Faith is Greater Than Fear

I loved getting to know this sweet family.  The pictures Camila shared touched my heart, especially seeing the faces of these sweet children.  I am inspired by the faith and strength that baby Faith has brought to the world.  

Here is Camila and Bridger Bateman's beautiful and tender story.  I am still amazed that they participated in the Running with Angels 5K two years ago, only a few weeks after Baby Faith Haven Bateman was born and returned to heaven.

In the fall of 2016, we received the wonderful news that another one of Heavenly Father's children would be joining our family. We were so excited! We had prayed for this child to come to complete our family. We had felt her presence so strongly even before she was conceived.  A few short months later our lives were turned upside down and our happiness was shattered as we learned that our child was probably not going to make it to birth and if she did, she would not be staying for very long. Our two other children were more devastated at hearing the news than were we as parents. At this point, our trial of Faith was just beginning. 

We were referred to meet with doctors who specialized in high-risk pregnancy. They attempted to help us understand the risks of continuing with our pregnancy. It was at this point, that we began to understand the gravity of our situation. As they suggested immediate termination because our precious angel wasn't in their opinion "worth it". We then realized that we could only exercise our faith, and turn to the Lord in prayer and supplication. Before leaving the doctors that afternoon, we told them how much we loved our daughter and how she was so worth it to us,

regardless of her circumstance. We mutually decided as a family that Baby Faith was going to be given the chance of life and that we could live with that decision. We know she had chosen us to be her parents and her voice. She knew we could give her a chance at life, and we did! Also knowing that Baby Faith would not be with us for long, we began creating memories with her while still in utero.  This was the life she was given and we wanted to share it with her. We prayed and fasted along with many friends and family members begging for the miracle that we would meet her in life and also that we would be strengthened through this experience. We were so blessed during our time with Baby Faith. During this trial, we came up with a special phrase in our family that has helped us each day, and especially on the hard days: "LET YOUR FAITH BE BIGGER THAN YOUR FEARS"

On April 9th, 2017, and on Palm Sunday of all days and at full term, Baby Faith Haven made her entrance to this world. She cried loud for all to hear and to announce her miracle of birth. Most people dream of angels but we were able to hold one in our arms and she was precious and perfect! Faith blessed the lives of many. In life, she was able to meet her big brother and sister, all four grandparents and many of her closest aunts, uncles, and cousins.  She was blessed and properly given a name by her daddy. Two hours later, she quietly and peacefully returned to her loving Father in heaven. There is not a day in our lives that we do not miss her and think of her. Some days we feel the pain and unbearable sadness of not having Faith here with us, but she comforts us in our greatest times of need. There are no words to describe the pain of losing your precious child. We know she is a part of our lives and is always near. We feel her presence often and there is no doubt that she is an active part of our family.  During this trial of our Faith, we have been comforted by our Heavenly Father, the Savior Jesus Christ, and a living apostle in  President Dieter F. Uchtdorf. He came to our home to comfort us and to give me a special blessing. The Lord did not leave us comfortless.

John 14:18  I WILL NOT LEAVE YOU COMFORTLESS, I WILL COME TO YOU...
 Our two other children at such tender ages have been through so much with the loss of their baby sister. Through this hard experience, they have learned to be compassionate, loving, and empathetic to those in need. We love our precious Faith Haven and miss her every day. Knowing that families can be together forever helps us move forward in life with a purpose, even when one of our precious children is not here. Now we walk towards that goal from opposites sides and look forward to that joyous reunion in heaven when we will be reunited as an eternal family.

We just celebrated Faiths 2nd anniversary a few weeks ago and found again that anniversaries can be very hard and bittersweet. We are very grateful for the Angel Watch program as they exceeded our expectations. Also, I remember My first RUNNING WITH ANGELS 5K RUN. It was only a few weeks after I had delivered baby Faith via C-section and I felt Faith running at our side. It was a very special moment, having family and friends come together to celebrate Faith's life as well as the many other precious babies who have returned to heaven far too soon.