Prayer Request for Kayla and Our Family

[quiverfull7]

My family needs your prayers please... and I need them so that I can focus on Nov and all the shows I need to attend to. I'm putting a letter here that I sent my family that will explain the prayer request. I'm also trying to write an annoucement for our church prayer chain that must be short and to the point and I'm struggling so if you have any suggestions... please share them!
Thanks in advance for any prayers you can offer. I'll add just a bit after this letter:
Life has it's joys and sorrows. Sometimes those joys and sorrows come in the same package. Bad choices and sinful decisions can change the course of our lives forever. Sin is a daily struggle for each one of us but there are those that can stay hidden from others eyes...and we can pretend that God may not be looking either and He usually doesn't swallow us with a fish as He did Jonah. Then there are those with consequences that in themselves are not sin... just the result of it ... and they do force that change. We say all this to ask for your prayers and support for our family because Kayla is 6 months pregnant. She has not been hiding it... she had her period every month... it was just less than normal for which she was thankful... not knowing the real reason. She's been trying hard to lose weight and couldn't trim her waist and finally realized that a night of bad decisions and drinking heavily had led to this. She's been embraced by the grace and love of our forgiving Savior. The father of this child more than likely will not be involved ... there is no relationship and she won't seek one. Kayla had many things to search out and many decisions to make but thankfully they don't all have to be made in one day. God will shine His light on her path for her to see each step. She is due mid February. So we pray and ask that you will pray that her sorrow will quickly turn to joy and we praise God as she walks as each one of us does... with the unbelievable robes of righteousness
given freely to each of us by Jesus. It won't be the easiest of roads ... but He doesn't promise us ease... He gives love and grace for each step. She's already experiencing that in the love extended by her family and friends and we know that includes each of you as well. So we'll joy in this new life, be reminded of the new mercies God extends every morning, learn from the sorrow and bask together in the light of His love! Our pastor shared this quote with us and it's too precious not to share:

Sometimes we forget this simple truth: the broken pieces of ourselves
are often our greatest teachers. It is from them that we learn our
strength. It is from them that we learn compassion, wisdom and
understanding, devotion, faith, and insight. It is from them that we
learn how to pray, how to cry, how to listen, how to reach out for help. It is from them that we learn how to strive for better, how to
emphasize and offer help. (author unknown)

We pray that we learn each of these and put them into practice every day for all those He places in our paths. We love you all and thank you for your prayers and support!

Sorry... this is getting long but I want to tell you that Kayla called last night and said that she was able to smile a few times so we praise God for that. She also had a message from the father that claimed it was impossible and her timing was incorrect and the doctors were all wrong. We are sure he's afraid he will be hit for financial support which I would love to do but I'd rather he was totally uninvolved for Kayla's sake. If any of you out there know if it's possible to legally make him sign away his parental rights at birth or how this works or anything PLEASE let me know. I want to protect Kayla from having him come back in a year or two and claim this precious child and demand custody or something even though right now he's denying everything.

Most of all ... I thank you for reading this far and hearing my heart and praying for us! There are prayer warriors and support people here at CS that I would not have made it through the last 6 days without! You know who you are... I praise God for you and for ALL of you!

 

[cooking.with.ann]

Diane, Prayers, of course, for you and your family. Now on to the other matters: Yes, it is possible for the young man to sign away his paternal rights but the laws vary so greatly from one state to another that it would be best if you or Kayla seek legal counsel on this subject from someone in your area. It might be that there is someone in your church who is an attorney and who can advise you about this. As to the letter for your prayer chain, here's my suggestion:

Dear Friends,I ask today for your prayers for our family. Last week our dear Kayla discovered that she is expecting a child. While the circumstances surrounding this event are not exactly as we would have wished, we are thankful that our God has given us much to rejoice about. First, we rejoice in the coming of a new life in our family. Second, we rejoice in the knowledge that when faced with a difficult situation our daughter felt secure in the love of her family and came to us with this news. And third, we rejoice that our daughter has let this experience bring her closer to our Risen Lord, rather than letting it put distance between her and her Savior.However, we know that there will be difficulties ahead of us as we walk this road together--as a family. And so I ask that you pray for all of us that we continue to see this experience as a blessing and an opportunity to grow in our faith. In His Service,

EDITED TO ADD: I have always liked the slogan of Feminists For Life: "Women who are experiencing an unplanned pregnancy also deserve unplanned joy."

 

[lkprescott]

My heart goes out to Kayla and your family. It's good of you to support her in this time of her life. It can be such a lonely and scary time for anyone, much less someone who may feel so alone when the person who fathered the child won't be a good influence on that child and mother. I'd recommend contacting a lawyer to see how your state handles such things. I think in some states she can write in 'father unknown' or something like that. If he's not on the certificate, it's my understanding that she can't go after him for money and he after her for visitation or custody. But it may be worth checking that out with a lawyer that practices in family law. I think in most cases if the father turns his back on the child early on, him winning any kind of paternal rights later on is a near impossible battle. Heck, my DH found out how hard it is to get visitation even when you DO have parental rights. The laws shine brightly on mothers in this country, so she will have that on her side. A short, hopefully cheap, visit to a lawyer will help you answer any questions you can write down (so you don't forget) and help allay any fears. Getting the I's dotted and the T's crossed well now will save a lifetime of worry later. I see your location is NC, this might also be of help:
North Carolina Paternity Forms, Documents and Law - Free Information

 

[J.Corley]

Diane, my heart aches for you and Kayla as I know this situation will surely be trying at times. I agree the church needs to love her and keep her close to them. It is always a fear that pregnancy is "contagious." Kayla can use this for God's glory by admitting her mistakes and letting others know how to avoid ending up where they don't want to be.
"Count it all joy." as it says in Phil 4, God is shaping Kayla in His image. I pray she is open to the "pruning" and will welcome the springtime in her life soon!

With His Love,
Jennifer

 

[raebates]

Diane, you and your family, especially Kayla, will be in my prayers. Yes, we can reap serious consequences for a momentary lapse of judgment. However, a child is always a gift from God. In this case, that gift is for Kayla or, if she chooses to give the child up for adoption, for the loving family who will embrace the child as their own. Again, my prayers will be with you.

 

[janetupnorth]

Diane - Good Morning! I will be in continued prayer for Kayla, the baby, and the father. Hopefully God will soften his heart and he will do the right thing whether it be sign away all his rights or support his child, whatever will be best for this little one. Give Kayla our love, she has enough to deal with without it. She made a mistake, but no worse that any of us have done with other things. She will have to deal with it but hopefully with love and support and the ability to care for this child as he/she will need.Help her enjoy the good moments of pregnancy too! ...and pass my signature verse on to her...God's plans are best, despite our attempts to screw them up, He still makes things work together...

 

[ahammons]

Kayla and your family are in my prayers!

 

[quiverfull7]

THANK YOU ALL! Kayla texted me a message this AM saying she just wants to come home and going to classes is hard b/c all she is thinking about is other things. We are encouraging her and praying that she will finish this semester. There is no reason not to and it will give her that much less schooling to finish. She's been having a great semester prior to this and for the first time in her life she was seeing her future... but think she left out God and so now she's GOT to look toward that future with HIM in charge ...she was taught that but I know it myself and still veer off His path so I totally understand. Thanks so much for praying for her ... My deepest prayer for her is that she comes to forgive herself. She has to know that she IS forgiven, IS valuable and IS worthy because of JESUS!