I had gotten a pamphlet at the retreat this last weekend... I went to the site... it is called One More Soul and is powerful... I decided to let them do the talking today as I am off to SF shortly! This testamonial is good for us to read... and see the TRUTH! In 1971, my husband and I were married. Thinking birth control must be okay because no one had said anything against it during my high school years and I had never heard a homily addressing the issue, I made an appointment with my family doctor. I asked if I needed to be on a stronger birth control pill, since now I would be taking it for the purpose of birth control instead of acne. He prescribed the pill and off I went.
We used contraceptives for the next three years. Our lives became very selfish and self-centered, as they caused us to become very empty and lonely. We thought, “There is more to life than this.” We had a strong yearning to have a baby and thought this was the right time.
A year after stopping the pill I still couldn’t get pregnant! What was wrong! I was having physical problems from taking the pill continually for seven years. The doctor told me that the only way to solve this problem was to have a D&C.
I soon became pregnant and on July 9, 1976, we delivered what we thought was a healthy baby girl. We were so happy and she was so beautiful, but little did we know that Traci Rae was mentally handicapped. Through the years she would need special therapies and programs to help her with all her problems.
Unexpectedly, I became pregnant again and gave birth to our next daughter Trish Kathleen on May 25, 1978. We were very happy, but concerned about Traci as we had no idea what was wrong and she was just in the process of being diagnosed. We were so overwhelmed that we decided not to have any more children. Rick had a vasectomy. Again we did not know what we were doing – everyone was being sterilized and we had all these problems to deal with.
Our problems continued to worsen. I cried out to God in desperation and He answered me. All of a sudden we heard about a small village in Yugoslavia called Medugorje where the Blessed Virgin Mary had been appearing to some children since 1981. We joined a pilgrimage group and arrived in Medugorje on October 19, 1988. We returned home with such peace and joy, for Traci’s problems had started to diminish. Traci was 12 years old, and she could now live a more normal healthy life! We couldn’t thank God enough.
God continued to heal our family and showed us the many wrong paths we had traveled. A friend we had traveled to Medugorje with started sharing with me the evil of contraceptives and sterilization. Her husband had also been sterilized and they were scheduled to have it reversed. We never knew the wrong we had done in using contraceptives and being sterilized until now.
Our marriage had suffered and we began to understand why. Rick and I began to grow spiritually and started counseling to repair the injuries to our marriage. Our relationship grew and our communication deepened. We prayed together and felt led to have the vasectomy reversed. Even though we had confessed these sins and God had forgiven us, we wanted to rectify our error and be open to life if God willed to give us more children.
On July 5, 1991, Rick had the vasectomy reversed. It had been over 12 years since the vasectomy and the surgery was a success. I returned to Medugorje in April 1995, and prior to my leaving we received the most wonderful news – I was pregnant! After returning home the ultrasound showed our baby with her heart beating at 71/2 weeks. The tears streamed from our eyes. God had blessed us again!
St Elizabeth of Hungry pray for us! This woman only lived 26 years.. yet her life was very powerful and very full. We honor her today, and the fact that she was a married woman that had 3 children before her husband died, and then she "embraced a life of poverty, erecting a hospital in which she herself served the sick." This is a woman, who saw the value and beauty of life, and gave her own to love and preserve it! Not of this selfish and unaware generation that we are living in the midst of! It is so hard to understand how couples can be so blind to the reality of LIFE, and not give the slightest ear to what he Church upholds to us in how we should be open to LIFE and LOVE!
Here is the link, so that you can go and read more testamonials or order materials - http://onemoresoul.com/ As I am in a pinch today to share... here is another testamonial letter from a wife to her husband -Dear Rick,
If someone would ask me, “How’s your love-life?” I would say, “Beautiful, Awesome and Wonderful!” But in the past I wasn’t always able to say those words.
When we used contraceptives the first few years of our marriage, I felt an emptiness. Something was missing! I felt used! Remember when I would share with you how I couldn’t feel close to you, but I didn’t know why I felt this way!
We felt an emptiness and wanted to have children. So I stopped taking the birth control pills, but couldn’t conceive. The birth control pills had been a detriment to my physical health and the doctor told us surgery was necessary to resolve the problem they had caused.
Our two beautiful daughters were born within the next two years! We were so happy! We had so much fun and loved them dearly! But then we made the biggest mistake of our lives – you had a vasectomy. All those feelings I had in the past returned – emptiness, loss of closeness and the feeling of being used.
You have always been a wonderful husband – very loving, compassionate, kind, and generous. Why was I feeling like this?
God started to touch our lives through others. A friend we met on a pilgrimage shared with me the evil of contraceptives and sterilization. Her husband was going to have his vasectomy reversed. I never knew the wrong we had done in using contraceptives and being sterilized until then.
You were so open to what I was learning and God was revealing to us. Once we realized the wrong of contraceptives and sterilization, we wished to go to our Lord and express our sorrow for what we had done. We were so thankful the Lord had opened our eyes to the truth and so grateful we could receive the great gift of His healing love and forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
We prayed together and felt led to have the vasectomy reversed. Even though we had confessed these sins and God had forgiven us, we wanted to rectify our error and be open to life if God so willed to give us more children.
Now I know why our marriage suffered; we had severed ourselves from God and the purpose of God’s plan for marriage. He wants us to cooperate with His plan of creation by being open to life in our marriage.
What a wonderful husband you are by your acceptance and openness to this new awareness of God’s plan and your willingness to have the vasectomy reversed. That is why I can now say, “Our love-life is Wonderful, Awesome and Beautiful!” Because our marriage is just that – Love & Life – love with an openness to God’s great gift of life. With that openness, God blessed us with the most precious gift – our new beautiful daughter!
Our marriage is better than ever! We have one more soul that God has blessed us with that will spend all eternity with Him! I thank God each day for all our children and especially for you my wonderful husband, lover and best friend, and your courage to do what was pleasing to Him.
All my love,
Your loving wife
Editor’s Notes:
1) Today, children are not always seen as blessings from God. It’s reported that 80% of child-bearing-age couples are contracepting or sterilized. The great contraception and sterilization risks to women and marriage (and, ultimately to Church and society) are rarely reported. At One More Soul we try hard to find and distribute books, pamphlets, tapes and videos that help people understand the truth and wisdom of the Church’s teaching. We encourage you to call our toll free number, 1-800-307-7685, to request a free catalog of our resources and for more information.
2) Many good friends have realized the error of their sterilization and have had a reversal. Roughly, 80% have been delighted by subsequent pregnancies. Peggy Powell informed me of the pregnancy of a couple after both had reversals.
3) Peggy Powell tells John and Karen’s story and two others in “The Hurtful Consequences of Artificial Contraception and Sterilization,” from One More Soul. One More Soul has a list of NFP-only sterilization reversalists, many of whom will reduce their fees for those in need.
4) We have a Directory of over 400 NFP-Only Physicians who do not perform, prescribe, or refer for abortion, contraception, sterilization, or in-vitro fertilization. The cost is $10.00, plus Shipping. You can obtain a copy by calling 1-800-307-7685.
Steve Koob
Director, One More Soul
If you would like more information on sterilization reversals, call One More Soul 1-800-307-7685
For spiritual direction you are encouraged to call a local pastor, or Fr. Dan McCaffrey, STL, in Oklahoma City at 888-637-6383 or 405-755-9091 (home).
Our families are so poor dear Lord... they have been robbed of life and love by the lies of Satan! They cannot understand why the joy is gone and the sound of laughter is missing! The sound of many happy voices raised in the delight of sharing a wonderful "domestic Church" within our homes! Children are the fruits of our love and to be open and accepting of them as they are gifted to us is wonderful beyond belief! WE see the Truth of Life and Love in the wisdom of your amazing Church! May they see our light put on the lampstand for all to see, and come to know that family is a gift that is with you for your entire journey here on earth! We are blessed with the crosses and the resurrections that come along with marriage and children and always allowing life to be a part of every marital embrace! Allow God into the bedroom! He is all knowing and all loving and all forgiving, and I can trust in Him... knowing that He has my best interest always in the center of my walk of FAITH! Jesus, we trust in you! Amen and Halleluia! 
Bless-bless, Barb"When I found him whom my heart loves, I took hold of him and would not let him go." Song of Songs 3:4
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