A Dark Season
In March of 2021, Morgan’s family entered a season of loss. Two close family friends passed, followed by Morgan’s great-grandmother in April. Then, in the middle of her grief, her son needed to be delivered prematurely at 31 weeks. Fear of the unknown threatened to rob Morgan of her peace, but when Henry was born fighting and screaming she had an assurance that everything would be okay. “Henry was our sunshine in such a dark place,” shares Morgan fondly.
An Opportunity to Give
To celebrate Henry’s 1st birthday, Morgan wanted to do something special for NICU families at Christus St. Elizabeth in Beaumont, Texas. As she struggled to come up with an idea, she turned to God in prayer. She prayed that He would reveal a way that she could honor her son and bless other families journeying through the NICU. A few days later Morgan’s prayer was answered when Praying Through ministries shared a story on Instagram of one mother’s Ambassador outreach experience.
Through a book drive, Morgan’s friends and family purchased 28 copies of “On The Night You Were Born” by Nancy Tillman from her Amazon Wish List. Morgan shared, “In the beginning, I was terrified that we wouldn’t end up with enough books… but God answered our prayer! I am so grateful for our village.” Each book was matched with an encouraging note from Praying Through ministries, a gift tag in celebration of Henry, and a sticker of Biblical hope and encouragement.
The Blessing in being a Blessing
Morgan found her Ambassador duties of writing the cards and gift tags to be a very humbling and emotional experience. “I absolutely loved writing the cards, knowing that personal touch would mean so much to another family,” said Morgan. “I cried happy tears because I am truly so thankful that he is here and I got to do this in celebration of him.”
Although Morgan had prayed for an opportunity to give back to NICU families, a part of her was fearful that walking back into the NICU might be triggering. Would the sights, sounds, and smells bring her back to that difficult time? Would she be transported back to the devastating grief and the lowest of lows from the year before?
When Morgan delivered her outreach, God met her in the NICU. His perfect peace enveloped her, and like only He could, He orchestrated a beautiful moment for Morgan to play a part in. “As I was dropping off the books, one of the NICU moms started tearing up. As we handed her a book, she told the nurse and me that she and her husband had just been discussing how they needed to start a book collection for their daughter.” Not only did God answer Morgan’s prayer with the opportunity to provide outreach, but He also answered the prayer of the other mother. “Knowing that the book we gave in honor of Henry’s birthday would be her daughter’s first book was such a special moment,” reflects Morgan.
Would you like to honor a child who has passed or celebrate a NICU or PICU graduate through our Ambassador Outreach Program? We would be honored to link arms with you as you deliver the hope of Christ to families at your local hospital or OB office. Visit our Ambassador page for more details.