He's No Different

I am amazed at some people's faith. Imagine finding out at week 20 of your pregnancy that your baby inside was found out to have many birth defects and would most likely not survive after birth. This is the story of Todd (who sings for the Christian musical group, Selah) and Angelica Smith and their daughter, Audrey Caroline. Their story is how faith triumphs in the midst of pain and heartache.

Below is part of their story as written on Angelica's blog entitled "Bring the Rain." The excerpt below is when they found out from the doctor about their daughter's condition right after the 20 week ultrasound. You can read the beginning of their story here.
-------

It didn't matter...we all knew what he was saying.

When he finished, he turned to me as a father might to his daughter and (I will never forget this) put his hand gently on my knee, as if to acknowledge that I was fragile, and that his intention was not to break me.

"Your child, she has many conditions. Her kidneys are poly cystic and her heart is much too large. Each of these is a lethal condition. There is no amniotic fluid, her lungs are not developing.....you will have some choices to make and........" The rest is a blur, which lasted all of five minutes and most of eternity. Todd went to get his mother in the waiting room, and the kind Belgian man asked me what I was thinking. I don't know where these words came from (actually I do), and I said, "I think that my Jesus is the same as He was before I walked into this room." He stared at me, not comprehending, but possibly relieved that whatever these silly notions were in my mind, at least they were keeping me calm until he could get out of harm's way. As my mother in law came in, I kept repeating, "He's no different, it's okay, He's no different..." We just sat and gathered ourselves for a moment. I wiped off the jelly from my skin and looked at the now empty picture being broadcast on the wall. It felt like a dream, like a long, confusing dream."

----

On April 7, 2008, Audrey Caroline was delivered and entered the presence of Jesus all within hours.

Below is a video tribute of their amazing story, which they have come to believe as part of a greater story. The song is Audrey's Song, which was written and performed at Audrey's memorial service and is part of Selah's latest CD release "You Deliver Me." We shared this song with our friends, Sonia and Joe, who also recently loss their daughter, Natalya Mia six weeks after she was born on August 31st. She too was born with multiple conditions "incomptable with life." The faith in their Heavenly Father has been just as amazing. We have shared this song with them, hoping the lyrics too will be their story - a story part of the bigger story.


There were photographs I wanted to take
Things I wanted to show you
Sing sweet lullabies, wipe your teary eyes
Who could love you like this?

People say that I am brave but I'm not
Truth is I'm barely hanging on
But there's a greater story
Written long before me
Because He loves you like this

[Chorus]
I will carry you
While your heart beats here
Long beyond the empty cradle
Through the coming years
I will carry you
All my life
And I will praise the One Who's chosen me
To carry you

Such a short time
Such a long road
All this madness
But I know
That the silence
Has brought me to His voice
And He says ...

I've shown her photographs of time beginning
Walked her through the parted seas
Angel lullabies, no more teary eyes
Who could love her like this?