I'm pregnant!!!

Jeff and I are excited to FINALLY get to share this news with all of our friends. It has been so hard keeping it a secret. Plus, I'm terrible at keeping secrets to begin with. Here is our story.

Jeff and I had been trying to get pregnant for over a year. At first we didn't worry but after a few months we started to get concerned. We went to the doctor and she said that everything was fine. Meanwhile, it seemed that everyone around us was having kids. This was really hard and we didn't understand why things were happening the way they were so we continued to pray about it.

One Sunday during Sunday School, our friend Jamie, talked to us about a man named Brother Max. He is a traveling preacher and comes to Birmingham a lot. He is a man of God and meets with people to minister and pray with them. Jamie invited us to one of his services on Saturday, January 28th. Jeff and I were very skeptical about going because we didn't know what to expect but we went any way. Brother Max started the service by telling a little about himself, preached a short sermon, and then started praying for individuals in the crowd. There were about 30 people there.

After about an hour, Brother Max came to me and Jeff. He asked if he could pray for us together and we agreed. He prayed  for us as a couple and then directed his prayer towards me. One of the main things he said was that God has given me the gift of taking difficult concepts and breaking them down for others to understand. Wow, I'm a teacher so that made complete sense. He talked to Jeff and said that God had given him the gift of a brilliant mind. You can imagine how much Jeff liked hearing that! He went on to explain how Jeff liked figuring things out. He enjoys puzzles and working with numbers. This was all very true. Then he asked us if we had kids. I knew he would ask that and immediately started crying. He had a few more questions and then asked if he could pray for us. He prayed for healing...that whatever stopping us from getting pregnant would be healed. Jeff and I left the service shocked. We were blown away by the prayers and felt really close to God.

A few weeks later, Brother Max came back for another service at our church. We invited Jeff's parents to attend with us since Sue (Jeff's mom) has pancreatic cancer. Bruce told Brother Max about Sue's cancer and asked for prayers of healing. Brother Max talked to Sue for a minute and asked about pain. Sue said that she wasn't experiencing any pain at the moment. So Brother Max began to pray. He prayed for Bruce and Sue's faith to grow stronger through this experience. He prayed for healing in Sue's feet (even though she didn't say she had pain). Lastly, he turned to Bruce and said something about three generations. At the end of the prayer Sue shared some things with Brother Max. She said she had prayed on the way there that, if anything, her faith would strengthen. She said that she's had neuropathy in her feet which has been given her a lot pain. Lastly, he saw three generations in our future and my son and daughter in law (she pointed to us) are trying to have children. It was amazing. He then moved on to me and Jeff. He remembered us from a few weeks ago and brought up children again. He laughed and said "this is going to happen for you very soon". He prayed for us again.

Two weeks later (less than a month from our first service with Brother Max) we found out we were pregnant. This baby is truly a gift from God. I have never felt more blessed. We are due November 3rd!