No matter how a child has entered the world, each parent enjoys a strange but wonderful journey. Aaron and Rachel Halbert had a bizarre story, however. They brought triplets into the world, but something about them made the medical staff wonder if they were hiding something…
Couple Welcome Triplets But Doctor Was Puzzled About The Appearance Of The Babies
Different Worlds
Both Rachel and Aaron Halbert came from different continents when they first arrived in the United States. In the Mississippi Delta, where she grew up, she led an ordinary childhood. In the meantime, he was raised in Honduras as the son of parents who were involved in evangelical mission work.
Different Worlds
Responsibilities
Rachel was unfamiliar with the concept of racial diversity, but Aaron had firsthand experience with it due to the fact that he was the only child in his hometown with blonde hair and blue eyes. As a young adult, Rachel started going to Haiti to serve on various mission trips. She later revised her objectives with the objective of acquiring additional responsibilities and working experience. What surprises did her future hold in store for her?
Responsibilities
Blind Date
They first met during a blind date in 2004. It was practically love at first sight. They were both humble and wanted to change the world through the gospel. The two of them were also missionaries. From then on, they believed that a wedding and family would be in the books. However, they were not in a rush. They kept dating and got to know each other better as they worked together.
Blind Date
Taking It Slow
They became more acquainted during their missionary trips. Their relationship soon became exclusive and steady. They kept dating and formed a unique bond thanks to the fact that they both wanted to adopt kids. “When we were still dating, a common bond that drew us together was the fact that Rachel and I both wanted to adopt,” Aaron explained to the Washington Post.
Taking It Slow
Future Plans
While they could conceive, they thought it was more Christian to adopt. “While we were fertile, we were both deeply convicted that one of the ways to be pro-life is to involve ourselves in adoption,” he said. When they began to talk about adoption, they already wanted to be together forever. Soon, Aaron popped the question and received a “yes” from Rachel! The big day came soon enough.
Future Plans
Getting Married
They were not among the many people who devote their entire adult lives to the pursuit of finding “the one,” as this was not the case for them. They both had strong beliefs in common and had the good fortune to find each other at an early age. In 2006, they met at the altar to exchange their wedding vows.
Getting Married
Having Kids
After getting married, they decided to put off having children for the time being. They had always talked about starting a family, but the demands of their jobs prevented them from doing so. They were aware that an opportunity would come their way in a very short amount of time…
New Mission
Not long after getting married, they got an offer to go back to Honduras. The couple joined the mission and flew to Aaron’s hometown later that year. While excited to go home, Rachel was nervous and excited. She could not wait to see where Aaron grew up. Missionaries there served as English teachers at a school just outside of Tegucigalpa. It might not be your idea of a honeymoon, but it was perfect for them. They started noticing certain deficiencies in the area when they got there, however…
New Mission
Needs
After being there for months, they raised concerns about the needs of the community. They became aware that the churches need to teach the gospel. From then on, the Halberts were aware that they had a mission to accomplish. Sadly, it was time for them to return home. They wanted to stick around and help but had other plans. Still, they did not forget about the community. After the mission, they went back to Mississippi all satisfied with their work there. At home, a big development was waiting for them.
Needs
Going Home
They settled back into their old lives, but Aaron had another dream. He always wanted to get a Master of Divinity, which is the first pastoral degree in the states. He then enrolled at the Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi. All that time, they always thought about returning to Honduras. Some years later, they began to look into having their own kid. Should they conceive or simply adopt a child?
Going Home
The Community
They wanted to keep serving their community in Mississippi. They were missionaries and felt like the work never ends. Rachel taught at the local school while Aaron worked as an intern and youth director at the Second Presbyterian in Yazoo City. They started to consider adoption more at the time. “We see the protection of children not as charity, nor as part of a political agenda, but as something near to the heart of God,” Aaron explained when he spoke to the Washington Post.
The Community
Preparing Themselves
They also considered returning to Honduras for some time. Aaron grew up there, and they knew the needs of that community. They went back on a mission with the Presbyterian Church of America. They tried to conceive naturally as well but visited a Mississippi adoption agency. They were ready to begin their own family and wanted a child I need. They spent a day at the agency and found out many things.
Preparing Themselves
Expansion
After paying the adoption agency a visit, they decided this was what they should do. They knew it was hard for non-Caucasian kids to find good homes. The couple said they wanted to adopt any kid but a fully Caucasian child. They thought that God wanted them to have their own kid if they got denied. Aaron said, “We did this with the deeply held conviction that if the Lord wanted us to have a fully Caucasian child my wife would conceive naturally.” How would things go for this couple?
Expansion
Adopting Children
The agency was quick to find kids for the Halberts. They clearly made the correct decision. They fell in love with two kids in the end, a boy and girl of African-American descent. They could not choose and decided to adopt both of them. They adopted Ford and Catherine, making it clear that race would have a huge part in the family. Of course, the couple also wondered what challenges would come their way as a racially diverse family. Despite everything, they knew that they could handle whatever happens.
Adopting Children
Their Options
Soon after adopting the kids, they had another discussion. Aaron and Rachel wanted more kids! Their new kids kept them busy, however, so it might not be the best possible time. However, they took it to be a sign when they ran into a friend who encouraged them to check out embryo adoption. The couple did their homework and read up on the topic. They have never heard of it prior to that moment.
Their Options
Embryo Adoption
In the next couple of weeks, they learned as much as possible about it. They could not believe what they found out about it. “We live in a world with hundreds of thousands of embryos frozen in the United States alone,” said Aaron, “Most who aren’t selected by their biological parents are donated to science or destroyed or kept frozen.” It means that many embryos just go to waste! Embryo adoption lets others adopt the embryos and then use them. The couple felt drawn to the idea of this process…
Embryo Adoption
Going Ahead
After doing their research, they felt obligated to do something about it. This will allow Rachel to get pregnant and carry the babies herself. However, their beliefs had been the main reason they did this. Aaron said, “If Christians – or others – really believe life begins at conception, it follows that we should respond by being willing to support embryo adoption and even take part in it ourselves.” They made up their minds and went to the National Embryo Donation Center to start the process.
Going Ahead
Not Easy
Rachel Halbert was excited to begin the process. However, she was scared and nervous at the same time. She had to go through various treatments to get ready for the embryo adoption. Everything went well. In September 2015, she was ready to go to start the in-vitro fertilization process. The only thing for them to do at that point was to wait and hope for the best. Embryo adoption is not easy at all.
Not Easy
The Odds
Like regular in-vitro fertilization, there are many hurdles to jump to ensure that everything is in order. Even so, they need a fair amount of luck too. The procedure requires going on hormone treatments for months prior to the operation. The woman only has a 10 percent chance of the embryo taking despite everything. The cost is also a consideration because an attempt costs around $10,000 to $15,000! The majority of insurances do not cover the process, so you can see why they must have been stressed.
The Odds
Monitoring Her
As we said, they went through this while getting ready to go back to Honduras for more missionary work. At the time, they waited to see if the implantation succeeded. Rachel and Aaron, together with Catherine and Ford, took a plane to Honduras because there was no time to wait. Six weeks after the embryo was transferred, they paid a visit to a local hospital there. Did the embryos take or not? When they got to the hospital, they talked to a doctor in broken Spanish to explain their situation.
Monitoring Her
The Number
During their appointment, the doctor looked confused. He knew what in-vitro fertilization is, but it did not add up. The doctor asked them if they were sure they only transferred two embryos, to which they said yes. They were informed that the transfer was a success. Of course, Rachel and Aaron were excited! The doctor had more news, however. Soon, they saw why he kept asking them about the number.
The Number
Triplets
The Honduran doctor showed Aaron and Rachel the screen of the ultrasound, and it all clicked. It turned out that Rachel was pregnant with three fetuses! Yes, they were about to get triplets and expand the family to 7 people. While happy, they could not believe it. They took it to be a sign that God had a plan for them. The couple both wanted a big family, and now they were about to get their wish.
Triplets
A Miracle
Aaron and Rachel could not wait for the arrival of the triplets, but Ford and Catherine were even more excited. Aaron took to Facebook to say, “I felt sheer delight during this pregnancy watching my son and daughter, with his dark brown skin and her with the ringlet hair and slightly tan skin, kiss my white wife’s growing belly. Each evening they said goodnight to those three growing little girls in her belly.” The kids were excited to meet their little sisters. Soon enough, it was time for them to welcome the triplets.
A Miracle
Blessed
It was in 2016 that the Halberts met Anne, Whitley, and Ryley. This was not what they had in mind in the beginning, but it was miles better than that. They felt blessed with the arrival of the little girls. “Oh, how thankful we are for God blessing us with these sweet little ones He has placed in our care,” Aaron said. He views the triplets and his other kids as blessings. He went on to say, “As I look at my growing family, I prefer to take it a step further, daring to hope that our family picture is a little hint of Heaven.”
Blessed
Interracial Family
They might not be related by blood, but Aaron and Rachel are proud to call their kids their children. They also love the beauty of an interracial family. “The beauty of a multi-ethnic family is found there, in the fact that the differences are the very thing that makes ours richer and fuller. It forces you to think in a new way about the way you think, speak, act and live,” Aaron said, “There is something beautiful and enriching being the only white face sitting and chatting with some of my African-American friends as my son gets his hair cut on a Saturday morning.”
Interracial Family
Overwhelming Support
The entire family has received plenty of support. Aaron explained, “It’s been heartening to see virtually all of our friends and family express overwhelming support for our family and the unusual ways we’ve built it.” They were also glad they accomplished their drop. Aaron said, “In our minds, we are just living out our dream. A dream that may not look like the average family, but one that we are thankful could come true in light of our country’s history.”
Overwhelming Support
Different Reactions
Not everyone approved of their decisions in life, however. “We knew, especially in the South, that a white couple with non-white children would draw a myriad of different reactions. There will always be the older white woman in Walmart who stared at us with sheer disgust or the African-American mother who looked at us and just shook her head,” Aaron narrated when he spoke to the Washington Post, “There was also the young black girl who wept when we told her this little boy with her skin color was our son, and the older white doctor who lovingly prayed over him and held him so tenderly,”
Different Reactions
They Don’t Mind
There is a chance that they will always need to deal with awkward looks. The Halberts know that not everyone believes in diversity. Luckily, they do not want the approval of those people. Aaron said, “One of the central themes of Christianity is, after all, that God, through His Son, is calling people from every tongue, tribe, and nation. Grasping diversity will make the world stronger as we marvel at God’s creative genius on display through His people’s varying pigments, personalities, and proficiencies. Our differences are cause for celebration, not scorn.”
They Don’t Mind
The Complexity
“Embryo adoption can also be very difficult for the donor family. I know the decision to donate your frozen embryos for adoption is probably the hardest you’ll ever make,” Rachel explained. She also feels sympathy for people who gave up their kids. “It can be so painful to know that someone else is raising your biological children. For some reason, whether medical or family size or financial or age, you are unable to have any more transfers.”
The Complexity
The Experience
Embryo adoption might not be for everyone out there, but it was perfect for Aaron and Rachel. They did not only get triplets, but she also got to experience pregnancy. Rachel called the experience “beautiful and unique.” She is also glad for the “brave and selfless” biological parents who donate the embryos.
The Experience
Its Importance
They think that embryo adoption is as important as normal adoption. They know that few people are aware that this option exists. There are millions of embryos lying in wait. Even the two embryos they used had been waiting for 12 years! Rachel said, “We were not saying that those lives are any more important than the lives of the babies and children waiting to be adopted all across the world. No, they are not any more important, but they are no less important either. All of our children’s lives are valued.”
Its Importance
Mother Of Five
Any mom would say that having kids is the best way to reduce your free time. Now, multiply that by five. Things sure get busy in their household, but Rachel loves looking after the kids. She said, “I would imagine that my life as mom looks a whole lot like the life of any mom. My days are filled with feeding five hungry kiddos, changing lots of diapers, tending to household duties, shepherding little hearts, loving on and playing with all five, doing/learning how to do hair of four beautiful girls and one handsome little guy, and finding a minute or two to eat some food myself.”
Mother Of Five
A Family
The Halberts got into adoption with open hearts and got amazing blessings. Rachel wanted 4 or 5 kids but did not think she would get them in such a short span of time. Truly, it is love that makes a family. The children are also as happy as they could be. Aaron and Rachel are great parents and teach them good values. We are sure the kids will have the same compassion, kindness, and optimism their folks do.
A Family
The Future
Do they want more kids? They don’t know yet. “We’ll see what the future holds. For now, we are enjoying this phase of life right now,” explained Rachel. We are sure they have their hands full with five kids. Aaron and Rachel hope that their story will make people consider embryo adoption. They now have kids to look after, but this did not stop them from working as missionaries in Honduras again.
The Future
New Team
Now that the triplets are part of this family, they relocated to Tegucigalpa. In the capital, Aaron and Rachel can give back to those in need. They also have the shared responsibility of looking after the five kids. Rachel eventually decided to be a full-time mom, but who can blame her? We are sure that she has a lot on her plate with five children. The Halberts continue to spread the gospel as much as they could.
New Team
Square One
Rachel and Aaron work as missionaries in Tegucigalpa. The kids like growing up both in Honduras and America. Their family portraits are not traditional ones, but they all love one another. Isn’t that what family is truly about? The couple has shown us that they practice what they preach! With their kids, they have shown us the extent of their humanity. Truly, they have one amazing family story!
Square One