Inspire, Summer 2001

(Alumni Profile: Cathy Hulsman Schneithorst'77) Restore My Life Again Though You have made me see troubles, many and bitter, You will restore my life again(Psalm 71:20). Thatpsalm is the opening to a testimony written by Cathy Hulsman Schneithorst '77. Here is her story ofGod's restoration after a series of trials. T his afternoon as I was sitting in the rocking chair in my baby daughter's room,watching her sleep,I prayed a prayer ofthanks to God for restoring my life more than I had ever imagined possible. If anyone had told me six years ago what my life would be like now,I would not have believed it. Joel 2:25 says"So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten." My life is a testimony to the grace of God and the truthfulness ofHis promises. The locusts started eating away at my life in September 1990 when I was 35 years old. My grandmother, who was my best friend, died.The following June,my father died very unexpectedly while pitching in a softball game.Four months after that,following years of infertility treatments, my husband, Dan,and I learned that we were finally going to be parents. Ourjoy was short-lived when I miscarried just before Christmas.The following March,my father-in-law died unexpectedly. And if that wasn't enough,seven weeks later, on the morning ofMay 2, 1992,Dan and I went to an adoption agency to begin filling out paperwork to adopt a child. On the way home,we decided to stop at some property to do some spring cleaning. We had been there a short time when Dan walked over to me and fell unconscious at my feet. He was dead at the age of38. My first thought was,"Where can I get a gun?" because I thought I couldn't live through this trial. All of these losses were within a 20-month period. Not only was Dan dead,but I felt my hope ofever having a child had died with him.I was 36,and I felt my life was over. I didn't want to live anymore. It was only by God's grace that I survived this nightmare season. It was only by His hand that I didn't end my own life. I grew up in a Christian home and had asked Jesus to be my Savior at the age of six. In my head I knew that God's promises are true, but in my heart,I did not understand how they could ever come true for me.To keep my sanity,I started reading the Psalms.That book is full of hopeful promises that I clung to, especially Psalm 30:11-12:"You turned my wailing into 16 Summer 2001 dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.0Lord my God,I will give you thanks forever." Several years later, my wailing did turn to dancing and God clothed me with joy. I was lonely and had been praying that God would send a special man into my life. One day, a dear friend told me about a widower in her Sunday school class whom she thought I should meet. Mike and I met on a blind date and were married in September 1995. Even though I was happier than I had ever been in my whole life, the idea of motherhood was still something I longed for. Around Christmas 1996, Mike and I were talking about adopting when he saw an article about a local couple who had adopted twins from Romania. Unbeknownst to me,Mike called the couple to get information on the agency they used and to discuss their experience. We then followed suit. Four months later we were asked to consider adopting a nine- month-old girl named Anelia.The videotape showed a healthy, beautiful little girl. We said,"YES."We had to wait until she was at least a year old and all ofthe paperwork processed before we could fly out and legally adopt her—that would take at least six to nine months.In February 1997,we flew to Bulgaria and entered the orphanage to meet Anelia. My 11-year journey to be a mother was finally completed. What an awesome feeling it was to bring my daughter home to the waiting arms of loving friends and family! As I consider my life now and the miracles God has done, I am so thankful that He has truly restored to me the "years the locusts have eaten." I praise God that He did not let me take my own life when everything seemed so bleak and hopeless. Look at everything I would have missed. Anelia recently turnedfive. She has adjusted beautifully to her new homeland,and she continues to be a blessing to Cathy and Mike.