B V O V
:
1 5
Melinda and Ben had met while attending
Jerry Savelle's Bible college in Crowley, Texas.
After graduation, Ben had proposed and in
2002 they were married.
Some of their earliest discussions had been
about having children. Their plan was to wait
at least fi ve years before starting a family.
Beyond having their own children, they had
also entertained the thought of adding to the
family through adoption.
Both worked at Kenneth Copeland
Ministries. Melinda's job took her all over
the country, wherever Brother Copeland
preached. During those trips, she collected
things for their children.
Now that it had been far more than fi ve
years, they'd gone in for testing to fi gure out
why they hadn't conceived. Ben and Melinda
felt shellshocked by the news. Her fertility
levels were so low that she had less than a 1%
chance of getting pregnant.
Taking a Stand
"I was the oldest of four children, and no
one in our family had struggled with fertility,"
Melinda says. "Two diœ erent doctors agreed
that it would be impossible for me to conceive
by Melanie Hemry
Melinda Deckert examined the curtains
she'd bought for the baby's nursery. She picked up the
soft baby blankets, and sorted through the baby books, music
CDs and videos, toys and stu ed animals. She thumbed through
the book of prayers she and her husband, Ben,
prayed over the baby every day.
Faith
for a
Family
