Dear Friends,
Pope Francis had declared two-thousand seventeen to be the Year of Hope. With this in mind, we wanted to share with you the story of Hope.
We first met Dewi during the summer of 2015, when she joined our Assisted Living Ministry Team at Park Terrace in Rancho Santa Margarita. Dewi had been a caregiver at this community, so she knew most of the residents. She approached them with such a loving heart; we couldn’t help falling in love with her. Since her parents lived far away, my wife Bonnie soon filled in as her U.S. “Mom”.
Dewi had been born and raised Muslim in a small town in Indonesia. During high school, she was introduced to Christianity and committed her life to Christ. She met and fell in love with her husband Kris in the small town of Cirebon, Indonesia. When they married in 2005, there was a period of three years when they saw each other only a couple of times, as Dewi went through the arduous immigration process in preparation for a move to the United States. During one of these visits, Dewi asked Kris, who had been raised Catholic, to join her at a local church service. Dewi was pleasantly surprised when Kris responded to the alter call and stepped forward to accept Jesus as his Lord and Savior.
After Dewi and Kris settled in California in 2008, they agreed they should concentrate on their education and careers. Fast forward to 2014: Dewi had started praying God would bless her with a child. Moving into 2015, with natural processes not bringing a baby, Dewi and Bonnie would spend time together after the chapel service at Park Terrace praying God would allow Dewi to have her baby.
Sadly, when Dewi and Kris sought help from a fertility clinic, they learned medical conditions diminished the probability they would ever be able to have children. They went through a bunch of testing and followed recommended procedures, but still no pregnancy. About this time Dewi began to question whether God was even hearing her prayers. She surrendered to the possibility it wasn’t God’s will that she have a child and changed her prayer to “Lord, help me to accept your decision.”
The next option would have been to take fertility medications, but before going that route, Dewi and Kris decided to take a vacation to Indonesia. On vacation they did everything she wouldn’t be able to do if she were to become pregnant. From mountain biking to water sports, they did it all. When they returned from vacation they once again visited with their fertility specialist. He advised them that no further treatment would be necessary. She was already pregnant!
You can’t imagine the joy we felt when we learned Dewi was going to have a baby — a baby girl that she and Kris had already decided to name “HOPE.”
About a month later, Bonnie and I were touring in Alberta, Canada when Dewi called. We could hear the pain in her voice as she explained that her doctor had ordered genetic testing and the tests showed there was a high probability her baby had Turner syndrome, a chromosomal condition that affects the development of females.
“Why has God let this happen?” She asked softly.
We tried to console her, but found it difficult to speak through our own tears. We prayed with her over the phone and promised to support her no matter what the outcome.
What followed was a series of chance occurrences — what Christian author Squire Rushnell would categorize as “God Winks” — that gave us hope that everything was going to be alright.
#1: After speaking with Dewi, the next stop on our tour was a gondola ride at Sulfur Mountain in Alberta. As we stood in line waiting for the ride to the top, Bonnie noticed a young man wearing a bright yellow wristband. “Do you see what that says?” She asked. She actually tried to buy the band from the young man, but the best she could do was get a photo … Hope!
#2: On the ride down the mountain we sat behind two young men. “Do you see his tattoo?” Bonnie asked excitedly. “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13
#3: But it was the third “God Wink” that sealed the deal for us. Lake Louise is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. That evening, as Bonnie and I walked along the path toward the boathouse, we were wondering out loud how anyone could see something this beautiful and doubt the existence of God. A couple that had been walking in front of us turned toward us and the woman said, “I feel the presence of God in your life. Are you Christians?”
We talked for several minutes about our home churches — ours at Saddleback, theirs at a small church in Australia. Suddenly Bonnie asked the woman, “Would you be willing to pray for our friend Dewi. She really needs prayer.” I should mention that Bonnie isn’t in the habit of stopping in the middle of a path, grabbing the hands of a couple of strangers, and asking them to pray, but she does believe “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” James 5:16
I am not skilled enough as a writer to describe the power we felt as this Australian woman prayed. Hers wasn’t a cautious appeal; it was a bold conversation with a God she knows intimately. She praised him for who he is. She thanked him for all he has done, then she thanked him for the miracle he would do for Hope. The last words of her prayer were, “That baby will be healed. Amen.”
When I returned to our hotel room I sent an email to Dewi that read in part, “Our hearts are heavy but hopeful. After we spoke to you today, we had a series of experiences that confirmed that God is in charge, and He is aware of your pain. “We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield.” Psalm 33:20. We can’t know what God has in mind when we face trials, but we know he loves you and wants to comfort you. We love you, Bonnie and Don”
Three weeks after we returned from our vacation Dewi called to tell us a follow-up test revealed the baby was perfectly healthy. We leave it to you to decide if the first test was a false positive, or if God had once again responded to prayer.
The next call from Dewi came January 2nd at 10:30 P.M. This time sobs of pain were mixed with an unmistakable tone of joy. “I’m in labor … and it hurts.”
We drove to the hospital and stayed with Dewi and Kris until a nurse advised us it would be morning before Dewi would be ready to deliver. We decided to go home to get some rest. A few hours later we were awakened by the text tone on my phone. The nurse that had told us it would be OK to go home obviously didn’t know God’s timing.
For Dewi, Kris, Hope, and the many who love them, this truly is a Year of Hope …
Hope Kirsten Sunarto was born January 3, 2017.
And the story of the miracle of Hope has just begun. She will do all things through Christ who strengthens her.
I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again— my Savior and my God!”
Psalm 42:11b
“Let the people give glory and honor to Him who is worthy of praise and made this happen.” — Dewi.
Blessings,
Your friends in Christ, a.k.a. Hope’s stand-in Granny and Pop Pop
Because He Loves Us Press 