Precious Bundle of Joy - Rebekah (Part 1)

(Permission given by Rebekah to share this story with you .)
     When we first laid eyes on precious Rebekah she was just a few days old.  Nestled in the crook of my arms, this adorable tiny baby snuggled into my chest.  What a pretty little baby she was!  Beautiful brown skin and a little tuft of hair held together with a tiny pink bow.  Rebekah was just lovely to gaze upon.

     Rebekah's adoption story is special -- as are all children who are adopted.  This youngest daughter of ours is now 15 years old and has given me permission to share her story.  I hope you are as amazed as we were as we watched this story unfold!  In June 1996, just two months since I'd finished my last round of chemotherapy for breast cancer --

      One evening Rick and I reflected upon our lives together.  We both remembered regretting the inability to have a third child.   After Jeremy's birth I had surgery to prevent another pregnancy.  In retrospect we wished we'd not carried through with this plan, but also acknowledged the fact that another pregnancy would have caused my cancer cells to grow even more quickly. 

      On this particular night Rick and I stayed awake talking together for awhile.  Eventually I fell to sleep but Rick stayed up long enough to send a short prayer to God,  "If you ever see fit to bless us with a third child, we were be very grateful."  Rick didn't share this prayer with me for a long time.

     A few weeks later Rick was having lunch with a friend from our church.  During this time Paul* asked an unusual question,  "Are you and Kathy thinking about adopting a child?"  A little taken back Rick said that we weren't and asked "why" he asked this odd question.  Our friend cautiously replied,  "Because God has given me a vision," and then, proceeded to share the details with Rick.  "I saw the whole family gathered around Kathy as she held a newborn baby.  Everyone was sitting or standing around the sofa in your living room.  I couldn't see if the baby was a boy or a girl, but it was a newborn and everyone was very excited to welcome this little one into your family."

      Later when Rick shared this conversation with me I was stunned.  I'd recently finished chemotherapy and our son was struggling with autism. It seemed impossible for any judge to grant us custody of another child!?  After all, how long would I live given the possibility of cancer recurrence?  And how much attention could I offer a newborn baby with an autistic child to deal with. 

     After some discussion we decided not to do anything -- in fact, I thought the whole idea sort of silly.  Life went on as usual.  Then a couple months later Paul called Rick once more to say,  "This morning I was praying and believe God wants you to hear, again, that you and Kathy ARE going to be blessed with another child within a year.  I believe that God wants you and Kathy to prepare for this gift by praying for and expect the arrival of this special baby."   As you can imagine, we were astounded by this man's words.  

       With nothing to lose we began praying earnestly for this special little baby who might someday enter our home.  Neither of us were totally confident that these visions were Truth, but thought  prayers could only help move the process along if God was truly planning to bless us with another little one. 

        Then one chilly, but awesome morning in October Rick shared with me a journal entry he'd written just days before.  On that particular morning he had written,  "I believe God is nudging us to begin praying for our new baby to come and her birth mother.  I believe we are to pray that this birth mother come to know God and that her newborn child would be protected throughout this pregnancy."  Rick journaled this in October -- something important to remember.

       With renewed strength and courage we began praying together for God's will to be done.  We were careful to pray only for God's will and for guidance.   Rick and I agreed to only a few others which didn't seem to include members of our own families.  It was an exciting time --  a journey that would have many peaks & valleys.  It was to be an awesome story for Rebekah to learn about as she grew up.  She would learn just how much God loves His children -- even children who are special because of their adoption.

"Delight yourself in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.  Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass."  Psalm 34: 4, 7    

* Name Changed To Protect The Identity of Our Friend