My husband proposed to me in a horse and buggy in Central Park, NYC and we were married on October 4, 1997. One of the things God impressed upon our hearts at the beginning of our marriage was to let God control my womb and to welcome as many children into our home as God wanted. I was 18 years old when we married and we were excited that I conceived right away. However, a couple of months later, I had a severe miscarriage. Grief and tears flowed heavily as we experienced what it was to lose an unborn child.

Seven months went by and we thought God was NEVER going to give us any more children, but nine months later we had a beautiful baby girl! As I held her for the first time I could not help thinking what an absolute MIRACLE she was. This time my husband and I cried tears of joy!

Five Children in Four Years!

A little short of eleven months later, we had a boy. Sixteen months later we had another girl. Eleven months later another girl. And 13 months later another boy. Our oldest had just turned four years old and we had five children! How we rejoiced that God had shown us mercy and given us the desire of our hearts!

However, with practically five babies in the house and my husband working long hours, the work on my shoulders was immense. I didn't normally mind the "challenge" of it all. However, one Christmas we packed our bags to visit family. I remember rising from the spare room's bed to wash, dress, and care for all the children before we went out to the kitchen for breakfast. The children had been battling the flu and I was also feeling lousy! My whole body ached and the sick children were cranky. I felt like collapsing onto the bed, but duty called. I had five children that needed help unwrapping gifts and messes to be cleaned up, etc.

Forgetting the Dream!

By the time I fell into bed that night, my husband and I looked at each other and had a heart-felt talk. Could we both go on having MORE and MORE children? We convinced ourselves that five children WAS enough despite our original plan to have as many as God wanted us to have. We began the short journey for a couple of months to do natural ways of preventing me from becoming pregnant. One night, we did not guard ourselves, and with mutual peace knew that God would take care of it all and would NOT give us more than we could handle.

Nine in Nine Years!

Sixteen months later, I gave birth to another boy. Eighteen months later another boy. Thirteen months later another girl. Then, 14 1/2 months later another girl. We now had nine beautiful children with our oldest being nine years old. What a blessing they were and what joy they brought into our home! I turned the age of 30 years old and did not conceive another baby until our youngest was 18 months old (our longest gap so far).

At that time, God called my husband into full-time ministry. I remember the day that we were officially going into the ministry. I was outside doing yard work and all of the sudden felt a "P-O-P!" I never babied myself very much during pregnancy and did not think much of it. However, I went inside to the bathroom, wiped, and saw blood! Oh No! I panicked and called my husband right away.

String of Miscarriages

He came home and we called our mid-wife. We went to the hospital the next day to see on a sonogram a perfect 12 week old baby with NO heart-beat! We chose to have the pending miscarriage naturally at home. We waited a couple of days and I went on with my mothering duties and piano recitals, etc. I cried and waited some more. Finally, the intense bleeding and miscarriage began and my husband rushed home. I bled heavily, like a faucet, for hours! After losing another huge surge of blood, I passed out. I remember my husband calling my name, but I was too weak to open my eyes or respond. He quickly called the mid-wife and 911.

The ambulance came and rushed me to hospital where they continued to let me hemorrhage for another eight hours. I passed in and out and they offered me blood transfusions. I refused at first, but slowly grew weaker and whiter. I was so weak I could hardly move. I KNEW something had to be done. They finally called the doctor and rushed me in for an emergency D&C. The reason for all my bleeding was that part of my placenta was stuck in utero. I lost over 60 percent of my blood so they administered four units of blood through transfusion and wanted to give me a fifth, but I refused. I was still weak, but knew that I would live, praise God!

I became pregnant two more times after that and lost both of those babies! People counseled us to be DONE! How much more could I take? It was better for the nine we had to have a Mama than to lose her while trying to have another baby! The criticism bothered us sometimes, but by God's grace, we remained firm in our decision and continued to trust God Whom we KNEW was capable of handling all of this in His own perfect way!

I got pregnant again (now my 14th pregnancy) and we were THRILLED to have a full-term birth to a beautiful baby girl. Our youngest was now over three years old. This new baby felt like SUCH a miracle to me. During my labor and delivery, I got to 10 cm and the midwife discovered that the baby was in an "undeliverable" breach position. My water had already broken, so it was VERY hard to turn the baby. After two hours later of intense pain and the baby's heart-rate dropping very low every time I had a contraction, she was delivered! Hallelujah! We cried when we held her in our arms!

During all this time, my husband had given up his jobs and was now in total full-time ministry. We had moved from NY State to West Virginia and were excited to pursue God's perfect will for our lives. Our faith was greatly tested in so many ways! Not only from the heart-wrenching loss of our babies, but trusting God to provide for our every need! There were times we got discouraged (and still sometimes do) but we have seen God prove Himself to us so many times, that how can we NOT trust Him?

When our littlest was seven months old, I got pregnant again. We were so excited! Now that I had had a good pregnancy after the string of miscarriages, I felt confident that all would go well this time. I had spotted a couple of times, but that stopped and I tried not to worry. However, at 14 1/2 weeks, I went to the bathroom only to experience that heart-sinking sight of blood on the tissue. Our worst fears were confirmed again as we gazed at another precious baby with NO heart-beat!

FIVE miscarriages! Why was this happening to me? I had so many questions. We had given our ALL to God and it felt like we were being punished. I examined my heart and found a LOT of pride. I was "Super-Woman" who could "do it all" and boast to others of how many children I had! I fell to my knees and begged for forgiveness. I was reminded of how many women cannot even have children! "Oh, Lord, please cleanse me of pride and self-will. Help me remember that this is not only a journey of accepting healthy babies into our home, but also trusting You in times of loss!"

Sixteen Souls for Heaven So Far

I conceived again and was riddled with worry. Surely I would lose this one too! God convicted me to STOP worrying and TRUST HIM! It was then that PEACE came! We delivered another beautiful baby girl on November 27, 2013. We now have eleven healthy children (seven girls and four boys) on this earth and we eagerly await meeting in Heaven someday the five we lost.

God has kept His promise to me in 1 Timothy 2:15, "Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety." I know not what lies ahead in my journey of life, but I know Who marks the way. I can trust Him, even in hard times.

JILL RODRIGUES
Newton, West Virginia, USA
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Jesus Is Enough

Over the past 13 1/2 years of marriage, my husband and I have had one child. A little over 12 years ago, the most wonderful blessing came into our lives. We discovered that God was giving us a baby. She has been a delightful joy in our lives ever since the moment we found out He created her.

Like many people, we unquestioningly started out our married life using birth control. About six months into our marriage we asked ourselves why we were doing this when we knew we wanted children. Therefore we stopped and gave our fertility totally over into God's hands. He blessed us with Murren after challenging us to trust Him whatever His plans for our family might be. He taught us to leave that up to Him. Even though we would be ecstatic if we were to be able to adopt or were blessed again with conception, He has proved that His plans for us are good, plans to prosper us and not to harm us, to give us a future full of hope (Jeremiah 29:11).

I have learned the peace of knowing that our family looks exactly as our Lord would have it look. It doesn't change my desire to mother more children, but it does affect the fact that I can look at the future with hope knowing that He is Lord over it. When we gave our fertility over to God, it was not to get babies from Him. Just as with our lives, when our ability to conceive is given to Him He is free to do with it whatever brings Him the most glory. 

If my barrenness and continued faith brings God glory, so be it. My life is His. It is my living sacrifice. I have given Him my dreams and my plans in exchange for the hope that only He can bestow. He has given me Himself. How can I not be satisfied?

If I place anything in this life, no matter how good, upon God's place in my life it becomes an idol. The desire for children has at times threatened to become my undoing, but God's faithfulness to show me my error and to produce repentance has freed me. How can I teach my dear daughter to love Jesus above all earthly things if I am longing for children more than Him?

Jesus must be enough. And He is. My womb may or may not remain empty and my arms may or may not ever hold another child of my own, but my soul is full. He has given me everything I need for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called me by His glory and virtue that I may be a partaker of the promises. (2 Peter 1:3)

HOLLY LOUGHLIN
McKinney, Texas, USA
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THE FLAMING SWORD

In 1980, my husband and I agreed that we did not want a large family. Two children would be enough for us. We thought they would be too expensive and too much work! We wanted the freedom to do other things with our lives!

When I was growing up in the sixties and seventies, it was becoming increasingly popular for women to be on the Pill and have their tubes tied. I remember that my mother was against both of these options. She believed that it caused the breakdown of the family because it made having an affair easier, and she felt that it was bad for a woman’s health.

When I was getting married she persuaded me not to go on the Pill, but my OB/GYN prescribed it anyway. Being only 18 years old and in college, I especially did not want to get pregnant. So in the beginning of our marriage, I reluctantly went on it. Thankfully it made me ill, and I stopped taking it several months later.

I remember how my mother was also very opposed to a woman getting her tubes tied. She thought that this, too, was wrong and went against God’s plan. She told me not to ever have my tubes tied because, “You never know if you might want to have more children someday and it is unscriptural for a person to make assumptions about their future.”

My mother often tried to talk her friends out of their decisions to have their tubes tied, but most of the time her suggestions fell on deaf ears. Every one of these women have now admitted to her that they regretted their decisions and are struggling to live with the consequences of their choices.Seeing these older women suffer influenced me to never want to have my tubes tied, but my husband felt differently about male sterilization.

He had been raised in a family with five children, and they did not have the luxuries that many families enjoy today. This caused him to desire a small family so that he could give them all the things that he had never enjoyed. After we had our son in 1983 (when I was 21 years old and he was 24 years old), he was content to have no more children. After a few years, I began yearning for a daughter and eventually convinced him to at least try for a little girl.

God blessed us with a daughter in 1988. We both felt that our family was now complete. Because we both feared pregnancy, we were extremely careful to always use contraceptive. Imagine our shock, when three years later, I found out I was pregnant! Both of us were upset, particularly my husband. We felt God had let us down. As the pregnancy progressed, we got used to the idea of having another child, and by the time she was born, the Lord had turned our hearts around.

My husband loved our new daughter from the moment he saw her, but he continued to be upset about the growing needs of our family. He was running his own business, and our finances were very unpredictable. When we experienced leaner months, he especially feared raising children that he could not afford.

The pressure increased greatly, when three years later, we experienced another birth control failure and I became pregnant again! We were both shocked. This time, it really upset my husband. He could not understand why God was bringing added responsibility and why his children might not be able to have all of the things that he had envisioned for them.

During this pregnancy, he talked about getting a vasectomy. The more that he talked about it, the more upset I became. I did not believe in sterilization and somehow knew that it was not the right thing to do. I was pregnant and emotional and was not sure if I wanted this child to be my last.

Our finances hit a big slump, even though my husband worked harder than ever. He felt the unbearable financial pressures closing in on him and called the vasectomy clinic to price the surgery.

As soon as I gave birth, he anxiously waited for my agreement, but I could not find any peace about it. We decided to seek counsel from our pastor. He told my husband that we must agree on this kind of decision. Since I could not agree, we were at a stalemate. This was when God supernaturally stepped in.

One night, when our new daughter was several months old, my husband had a dream. In the dream, an angel of the Lord appeared before him holding a flaming sword. He pointed it toward my husband,

in the direction of his male anatomy, and exclaimed, “Do not abort the plan of the Lord!” Christopher immediately woke up. He was freaked out, to say the least. He woke me up and told me that God had said that he should not have a vasectomy because it would abort God’s plan.

“Wow!" I replied. “Someone great is supposed to be coming through our family lineage for God to send an angel just to tell you not to have a vasectomy. This is wild and wonderful!”

Even after the angel dream he was still very concerned about how we were going to afford four children and maybe even more some day. The finances still did not improve greatly, but God was faithful and merciful to us. After that dream, Christopher would say that he would not mind raising a larger family if we at least had the money to do it. He switched careers and the Lord began to bless him in his new job. The more open he became, the more the Lord blessed him.    

We still continued to use birth control, but four years later, when we found ourselves expecting our fifth child, Christopher and I were in complete agreement. He was no longer upset at the thought of another child. In fact, he was very excited! During this pregnancy he liked telling people that his wife was pregnant with his fifth child, just to see their reaction. The negative responses and rude remarks did not even bother him. He no longer cared what they thought.

After Judah was born, the Lord really convicted our hearts about controllingour family planning. He placed a deep desire in both of us to give this area of our lives completely over to Him. We had never trusted the Lord with our family plan before. This was a big deal for us. But, the more we prayed about it, and the more we read the Word, the more the Lord convinced us to at least be open to Him to choose the size of our family.

As soon as Judah was born, the Lord financially prospered our family. We learned the secret to financial wealth when it comes to the argument of not having enough money for children. God never brings the increase until after the child is born. God’s Word says, “The children of the righteous will not have to beg for bread” (Psalm 37:25). He will provide for His children once they are born.

Within a year and a half of Judah’s birth, the Lord opened my womb again and surprised us with another child. Destiny was born in 1991. We had never had children this close together before, but it worked out fine. After making the decision to trust the Lord with our family planning, my husband’s salary doubled.

In 2002, He blessed us again with a little daughter that we named Haven. Our home and family have become our haven of rest, happiness, laughter, and joy. August 12^th of 2004, God surprised us again with the birth of another son, whom we called Leviticus.

I often wonder what I would be doing if the Lord had not blessed me with this many children. If it had been left up to me, I would have only had the first two. I would probably be working a full-time job in broadcasting or I might have pursued law school or psychology. Maybe I would have owned my own business or gone back to earn a few more college degrees.

Would I have been less busy if I had fewer children? Probably not. In fact, I might have even been busier had I chosen another kind of life. Would I have had more money? Maybe. But then again, I still might not be better off! It is just as easy to spend money when you are raising two children as it is when you are raising eight children!

I would not trade what I have today for all the wealth that I could accumulate in a million lifetimes! I thank the Lord every day for giving me children as my blessings.

This decision to trust God was not an easy one, but we know that it was the right one. It requires our faith to be renewed daily. It requires us to trust Him with all that we have, including our future. We know we are living in the last days and feel these are exciting times to be participating with God to bring the children to earth who will be part of God’s end time army.

My husband and I do not know how many more mighty warriors the Lord will allow to come through our loins, but we are open to welcome each and every one. We are excited as we anticipate who God may bring us next.

RACHEL SCOTT

Windermere, Florida, USA
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Rachel has written a very powerful book called:

BIRTHING GOD'S MIGHTY WARRIORS

This 355-page very exciting book reveals God’s incredible purpose for families to bring forth mighty warriors to advance His kingdom and spread His glory across the earth. Every page is filled with revelation that will excite you and give you purposeful vision for raising your family. This book is a “must” for every family, and those preparing for marriage.

I would recommend this powerful Ebook to everyone. Go to: www.godsmightywarriors.wordpress.com

TEN GREAT REASONS TO HAVE ANOTHER CHILD

By Steve Mosher

One:

Have another child to join with God in the creation of an immortal soul.

Parents are given the incredible opportunity to assist God in the creation of an immortal soul. As the late Cardinal Mindszenty said, even the angels have not been given such a grace.

“The most important person on earth is a mother. She cannot claim the honor of having built Notre Dame Cathedral. She need not. She has built something more magnificent than any cathedral—a dwelling for an immortal soul, the tiny perfection of her baby’s body...Even the angels have not been given such a grace! What is more glorious than this—to be a mother.” ~ Joseph Cardinal Mindszenty Reason

Two:

Have another child to bring joy into your life.

There is no joy like the joy of welcoming another child into your life. You will marvel anew at how perfectly formed your little one is, and over how quickly you will fall head over heels in love with him or her. You will be enchanted with every tiny aspect of her appearance. The color of her hair, the shape of her nose, and the winsomeness of her smile will occasion endless happy debates about from which side of the family (yours, of course) she got that adorable trait. The birth of a child will bind you to God more tightly than ever before, in awed gratitude.

“I thought that one day I would be a famous artist and create great works of art. Instead, God made me a mother, and my children are His masterpiece. The design of their lives will live on after me. What is painted on their hearts will last an eternity.” ~ Anonymous

Three:

Have another child to grow in holiness and virtue.

For those who marry and have families, children are the primary means God uses to help them grow in holiness and virtue. Children teach their parents patience, perseverance, charity, and humility. They give their parents the opportunity to practice the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. They come into the world naked, and we clothe them; hungry and we feed them; thirsty, and we give them drink. All of the things that we are required to do for the “least of these our brothers,” we do first and foremost for our own children. St. Catherine of Siena once had a vision in which God took her to a roomful of crosses and told her to pick one. St. Catherine went to the largest, heaviest cross in the room and would have chosen it. But God told her that it was not for her: That was reserved for the parents of large families.

Four:

Have another child to help end abortion.

When Mother Teresa of Calcutta was asked by a young mother about the best way to proceed with pro-life work, she responded emphatically, “Have a big family. That is the best way to end abortion!”

How this works is not difficult to understand. As children become rarer due to contraception, sterilization, and abortion, whole segments of society become less and less familiar with the sense of joy and hope that only babies and children can give. In this climate, contraception and abortion feed on themselves, as the increasingly selfish few further reduce their number. By having another child, you demonstrate once again to the world that children are God’s greatest gifts. “Children build up the life of the family and society,” as Pope John Paul II has said. “The child becomes a gift to its brothers and sisters, parents, and entire family. Its entire life becomes a gift for the very people who were givers of life and who cannot help but feel its presence, its sharing in their life, and its contribution to the common good and to the community of the family.”

The more children there are in society, the more pro-life that society will become, and the easier it will be for the great evil of abortion to be eradicated once and for all. Deuteronomy 30:19 says, “Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live.”

Five:

a) Have another child so your sons will have brothers and your daughters will have sisters.

Children who have siblings learn early to share. They learn to take turns and to put the needs of others before their own. The bond formed between brothers and sisters is lifelong, and stronger than the bond between the closest friends. Psalm 133:1-2 says, “How good it is, how pleasant, where the brothers dwell as one!”

b) Have another child so your sons will have sisters and your daughters will have brothers.

Boys who have sisters learn the dignity of women. They learn to treat other girls and women with respect as they consider how they would like their own sisters to be treated. Girls who have brothers learn the complementarity of men and women, both fashioned in the image and likeness of God.

“Love begins by taking care of the closest ones—the ones at home.” Mother Teresa

Six:

Have another child so you (and your parents) won’t be lonely in old age.

People who have children don’t have to rely upon strangers to care for them in their old age. Children also become the parents of your grandchildren. Grandchildren bring joy, happiness, and laughter, while still allowing you to get a good night’s sleep! Proverbs 17:6 says, “Grandchildren are the crown of old men, and the glory of children is their parentage.”

Seven:

Have another child because people are our greatest resource.

Humans are blessed with the gifts of an intellect and free will. It is human ingenuity that discovers creative solutions to the problems which confront us. People without children should remember that it will be someone else’s child who will become the doctor that performs their life-saving operations. Someone else’s child will become the firefighter that saves their house. Someone else’s child will become the railroad engineer.

“How can there be too many children? That’s like saying there are too many flowers.” -- Mother Teresa

Eight:

Have another child to contribute to the economy.

Families with children are fuel to the economy, purchasing houses, cars and college educations. Without young people to enter the workforce, social security systems fail. Without children to attend school, teachers are jobless. Many industries, from fast food restaurants to toy stores, obviously rely heavily upon business from and for children to stay in business. But ultimately the whole economy does.

Nine:

Have another child to counter global depopulation.

Anyone who has traveled from coast to coast in the United States and seen the vast empty spaces should know that America is not overpopulated. In fact, the entire population of the world could live in the state of Texas, in single-family dwellings with front and back yards. Fertility rates are falling everywhere. The world’s population will never again double. If current trends continue, world population will peak by the middle of this century and then begin demographic freefall. Our long-term problem is not too many children, but too few children. Having another child will help offset the coming population implosion. Genesis 1:28 says, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth.”

Ten:

Have another child to help populate heaven.

The child that you and your spouse have been generous in accepting from God was created to return to Him, after a life of love, service, and obedience on earth, to spend eternity with God in heaven. Our Lord Himself said that there was plenty of room for those immortal souls. There is no overpopulation problem in Heaven!

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