But did I really believe it? Am I really putting it into practice? And it was not until December, 2010, that I had to find out if this was more than just a trite Christian mantra. As December, 2010, approached, we were anxiously awaiting a new arrival to our family. After 3 boys, we were finally having a girl. Needless to say, I was quite nervous. I grew up with 2 brothers. I had 3 sons. I didn't know what I was going to do with a little girl in the house. And Pam was looking forward to no longer being the only female in the house (or as she referred to it, "a locker room, with a refrigerator").
Then, in the early, early morning hours of December 1, the days were accomplished that Pam should be delivered, and Hannah was born. As we was in the hospital that morning, admiring this beautiful girl that God had entrusted to us, a doctor and nurse entered our room. They were rather blunt. Bedside manner was not necessarily their strong point. They told us, that due to some of the physical characteristics that they saw in our daughter, they believed that she Down Syndrome.
Needless to say, this news hit like a ton of bricks. Here we are, with a newborn daughter that was not even 6 hours old, being told that she has an incurable genetic abnormality. While this should have been a time of rejoicing, it became a time of fear and uncertainty. I asked myself "Why us?" What did we do to deserve this? This is something that only happens to other people. It can't really be happening to us, can it?
They drew some blood to send it out for testing. We waited for what seemed like months to get the results. Eventually, after a week, the test results came back and confirmed what the doctor had expected - Hannah did have Down Syndrome.
We struggled to accept this news. It was difficult. We did not know what we were in for. We hadn't prepared for this. How is this going to affect our lives? What are we going to do?
After a few weeks, we finally let people know the news. The reception that we received after this announcement was overwhelming. We met people in the church who we had never spoken to before, who wanted to let us know that they had relatives with special needs, or that they worked with children with special needs, and that they would be more than willing to give advice, encouragement, and other kinds of help because of their experiences. We received encouragement in the form of cards and e-mails. Many let us know that they were praying for us.
I can't begin to tell you how much that meant to us. It was encouraging. It was a blessing. It meant more than any of you could ever know. Over the years, we have continued to see your kindness towards us, and towards Hannah, and I can't tell you how appreciative we are of that.
I want to thank those of you who have been Hannah's teachers. I want to thank those of you who have given us advice. I want to thank those of you who have given us encouragement. And I want to thank those of you who greet Hannah personally and make her feel welcome.
Because of these circumstances, Pam has a job that she most likely would not have had if it weren't for Hannah. She is able to help others who have children with special needs. We both belong to several Down Syndrome support groups, where we have a chance to offer advice, get advice, and encourage others who are in the same situation. And without Hannah, I would not know what it is like to jump into 35 degree water on a 20 degree day in the middle of January to help raise money for Special Olympics.
I would also like to thank God. We serve a God who wants us to have a relationship with Him, even though we fall short of His glory on a daily basis. I'm thankful for a God who forgives us when we ask for it. In America, when a Down Syndrome diagnosis is made while a child is still in the womb, the abortion rate is 80-90% (depending on the study you are looking at). In Iceland, the abortion rate under these circumstances is effectively 100%. Why? Because the child does not live up to someone's expectations.
I'm so thankful that I serve a God that does not do the same thing to us when we fall short of His expectations for us. As we have seen from our Pastor's messages from the book of Judges, even though we fall short, God will forgive us when we ask for it.
On December 1, Hannah will be 7 years old. The time has flown by. We couldn't be more proud of the person that she has already become. We can't wait to see how she continues to grow and develop. We look forward to what her future will be.
After these past several years, with all of the ups and downs that we have gone through, I can come before you and honestly say that "God is great. God is good. Let us thank Him."
