When we began our family over seven years ago, I did not fully grasp that a mission field was also being birthed. We, of course, prayed over each of our babies and dedicated their lives to the Lord. As our children have grown and developed, a greater calling has been given to me to make Jesus known to each of them in hopes that they will walk with Christ someday and make His great love known to others.
I imagine the word “Mother” evokes different emotions for all. There may be fond or painful memories attached to the title--a sense of loss, a longing, or even an indifference. I am so fortunate to have an incredible mother who inspires and challenges me to be better and more like Christ by the way she lives and who has also become one of my best friends. I am constantly amazed and humbled by how she still finds ways to serve my sisters and I as we are raising our own families. When we had our family business, she also became a stand-in mother to several of our employees, many of whom were going through major life events or hardships. Years after she is done raising her own children, she still finds ways to be used in that capacity and is beloved by all who know her.
It took 18 long months for my oldest child to start sleeping through the night. There were weeks where I was sleeping in 20-60 minute spurts and barely staying awake despite the IV of coffee I lived on. I was in pure survival mode. The last thing on my mind was how I could serve God by making disciples and serving others. All I could focus on was when I could catch a nap and how to be needed the least amount possible by others. I knew this couldn’t be what God intended motherhood to look like, but I couldn’t see a way out either.
In honor of Down Syndrome Awareness Month coming in October, we wanted to chat with a couple of our favorite moms, Eilene Franks and Katie Harder, both raising children diagnosed with Down Syndrome. As you will see from this conversation, there is so much more to a person than a diagnosis, but we do want to shine a light on the special children they are raising and how we, as a church and community, can better understand and support families like theirs.
