Great and Mighty Things, Part 4

Although we had been through much, the most important lessons were still to come. Trusting God when things go our way is easy. But will we trust Him in the valleys? Circumstances do not change the truths of God’s Word. He is always faithful and does not change. These were the things we still needed to settle in our hearts.

The morning after Sarah was born, I woke up to a strangely quiet room. No nurses. No monitors. Not even my husband was in the room. I waited and rested until a nurse finally did come to check on me.

"Oh, you're awake! Great! We want to get you up and walking as soon as possible. Your husband should be back soon. He's visiting with the babies right now," she said.

And, indeed, Mike did come back before long.

"How are our daughters this morning?" I asked him.

"They are fine and enjoying their moment in the spotlight!" he replied.

"Spotlight? What are you talking about?" I questioned.

"Oh, you'll see!"

And there was a lot to see! Cameramen from the four Denver news channels, several area newspapers, as well as an entire crew from the national late-night news show, American Journal, were all crowded around the NICU waiting room. They had been there since the early morning hours waiting to do a story on the miraculous birth of our twins! The American Journal crew had flown from New York to Denver as soon as they had learned I was in labor with Sarah! Mike had already done a news conference for all of the Denver stations and about an hour of interviews with the American Journal team. Now they were all waiting, hoping to receive permission to enter the NICU and film the babies. The whole scenario was unbelievable to me.

I was taken back to my room to continue resting until the crowd dispersed, so I could then go to see the girls. As it turned out, the C-section was pretty hard on my body, and I did not bounce back right away. I actually passed out the first time the nurse tried to get me on my feet. Thankfully, Mike caught me from falling hard and causing any injury. But eventually I did make it down to the NICU in a wheelchair, where I was allowed to visit with both of my daughters for the first time.

Seeing them together overwhelmed me with thankfulness to God for all that He had done, and it brought such a weight of responsibility to train these children in the ways of the Lord. It literally was a life-changing moment for me - a moment that I would not trade for anything in the world. Amazingly, the girls were only about one ounce different in weight on that day, despite their very different experiences for the previous nine weeks. They each rested in their own bed, but the isolettes had been placed next to each other so I could see them both at the same time.

Rachel's birthday was January 16; Sarah's was March 17. The doctors said a good goal for them was to leave the hospital by their due date, which had been May 5. So we began to pray toward that end. Every day, I would travel to the hospital and sit with them for hours. We worked on feeding with Sarah, but Rachel was still too weak for that. Eventually, I was able to give them both their bottles at set times throughout the day. As they gained strength, I was allowed to dress them and change their diapers. (Although I'm not really sure why I was happy about that, at the time I absolutely loved doing it!)

About two weeks after Sarah's birth, we received a phone call inviting us to participate in an upcoming episode of the Maury Povich show! Although this is not a program I would recommend, we felt that God was giving us another opportunity to share His love with the world, so we accepted. They paid our way to fly to New York City for the filming, as well as hotel accommodations for the nights we would be there. Mike asked if we might stay a little longer to tour the city, and they agreed.

Again, by God's providence, Mike's brother-in-law was in New York the same week we were. He happened to be leading a mission team of high schoolers. Kent and a couple of his students were able to get tickets and attend the taping of the show. Mike also had a great-aunt who lived in NYC. She came to visit us at our hotel, and she provided us with maps and lists of free things to do, as well as some money to go somewhere special. We were able to watch a Broadway musical and have a nice dinner one evening.

Just before the taping of the show, we called the hospital to check up on the girls and get the latest update. The nurse on duty told us that the doctor was considering releasing Sarah from the hospital on the day we returned to Denver! We were able to share that good news on the program, along with the rest of the story of God's miracle-working power in our lives.

When our flight landed back in Colorado, we went straight to the hospital to see the babies. We ended up staying the night there and taking Sarah home the next day, April 1 - a full month before their due date! Again, the news stations were out in force. As we descended the escalator into the lobby of the hospital, a mob greeted us. They were shining bright lights, rolling cameras, and shouting questions at us. One reporter in particular got up close to us and asked, "How hard is it for you to take Sarah home today and leave Rachel behind?"

That was more than I could bear, and I broke down and sobbed for all the world to see! Mike managed the question much more graciously, and then he hurried me out of the hospital and into our waiting car. I think I cried the whole way home. And once we arrived, we learned that the news crews had followed us home!

They came in for a brief time to film the house, which was not really prepared for babies yet. Since we were still living with Mike's parents, we didn't have a nursery or even a crib. But they found matching outfits and bibs and Rachel's still unused car seat. They made a big deal of having Sarah home while Rachel was still in the hospital.

By the time everyone else had left, we were emotionally and physically drained. We fixed a small couch cushion on the floor next to our bed for Sarah. We slept hard that night, but the next day we went right back to the hospital to be with Rachel. Of course, Sarah was no longer allowed in the NICU. Over the course of the next few weeks, friends and family went with us to the hospital so that someone could stay with Sarah while we went in to see Rachel.

Finally, on April 30, three and a half months after her birth and six days before her due date, Rachel came home from the hospital. With the Lord's help, we were in our own apartment by then. Many people and companies in the Denver and Boulder areas had donated gifts to us. Cribs, high chairs, a stroller, formula, diapers, and clothes were all donated. Often, people would recognize us and ask us about the girls. In stores, clerks realized who we were and gave us our purchases free. It really was a blessing to see how God used our story to touch so many lives. We can only pray that people made eternal decisions for the Lord because of this.

Life began taking shape, and our new normal included endless feedings and changings, late nights and early mornings, doctor's visits and therapies. But each day was precious with our girls. As time went on, we began to recognize that Rachel did indeed have lingering effects of the bleeding in her brain. Over and over, people told us stories about other children they knew who had had a rough start in life, but were now "perfectly normal." While we appreciated their kind thoughts, these stories did little to encourage us as we saw Sarah's development quickly passing Rachel's.

By the end of the year, nearing Rachel's first birthday, the twins' development was strikingly different. Sarah was walking, eating solid foods, and generally behaving like a toddler. Rachel was unable to sit independently, could still easily choke on liquids, and spent her time in my arms or lying on a play mat. People who had originally been supportive began to question us and God.

"What kind of God would be so cruel to an innocent little baby?"

"Why don't you just pray for healing? Can't your God make her better? Where is your faith?"

"Now where is the God that you said worked this miracle?"

"What did you do to make God mad at you?"

These types of questions and accusations were especially difficult, and yet, we knew that God had created Rachel on purpose, for His purpose. And we still know it! During these dark days, God used His Word to comfort us and help us understand His plan. Jeremiah 33:3 says, "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not." God had already shown us miracles that we never would have dreamed, and we purposed to trust Him still.

As Mike was studying God's Word and seeking the Lord's answer to these things, God brought him to John 11. It is the story of Lazarus' death, Mary and Martha's reactions, and eventually, Jesus' raising Lazarus from the dead. Now that is a miracle! Two things were apparent to us from this story. First, God had a reason for Lazarus to become sick and die. It was for His own glory!

"When Jesus heard that [Lazarus was sick], he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.” (John 11:4)

Second, Mary and Martha did not trust Jesus as they should have. They had faith that Jesus was the Son of God and that He would resurrect all believers in the last day, but they did not trust His decision to allow Lazarus' death. After Jesus spoke with them, however, they began to trust Him. For a long time, I approached Rachel's disabilities with faith. I knew that God could heal her at any time, for He can do anything. But I was not willing to trust that He knew what He was doing when He made Rachel differently.

While I'd like to say that I had a change of heart and have never doubted God again, that is not true. I have had seasons of trust and peace with what God is doing in Rachel's life, and I have had seasons of doubt and worry. What I can report, though, is that God is ever faithful. He has never stopped loving me. He has never stopped working in and through my daughters. He has never stopped being good.

As a result of Rachel's condition, God has given us more opportunities to trust in Him. I do not mean that lightly or flippantly. Daily, we must lean on Him for direction, help, support, and guidance. Often, I need His help spiritually, when I don't want to trust any longer. Sometimes my need is emotional, when I am just tired of dealing with these struggles. And very often, my need is literally physical, as I lift and move my daughter throughout her day.

But God has never failed me.

And He will never fail you, either.

That is the Great and Mighty Thing that I pray you will take from our story.

Today, Rachel is 25; Sarah will be 24 for a few more weeks. They both graduated from high school in 2014. Sarah earned her bachelor’s degree from Maranatha Baptist University in May 2019, just a few weeks after marrying Colton Lingle. Sarah teaches 5th and 6th grades at Bethany Christian School, and works as a birth doula, while Colton works to learn the intricacies of running a business. Together, they are hoping to serve as Christian workers in a country closed to the Gospel. That’s just another evidence of God's great and mighty work.

Rachel still lives at home. She is working on some independent living skills, such as cleaning, cooking, and shopping, but we expect to keep her with us as long as we are able.

One more miracle about our girl, and then I will be done. When we were first told that Rachel had severe bleeding on both sides of her brain, we began to pray that if she were to have a handicap, it would be primarily physical. We begged God to allow Rachel to understand Him and His Word above anything else.

Around her 6th birthday, she had some testing done on her brain, because we thought she might be experiencing seizures. At that time, the doctors gave us a startling discovery. The part of Rachel's brain that should have controlled her reading, comprehension, and speech was completely gone, wiped out from the pressure created after the bleed. The area of the brain that should have controlled her motor skills was still in tact and largely unaffected. But for those of you who know Rachel, you realize that she does not fit that description at all!

Although she is unable to walk or even use her right hand, her speech is beautiful, her reading is fluent, and she knows and loves God and His Word! She has a catalog of hundreds of verses and songs in her memory, and she is not hesitant to share those with others. What man sees as impossible, God has accomplished. Glory to His name!

"Call unto Me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee GREAT and MIGHTY THINGS, which thou knowest not."

I trust that you have been blessed by the testimony of our twins’ births. Please feel free to share this with others as often as you’d like. Rachel has written a tract about these things and her own salvation testimony. You can purchase copies of “Twins Twice” here. We do not earn any commission on these, but make them available for you to use in your own witnessing opportunities.

For part one of this story, click here; for part two, click here; and for part three, click here.