Nate, Allie and I were blessed to be invited to spend a couple of days with the very special Duggar family this past week. It is an experience we will never forget, and one we are so grateful for.
Many of my Facebook friends have been intrigued by how the whole visit came about. Well, let me say it is so amazing to see God's work….and this will probably require several posts.
Travel back to April, 2010. One of my friends, Amy, is a NICU nurse at Children's Hospital. She was one of the Duggar's nurses for "child #19," Josie, who was born extremely early. She was very respectful of the Duggar family, and spoke so highly of them. I remember her giving reports of how Josie was progressing, and I prayed for that sweet little baby. (I even remember running into Jim Bob and a few of the boys at a Walgreen's here in Little Rock. I had not met him, but I watched their show, and I had accounts from Amy about Josie's progress. I guess if you watch a show that welcomes you into someone's life, you sort of feel like you know them. So, I had no problem stopping Jim Bob and inquiring about Josie….telling him we had been praying for her. I'm sure they are constantly stopped and approached as if everyone knows them personally. He was so kind, and not once did he appear irritated or rushed or inconvenienced by my letting him know we were praying and a request for Josie's progress.) So back to the beginning of our friendship. If I remember the story correctly, Amy went to work right after finding out about Brad's death. Michelle sensed that Amy had been crying, and being the tender hearted person she is, she asked Amy why. Amy told her that a friend had just lost her husband unexpectedly. Amy said Michelle and Jim Bob immediately stopped and prayed for me and the kids right then. When Amy shared this with me, I was so taken aback that they would stop to pray for a total stranger even in the midst of their own storm. The next month, Amy brought me their book "Twenty and Counting." Michelle had written a page long letter to me in her book, quoting scripture and giving us encouragement. She wrote had a very close friend who experienced the loss of her husband several years ago, so she had seen the pain of losing a spouse through her friend. Thus began the beginning of a "I'm praying for you" exchange through Amy.
About 7 months or so after Brad died, Amy told me that Michelle was bringing Josie to Little Rock for a check up, and she was meeting them at Cracker Barrel, would I like to meet her? Are you kidding? Of course I would love to! Nate had just broken his arm, so we had been to the doctor. We met a couple of the boys, oohed and ahhed over Josie and what a miracle she was. Michelle and the boys signed Nate's cast. We were all so thrilled to just meet Michelle and some of her family, especially little "miracle baby" Josie who we had prayed and prayed for! Michelle was so sweet and easy to talk to, even for the brief time that afternoon. We exchanged phone numbers and began texting each other on occasion.
When Christmas cards started floating in, I was excited to see one with a Duggar return address. It wasn't a Christmas card, but it was a card filled with scripture and encouragement, a very generous gift and an invitation to come see them. If I've learned one thing during this whole experience of widowhood, it is to accept help when it is offered. I was beginning to really struggle with Christmas and not having Brad. So, I immediately texted Michelle and told her we could not accept the gift, but we would love to come see them! Her reply was that she and Jim Bob had prayed about the gift, and it was what the Lord had laid on their hearts to send us. So, I thanked her profusely and told her I would pray about how the Lord would want us to use it. I also asked her if the week before Christmas would be a good time to visit! Whether it was or not, she said it was, so we planned to spend one night, Dec. 21.
Then one day I sat down at my computer to check my email and one of the main headlines was "Michelle Duggar miscarriages." Having been there before, I know the pain of losing a child before you can even welcome him or her into the world. Immediately I sent a text that I was so sorry, and that I was praying for them. I didn't even consider broaching the subject of our visit, as it was the last thing they should be thinking about. I kept up with everything through the media, and saw that they were having a memorial service for Jubilee on Wednesday the 14th. The next day, I sent another text that I was still praying, and that maybe given the circumstances, we would reschedule our visit for another time. Michelle's reply was insistent that we still come. The next day, I received another text asking if we would stay 2 nights so I could meet her friend who had experienced the loss of her husband. Of course we would! What an honor to be their guests. So, the kids and I began to get really excited about our adventure to the Duggar house!
(part 2 will follow later…)
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