By Dennis & Candace Gaines
After two miscarriages Candace’s body was preparing to lose yet another baby. But Dennis believed that God would save the life of this baby.
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andace and Dennis Gaines wanted to add a third child to their family. So when they found out that Candace was pregnant they were overjoyed. But neither of them anticipated the intense testing of their faith that lay ahead.
Dennis: My wife already had a seven-yearold son when we met. He was as much a part of my decision to marry her as she was. They were a gift from God!
praying for. We decided to trust God instead. Our “baby” is now a brilliant and beautiful twelve-year-old girl. We named her Faith because she would always be a reminder of what faith can accomplish when one puts their faith in God. Little did we know that this encounter with “faith” was a pre-cursor for what was to come.
Several years after my wife and I were married, we decided to have a child together. After becoming pregnant, my wife and I went to a routine doctor’s appointment. When the doctor entered the room he told us that one of the tests indicated the baby might be born with Down’s Syndrome. We were not expecting to hear this. We went home to pray about it. Amazingly, we had a peace that could have only come from the Lord.
Candace: Three years after Faith was born we attempted to have another baby. That pregnancy ended in miscarriage. Two years later we tried again. That pregnancy also ended in miscarriage. Two years later we tried again. This time the pregnancy went well until the ninth week. I woke up one morning with complications similar to those of the miscarriages, so we immediately went to the emergency room. The doctor confirmed what we suspected, that I was showing symptoms of another miscarriage. He recommended we follow up with our doctor as soon as possible.
At the next appointment, the doctor described further testing that they wanted to perform, which would indicate whether or not the baby actually had the condition. One of the risks of this test was that it could cause a spontaneous abortion—killing the baby that we had been
Two days later, our doctor confirmed the earlier findings with an ultrasound. He showed us where the heartbeat should be (but wasn’t). We requested another ultrasound in two days, and he agreed. Once again, no heartbeat... Again, we asked for another ultrasound. After the
Grace at 5 years old.
third visit, our doctor became concerned about my health. This time, he sent us to the hospital for additional testing; the hospital determined there had been “ fetal demise,” because they couldn’t detect a heartbeat and my hormone levels were decreasing. In addition, there was a blood sac that had formed underneath the June/JULY 2013 | The Walk Magazine
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God Is
baby and the baby had not grown at all in the two-week period between ultrasounds. They were convinced that my body was aborting the baby. We were sent home to await the next appointment with our doctor. Dennis: During the time between appointments, we prayed (a lot) and decided that we wanted this baby. We recalled promises in the Bible that indicated we could pray in faith and watch it come to pass (Mark 11:24); that we could decree a thing in faith and God would honor it (Job 22:28); and that we were asking for something that was God’s will (Genesis 1:28). We wrote down every promise related to our situation on 3x5 cards, keeping them always in view (Habakkuk 2:2-4). Our faith became stronger over time, despite doctor’s reports, negative advice from family, and the physical indicators that yet another baby was going to miscarry. Approaching the fourth week since the initial emergency room visit, the doctor became concerned that my wife’s health was in danger. He wanted to perform a D&E (dilation and evacuation) immediately to insure that no infection (and no baby) remained. Candace: As I began to hear the concerning doctor reports and see the symptoms worsening, I started to wonder if this was meant to be. I knew that God was more than capable, but started to consider that maybe He had other plans in mind for us. My faith was wavering and my expectations were changing. It was during this time that my husband’s faith sustained me. He was the only family member who still fully believed that God would bless us with a child. I relied on him for encouragement during this period. Dennis: When we arrived at the consultation for the D&E, we requested yet another ultrasound. This time, there was a very strong heartbeat! One hundred forty-one beats per minute! We were all speechless; my wife would not even look at the monitor–she just cried. Normally, the nurses would not look us in the eyes as we exited the office. This time, they were all crowded around the examination room as we exited–applauding, crying and hugging us with congratulations. 6
June/JULY 2013 | The Walk Magazine
Matthew, Faith, Candace, Grace and Dennis at the beach.
My wife gave birth to a healthy and beautiful 9 ½ pound baby girl. We named her Grace because she was here only by God’s grace. She is truly a gift from God!
…the hospital determined there had been “fetal demise,” because they couldn’t detect a heartbeat and my hormone levels were decreasing.
with this one, all those rules went out of the window. She sleeps with us every night, she drinks more chocolate milk than any normal child ever should, and the list goes on. I’ve learned that even the simplest activities can feel like Disneyland if we do them as a family. It doesn’t take much to make the family happy; just being together is usually enough for us.
Scripture says that when we delight in the Lord, He gives us the desires of our heart. I’ve learned that this doesn’t necessarily mean that He grants our every wish, but that He puts certain desires in our hearts. Understanding how precious (and fragile) life is has enabled me to value my family like never before. I live life “on purpose” now— taking time to listen to the silly stories my children often tell, enjoying games, watching movies and playing ball with them outside. Grace is now five years old. I must say, I was a strict father with my first two children. But
Dennis and daughter Grace.