Baby Elsie was born with a giant Omphalocele - an extremely rare, life threatening condition in which some of the organs are formed in a sack outside of the body. Hannah and Simon together share their story of what it was like receiving that diagnosis of their preborn child, what their response was and how the whole journey has affected their faith. We also hear about how faithful and trustworthy our loving Heavenly Father is. What really struck me about this couple is their incredible willingness to trust God no matter what the outcome. Their ability to trust Him is an inspiration to me and I know this conversation is going to be a blessing to you too.
Some highlights from our conversation:
A doctor said to them, “I wouldn’t be optimistic for a good outcome.”
How did they survive such difficult news? Hannah’s response was, “I just had to really choose to stay focussed on who God was. The God I knew a few weeks ago isn’t different, He’s the same today, yesterday, tomorrow. My circumstances have changed and yes it’s overwhelming and it’s scary at the time but I had to make sure that I didn’t let what I knew about God change because of what I was feeling or seeing or hearing.”
Hannah “My circumstances aren’t God and He is greater than my circumstances.”
Hannah “We don’t actually know what is going to happen… but… we knew what we did know and that is who God is.”
When faced with the option of termination Simon says, “We were always going to go forward with the pregnancy no matter what the outcome was.”
Hannah “Only God knows what’s coming. God will be ultimately enough. He has a plan.”
Hannah tried to find comfort through googling and joining online groups and while she found them helpful, she realised that she was trying to take the place of God’s comfort.
It might feel out of control to me but it’s not out of his control.
It had to be a comfort that comes through the peace that only He can give.
“I had to really yield to God, surrender to Him and know that He is the one who could tell me what the internet couldn’t tell me.“ That would help her to go into the next ultrasound with peace, knowing that God would be with them.
“It is God that I can only rely on.”
“He is reliable and I could put my trust in Him.”
Simon “We don’t know the future but we can cherish every moment that we have.”
Some scriptures they held onto:
Colossians 3:2 - Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things.
Psalm 72:18
Psalm 68:35
Hannah knew that “He would be present and strong when we need Him to be.”
On the day of the planned caesarian Hannah felt an amazing peace that could have only come from God.
When talking about the moment that Elsie was born and taken away for care, Hannah felt like, “It’s not in my hands, it’s not in my control but I feel comfortable in that. Who I can rely on is God.”
The night she was born Elsie went into a crisis state.
Simon and Hannah have been told by doctors that Elsie is a miracle.
Her story has been in nearly every newspaper, magazine and news channel around Australia.
Through Elsie’s story “people have seen the preciousness of life, no matter how it starts, it is precious.”
God does care and He can do miracles and He has a different individual story for each of us; one that is beautiful no matter what the outcome is.
When asked how has this changed you? Hannah answers, “We’re not here to live a comfortable life…but actually we’re here to serve God and give Him the glory and do His will and be His hands and feet, ready to be His witness.”