From the Service

Here is what we wrote to be read at Arthur's service yesterday:

Arthur Isaac Ramos was born on October 13, 2014 at 5:34 pm.  He was 6 pounds, 3 ounces and 19.5 inches.  He had his daddy’s mouth, Uncle Andrew’s nose, Aletheia’s cheekbones, and Uncle Tyler’s long fingers and toes.  He enjoyed snuggling on his mommy’s chest.  When his daddy picked him up and spoke to him, he turned his head toward his daddy’s voice.  He spent the minutes of his life on this earth in the arms of his family who love him so much.  He is now in the arms of his Heavenly Father.

The months leading up to Arthur’s arrival were difficult because we found out mid-way through the pregnancy that his heart and lungs were not growing properly due to a diaphragmatic hernia.  As the doctors ran more tests, the news seemed to get worse and worse.  Arthur would not be able to live long in this world and only God could heal him – there was nothing the doctors could do.

Every night we prayed that God would heal Arthur.  When she heard Evan pray for Arthur, Aletheia would lean over and snuggle against Sarah’s womb where Arthur was growing.  She would rub her blanket on Sarah’s tummy and give “Arshur” a kiss.  In true brotherly fashion, Arthur would kick at Aletheia.

God chose not to heal Arthur on this earth.  The time we had with our son was far too short.  It was bitter, knowing how soon our time together would be over.  It was hard to say hello and instantly begin to say goodbye.   But our time together was also sweet.  We got to hold Arthur, talk to him, put a diaper on him, and place a little newsboy hat on his head.  We got to watch his grandparents, aunts, uncles, and big sister meet him.  We treasure every moment we had.

Tuesday night when we got home from the hospital, Evan prayed and thanked God for perfectly healing Arthur.  Aletheia turned to Sarah and wanted to kiss her brother as she had so many nights before.  Through tears, we tried to explain to her that he was no longer growing inside of Sarah but he also wasn’t in our arms anymore.  

We may never know in this life why God chose to say no to our prayers, but our experiences with Arthur have challenged and strengthened our faith. We understand now even more than we did before how much God loves us.  

We are so thankful for our family, our church, our friends, coworkers, and students who have been at our sides through this time.  Thank you for your prayers on our behalf and on Arthur’s.  Thank you for the words of encouragement and for the gifts of time, food, babysitting, and many other types of support.  Thank you for crying with us and for trusting God with us.  You also have helped us know even more than we did before how much God loves us.