Our Journey
Hope beyond circumstance.
During the summer of 2023, our daughter in the womb, Christiana Faith, received an official diagnosis of trisomy 13 (Patau syndrome), a life-limiting condition that almost universally results in miscarriage, stillbirth, or death shortly after birth.
When we received this news, our initial shock and grief gave way to an ongoing prayer request that the Lord would use the loss of Christiana Faith’s earthly life to further His heavenly kingdom. As we drew comfort from the immense hope of the gospel, we simultaneously realized that fetal and infant loss affects so many families right here in Colorado Springs. As Christ followers, we are called to go out into all the world and spread the good news of the gospel, and what better place to start than connecting with grieving families and comforting them with the comfort we ourselves have received from God?
As time progressed, we became aware that Colorado Springs does not have a designated labor and delivery suite in which families with babies born with life-limiting and life-ending conditions (including stillbirth) can spend precious time together, making memories and saying goodbye. There are only a handful of these suites nationwide, and none in Colorado. As we connected with staff members and prepared for Christiana’s birth, a fundraising opportunity arose to design and build a labor and delivery bereavement suite at the local faith-based hospital where we had welcomed our other three children.
As we look to meet this tangible need, we will also be able to minister spiritually to grieving families. We plan to gift a gospel-saturated Blessing Basket to every family who utilizes the Christiana Faith Serenity Suite. This will bring the truth and hope of Jesus Christ directly to the bedside, also enabling families to connect personally as they journey along the path that has been set before them.
To honor and celebrate the sanctity of life in the Christiana Faith Serenity Suite, we plan to add a “Tree of Life” living art installation that includes a ceramic flower or leaf for each baby born in the suite. Families can also sponsor a leaf to commemorate other babies who are now walking with Jesus in Heaven.
We know that Christiana is worshipping before the throne of God, whole and complete and holy. Our prayer is that the Christiana Faith Foundation will minister to families in need of Christ’s gospel message and allow us to reach the community of Colorado Springs in a meaningful way. We want grieving families to know they are seen and loved, and to remove the stigma associated with pregnancy and infant loss. Above all, we want to show parents the power of hope beyond circumstance, the hope that only Jesus Christ can offer.
