not

change, her countenance did.

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It was a lightning of her spirit.

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And she had said to me, I have

never had friends like what

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you've been a friend to me before.

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And I said, that is what

the body of Christ does.

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:

Like this is what believers experience.

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:

And God wants that for you.

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:

And.

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:

He wants to take this hard situation

and make beauty from ashes, and he

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:

wants to use this hard thing to draw

you into a right relationship he could

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:

use anything, but he's using this.

401

:

And this is what God has.

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:

This is what God does.

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:

He is a God who redeems and he is a God

who loves and he is a God who protects.

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:

And so you can trust him.

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:

And she would start to read her Bible and

different things that I would say like,

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:

read this scripture and what about this?

407

:

Or let's talk about this

passage in the Bible.

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:

And she would read it every

single time that I would send

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:

something over, she would read it.

410

:

Steph: You're loving her

well, made her good soil.

411

:

She was so receptive to it because she

had seen the love of Christ in you.

412

:

So then she was ready to

turn to the word of God.

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:

Jen: Yeah.

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:

And she's, she's just awesome.

415

:

I love her so much.

416

:

But so we would talk together about how we

both were going to set our hearts on him.

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:

I'm like, I am setting

my heart on the Lord.

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:

My hope is not in how this ends.

419

:

My hope, in fact, I hope we're

friends for the rest of our life.

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:

Whether you choose to place baby with us

or not, I hope we are friends for forever.

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:

One, because I love you.

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:

You are funny and you are smart

and I like to talk to you.

423

:

And and she was, she was just amazing.

424

:

So anyway, we would talk about setting

our heart on him and, and there was one

425

:

morning where I had a friend who one,

one dear friend, I had multiple friends.

426

:

I, when I said a while ago that, friends

were protective of us, I do think

427

:

that they, they were, but there were

friends that definitely stuck with us.

428

:

Don't get me wrong.

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:

We have a wonderful body of believers

that stuck with us, but I think out of

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:

fear and protection for us, they were.

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:

More leery to get excited for us.

432

:

But this one dear, dear friend of mine

sent me gave me mustard seeds in a

433

:

jar and said, if you have faith, like

a mustard seed, I can move mountains

434

:

and there's a song called mountains

on that fresh life worship album.

435

:

And so I was the morning of the delivery.

436

:

I 10 minute drive that I

had to do in the morning.

437

:

And We knew that she was being an induced

and that I was going to drive there.

438

:

And so that friend got up early

in the morning and called me

439

:

and prayed with me on the way.

440

:

As I drove and I felt so seen and so

loved because I had been caring so much

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:

and I, it was my joy to care for her,

but to have someone see me in that,

442

:

Steph: Mm-Hmm.

443

:

Jen: it meant so much to me and she

just prayed with me for a good amount

444

:

of time and we laughed and I was like, I

don't know what's going to happen today.

445

:

Steph: All right.

446

:

Jen: I don't know.

447

:

I remember packing my bags the night

before I was going to the hospital.

448

:

And I took a baby bassinet and I took

a outfit for taking the baby home in.

449

:

I had a car seat, but was I going to

come home with that car seat empty?

450

:

I had no idea.

451

:

Steph: Wow.

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:

Jen: And I remember being like, it's okay.

453

:

It truly is okay.

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:

Whatever she chooses is okay.

455

:

I will be fine.

456

:

But I definitely felt a little bit,

probably not all the way, but a little

457

:

bit how Abednego felt when they stepped

into that fire, they didn't know,

458

:

they didn't know that God was going to

make no hair on their head be singed.

459

:

They didn't know that.

460

:

They just knew they were

walking in the fire.

461

:

And so I was like, I'm walking in, I

don't know how this is going to work.

462

:

And I, I just felt okay.

463

:

Here we go.

464

:

And so I turned on that worship album

from Fresh Life Worship and I sang my

465

:

little heart out and prayed and cried

that whole hour and 10 minute drive.

466

:

And we got there in the morning

and I pulled up to the hospital

467

:

and I said, I'm here for labor.

468

:

I'm here for labor and delivery.

469

:

And she goes, Honey,

you don't look pregnant.

470

:

I was like, I know, but I'm actually think

my birth mom is giving birth to our baby

471

:

this morning and I just started bawling

and she goes, Oh, oh, that is so awesome.

472

:

I'll, I'll get you right in.

473

:

And so she, she walked me in

and I just remember being like,

474

:

all right, here we go, Lord.

475

:

And I walked into the room and just

gave her a hug and we just talked and

476

:

we laughed and we had conversation.

477

:

And I remember there was a lady in

the room next door who was giving

478

:

birth, who was having a really hard

delivery and was screaming and yelling.

479

:

And she, the birth mom just turns to me

and goes, that girl needs an epidural.

480

:

And I just remember laughing about that.

481

:

And sure enough, she had the baby.

482

:

And I got to be there for

every moment of it and cried

483

:

with her and laughed with her.

484

:

And when the nurse came in and said,

what formula do you want to give?

485

:

She said, ask her.

486

:

And so I was like, take Gerber

Good Start Organic, please.

487

:

And a probiotic, please.

488

:

And, and I got to feed her her

first bottle and it just was.

489

:

Amazing.

490

:

It was absolutely amazing.

491

:

I just, I saw her strength going

through that labor and just being

492

:

able to witness all of that.

493

:

It was just, just a gift from the Lord.

494

:

It just was so beautiful.

495

:

So the hospital had.

496

:

An extremely busy evening

and no rooms were open.

497

:

And so I w I had planned that I was

going to stay in the hospital and that

498

:

is what the birth mom had wanted as well.

499

:

So she's well, you need

to find her a room.

500

:

And I was like, well, gee, I, I

don't, I don't really know what to do.

501

:

Like I can sleep on the couch

in your room if you want.

502

:

I, I, what do you feel comfortable with?

503

:

I can go home.

504

:

I can get a hotel.

505

:

I can come back.

506

:

Like you tell me what you want.

507

:

And she's I want you here.

508

:

They need to find a place.

509

:

And so there was this like utility

closet that had the machinery and

510

:

different extra beds and things in,

it was literally a closet and they're

511

:

like, we can empty that out for you

there and put like a couch in there.

512

:

And I was like, I'll take it.

513

:

So

514

:

Steph: feels like there

was no room in the end

515

:

Jen: yes, it totally did.

516

:

It did.

517

:

It did.

518

:

So I took that room and we decided

that I would take baby at night.

519

:

And she would have baby during the day.

520

:

And so I fed baby at night,

did all the night feedings.

521

:

And then in the morning, whenever she

would call me or the nurse would come

522

:

and knock on my closet door and say,

the birth mom would like the baby, then

523

:

I would wheel the baby down and Often

I would hold the baby while she was

524

:

taking a shower or whatnot, but she

would hold her and care for her during

525

:

the day and I would often just ask,

Would you like me to leave the room?

526

:

Do you want to be alone?

527

:

And sometimes she would want

to be alone, but most of the

528

:

time she's No, you can stay.

529

:

You're fine.

530

:

So we just bonded the three of us and

and just, Really, it was just a beautiful

531

:

time and just getting to know her and love

her and feed the baby and care for the

532

:

baby, but also care for the birth mom.

533

:

I remember helping her get out of the

shower at one point and just knowing Oh,

534

:

I've been there giving birth and you're in

pain and your body and just all of that.

535

:

So trying my best to love her well and.

536

:

Also care for baby, but also oh my

heart every time I'd hold this baby

537

:

I'm like, how am I gonna do this?

538

:

And the fear started to creep in of

like I'm in this I am in the fire And

539

:

I am in and my heart is it's deep.

540

:

It's involved and I stayed there for

the two full days that they had us and

541

:

Eric, the plan was that I was going to

take the baby home after interstate had

542

:

cleared if the baby was signed over to us.

543

:

But Eric had noticed that my strength

was waning and I was exhausted.

544

:

I wasn't sleeping at night

cause I was feeding the baby.

545

:

And then all day I was helping with the

mom and just the emotional toil of it all.

546

:

And I fully believe there was

spiritual warfare, just the

547

:

devil trying to do his thing.

548

:

And so I was pretty weary.

549

:

And so Eric left early.

550

:

Brought the kids with my parents and he

came down to be with me in the hospital

551

:

and he walked into the room and he

stayed there for about five minutes

552

:

and was like, let's go in the hallway.

553

:

And he came out and he goes, I don't

know how you've done this for 48 hours.

554

:

The weight in that room is so thick.

555

:

You need a break.

556

:

I'm going to get you some food.

557

:

We're going to leave and we're going

to take a breath and we're just going

558

:

to let ourselves just have a moment.

559

:

So he took me to a restaurant and

ordered for me as I just stared and he

560

:

was like, So, what are you thinking?

561

:

What do you feel?

562

:

And I was like, I don't know.

563

:

It was going great.

564

:

And then it didn't like my

heart is just I'm scared.

565

:

I'm scared.

566

:

My heart's in this and she's gonna sign

soon or maybe not and not what do I do?

567

:

And how do I handle this?

568

:

And So we just prayed that the Lord would

just help us to not fear and to not, not

569

:

worry and to not care about ourselves,

but to lay down our life for our friend.

570

:

And so I just, we just prayed, Lord,

just fill us with your Holy Spirit and

571

:

give us the strength and whatever is

the best for this baby, let that happen.

572

:

We don't care what that is.

573

:

Honestly, take our desire out of

this, not our will, but yours be done.

574

:

Whatever is the best for this baby.

575

:

And we just prayed and prayed that.

576

:

And we came back to the hospital and.

577

:

In my room at this, Oh, and at this

point, the hospital had found a room.

578

:

Some mom had left.

579

:

And so they gave me an actual bedroom.

580

:

And so I had worship

music playing on repeat.

581

:

So when I would walk in, I was just filled

with the Holy Spirit and would pray.

582

:

And in my room, when we came back

from that lunch was the mom at that

583

:

maternity home who had signed us.

584

:

Up to, or who had gotten my postcard.

585

:

She came to be with us and to

just pray and to, she's I don't

586

:

know what's going to happen, but

I just want to support you too.

587

:

And so she sat with her for

the birth mom for a while.

588

:

She sat with us and she just

sat, I just will never forget.

589

:

She sat in a rocking chair

in my room and just prayed.

590

:

And she just prayed over

us, prayed out loud.

591

:

She'd pray quietly.

592

:

She would write prayers down in her

notebook and she just prayed and Eric

593

:

and I would be talking and she just

was quietly in the corner praying.

594

:

And

595

:

Steph: That's incredible.

596

:

Jen: was incredible.

597

:

I just, I feel like, oh, to be able

to be that person that thinks through

598

:

enough that this need, they only have a

need to be prayed over and I'm going to

599

:

go there and physically pray over them.

600

:

Like she could have done it from

her home and texted me, but having

601

:

her presence there, it was like,

oh, that just meant so much.

602

:

It was, it was beautiful.

603

:

So, Eric and I laid on the hospital bed

together and I remember taking a selfie

604

:

and being like, well, is she ours?

605

:

I don't know.

606

:

And we smiled and took a picture.

607

:

I know it's a complete cliffhanger,

but we're going to leave you there

608

:

so that we can continue to tell this

story in the detail that it deserves.

609

:

I'm sure you've been incredibly inspired.

610

:

Oh, by the way, Jen and Eric

and others loved this birth mom.

611

:

Through a difficult time.

612

:

And how the Lord did.

613

:

Bring beauty from ashes.

614

:

We can't wait for you to hear.

615

:

Part three next week.

616

:

I want to remind you to leave a

review if you've been blessed by this

617

:

podcast and to share it with others.

618

:

Steph: We know you're busy, Mama,

so we are truly grateful you joined

619

:

us for this episode of Again.

620

:

If you're looking for more information

about building your home on the

621

:

foundation of Jesus Christ, head to www.

622

:

EntrustedMinistries.

623

:

com to learn more about our study for

moms, Entrusted with a Child's Heart.

624

:

This scripture saturated study

has blessed families around the

625

:

world, and we want it for you, too.

626

:

Before you go, I want to pray

this benediction over you

627

:

from 2 Thessalonians 1, 11 12.

628

:

We're rooting for you.

629

:

To this end, we always pray for you,

that our God may make you worthy of His

630

:

calling, and may fulfill every resolve

for good, and every work of faith by

631

:

His power, so that the name of our Lord

Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in

632

:

Him, according to the grace of our God.

633

:

And the Lord Jesus Christ.

634

:

Amen.

635

:

Until we meet again.

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