By Nicole Henry, Distribution Manager

On Wednesday, April 6, there will be a bake sale in the student union to raise money for a local family seeking adoption.

Sarah and Preston Smith are mentors of college students at the Covenant Community Church located in Wheeling, W.Va. They have two children, Caleb who was born March 2014, and Evelyn who was born Dec. 2015. Unfortunately, Evelyn passed away 20 days after she was born due to severe brain damage during Sarah’s pregnancy. They were completely unaware of her injuries until the day she was born.

“She had no ability to swallow, gag, or cough, and she struggled to breathe,” Sarah said. “She was hooked up to tubes and wires that helped her body do what it couldn’t on its own.”

Without the help of machines, Evelyn was unable to survive. Sarah and Preston were left with making a heart breaking decision of keeping her hooked up to machines for the rest of her life or surrendering her to Jesus. Their strong faith has brought them through this difficult situation and was the determining factor of what they should do.

“We knew that God was able to heal her. Nothing is impossible for Him,” said Sarah. “But we also knew that He might have different plans for her. He may choose to heal her fully in her heavenly home.”

Evelyn is now fully healed and with her heavenly father. Sarah, Preston, and their son Caleb miss Evelyn very dearly and are slowly moving forward to the next step.

“Our grief is real and deep, but God continues to bind up our hurting hearts with his amazing grace,” said Sarah.  Sarah and Preston believe there was a great purpose for Evelyn’s short life, and that He will bring beauty from ashes.

“We’ve always known that adoption would be a part of our family, and we trusted that God would show us when it was time to start the process,” Sarah said. “He is a good God in every circumstance, and we choose to trust in His love for us, even when His plans are hard to understand.”

As they begin their journey of adoption, they are eager to share this specific way to grow a family. They are seeking different ways to raise money, such as bakes sales, garage sales, support letters, and other creative fundraising.