When my husband and I got married, he had already been divorced and undergone a vasectomy at his ex-wife's request, leaving us to wonder if we could even have children. Eventually, we discovered that the procedure could be reversed. However, getting approval from the VA proved to be a lengthy and challenging process.

After finally receiving approval, we had to travel to Colorado for the surgery. It was a two-year journey of uncertainty and waiting before we could even consider the possibility of pregnancy. After a year of trying, we were thrilled to discover that we were expecting.

However, the pregnancy was complicated, and our son Cyrus was measuring smaller than usual. Further tests revealed that my placenta wasn't developing well, and the blood flow to the baby was being affected. I was diagnosed with preeclampsia, a life-threatening condition.

At 25 weeks and five days, Cyrus was born prematurely and spent 200 days in the NICU before finally coming home. It was a difficult journey, but our faith in God and the prayers of our Legacy Family sustained us. We are grateful for the gift of our son and the goodness of God during that season of life.

-Thais G. Testimony

September 29th, 2014, it was about 1 AM on my 15th birthday. I stood motionless, staring out the window toward the darkness of an early autumn morning, just waiting for reality to hit me. I tried to grasp what felt like a living nightmare. In that moment, the household felt incredibly still, as if time had moved to slow motion. I heard my twin brother in his room singing a worship song. Somehow, the peace of God was evident throughout the house. Only minutes prior, my Dad had come to tell us that Mom had just lost her battle with cancer.

Hi, my name is Mykaela Hoppman, and I am the 6th out of 8 kids in my family. I am grateful I was able to be homeschooled and grow up in a Christian home! We had a mini-farm in our backyard, and life was simple. This all changed when we found out early in 2014 that my Mom had stage 4 cancer.

Leading up to the day we lost her, I watched what the evil disease was doing to her. And yet, I never believed she would not wake up again. I refused to let my mind go there because I believed with all my heart that God would miraculously heal her. I saw her faith firsthand: her praise and worship of God through her storm, completely trusting in His plan. She had a beautiful voice and was a prayer warrior! Mom had experienced several miracles in her life, so I was certain this would be another one. Then September 29th came, and Mom was gone. I was confused. I didn’t understand. I had two choices. I could be angry at God or run to Him. The former was not an option for me.

I’ve found that in the most difficult and lonely moments, God most reveals the vastness of His tender love. Whether I realized it then or not, God did answer all our prayers for healing...just not in the way I had in mind.

Days after Mom was first diagnosed, my little sister and I stood on the stage of Legacy church and performed at CAPE showcase for the first time. This, of course, would be her first time hearing us sing there; little did we know this would also be her last.
My sister, brother, and I now have the honor of serving on the Legacy worship team at the same church, on the same stage, years later.

My Dad is now remarried to a mother of 8 who also lost her husband to cancer around the same time. So, yes, there are now 16 kids in all!

Walking through this journey has not been easy, but God’s hand is undoubtedly evident throughout every moment. God has brought my family through such drastic changes. Our lives have been miraculously pieced together to proclaim a God-orchestrated story!

-Mykaela H.

As a pastor who has had the privilege of baptizing hundreds of people over the past eight years, I can say that nothing has impacted me more than baptizing my own son, Emilio. Witnessing the transformation that takes place during a baptism is a true honor, and watching my son grow in his relationship with God has been an incredibly enriching experience.

 

When Emilio was baptized, it felt like a real and powerful moment of freedom. It reminded me of the day my son was officially adopted, and how the decree gave him all the same rights as my natural-born children. In the same way, through Christ, we are adopted as children of God and given all the rights and privileges that come with that relationship.

 

What I have learned through my own experiences and my relationship with Christ is that following God's Word and living out the truth of the Bible is the most freeing thing we can do. When we submit to God, we don't have to worry about anything because He is responsible for ALL things. He brings healing when we're sick, joy when we're sad, and meets our every need. With God on our side, we have already won every battle, and that is the greatest feeling of freedom.

 

- Pastor Emilio