Holland Sentinel article - August 4, 2001

    For any expectant mother, a pregnancy is full of hopes and dreams mixed with doses of morning sickness, physical discomforts and emotional ups and downs.
     Now imagine a mother whose water broke only halfway through her pregnancy. Imagine her trying desperately with bed rest and hospitalization to hold on to the fragile life inside her only to be told when labor seemed imminent at 22 weeks gestation that no hospital would help keep the baby alive until it reaches 23 weeks.
     The mother faced the nightmarish prospect of giving birth to a live child only to watch it die.
     Sara J. Groenheide of Hamilton experienced all of this. She and her husganc, Mark, became parents of Becky, who was born by emergency caesarean section on January 4, 1998.
     Groenheide relates the story of her pregnancy and Becky's birth and infancy in her book, "The Peace of God" which began as a journal she kept to help her deal with her crisis.
     Three months premature, Becky only weighed 2 lb. 8 oz. at birth. On more than one occasion, her parents had to consider planning a funeral instead of a homecoming for their little girl.
     Groenheide said that keeping the journal helped her through the hardest of times by giving her an outlet when it was difficult to talk to someone.
     "It was too hard to explain the many problems (Becky) was facing. Writing was a way I could express my feelings and fears. There were even times that it was too stressful to sit down and write about the events of the day - it was during those times that I talked to a tape recorder."
     Many events Groenheide couldn't write down until almost a year after they occurred. She used medical charts and records to help piece together all that had happened.
     "I found it very therapeutic to write down the many emotions I had suppressed," Groenheide said. "As I wrote about each day or event, I often relived the pain and fears again, only I had the benefit of watching Becky as she played on the floor instead of watching her cling to life in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit)."
     Today Becky is a lively and engagin 3 1/2-year-old who is advanced in certain areas. But she mas mild brain damage and mild cerebral palsy and often reaches developmental mildestons later than other children.
     Therapy can be challenging at times, so with all this weighing on Groenheide's mild, she often goes back and looks at her book to see just how far God has brought them.
     "I still find encouragement when I read parts of my journal," Groenheide said. "I am amazed at God's daily involvement and guidance in each of our lives. It also serves as a reminder that I need to trust God completely."
   "During the last six weeks of my pregnancy and those first few months of Becky's life, He granted me more peace and comfort than I ever experienced before. If He could help me through such a traumatic event, then He can guide me through anythig - if I trust Him and give Him complete control."
     The title, "The Peace of God", comes from Philippians 4:6-7: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Ane the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (New International Version)
     Right before Groenheide's water broke in November 1997, she and her husband attended their church's Sunday evening services. Their pastor, Jonathan Brownson, spoke about the passage in Philippians and God's peace. Groenheide believed that it was God who has her hear that sermon.
     As she wrote in her journal after being admitted to the hospital: "That sermon sure hit home with me. I'm going to hold oto those verses, especially the last two. God, I ask You to spare the life of this baby. Please help me to lean on You and trust You! Give me Your special peace - no matter what happens with my pregnancy and our baby."
     It was Brownson who suggested that she make "The Peace of God" available as encouragement to others.
     Groenheide said she has received encouraging feedback from readers who have shared similar situations to hers. But she has also heard from at least one woman, who though she had not had a premature baby, foudn the book helpful in deepening her walk with God.
     For Groenheide, something in her life would be missing if her second pregnancy would have had no complications.
     "As strange as it may sound, I am thankful for all that happened with my pregnancy and Becky's premature birth," she said. "Without it, I never would have experienced God as a real and personal part of my life."