A Miracle Story Part 2

Continuing to share the story of Miracle. Excerpts taken from the blog www.themakingofafamily.com

Family

Before I continue with our story, there is something to be said about our birth family.  The Cooper family deserves a post all of their own!

The story of how we met them is nothing short of amazing.  So, grab yourself a cup of tea, coffee, whatever you enjoy and relax.  Take the time to read this story that God has woven together so perfectly.  You won’t regret for one second reading this story.

Pictures (left to right):

Rockele – Miracle’s Birth Mother

Meisha – Rockele’s Sister (Miracle’s Aunt)

Helena – Rockele & Meisha’s Mother (Miracle’s Grandmother)

2009.  Micah and I lived in Burlington, Iowa. I was a full-time graduate student at Western Illinois University.  Micah was also a student, preparing to transfer to Iowa State University the following summer.

On a cold December day in 2009, Micah was driving along Agency Street in Burlington.  It was a very cold day, with snow on the ground.  He drove past a young woman with two very young boys.  He could tell they had been walking for quite a while and were walking towards Wal-Mart.  He drove by, but he didn’t feel right.  He couldn’t stop thinking about this woman.  So, he turned around.  He stopped and asked the woman if she would like a ride and where she was headed.  She was headed to Wal-Mart to go grocery shopping, and she accepted his offer to drive her and her 2 young boys.  Micah drove her to Wal-Mart and even paid for her to get groceries, then drove her back home.  When driving her home, he realized that her apartment was 1.5 miles from Wal-Mart.  She did not have a car or a job.  Her boys at that time were 2 and 6 (if I remember correctly).

Micah came home and told me about this experience.  I will admit that I thought he was completely out of his mind.  But, I have always known that Micah shows his love to others through acts of mercy.  This was another one of those moments.  I have seen him time and time again show mercy to others in small ways. We balance each other out….I’m not so good at it.  He has taught me so much in the 6.5 years we have known each other.

The next day, I remember him calling Meisha and seeing if she needed anything.  He wanted to keep in contact with her. We ended up inviting her to a church event in our community where we would talk with parents (mostly single parents), play games with the kids, create relationships and share the gospel.  Meisha and her two boys ended up coming to these events and also to church with us on a regular basis. 

That Christmas, our small group was able to do something extraordinary.  Micah and I knew that Meisha would not have the money to buy a lot of food or probably any gifts for her boys.  So, we approached our small group about doing a service project.  We all got together and donated money.  We then went on a big shopping spree to Wal-Mart where we bought anything you would ever need to cook a holiday meal.  We also bought tons of Christmas gifts for the boys - clothes, toys, books, you name it!  After the trip, we completely surprised Meisha at her house.  We unloaded the cars (yes, it took multiple vehicles to load everything) and blessed her.  It brought every one of us an immense amount of joy. 

I’ll never forget sharing the gospel with her and having her tell me that she was ready to become a believer.  She became baptized on March 22, 2010 at Harmony Bible Church.  It was one of the most joyful days I can remember. 

When Micah and I moved to Ames, we stayed in contact with Meisha, but it was pretty limited – mainly through social media.  And then, out of the blue, June 12th happened.  

Throughout this experience, Micah and I would both agree that Meisha, Rockele, and Helena have welcomed us with open arms into their family.  In many ways, they have become closer than our own families – mainly because they walked with us through this journey and have experienced it themselves.  At any moment, they could have said that they didn’t want us at the hospital.  But, they didn’t.  They showed us love and kindness the entire way.  Words do not describe the amount of love that we feel towards the Cooper family.  And we cannot thank them enough.

So, I will say that you never know what a small act of kindness to another might do.  In this case, it was a divine appointment when Micah turned around to pick up Meisha and her two boys on that cold winter day.  Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that I would be telling this story today.  Truly amazing.