"Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep. Behold,children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate." (Psalm 127 ESV)
Our seventh child was due to be born on June 26, 2024.
My wife, Kim, assured me that most of our children had been born after their due dates, so I had every intention of attending the CLC Convention in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, on June 20-23.
My plan was to leave for Eau Claire early on Thursday morning. On Wednesday just before 3:30 P.M., Kim asked me to drive the six children to their grandparents’ house. She had been experiencing contractions for about two hours and they were not going away. “Should we all go so that we can go straight to the hospital from there?” I asked. “No, we have time. Just take the kids and come back.”
When I arrived back home, Kim met me outside and said that we needed to leave right away (she wouldn’t even let me change out of my yardwork shorts and Metallica T-shirt). I ran into the house to grab my phone. Once I was back outside, Kim informed me that we would not have time to make it to the hospital and that she would just have to give birth at home. So we went back into the house.
I had time to do little more than disinfect my hands before I delivered our seventh child. Amelia Rose Willitz was born at 4:08 P.M. on June 19. I drove Kim and Amelia to the New Ulm Medical Center, where they stayed for about twenty-four hours.
My parents also have seven children, of which I am the second. Our first six children followed the same pattern as my parents’ first six (girl, boy, boy, boy, boy, girl). Amelia broke the pattern (my youngest sibling is a brother). Our other children are named Aurora Dawn, Levi Joel, Silas Tertius, Tristan Johann, Matthias Quintus, and Asenath Loretta.
We thank the Lord for a quick and healthy delivery. We thank Him even for His perfect timing of it all. Things could have gone far less smoothly if we had attempted to drive the twenty-five minutes to the hospital before the birth or if Kim had gone into labor a day later, after I had left for convention. We thank the Lord for granting continued health and healing for Kim and for Amelia. Above all we thank the Lord for granting Amelia a second birth through water and the Word on Sunday, June 23 at Living Savior Lutheran Church, Eden Prairie, Minnesota.
is pastor of Living Savior Lutheran Church in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. He also prepares the “Bread of Life” devotions for the Lutheran Spokesman.
