Above Rubies Daily Encouragement Blogs

Last week I posted some testimonies about twins. When I posted Mary’s story, “Birthing Twins in a Stranger’s Home, my dear friend, Sherri Leiter mentioned on the thread that I should post Nancy Webster’s story. So, I contacted Nancy and she has shared her story for us all. I know you will enjoy her story too.

 

“Oh God! If you think I can handle them, please give me twins this time,” I prayed. Both my grade school and high school best friends were sets of twins, and both versions of The Parent Trap movie were my favorites. Our older four children were 8, 6, 4, and 2 years old. I’d been mentored by Nancy Campbell and so knew well that children are a gift from the Lord.

 

Because I was getting kicked in four corners at once, at about four months along I asked my midwife to check for twins, especially remembering my prayer. But no, sadly, with 1000+ births experienced, she said I was just carrying one baby. She could not hear a second fetal heartbeat.

 

I was so busy during the pregnancy I guess I didn’t realize how huge my belly was getting to be until after New Year’s Day, when my friend, due with her Baby #4 a couple of weeks after I was, went belly-to-belly with me for what’s now one of my most treasured photos.

 

My due date was February 3rd, 1996. The second week of January, when I waddled into the midwife’s office for a check-up, an assistant of hers who hadn’t seen me in a while whistled in awe at my size. A few days later, an ultrasound revealed a tangle of four legs and four arms—

definitely twins! I was beyond elated! But I also was chicken to have the babies at home which we’d planned when we thought there was just one baby. So we arranged for the birth to happen in the hospital (an hour from our home) with the midwife’s back-up doctor.

 

About 1 a.m. on January 26, one week before the due date, my water broke, the only time my water ever broke on its own with my (eventually) eight babies. About 7 a.m., it was time to deliver children to their arranged caretakers, but when we went to get into our mini van, we found the battery dead! Someone had left a door open! Bad timing! We crammed into my husband’s very old, very bouncy, stick-shift Ford Bronco with me now experiencing regular contractions. It’s a wonder I didn’t get to have what I think would be an even more exciting birth along the interstate. The bouncing and long drive were challenging.

 

We walked into the hospital about 9:00 a.m. Twin A, our Rachel, was born vaginally at 10:00, weighing 7 lbs. 6 oz. As soon as the doctor and nurses ascertained she was fine, they attacked my belly, at least it felt that way. The reason Twin B, our Grace, was never detected nor suspected is because she had been lying transverse underneath Rachel and now was STILL lying transverse. The doctor finally managed to turn Grace into a breech position and, because I was still open from just having birthed Rachel, just reached in and pulled Grace out with her feet. That was at 10:15 a.m. Grace weighed 8 lbs. 5 oz! No wonder my tummy was so huge!

 

I was on Cloud Nine! Two babies for the work of one pregnancy! The answer to my prayers! We only stayed at the hospital for six hours. Grace had trouble keeping up her body temperature so Greg, my husband, did skin-to-skin contact with her. Rachel looked like her siblings. Grace looked like an old man with his false teeth out and was extremely floppy, but I didn’t care.

 

During my pregnancy with the twins, a doctor friend had loaned us a detailed medical book, which included photos of all the atypical syndromes and birth deformities that happen sometimes. We hid it under our bed so no child would see it and be scared. I love anything medical-related, especially if alternative, so I learned much from the book.

 

Unbeknownst to me, probably while I was struggling to help Grace nurse due to her tongue thrust, Greg referenced the book. And then he worried secretly all the way from the Friday they were born until the Monday we visited the pediatrician for a check-up. (That was back when we weren’t as alternative as we are now). I have a video of that check-up. While I didn’t realize it at the time, while the doctor was checking Rachel on the exam table, she kept looking sideways at Grace, also lying on the table.

 

The doctor said she was going to get her partner so he could see the twins. Greg joined her while I stayed in the office, attempting to nurse one or the other baby. When they came back into the room, Greg had tears in his eyes. The doctor, a mom to four herself, said very gently, “I have some concerns about Grace.”

 

“I think Grace may have Down syndrome,” she stated. Shocked, I clutched Grace to my chest, immediately exclaiming, “I’m so glad she was inside me and not someone who would have cut her out!” * A blood test confirmed Trisomy 21 a few days later.

 

Amazingly, had the midwife recommended an ultrasound much earlier in the pregnancy, the doctor would have observed the Down’s-typical shorter femur length in Grace’s body. While thankfully she did not come with heart issues (many babies with Down syndrome do) as that, too, would have shown up in an earlier ultrasound. I’m so glad I did not know. It helped me to enjoy the pregnancy, worry-free. Plus, I love surprises!

 

I admit the idea of Grace having Down’s took some getting used to. I cried alone in the shower. When I called to share the news with my belly-to-belly photo friend (still one of my besties), her response was “So what?” She wanted to affirm that my baby with Down’s was (and is) a very special creation from God which I appreciated.

 

But now that my girls are 30 years old, I know and have told her that having a baby with special needs is not just a “so what.” It’s hard. And while the hard may morph over the years, it never completely goes away. But I know without a doubt that the challenge provides ample opportunity to die to myself and lean on the Lord. ALL children do that, but a special needs child gives bonus opportunities. But God always comes through.

 

Early on, I struggled with sinful pride, especially when we’d go out with the twin stroller. Everyone loves to look at twins. They’d come over, peer at the babies (who obviously did not look a bit alike). Plus Grace did not look like a typical baby and they’d ask if they were identical. Embarrassed, I wound up giving a brief elevator speech about how “twin” means “two,” not identical.

 

But since then, for YEARS, my saying is that Grace “came with a helper.” Actually, she came into a family with many helpers. The PT, OT, and speech therapists gave me homework every week, but I was so crazily busy. Overwhelmed! I couldn’t do it. Yet the therapists always exclaimed about Grace’s great progress. That progress came from brothers rolling her back and forth in blankets, sisters shaking toys in her face before she was able to get them on her own, and more. The best therapists for children with special needs are siblings!

 

My eight children now range from 40 down to 24 years old, five of them married, including Rachel. So far, they've given me 10 grandchildren. Just Grace and my 28 year-old daughter who is on the autism spectrum live with me now. God knew I’d need their company. My dear husband, Greg died from cancer 2.5 years ago. While I miss him terribly, I am never lonely. The tendency to have fraternal twins is genetic, so I’m very hopeful at least one of my children will be blessed with their own set of twins some day.

 

NANCY WEBSTER

Lynnville, Tennessee, USA

 

POSTSCRIPT: In later years, our children gave pro-life speeches about parents who tragically abort the “imperfect” twin. Sometimes the abortionist takes the “wrong” baby, so then they do a repeat to take the baby with Down’s too. Those parents have no clue what joys and personal growth they have missed out on.

 

Pictures:

Nancy (on the right) with well over 15 lbs. of babies!

The twins at 30 years of age.

Isn’t it wonderful to come to God’s word each morning to be refreshed and fueled? Oh, how I love it. Among many wonderful Scriptures I read this morning, Proverbs 10:21 ministered to me: “The lips of the righteous feed many.” The Knox translation says they are a “shepherd to many.” I thought that was interesting so checked it out in the Hebrew. Yes, that’s the correct Hebrew word, ra’a, meaning “to shepherd, to tend a flock, to be a friend.” It’s the same word used of God who is our Shepherd (Psalm 23:1).

 

Dear mother, you too are a shepherdess of the little flock (or big flock) God has given to you. He not only wants you to feed your flock physically, clothing them, cooking meals for them and satisfying their hungry tummies, but also to feed and shepherd them from your lips. What a beautiful thing that we can shepherd our children through our lips as we prepare them for life, and the destiny God has for them. Ask God to give you shepherding lips. That’s what I prayed for this morning.

 

I was reading the life of G. Campbell Morgan the other day. He was a famous preacher and teacher of God’s word. He had four sons who also grew up to be great preachers. I loved this little anecdote about when a person came into the room where the family were gathered.

 

The visitor said to one of the sons, “Who is the greatest preacher of you all.”

 

Without hesitation he replied, “Mother.”

 

I thought this was so powerful She most probably never preached a sermon like her husband who preached to thousands every week, but her son acknowledged that she was the greatest preacher. He would be thinking of the continual counsel and shepherding they had received from her lips throughout the years.

 

Your role is so powerful, dear mother. And you can work wonders in your children as you shepherd them through your lips.

 

“Words that bring delight pour from the lips of the godly” (Proverbs 10:32 TPT).

 

Many blessings from Nancy Campbell

A Testimony of one who suddenly became a widow!

 

A little over a year ago I had everything. I was married to my husband Mike for 32 years. We had 15 children ranging from 32 to six years. We homeschooled and my husband worked from home. Our oldest children were married and starting their families, so we had two new grandchildren.

 

Mike and I met at a time in our lives when neither of us was living for God. I had been a rebellious teenager and my parents, trying to save me from myself, sent me to live with an aunt. During that time, I grew close to God but going back home after a year, I fell right back into the same pattern. Mike and I started dating, and soon after I was pregnant. When our oldest son Michael was eight months old, we married.

 

I got pregnant with our daughter Hannah right after we married. We were still not living for God. Mike lost his job and decided to join the Air Force. It was then that we hit a very rough spot in our marriage for several years and I knew we were never going to make it without God. I turned my life over to Him, and within a year Mike also gave his life to God.

 

I read a book about allowing God to be in charge of your fertility and talked it over with Mike. He was very open to receiving that message from God and we decided to allow God to plan our family, and God blessed us with 13 more children. We didn't homeschool our older children, but one day we visited a church where I met a woman who changed the trajectory of our lives forever.

 

We talked in the lobby while we watched our toddlers play. She told me about homeschooling and how she'd struggled with her older daughter who had fallen into the wrong crowd and left home at 18 years. She said she was now homeschooling her other seven children and would rather her children have no friends than bad friends. Those words changed my life. We decided to take our children out of school and homeschool.

 

The oldest three asked if they could finish high school, so we agreed. When my oldest son was very young, I remember having a bad feeling he was going to get into drugs when he grew up. I prayed about it over and over. When he was around 25, he called my husband to tell him he got into drugs and needed help. My husband did everything to help him. It took several years, but God stepped in in a mighty way and arranged so many circumstances that it could have only been God.

 

Mike helped him get into Sandhills Teen Challenge and he stayed. When visiting him, Michael played us a song, "I'm gonna see the victory," by Elevation Worship. At that point, Mike and I saw hope that he would make it. Looking back, I see how God was building a track record with us.

 

In the nine months leading up to Mike's death, anytime we'd disagree, I'd feel the Holy Spirit tell me, “Let it go, don't say anything, forgive.” Many times I didn't listen. I know now God was trying to keep me from having many regrets. During the spring and summer, we did so many things as a family. We decided to sell our house and move to North Carolina to be closer to my parents and our older sons.

 

My husband took us to Cooperstown on the 4th of July. I remember driving home that evening with all the children in the car, watching fireworks everywhere, and feeling grateful for all God had blessed me with, but also a strange, ominous feeling in my spirit. I assumed it was because we were moving. The scenery and mountains in New York were beautiful, and I was sad to leave.

 

About a week before Mike passed, we were driving and a song came on the radio called "In Case You Didn't Know " by Brett Young. This song always reminded me of my husband and how much I loved him. I wanted to tell him, but I didn't want to say it in front of the children, so I told myself I'd tell him some other time. That chance never came.

 

On a beautiful, warm, sunny Friday afternoon we got a call from our realtor that we'd be closing on our house in three weeks. We'd already secured a six-month beach rental in NC, and everyone was elated. About an hour or two later, we were all getting ready for our Friday evening sabbath meal. When I went to see where my husband had gone and I tried to open the bedroom door as I realized he was behind it. I could tell he wasn't breathing. I ran out to my son Joel and we called 911. My daughter Grace, 17, and son Sam, 21, went in the room to do CPR. I stayed in the living room with the younger children trying to comfort them, but it was so chaotic and surreal.

 

My son Sam came out of the room while my daughter Grace stayed with her father, telling him how much she loved him and begging him not to leave. He passed away from a heart attack before the ambulance came with her staying by his side the entire time.

 

The amazing thing is that about two weeks before Mike passed, he was talking about being with his mother when she passed. Grace asked him questions and I didn't want Mike to share too much for fear it would scare her. He shared anyway, and I believe that was God because two weeks later she was with her own father as he left this world. I don't know if she would have had the courage if he hadn't walked her through it those few weeks before.

 

Mike came to bed one evening not long before all of this and began talking to me. He shared with me about when we first met and how excited he was to have found me. He talked and talked about anything and everything. We talked for hours that night. He reminded me of so many things I'd forgotten, and we told each other how much we loved each other. Mike died suddenly of a heart attack called a widowmaker and I believe God let us say goodbye because we weren't going to have that chance. I cherish that time more than anything.

 

Dear fellow wives, please do not take advantage of the fact that you think your husband will be around. Even one more minute with him is never a guarantee. One minute Mike was walking through the house, helping me with the bills, making plans to run to the store before dinner and the next minute he was gone forever. Love your husband every second you have here on earth with him. Forget about the silly things that may get on your nerves and just love him with all you have. Everyday!

 

It's been the hardest year of my life, but God has been so faithful. In a world I knew so well and felt so confident in, I no longer fit. I have always been a stay-at-home homeschool mom and now I am a single mother at 52. My children don't have a dad cheering them on at their sporting events like they always did. My littlest boys, now nine and seven years will never know what it's like to have their father watch them win a basketball tournament like my son Joel did just months before his father died.

 

I know God is there. I know he is holding us up. I've felt his presence like never before, even on the worst days when I beg Him to tell me why this had to happen. Mike was so good. He loved us so much, and he loved God. Many friends have spoken life and Scriptures over me and have been a shoulder to lean on and a place to cry.

 

Nine months before Mike died, he started a Bible study with our sons, Joel (18) and Luke (14) called “Every Man a Warrior.” He faithfully read his own Bible every morning. The day after he died, I was looking through his Bible. I found a little note tucked inside that said:

 

"My Marriage Commitment. It is my privilege to show love for Yeshua by caring for my wife—to love her, show her honor, try to understand her, and give up my life and rights for her.”

 

Under those words were these three scriptures: John 14:21; Ephesians 5:25; and 1 Peter 3:7.

 

I read this letter at his funeral, where all 15 of his children sat in the front row, living proof of what an amazing man their father was to them. During the years we were having our children we received a lot of wonderful and also critical comments. We didn't listen to the critical ones. We decided to believe the Bible where Psalm 127:3 says: "Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.

 

And also Psalm 127:4-5: “Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.” I look at my children now and I realize I need them far more than they need me. My husband made sure I would never be lonely. Over the last year, I've gotten my best advice from our children.

 

I accepted Jesus into my heart as a small child, though I strayed over the years. As I got older and lived out my faith, I always knew my faith would be tested at some point. I thought it had been when my oldest son had his struggles, but never like this. We don't truly know what we believe until we've really walked through the fire. A friend recently told me, “None of us are getting out of here alive. We are all going to face this. Every marriage is going to face death.”

 

Mike always told me, "You're the strongest person I know." I didn't believe him, but I want to live that out for him now. I want to live that out for our children. Sometimes that means them seeing me weaker than I've ever been, crying because I miss their daddy, who I loved, who they loved, and who loved us more than I could ever express in words. He still loves us by giving us this gift of a large, beautiful family, this beautiful empire of people who will continue to grow and produce a harvest that we can all enjoy together for as long as we're all here on earth together.

 

NICOLE KEENAN

Albany, New York, USA

 

Mike and Nicole’s children are Michael Jr, Hannah, Dominic, Gabriel, Elijah, Samuel, Joel, Grace, Evelyn, Luke, Bethanyjoy, Amelia, Adeline, Benjamin and Alden

Here's a little secret. You may not feel like smiling. You may think you have nothing to smile about. But smile anyway. It's amazing that when you start smiling it changes how you feel on the inside.

 

Smile more at your husband today. Give him lots of smiles. He will love it. Smile at your children. They'll know you love them when you smile at them. And smiling is contagious. As you smile, you'll soon have a smiling husband and smiling children and your home will be filled with happiness.

 

It will happen. Just try it.

 

Love from Nancy Campbell

I know you have been enjoying the testimonies of birthing twins. Thank you for all the extra stories in the comments. It’s wonderful to read about them.

 

However, would you really like to hear an “unbelievable” story about twins? It concerns my sister-in-law, Judy, who is a twin. Your heart will be in your mouth as you hear it. I share this story on No. 3 podcast, LIFE TO THE FULL w/ Nancy Campbell.

 

It was way back when I first started the podcasts and on this one I share about a ladies’ luncheon at my home where Judy shared her story. I recount it again on this podcast. No. 3. WELCOME TO OUR LADIES’ LUNCHEON.

 

Don’t miss this story. Love from Nancy Campbell

 

Picture: Jan (left) and Judy (right) my sister-in-law. Judy and Jan are great-grandmothers now, but you’ll be amazed at what happened at their birth.

Yesterday I posted the story of Mary Schuch’s birthing her twins. Lying in bed last night I thought, “I should share the story of the birth of our twins.” Yes, 61 years ago I also gave birth to twins.

 

I conceived the twins while Colin and I were doing missionary work in the Philippines but never went to a doctor while I was there. When I was eight months pregnant, we came back to New Zealand and Colin’s parents suggested a particular doctor to visit. He checked me out and never detected twins! This was back in the days when there were no ultrasounds. He then said, “Well, I will be in England when you are due to give birth, so just come to the hospital and whoever is on duty will see to you.” At that time in my life I had never heard of having a home birth.

 

About a week before my due date I thought I was in labor and went to the hospital. They checked me out and said it was false labor and once again never detected twins! Nobody ever mentioned to me the possibility that I may be having twins. But I must admit I wondered what was happening. I was aware I was so much bigger than with my first baby and wondered how I would give birth to such a huge baby! I hardly had any movement. The babies were so tightly packed together that obviously they didn’t have much room to move.

 

On my due date (pretty good for twins) I came into labor again and went to the hospital. This time as the nurse was listening to the heartbeat with the stethoscope (doppler) she questioned, "I hear another heartbeat. But it could be an echo. We'll wait and see!" That was the first inkling I had of twins! And still they weren’t sure!

Eventually, and according to etiquette protocol of “ladies first” Evangeline was born---breech birth, which is quite normal for twins! I didn't notice any difference than a normal birth. She was 6 lbs. 13 oz.

 

The nurse felt my tummy and listened again! Yes, there was another baby still there! Five minutes later, Stephen arrived, a gentleman who allowed his sister to go first. He was 7 lbs. 5 oz. I had been carrying around over 14 Lbs. of babies. How had no one detected?

 

Colin and I were ecstatic with the excitement of having twins. We enjoyed these moments of elation before we faced the hard work—going home to care for twins and a 17-month-old, with no help. We had just arrived back from the Philippines and were living out of suitcases.

 

But I look back on those wonderful days when I was so tired that it was painful. And yet they were such wonderful years, full of joy and fun as we watched them grow, along with their other siblings that came along. The twins were so different. Evangeline was brown-eyed and golden-haired. Stephen was blue-eyed and blonde. I remember some folks staying with us when they were little children. I talked about the twins, but they never commented. Later they told me when they discovered that we did actually have twins that they thought one must have died because they couldn’t see two children that looked alike. They were, and still are, so different in personality too. But both are full of personality and the “life of the party” wherever they are.

 

I always used to say, “There’s only one thing better than having a baby, and that’s having two babies!”

 

With 50 grandchildren and nearly 40 great-grandchildren so far, we are still waiting for another set of twins!

 

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

 

Pictures: Left: The twins as babies, Evangeline on the left, Stephen on the right. Right: On their 61st birthday.

 

PS. Maybe others of you have wonderful twin-birthing stories to share. Don’t hesitate to share. Send them to me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

While I was pregnant with our ninth child, my midwife told me that I appeared unusually large. "If you're having twins, you'll have to find someone else to help you. That's out of my league."

 

My very first ultrasound revealed that, yes, indeed, I was carrying twins!

 

My neighbor, Margarita, was expecting her eighth child and suggested that I call her doctor who did home deliveries. After meeting him, he suggested that I call his father who had delivered over 80 sets of twins at home.

 

I began labor three weeks before my due date, the very day that I was to meet the elderly physician. I didn't tell my husband, Mike, that I was in active labor, because we had an hour’s drive ahead of us and you know how long childbirth can go.

 

While waiting for our turn to be called back to the examination room, we met a lovely lady. Michelle had given birth at home five times with the help of Doctor Gregory White and my husband told her that the doctor was planning to meet us at a hotel halfway between Crystal Lake and Franklin Park to deliver our twins.

 

"I live halfway between Crystal Lake and Franklin Park! You can come to my house!"

When the nurse called us and the exam commenced, Dr. White said, “How long have you been in labor?"

 

"About four hours," I replied.

 

My husband then told him about meeting Michelle in the waiting room and her offer to host our delivery.

 

"Hmm," he said casually, "meet me over at Michelle's house."

 

My husband called her and wrote out the directions. He then contacted my sister Jenine, who wanted to attend, and neighbor Margarita who also brought our daughter, Wendy. When we arrived, the bed was prepared, newspapers and towels were set out along with a pot of water to boil.

 

Dr. White arrived shortly and instructed my husband, "I'll check her, then I'll lay down to rest. Wake me up every twenty minutes." This went on all evening into the night and early morning. I was not progressing as quickly as anticipated, so the doctor did an adjustment and within 30 minutes, Joseph Edward made his entrance into the world weighing in at about 5 lbs. Dr. White proclaimed, "He's a keeper!"

I was instructed that my uterus would rest a bit, so "just relax."

 

About 40 minutes later Stephen James greeted us. We could see that he was a little larger and it was confirmed that he was about 7 ½ lbs. I say "about" because the doctor did not have his usual fish scale, so Michelle's daughter held them each on the scale and then subtracted her weight.

 

A few hours later, we wrapped up the babies. Wendy carried one baby and I took the other as we had no car seats and Mike drove all of us back to Crystal Lake.

 

We were over the moon with our two new babies and so were all children at home!

That was December 8, 1992. I knew that the Lord was in the business of delivering babies for thousands of years. He causes the deer to give birth, and I knew that He would help me, too. He provided a better place for me to give birth than I ever could have imagined!

 

MARY LAPLACE SCHUCH

(Mary is a mother of 11 grown children and now a great-grandmother with a heart to bless, teach, and encourage young mothers).

Woodstock, Illinois, USA

 

You can contact Mary at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

Pictures: The twins as babies and then grown up.

Can I share a secret with you? The devil hates the power of your family prayers and will do everything he can to stop you. He won't use bad things to stop you as he knows you wouldn't be tempted. He'll use good things to stop you, things that look urgent and important.

 

But you must be wary of his tactics. Don't let anything stop you. Your united praying is the most powerful thing you can do as a family. Praying families are nation nation families. Even more. They are world changing families.

 

Be committed to your daily Bible reading and prayer together as a family. Make it happen. I often say: "Things don't just happen; you must make them happen!"

 

Blessings to you today,

Nancy Campbell

Oh wow, our mouth is our biggest problem, isn't it? Especially right in our home, with our husband and with our children. We either build up our marriage or pull it down with our tongue.

 

Proverbs 16:23 says: "The heart of the wise teaches his mouth, and adds learning to his lips." We must TEACH our mouth to speak only that which will edify and encourage and to shut up when we can't say the right thing! Our mouths needs a lot of teaching, don't they?

 

Let's have the same confession as David: "I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle" (Psalm 39:1).

 

~ Many blessings, Nancy Campbell

Yes, it is the father's responsibility to lead in Family Devotions. However, it is the mother who prepare the way. A wonderful time to have family Bible reading together is when we have gathered all our family to the meal table. It is easy to get them there to eat. But the table is not only a place to feed the physical body, but also the soul and the spirit. Unless we feed the whole person, our children leave the table starving spiritually.

 

To make this happen, it takes thought and time and effort from the mother. We prepare a nutritious and aroma-filled meal. We set an enticing table that draws the family. We think about subjects to talk about. As everyone eats, communicates, and fellowships together oxytocin is released and calms the soul. We are ready for finishing up the meal by feeding the spirit. We don't let anyone leave the table until Father reads from God's Word, and we pray, and worship.

 

I have found by experience that it is best not to even clear the table. Once children get up to clear the table, it breaks the atmosphere and it is so hard to get them back. So don't let them go. No one notices the dishes on the table.

You play a big part in making this happen, dear mother.

 

Many blessings today,

 

Nancy Campbell