Inspire, Summer 2001

(Alumni Profile: Michele Roop Leitch Sharing Her Journey This is dedicated to Ann Berger Vogel '84, who stepped out and shared herjourney ofgriefand loss with me at a time 1so desperately needed someone to understand whatIwas going through.Ithank Godfor her and how He used her. Now I want to do the same. " ord," I pray as I dial the number I've been given, "please give me the words You would have me to say. I can only do this through You.I don't know what this young woman needs to hear right now;I don't know how I can help. Please use me,Lord."The phone at the other end begins to ring. My heart pounds as though this were the first time I was calling someone whose heart was aching from the loss ofa child."Help me,Lord,to meet her where she is, to be able to comfort her in some way." An unfamiliar voice answers. I say something like,"Hi,my name is Michele Leitch.I'm Tonya's neighbor. She called me today and told me about your son.I'm SQ very sorry. I know how hard this is for you.How are you doing? Is there anything I can do?" Each time I make a phone call like this,I am never sure where this question will take me.Sometimes,depending on where the mother is in her grief, it takes me nowhere.I let her know that I will be praying for her,and I ask ifI can call again. Sometimes, like this time, it takes me back to the heartache and loss that my husband and I have endured over the past 13 1/2 years. This time,she answers,"Yes,thanks for calling. Can you tell me what happened to you?" Surprisingly, this is the first time someone has come right out and asked me to share with her where I've been. I know the longing to hear of another's journey—to know that all the feelings and emotions that come along with this horrific loss are normal,to see that God brought IfIhad my choice,Iwould not have gone through whatI've been through, butIchoose to use myjourneyfor God's glory. Michelle Roop Leitch '83 her through and believe that He can and will do the same for you. So,I share the details of myjourney. I tell her how the Lord has seen me through the loss offour children to miscarriage, one child to a stillbirth in the second trimester, three to ectopic pregnancies,and identical twin boys to premature birth (at 23 weeks)after 18 1/2 hours of life. It is this latter experience with which she can identify. She hasjust lost her son to a premature birth at 28 weeks after 14 hours of life. We talk for more than an hour,and she shares with me her journey.The Lord is using her as a part of my healing as well. I was challenged in the summer of 1997,just several months after our twins died, not to waste my pain.In the past year, God has given me several opportunities to use my experiences to help others. The pastor at my church calls me when he knows that someone has lost a baby. This time, it was a neighbor who asked me to share with a friend. It amazes me that the Lord can use me.Each time I share with someone,I see the Lord giving me the courage to call and the words to say. I see the burden He has given me and the strength He provides to reach out to others. IfI had my choice, I would not have gone through what I've been through, but I choose to use myjourney for God's glory. I am thankful to be His child. I do not know how I would have survived without His grace. It is comforting and reassuring to know that His strength is made perfect in my weakness.I am glad to be able to say with the apostle Paul,"Therefore I take pleasure in ... distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak,then am I strong"(II Cor. 12:10). Michele and her husband, David, live in Elyria, Ohio with their three miracles:Hannah(13), Carissa(10), and Zachary (almost 2), whose name means "God remembers." Inspire 17