1104 results for author: Ashlee Schmidt

Share Hope: Hope SHARE Foundation

I was heading home from a meeting while tears streamed down my face. Before leaving, several ladies had gathered to pray over my unborn son and me. I had been very open with those around me about his prognosis and any miracles or glimmers of hope we experienced during the pregnancy. I had not, however, been so transparent to others concerning the answer God was giving me. I coveted others’ prayers and wanted so desperately for God to change His mind. While the tears poured this day, my prayer wasn’t for God to change His mind, but simply for His will to be done. I asked God to give my son’s life profound purpose no matter how short his ...

Our Hope This Christmas

The people of Israel were waiting for the coming of the promised Messiah. They were living under the threat of the Assyrians, who would later bring the northern kingdom of Israel into captivity, when the prophet Isaiah delivered news of a child who would come to dissipate the darkness and redeem the world from sin. This birth announcement was a glimmer of hope in the midst of the fear and sorrow. “For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 We live in the space between the ...

Advent: The Gift of Love

I was eight and a half months pregnant that first Christmas in my grief. Just four months before, we had received a diagnosis for our unborn son that left us knowing that, barring a miracle from God, we’d be saying goodbye to him way sooner than we ever imagined. There was something so significant that year about being pregnant at Christmastime.  I had low energy, both physically and emotionally, and so in some ways Christmas became a little bit simpler. But, honestly, it became a little bit more meaningful too. I would go about my days, obviously with child, and I would think about what we were about to celebrate: Christmas. The birth of ...

Kacie’s Story

I feel like I have told Isaac’s story hundreds of times over the past seven years, and yet, each time it’s difficult to know where to start. Because the Bible says that God knew us before the foundation of the world, I know that Isaac’s story began before I was laying on the ultrasound table that day in March of 2011. However, for the purpose of this blog, that is where I will begin. That day, a day that will forever be etched in my memory, we were at the doctor for a followup. Our “routine” genetic screening, just three weeks prior, had indicated that the precious baby growing within my womb might be sick. Those three weeks had been long ...

Why Give to Hope Mommies? {And a Giveaway!}

It is estimated that one in four pregnancies will end in loss. I had been aware of the statistic for a long time, but I always assumed that most of these losses occur in countries where there isn’t easy access to affordable health care. Surely, with all of the medical advancements we have in the United States, baby loss could not be that common. Then, in May of 2014, I watched the monitor as the sonographer told me that my baby’s heart was no longer beating. My heart ached knowing that I would not be able to watch this sweet baby grow. Eight months later, I was in the emergency room delivering another precious baby. She too was not long for ...

Advent: He is Joy

I have to admit that writing about joy in this Advent season feels deeply bittersweet for me. Two years ago, when I was anxiously awaiting the birth of my firstborn son, Max, my church asked me to write a personal Advent piece also centered on joy. At that time, I talked about choosing to find joy in Max’s Down syndrome diagnosis. I reveled in the parallel between awaiting the birth of our Lord Jesus and that of Max. I wrote, “Spencer and I are filled with joy as we anticipate the arrival of our baby who we know will change our lives. And as we wait for Max, we also celebrate the Advent, and wait with great joy and anticipation for the ...

In the Word: God is Great

Welcome to Hope Mommies’ In the Word devotionals. Over the next several weeks, we will be pouring over Scripture with the goal of knowing God increasingly as He truly is. As we study together, we encourage you to use the comments as a place to dialogue with us about what you are learning and share your answers to the questions below. We pray that you hearts will be encouraged as you study these names of God along with us!  Knowing Our Glorious God “Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable.” Psalm 145:3 READ: A couple of years ago while having coffee with another woman ...

Share Hope: Zachary’s Legacy

As God brings us through the various trials of life, He also provides us with opportunities to use our sorrow as a platform for sharing the hope of Christ. In this series, Hope Moms share the ways they have been able to share hope with others as they have walked through the grief of losing a child. How has God uniquely equipped you to use your story to share hope with others? Share your story with us HERE In the days that followed the stillbirth of my son, I was tempted to think, “Nothing good can ever come of this.” Looking at things from a natural perspective, it wouldn’t seem like anything good could come from my sorrow, grief, and ...

Advent: Perfect Peace

Peace. What comes to your mind when you think of this word? A solitary lounge chair on a white sandy beach under a palm tree, the waves quietly lapping the shore? A hammock gently swaying in the breeze beside a still lake with a good book? The quiet of a winter forest, boughs drooping under the weight of silent white snow? Or does peace mean something more abstract and personal? Webster defines peace as: a state of tranquility or quiet. freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions. harmony in personal relations But what if our circumstances are tragic and chaotic, and we are overcome with heartbreak and sorrow? We each have ...

Melissa’s Story

There are two drops of blood that are forever stained in my mind. Two drops, on a tile floor in the emergency room, that signaled an end to a precious beginning. They can never be wiped clean—they stay with me, but they do not leave me in despair. It all began in October of 2014. One Sunday morning I woke up and took a pregnancy test. It was positive and we were pregnant! My husband and I had tried to have a child for over a year, and this was the most precious news to begin my morning. We were ecstatic! We would finally be parents! After church, we let our close family and friends know so that they could be celebrating and praying with us for a ...