You may remember the name Hannah Strege, a delightful girl who has appeared on Focus on the Family radio several times. Her mom and dad, Marlene and John, have the distinction of being the first couple in the world to have given birth to a baby through embryo adoption.
Hannah, thus, is forever known as “Snowflake #1.”
Why a “snowflake”?
After Mr. and Mrs. Strege approached the Nightlight Christian Adoption Agency (for info on embryo adoption with them, click here.) to facilitate the complicated embryo adoption process, the pioneering couple was at a loss as to how to describe what they were doing. Shortly thereafter they attended a Christmas play during which time an actress recited a powerful line:
“In the intricate design of each flake of snow, we find the Creator reflecting the individual human heart.”
John and Marlene began to ponder that observation and discovered a striking parallel to their adoption and Hannah’s pending birth.
“These embryos are like snowflakes,” they concluded, “frozen, unique, never again to be re-created.”
The “snowflake” nickname stuck and gave rise to a new worldwide adoption movement.
This all started back in 1997. And an amazing thing has been happening between then and now:
Little Hannah is growing up!
A tireless advocate for other Snowflakes (she visited Congress with her mom and dad at age 2 to lobby for their protection and funding!), Miss Strege has also met with President Bush and numerous other government officials. She is a brave young lady. In fact, she was recently asked to speak at a banquet that highlighted the ministry of Nightlight Christian Adoptions. She is pictured below speaking at the event.
Before sharing a few excerpts from Miss Strege’s talk, I might offer two final comments. First, if you feel the Lord prompting you to consider adoption in any form or fashion, I hope you’ll visit our website by clicking here.
Second, thanks to the willingness of Marlene and John Strege to step out in faith, a beautiful girl is now living a wonderful life.
What Nightlight Means to Me
Hello, My name is Hannah Strege, Snowflake #1, and I am here to tell you about what the Nightlight Adoption Agency means to me…
Every year, my mom and I put together some of the auction baskets for this fundraiser. I enjoy it a lot. When I get my allowance, I donate 10% to Nightlight whenever I get the chance. I love coming to these fundraisers. They make me feel at home and that’s where I want to be, right here, right now.
Now I have to be honest and say this. When I was little and my mom mentioned Nightlight, I always thought of an actual Nightlight. But I notice now, that Jesus is shining His light on me to be a representative for Him. Some of you may not know Jesus, but here’s a brief description:
He created us, He saved us, He is our Lord. I realize now we don’t need nightlights when we have Jesus, He is our Nightlight. He’ll be shining no matter what the hour of the day.
And tonight, ladies and gentlemen, I want you to realize that God will always be with you and me no matter if it’s dark or light. He’ll always be my Nightlight.
And that is what Nightlight means to me.
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