Blog By Bershuan & Keyla Thompson
When my wife and I got married 11 years ago, we believed that we would have children and go about living a “normal” life. Seven years later and no children, we realized that something medical might be preventing us from having children. We decided to schedule an appointment with one of the local fertility doctors. He came highly recommended to us by some friends who he had helped to successfully conceive a child through Invitro Fertilization (IVF). This doctor was known as an IVF specialist because of his 95% success rate. We were sold! We scheduled our initial visit, and after medical examination, the doctor suggested that IVF would be best for us. We spent a lot of our time, money and energy during the IVF process but it did not work. It was a disappointing, emotionally exhausting and frustrating experience. We had “given God a try” and medical professionals a try and we had the same results. However, in the midst of our disappointment we were still believing and seeking God for His best for us.
“So I say to you, ask and keep on asking, and it will be given to you; seek and keep on seeking, and you will find; knock and keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who [a]keeps on asking [persistently], receives; and he who keeps on seeking [persistently], finds; and to him who keeps on knocking [persistently], the door will be opened.” Luke 11:9-10 AMP
A couple of years went by and our desire to have children still remained in our hearts. We vacillated back and forth on whether or not we should try again, believe again and hope again. We were reminded of Abraham’s story and how he hoped and believed God against all odds. So we jumped back in.
“Against hope Abraham believed in hope with the result that he became the father of many nations according to the pronouncement, “so will your descendants be.” Romans 4:18 NET
The doctors advised us that before we could try IVF again that my wife would need to have surgery to improve her chances of getting pregnant. Early on the morning of August 17, 2017, we drove 2 hours and a half to the hospital in Hillsborough, NC. Keyla went back to be prepped for surgery and I was allowed to come back to visit with her before the surgery. While the nurses were reviewing the procedures with us, the surgeon came into the room with a look of concern on her face. She directed the nurses to take a blood sample, and we immediately became concerned. (Prior to me coming in the room, the nurses told Keyla that they did not need to take any blood samples.) A few minutes later, the doctor walks back into our room and says, “Mr. & Mrs. Thompson, we cannot proceed with your surgery today because that fact is, you guys are pregnant! When we heard the news we did not know if we should laugh or cry, so we asked for a moment of privacy and immediately thanked God for such an unexpected gift.
On the ride back to Greenville, were were still praying for our miracle baby and praising God for such good news when all of a sudden we were pushed off the road by a tractor trailer trying to change lanes. We saw the hand of the Lord protect us and our miracle baby. The car accident experience reminded us of how the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy but God was and is in control! We seek after God with our whole heart because He is so good. Jesus saved my family and me from harm and danger and allowed us to live to glorify Him for our miracle baby!
Everything was going smoothly during my wife’s pregnancy. All of her visits to the doctor were perfect. With 4 weeks left in her pregnancy, Keyla had a seizure and she was rushed to the hospital for emergency C-section. Doctors were silent for a while and were very uncertain how Keyla would be since there was a period where there was little oxygen going to her brain. I remember thoughts going through my mind of losing my wife and child. God began to minister to me through it all, as I reflected on His word and His faithfulness.
One of the verses of scripture that the Lord used to minister to me was Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” We have come to discover that our God knows how to finish what He starts and our desire has been to seek Him above all else. Today, my wife and I have a healthy, beautiful 3-month old son named Kayden Josiah. Keyla is doing well and is on a pathway to a full recovery.