Would We Have a Child Who Lived?

Before my husband and I were baptized in 1973, our two-year-old son, an only child, had died after open-heart surgery. We longed to have another child, especially as we gained new understanding of gospel principles.

It was comforting that in my patriarchal blessing, received one year later, I was assured we would have the opportunity to have more children. In 1976, I learned I was pregnant, but four and a half months later I had a miscarriage.

In 1982, six years after I received my patriarchal blessing, our son Christian was born. Premature and delivered through C-section, he weighed only 800 grams (1.76 lbs.), and the doctors gave us little hope he would live. But to their astonishment, he made great progress after my husband gave him a priesthood blessing.

On the third day after Christian’s birth, I was to visit him. How I longed to see my son! I woke up at 2:30 A.M. With tears streaming down my cheeks, I pleaded, “Heavenly Father, please don’t let him die! I want to keep him so much.” Then I added, “But if that is not according to Thy will, I accept that.”

Later that same morning, my husband came and told me our son had died at 2:45 A.M. It was a grievous loss, and we wept and prayed together. Yet in answer to our prayers, we felt surrounded by warmth and peace.

In the hospital I had read my patriarchal blessing many times. There the promise was from the mouth of the patriarch: the Lord would give us children. I was already 35 years old, and after losing two children I was discouraged. Would we ever have a child who lived?

Finally, two years after Christian’s death, our beloved daughter Nina was born. I almost died giving birth to her. My husband and I rejoice in the knowledge that our two sons are waiting for us in the spirit world, and we rejoice in our beautiful daughter. The gospel is true. It has enriched our lives and made us truly happy.