She had just won the best labor warrior story – twins both weighing eight pounds each, thirty-nine weeks along, a full 24 hours of labor with no progress ending in a C-section. Right then, I deemed this petite, maybe five foot tall woman, one of the strongest ladies I have ever known and that was before I had heard the rest of her story.
“How old are they now?” one of the ladies asked.
The Labor Warrior smiled and proudly said, “one – a boy and a girl.”
“Wait!” I exclaimed. “You have a two year old son and then twins who are one!”
“No, I have just a two year old son. The twins were adopted at birth,” she replied.
None of asked for the story out of respect, but she continued.
She was twenty weeks pregnant and on birth control when she went in for a routine yearly checkup. She left with news that wasn’t so routine.
Her boyfriend didn’t respond so well to the news.
He and his mom dropped her off at an abortion clinic. The front desk asked for her phone, because she couldn’t take it back with her. She turned around and called for a friend to come pick her up.
She left the state and went to live with her aunt and uncle. They had planned to adopt the twins, because they weren’t able to have children on their own. All of the baby items were bought anticipating their arrival. Then her aunt and uncle announce they are getting divorced and can’t adopt the twins.
Feeling hopeless and defeated, she headed to live with her parents. Her friend sent her a text with Romans 15:13. It was the first time she had read it.
Back home, she still felt in her heart that adoption was the best choice. She met with a free counselor that referred her to a personal adoption lawyer.
He handed her a book with adoptive parent profiles and left the room. She slowly flipped through the book all the way to the end. The last couple shared candid photos, a hand-written letter and Romans 15:13. She stared at the verse and remembered her friend had sent it to her just days prior.
He returned and she handed him her choice -- the couple with the candid photos and the Bible verse. The lawyer started to cry. The couple was his son and daughter-in-law. She couldn’t have children.
It turns out the day my friend shockingly found out she was pregnant with twins was the same day the adoptive parents were told they would be parents of twins soon.
Another member of the church they attended came to them and said, “God told me to tell you to quit your job, because you are going to have twins this year. A boy and a girl.”
The lady responded, “That is impossible considering I can’t have children.” It kind of reminds me of other impossible stories from the Bible.
The impossible became the possible.
Turns out it was the first time the Labor Warrior had shared her story -- the whole story at least.
Not sure why she chose us four ladies on the playground to share such an intimate story with, but we were grateful. We had goosebumps the whole time.
She ended with, “They were never meant to be her kids.”
We were all in amazement of her bravery and selflessness.
“I’m not sure how people can hear stories like this and not believe in our amazing God,” I said.
Then she responded, “I was one of the unbelievers until I lived my own story.”
