This was one of our first attempts at an online newsletter. Please forgive the poor readability. For current issues, please visit www.hannah.org/ministries/h2h.htm.

"A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping. Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because her children are no more." This is what the LORD says: "Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for your work will be rewarded...So there is hope for your future," declares the LORD. Jeremiah 31:15-17

Hannah's Prayer is dedicated to the encouragement of couples who are facing infertility or the loss of a child any time from conception through infancy. As October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, this special edition of Hannah to Hannah is devoted to these issues.

A poem for the sweet babies :

Even though you're here no more,

It's hard to close my delicate "thoughts door".

You made me smile when I thought you were coming,

Now I cry even though the birds are still humming.

You, like the roses, made me bloom of you,

And up to heaven now with the songbirds you flew.

These moments were precious, but now my heart must heal,

My love, my dear baby, I hope you will feel.

Darlene Boesch wrote this poem after the miscarriage of her 4th, much wanted, long awaited child. She was 5 1/2 weeks along when she lost this baby on May 8, 1996. The day she miscarried she noticed beautiful roses blooming next to her porch on her way out to the doctor's office. The beauty touched her in the midst of her despair and she picked one of those roses the next day to press in her pregnancy book as a symbol of her child's short life. This poem was inspired by those roses.

"I ask the same question now with my kids as I did when I was going through the infertility trials. Why me Lord? Only now I say it with tears of joy instead of tears of sorrow. We are so blessed with the two children that we adopted, I feel especially chosen to be their mother. I hope someday all your readers can ask that question with happy tears!" Denise Harben

"I picked up my medical records today to take to my new physician tomorrow. It is the first time that I've actually seen the paperwork on my miscarriage and D&C. I sat in the clinic's parking lot and cried while the rain hit the windshield. Maybe God was crying with me. It hurts...it's been almost four years, but these papers make it seem like it was yesterday." Jane

"I have spent days crying and begging God to bless us with children. It is so frustrating to plead and beg with God - it feels like your prayers hit a brick wall and bounce back off right into your face. It has been a slow process for me, but I was getting so discouraged and 'down in the dumps' I knew something had to change. I have had so much peace in my heart since I gave my burning desire to the One who is holding our little twins in His loving arms. I still have teary days when I think I just can't go on without a child, but the Lord is always there to hold me in His loving arms!

"He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the Lord." Psalm 113:9

"I feel like the woman in Matthew 9:20. So often I've wished that I, too, could touch the hem of His garment and be healed. She had her infirmity twelve years...I guess the important thing is for me to be yielded to the Lord's will, whether He heals me or not...

"[The twins' 4th birthday] was a rough day...I found myself experiencing the pain of parting, all over again, but God has taken the sharp sting away! More and more I find myself looking forward to seeing our children 'over There' and yet I feel a great longing to stay here and bear more children. Most of all I want to be yielded to the Lord! It is wonderful what peace and happiness God brings when you surrender your will to His. All we have to do is give it all to the One who created us. Praise the Lord for His patience and love!"

Editor note: Dwane and Gayle Flory lost full-term twins, Deana Sue andShane Dean on May 29, 1992, after birth complications. These "childless parents" have since been unable to conceive.

Dave and Nancy Blanchard, PO Box 159, Kent, OH 44240 would like to hear from couples in their area, especially those dealing with "secondary infertility" who have experienced fertility drugs or adoption.

Fall newsletter submission deadline in October 1. Has God given you something to share that you think would minister to others? We will consider your stories, poems, thoughts, questions, humor, comments, suggestions, reflections, and Scripture verses, as well as baby memorials, adoption announcements, and birth victory celebrations.

Now it is easier than ever to send in your submissions. As always, you are welcome to mail them in to our postal address at the top of this letter. A second option is to e-mail us! While this newsletter is primarily designed for a postal mailing list, you have found us on our new Hannah's Prayer web page. Please feel free to e-mail us and let us know that you stopped by. Tell us how you found us, and leave your name, postal mailing address, a brief description of your situation, and a request to be added to our mailing list. We are trying to find a way to create an e-mail mailing list so that anyone "on line" can receive this quarterly publication without using snail mail. God has more than tripled our subscription numbers in the few months we have been on the internet! We praise Him for the technology to make our resources available to so many more people around the globe. It is truly amazing. If you are a regular postal mail subscriber who also has e-mail access, please send us your e-mail address for our records.

There are several places on the internet that you may find helpful in dealing with infertility or the loss of a child during pregnancy. The majority of these fertility related resources are not Christian based, but are still supportive or informative. The Christian sites deal mostly with general Christian interests. This list is far from being exhaustive, but it gives you a place to start. Please send corrections or additions in for future publication. We have not personally been able to visit every one of these sites (some newsgroups are not available form our server, for example) and Hannah's Prayer does not necessarily agree with or support all views presented at any of these sites. Please try to find what is helpful to you, and disregard any information or links to other web sites or organizations that are offensive to you. There is a lot of good, useful information out there!

Undernet Chat rooms:

#ONNA -- Chat room for the "Oh No, Not Again!" (when your want to get pregnant and your period come) Subscribe List

#M96 -- As in "Maybe we will get pregnant in '96" (also found on efnet)

#infertility -- usually meets Wednesday evenings

#Christ -- casual Christian fellowship (not fertility related)

Newsgroups:

soc.support.pregnancy.loss

alt.support.adoption.agency

alt.infertility

misc.health.infertility

alt.support.pco (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome)

alt.support.endometriosis

Web sites:

ONNA (Oh No, Not Again) support group has an excellent links to other infertility resource sites

INCIID (pronounced "Inside") International Council on Infertility Information Dissemination

FIRL (Fertility Information Resource List)

National RESOLVE organization

Infertility Link Search

DES Action (Diethylstilbestrol)

Subscribe Lists:

ONNA (deals with trying to get pregnant with or without "infertility" problems) e-mail listserv@listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu. In the body (NOT the subject line) of your message, type: SUBSCRIBE ONNA

SPALS (Subsequent Pregnancy After Loss Support) e-mail spals-request@inforamp.net if you are pregnant after having experienced miscarriage or neonatal death

Infertility Support Group Mailing List e-mail majordomo@acpub.duke.edu. In body of message (not the subject line) type : SUBSCRIBE ILIST your e-mail address

IP ("Infertility Prayer"). To subscribe, e-mail majordomo@golden.net. In body (not subject) type: subscribe ip

For more information about the Christian prayer group, IP, e-mail Jim.

Hannah's Prayer E-mail Addresses:

CA002 -- Benicia, California -- chapter hosts have experience with secondary infertility, and ART procedures through IVF/ICSI and embryo freezing. <mikenootbaar@value.net>

CA003 -- Roseville, California -- chapter hosts have experience with primary infertility, PCO, uterine deformity, and early miscarriage. (Also the nation HP e-mail.) <hannahs@hannah.org>

Hannah said: "I prayed for this child [Samuel], and the Lord granted me what I asked of Him." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1 Samuel 1:27

In 1988, President Ronald Reagan declared October to be"National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month." This designation has been in effect ever since. The Pregnancy and Infant Loss Center, Inc. (see address in resource list) was instrumental in helping this awareness month to come about. October is also SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) Awareness Month. For more information about planning or attending Awareness Month programs and events, please contact PILC at (612) 473-9372. Several churches, pastors, deacons, elders, and Christian leaders subscribe to Hannah to Hannah. Please note that October would also be an excellent month to heighten awareness of the pain of infertility, pregnancy loss and infant loss within your ministries or congregations!

In Loving Memory of: James Matthew Escamillo, miscarried March 14, 1992 at 14 weeks, and Cassandra Elaine Escamillo, miscarried March 22, 1994 at 14 weeks.

These have been Lisa and Richard's only known pregnancies in over 5 years of infertility.

In Loving Memory of: Hope miscarried June, 1993, Faith miscarried March, 1995, and Grace miscarried May 17, 1996.

Your were named for the lessons that God taught your parents, John and Paula, through the heartaches of each of your deaths over the past five years of infertility.

In Joyful Celebration of: Nicholas John O., born Oct. 1, 1993; adopted May 28, 1996

"The Lord's gift of Nicholas has been somewhat like a healing balm for my heart that was filled with so much pain related to infertility and miscarriage. I still cry over our babies and am still grieving, but He has brought beauty from the ashes."

(The call from the adoption agency came as Grace was being miscarried.)

In Loving Memory of: Tristan Timothy Van de Giessen who was conceived after seven years of infertility and miscarried May 10, 1996. Tristan would have been due Oct. 29.

In Loving Memory of Baby Van de Giessen misscarried August 10,1996.

In Joyful Celebration of: Natalie Marie born June 25, 1996 to Adele F. after years of infertility. A donation was made to Hannah's Prayer in Adele's name as a baby shower gift.

If you are part of an infertility, pregnancy loss, or infant loss support group and would like Hannah's Prayer to have information about your organization, please let us know. We are particularly interested in knowing of local Christian groups that the Hannah to Hannah readers may be referred to in areas where Hannah's Prayer has not yet established chapters.

Return to the Hannah to Hannah Newsletters page to read other back issues and find out more information about this publication.

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Ministries About Hannah's Prayer Resources

Hannah's Prayer Ministries
www.hannah.org
PO Box 168
Hanford, California 93232-0168
USA

E-Mail: Hannahs@Hannah.org

Voice Mail / Fax: (775)852-9202

Hannah's Prayer is a California based, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, established Jan 1, 1995. All staff members are unpaid volunteers who are proclaiming Christians (from a range of denominational backgrounds) and have personal experience with the heartache of fertility challenges.  This ministry and website are made possible by your tax deductible contributions.

This web site was established in April, 1996.  For website related issues, please contact the Hannah's Prayer website administrator, Jill Sherbrooke.  The Hannah's Prayer logo was designed exclusively for Hannah's Prayer by Rick Saake.  Hannah's Prayer pages are Copyrighted. © 1996-2004, Hannah's Prayer Ministries. All rights reserved.