My Testimony Today

I have been waiting for this day for almost 2 years. Because today I can stand before you and say that I no longer believe- I know.

I know that the Lord answers prayers & I know that if we do our part, the Lord will keep his promises.

To back up a little for those of you that don’t know our story, almost 2 years ago, at 2 weeks old, our son Jack was diagnosed with a bilateral mild to moderate hearing loss. We were shocked & upset, of course, but it didn’t seem like the end of the world. Then, in Jack’s blessing at 4 weeks old, our Heavenly Father, through my husband, promised us that our son’s “hearing would be made whole.” I knew that this promise came straight from the Lord, because my husband surely doesn’t talk like that!

I felt such relief & thankfulness to know that my Heavenly Father knew the fears of my heart & was comforting our family during a difficult time.

I don’t know if you can imagine my utter devastation when at 4 months old, Jack was fitted with hearing aids and we were told that he would have to wear them for the rest of his life. Is wearing hearing aids a big deal? Absolutely not. But I expected the Lord to make it all better right away, & I was so confused! It took a while for me to realize that I needed to remain faithful & let the Lord work in his own time.

So for the past 20 months we’ve endured hearing tests, speech therapy visits, developmental evaluations, 2 sets of tubes, & more hearing tests. It’s been a very long road for 2 parents who didn’t think Jack actually needed the hearing aids in the first place.

Every time we had another test that confirmed he had a hearing loss & every time a friend or stranger inquired about his ears, it was a test of my faith. I literally had to trust the Lord with all my heart & lean not unto the experts’ understanding.

I am thrilled to stand before you today & say that this last Tuesday it was confirmed that Jack has, in fact, 100% normal hearing. No hearing aids are necessary & he’s actually ahead of schedule developmentally. The staff at the Arizona School for the Deaf & Blind didn’t know what to say. They almost didn’t know how to proceed with a child that they now had to release from being eligible for their services- needless to say, this doesn't happen all that often! They’ve occasionally commented that I was in denial about Jack’s hearing loss. My only reply to that was that what they called denial, I called faith.

This week was truly wonderful. I have felt no surprise, only an amazing thankfulness to the Lord. I had a wonderful missionary experience as I was able to bear my testimony to the staff at ASDB as to how I KNEW that the Lord had promised us this & I was only waiting for the day when it would actually happen. They called it a miracle, but I think that’s a little extreme.

I really feel that Jack’s wearing or not wearing hearing aids is completely beside the point. It’s not a big deal to me. I kind of miss them & they make for a great conversation starter in the grocery store. What is a big deal to me is the feeling of thankfulness & resolution over a promise that was made almost 2 years ago.

I know that we were blessed because we did everything we were supposed to do. We did the testing, we bought the hearing aids, we met with the experts regularly. I don’t know if we would have been so blessed had we not done all of that. I know that the Lord did his part after we did ours.

So I just want to stand here today & say that I now KNOW that the Lord is aware of us. He loves us & wants to bless us. I know that my Heavenly Father is looking for ways to make us happy.

I love my Heavenly Father. I love my life, I am grateful for a calling that gives me the opportunity to bear my testimony on a regular basis.

I know that my Reedemer lives & that he loves me. I am so thankful for my beautiful family & know that we can be together forever if we are faithful.
_____________________________________________________

Today was a great day! I was able to bear this testimony & loved every second of it. The people in my ward were truly touched by our story & Jack was kissed all up & down the hallways. So many of my friends & family have made this journey of faith with us, & I want to thank you all for your prayers & faith. I feel amazing, knowing that we passed a test of sorts. I can only hope that this doesn't mean we'll have even bigger trials of faith anytime in the near future!

Today was a really great day!