Gillian Russell - The Conclusion God had now reassured me of His faithfulness in this journey, but it was already midsummer and still no baby. The due date I had been given was August 28th, so I had expected baby several months earlier, such that it would be clear to everyone by the baby's size that it truly was that same child. Now, with everything He had led me through I still expected baby to come early. I was still sure God would do things how I expected all along-that was what He had asked me to believe and I could see the possibility for so much good this way! And honestly, I just couldn't imagine waiting five more weeks and I felt I shouldn't 'have to after everything. I fought that due date for months but now with a little over a month to go I realized that by... Continue reading

Gillian Russell - Part III God had asked me, in the depth of my soul, to trust Him to bring my unborn baby back to life. And although everyone else said this had to be a new baby, I trusted God that it wasn't, and now that I was most definitely pregnant again, I waited for God's miracle to become visible to the world. The official due date I was eventually given was 2-3 weeks earlier than what it should have been, given the blood test I took at the clinic that came back 100% negative. But most of all, God never once told me otherwise (directly with words to my heart or without words in that deep secret place in my soul). Indeed, it would have been much easier if He had. Continuing to hold onto this baby in my heart was the hardest thing I've ever had to... Continue reading

Gillian Russell - Part II Later that summer I discovered I was pregnant again. To be honest, I had not been so excited about a baby since my first child, who we had lost to miscarriage. After confession one evening I was praying in thanksgiving for my faith and my family, and absolutely thinking about this new little one that would join our family, when I heard in my heart, 'This is our miracle.' In my soul I understood that this child would be the thing that would begin to change my husband's heart, that God would use this child to bring about my husband's conversion! And hope just blossomed wild! In my heart I just KNEW this baby was a girl, because a girl can soften a man's heart in a way that boys just can't. And God knew I had been patiently waiting for a little girl of... Continue reading

SUMites, Lynn here. I will be traveling this week. While I'm away, one of our long-time readers and Sister, SUMite Gillian Russell will be sharing a portion of her story. You may remember her and her astonishing story of traveling to meet me and Dineen in Texas. You can find her story about that adventure, here. Thank you Gill for taking time to share your faith with us. Hugs, Lynn Although I came to my faith for the first time as a twenty year old, somehow God grabbed hold of me very early on in my journey: within a month I was completely sold out on God and I never looked back. While I struggle with many things, trusting God has rarely been an issue for me. (By this I mean for big stuff, trusting God in the little interruptions and frustrations in my day is a completely different story).... Continue reading