I have said it before, but I must say it again...I no longer believe in coincidences. Over the course of this amazing journey with Davis, I have learned that God loves his children so much that he leaves no matter, no detail untouched or unplanned. Think about that for a second and let it sink in. Our Heavenly Father who created us in his image loves us to the point that he wouldn't leave our lives to chance. Every detail has been meticulously planned. And He does this to bring good, even when it doesn't feel good, even when it's hard (really hard, excruciatingly hard), and even when the situation you find yourself in seems impossible and without solutions.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written
in your book before one of them came to be.
Psalm 139:16
And we know that in all things God works
for the good of those who love him, who
have been called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28
People often ask "Why does God allow bad things to happen?" Whether it be a natural disaster, the loss of a loved one taken too soon, or the diagnosis of an incurable illness, we humans question the goodness of God. I have to admit, when all of this began with Davis, I too questioned God. I was hurt. I was angry. We were good people. We went to church and were involved. We were doing our best to bring Hudson up in a loving, Christian home. Why would God allow this to happen to us? One day sitting in Davis' hospital room on the CVICU, I was reading in the book of John, chapter 9.
As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth.
His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents,
that he was born blind?"
"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened
so that the works of God might be displayed in him."
John 9:1-3
I burst into tears. God was speaking to me through His word. On that day, I had peace. I had peace knowing that no matter what happened, if Davis lived or if he didn't, God would be with us. And through this terrible thing that was happening to Davis, good would come forth and prevail. People would grow in their faith, including us. People who hadn't gone to the Lord in prayer for many years would be down on their knees in tears praying for Davis. People we don't even know have been touched by what God has done in our lives through Davis. And I believe that many that didn't know Jesus as their Savior, asked Him into their hearts after hearing our story. But it's not our story, it's God's story, and He is truly the best story teller. I'm still not sure why he chose us and the Perrys to tell His story, but I believe He knew in advance that we would bring glory and honor to His great name in the midst of a storm.
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, " declares the Lord.
Isaiah 55:8
The day of Davis' transplant, I received a message on Facebook from a former coworker of mine, Morgan Smith, that basically said "I think Davis might have received my friend's baby's heart." We only worked together for a couple of years. She taught 4th grade and I taught third. I hadn't seen her in many years other than a couple of passings at the lake. We have been friends on Facebook for many years, and I enjoy seeing the pictures of her sweet little family. I tell you this to drive home a point. There are no coincidences! There is not one person placed in your life at random. God put this sweet friend in my life, because He knew she would be our connection to the Perry family, the family that donated their son's heart to Davis and saved his life.
Morgan asked me if we had any information about the donor. I told her everything I knew, but it wasn't much. We knew our donor had the same blood type, was in our region, but far enough away that the surgeon had to fly to get the heart, and that something had happened at the hospital the donor was at that delayed the surgery. I wouldn't find out till later that Morgan and her family were actually searching flights departing from Birmingham, Alabama and landing at Monroe, Louisiana. And they found one.
Without telling me this, Morgan began to tell me a little bit about the Perry family. She didn't tell me a whole lot of specifics, but said she felt very sure that Davis received their son's, named John Clarke, heart. At first, I thought there was no way, but the more information we learned about the Perry family and the details of John Clarke's passing, the more I began to think the Perrys were our donor family. Of course, I stalked Holley and Jonathan on Facebook. I was relieved to find out later that they had actually done the same thing. (See, I'm not the only crazy one!) I remember the first time I looked at Holley's page, and I saw where the night of John Clarke's passing, they had a prayer vigil at their house praying for the babies that would receive John Clarke's organs. I knew then, that even if they weren't our donor family, they were Godly people, and I hoped that they were truly our donor family.
Through Morgan, Holley and I became Facebook friends and began messaging each other. Soon after we exchanged cell phone numbers and communicated by text.We both felt 99.9 % sure that Davis received John Clarke's heart. We did this for a few months, then Holley messaged me to let me know that they received confirmation that Davis did in fact receive John Clarke's heart. I remember sitting in my car and crying tears of thanksgiving. I recall being in total awe of my amazing God, amazed at how he planned and carried out His wonderful plan. I mean, what are the chances of this actually happening, the chance that two families would be connected by a mutual friend and through Facebook! Only God could write such a story! (Ya'll didn't know God was on Facebook, did you?)
In the meantime, I was asked to speak at the Donate Life event at our local hospital, East Alabama Medical Center. I'll be honest and tell you I didn't really want to do it. I'm a third grade teacher, not a public speaker, but many people had told me that I needed to share my story, speak or even write a book maybe. I just laughed it off, but I've also had enough experiences where God has used the people in my life to deliver His message, so I began to wonder if God was trying to tell me something. That morning, I got in what I call my prayer chair. It's where I do my daily devotional, praying, and where I spend some quiet time with my Lord. I prayed and told the Lord that if I was supposed to speak or write a book that he would make it clear and make a way for it to happen. the next day, I was asked to speak at the Donate Life event. I heard you loud and clear, God!
Needless to say, I was extremely nervous. I began praying that the Lord would use me to deliver His message on that day. A few weeks passed, and I was contacted by the coordinator of the event, Lisa Harmon, to come to a planning meeting at the hospital. Me, being the planner that I am, wanted to know every detail. I also wanted as much information as possible, thinking it would help my nerves. While there, Lisa asked if I knew who our donor family was, and I began to tell her and others this amazing story. When I was finished, she asked if I thought the Perry family would be willing to come and speak as well. I told her I didn't know, but I would text Holley to see. And honestly, I didn't want to. I wasn't sure how Holley would react. Was it too soon? I think both families knew that someday we would like to meet, but didn't know how to go about having that conversation or when. We certainly didn't think or expect it to be so soon. So, after drafting many texts and deleting them, only to do it again, I finally sent Holley the text asking if they would be willing to travel to meet us. And I held my breath and wished that I could unsend a text message. To my surprise Holley responded and said that she too had been thinking about meeting us. She had been praying about it, but also didn't know how to go about suggesting it either. Talk about a sigh of relief!
You know that song by Carrie Underwood "Jesus, Take the Wheel"? Well, I believe that the Lord was in control the entire time, but this is the part of the story where He really shows out! EAMC took care of every expense for the Perrys, the airfare and their hotel room. Lisa, the director of the event, said she had never seen anything like it. I remember her calling me and telling me she just couldn't believe how easy it was. I replied, "That's what happens when God plans an event!". We truly all believe that this was a divine appointment set up by the one and only, God himself!
After talking with Holley, we all agreed it would be better to meet the day before the event. Both families would be nervous and emotional anyway, but thought that it would be better to get the "first time to meet you" nerves out of the way.We decided to meet at the chapel in the hospital then go to dinner at a local favorite, Mafia's. When the day finally came, I was a mess! As Jonathan described it, it was like going out on a first date. Would they like us? Would I say the wrong thing?Would they ask us out on a second date? I was a basket case, but was immediately put at ease after meeting Holley and Jonathan. There was hugging, teary eyes, questions, and surprisingly, laughter. We have many things in common; we're about the same age and have children about the same age. Tucker and Jonathan shared a love of football, each rooting for a different team. The Perrys are avid LSU fans, while we root for Auburn.
Davis went to Holley right away.
It's almost like he knew how special she is.
Two families connected by one heart.
I so admire Jonathan's faith and strength.
This is one of my favorite pictures.
This is not a glare from the camera. There was a ring
around the sun this day. I know some scientist somewhere
can probably explain this, but it wouldn't matter anyway, I wouldn't believe it.
God was giving us a sign!
And all the while this was going on, I felt a peace, and I hope they felt it too. Tucker and I truly feel like God has answered yet another prayer for us. We have prayed for Holley and Jonathan before we ever knew who they were, before their precious John Clarke would leave to be with Jesus in heaven. We prayed that God would give them peace and comfort that only He can give. And He has. I don't know how Holley and Jonathan were able to meet us. I don't know how Jonathan was able to speak at the Donate Life event so soon after losing his only son. The son he prayed for. The only explanation was God. God gave Holley and Jonathan strength.
I'd be lying if I said I no longer question or get angry with God sometimes. Many mornings I have cried, not understanding why our answer was yes and the Perry's answer was no. I can't fathom that here on this earth. But I don't linger in that place long. I have trust in my Lord. I lean on Him for understanding. Many days I cry, because my heart breaks for Holley. That woman is strong and her faith is even stronger! She fought for my son to receive John Clarke's heart despite being told several times that six month old babies didn't need hearts. She didn't take no for an answer. She persisted while grieving the loss of her child. Do you understand that?! In her darkest hour, in the midst of the storm, in the midst of great despair, she unselfishly thought of us, of my baby. I'll never be able to express my gratitude, but I hope that Holley feels it every single day.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not
on your own understanding.
Proverbs 3:5
The life that Davis has been given is not one we take for granted. There is not a day that goes by that I don't think of the Perrys and John Clarke. There is not a day that goes by that I don't cry tears of thanksgiving for the second chance of life that Davis has been given. This is not the platform either family would have chosen, but it's the platform God gave us. We hope to bring awareness to organ donation while also bringing others to know Jesus. Our faith is the only thing that got us through this. We live life now with an eternal focus. I'm not sure who originally said this, but this quote has stuck with me "Earth is the only Hell a christian will ever know and the only Heaven a non-believer will ever know." How true that is! We don't know how many days God will give us with Davis nor how many days we each have left on this earth. God doesn't promise us tomorrow. But we have today. To accept Jesus into your heart all you have to do is repent of your sins, believe that Jesus is God's son who died on the cross for your sins, and ask him to come into your heart.
Pray this prayer.
“Father, I know that I have broken your laws and my sins have separated me from you. I am truly sorry, and now I want to turn away from my past sinful life toward you. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. I believe that your son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.”
Prayer borrowed from
http://www.allaboutgod.com/sinners-prayer.htm
If you prayed that prayer, you just made the most important and best decision of your life! Congratulations! I encourage you to tell someone and be baptized. Thank all you for reading this little blog of mine. Thank you for caring and most of all thank you for praying. A special thanks goes out to Lisa Harmon and everyone at EAMC for making this event possible. Please continue to pray for us, Davis, and the Perry family. Our story is far from over, this is just one chapter. God's still writing.
Amanda
