It is with broken, grieving hearts that we need to let you know that our Father’s plans for Susannah were much different than ours. Having spent the past three days loving and cherishing every moment with our little girl today we said a final goodbye as her life gently slipped from her.
God is faithful even in the hard times. I must say that I never had a desire to learn that. However, He who didn’t spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all also has a plan for Susannah, Melanie and my life.
Even though this has been far and away the most challenging, yet also sweetest, time of our lives God took our little Susannah from us in a most gentle way. My heart’s deep concern was that I would have to make some very difficult decisions regarding her care. I did not have to and am so grateful. The Lord had His hand on her little body and it was apparent the entire day that she was not long with us.
Please continue to pray for us as we make this difficult transition. In particular for Melanie as her body is still going through recovery.
Thank you to everyone for their love and support. Little Susannah had such an immeasurable prayer covering.
We love our little Susannah and thank you for doing the same.
Nathan
Nathan and Melanie,
Our hearts grieve with you and we are uplifting you and your family in our prayers. No words seem right, so we turn to our Lord to grant you comfort. What a wonderful day it will be heaven when you can worship our Lord Jesus along with little Susannah. Cling to Jesus- He will see you through!
In Christ,
So sorry to hear of your loss. Cherish the short time you had with her and know that she is in the arms of Jesus.
I am so very sorry about the loss of your sweet daughter Susannah. Continued prayers for both of you.
So sorry for your loss. Susannah is one of my favorite names……I will think of her in heaven when I think of the name, as I often do.
We will continue to pray for you in the days ahead.
We are praying for you as you go through this grieving of the loss of beautiful Susannah. God is Faithful in all things. He knows our every need and desire. We will continue to pray for you all.
Dear Nathan, Melanie and the Maxwell family,
I am so very saddened to learn of your loss of your precious daughter, Susannah Joy. As you experience this time of indescribable, heart breaking grief, I pray that you will find comfort in the loving prescence of our Lord Jesus .
Love and prayers,
Amy–in Michigan
Dear Nathan, Melanie and the Maxwell family,
Our hearts and prayers are with you. May God’s abundant grace be sufficient for all of you at this very difficult time. Heaven is a whole lot sweeter now, and it will be longed for even more with each passing day. May the Lord Jesus Christ be glorified in all things.
In Christ’s Love,
Paul & Abigail M. and family
What a beautiful angel! My heart is heavy and my eyes are full of tears. Our prayers have been with you and will continue for many days to come. Prayers of comfort, peace, strong faith, healing, guidance and rest.
Matthew 11:28
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Remembering you both in our prayers. May you know the comfort of the Saviour.
Sarah
Nathan and Melanie,
My heart just breaks for you! I just want to encourage you to continue to lean on the Lord and He will comfort you and give you Peace. The Lord had a plan for little Susannah’s life and her death… continue to trust in Him. I know that there are no words that I can say that will help to take that pain away but I do understand what you are going through as our second child (and first son) died in-utereo at 37 weeks due to a cord accident. The Lord has used our precious little Grant’s life in such an awesome way and we have been able to reach people for the Lord that we otherwise would not have been able to reach. I am sure, in time, you will feel the way that we do… that the death of a child is NOT the ministry you would have ever asked for, but it IS the ministry that the Lord choose to bless you with.
Please know that I am praying for you and please know that you are welcome to email either my husband or myself if you ever need a listening ear or understanding heart from someone who has been through a similar loss.
Prayerfully,
Dana (in SC)
I recently started praying for your daughter. I am deeply sorry for your loss. Tears filled my eyes as I looked through your pictures. You are very special people and I know that God will use you and your experiences to spread the gospel and comfort people in their time of need.
Seeking Christ’s Strength,
Patty
Be still my soul, The Lord is on thy side
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;
Leave to thy God to order and provide
In every change, He faithful will remain
Be still my soul; thy best thy heavenly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.
Be still my soul: thy God doth undertake
To guide the future as He has the past
Thy hope, thy confidence, let nothing shake
All now mysterious shall be bright at last
Be still my soul: the waves and winds still know
His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below.
Be still my soul; the hour is hastening on
When we shall be forever with the Lord
When disappointment, grief and fear are gone
Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored
Be still my soul: when change and tears are past
All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.“Be Still My Soul” Katharina Von Schlegel in 1752, translated by Jane Laurie Borthwick in 1855
Dearest family,
I pray that God will let you reap blessings unmeasurable during this time in your life in return for the many blessings (too many to count) that you have sown in my life.
CamillaÂ
Our family has been praying for all of you. We will continue to keep everyone in our prayers.
I am so sorry. I will be praying for your whole family.
I am so sorry that you don’t get to have your baby here with you. I prayed for your baby Susannah a lot. I know she is happy with Jesus and she will see you again someday. I am still praying for you. The pictures of Susannah are very pretty. I will pray God helps you now as you are so sad. I love you.
Dearest Nathan and Melanie, the Maxwell Family, We are strangers, yet brothers and sisters in our Lord in prayer for you. I can only imagine how you miss your sweet and precious first born daughter and grand-daughter, and niece. Praise the Lord for your faithfulness in your time of need and yes, may He be glorified through this season in your lives. Dear Melanie, from one sister to another I know you must be aching inside emotionally and physically to hold your baby as should be every new young mother’s dream. I cherish the pictures you have shared with the world showing just this. What a precious delight they will be to you both in the years to come.
We are so very sorry for this loss. Somehow please know, little Susannah will be still with you, forever in your hearts and you will be able to hold her later. Much Christian Love,
We are sorry about your loss. You are in our thoughts and prayers.
My heart is aching for you. I know what you are going through. I wish I didn’t. We have lost our first son 6 years ago and in the times like this it seems like yesterday. He had multiple chromosomal abnormalities and was born stillborn. We and our extended family have been praying day and night but that was the will of the Lord. Now looking back, I can see that it did work out for the best of our family, though at the time I felt like I wanted to slap those people in the face who were trying to tell me that Lord will use it for his glory.
I think our family is a lot closer together. Me and my husband have a strong bond that is impossible to break because of what we carried each other through. It was amazing that on the days I did not want to get out of bed my husband gently took care of me. I was angry, unruly and sad to the bottom of my heart. I felt I will never be able to stop crying. My husband was the best caregiver ever at that time. Later, there were days when he was unresponsive and did not want to even think about tomorrow, my and our family’s prayers and the mercy of the Lord carried him through the hard times of grieving.
It is hard to comprehend, but our children are well taken care of right now, better that we could ever take care of them. The only true loss is our broken dreams of our children’s future with us.
My parayers are with you.
Dear Melanie, please take care of yourself during these hard times of recovery. The hardest thing to cope with for me was when my milk came and there was no baby to feed. Tight fitting bra, nursing pads, cold compresses and Tylanol helped a lot. My heart is aching for you, please take care.
Nathan and Melanie, we are so saddened by the news. We were so hoping for a miracle. Like you said, we don’t know God’s ways. So instead, this little miracle named Susannah has touched hundreds, maybe thousands of lives with God’s love – in a way that none of us ever imagined. We love you very much!
We’re so sorry for the loss of your beautiful baby girl.
Praying for God’s comfort and peace to be with you during this difficult time.
Lynnette & family – in Ontario, Canada
Dear Maxwell Family,
I just returned from vacation yesterday and found out the heartbreaking news. So very sorry for what has happened… I’m at such a loss for words right now. Cling to the Lord with all that you have!
In Christ’s Love,
Julie G. in Ohio
We are so sorry for your loss. We will continue to pray for you in these difficult times.
We love you…
Martha for the family
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Romans 8:18
I praise God for your witness even in these difficult times. I pray that He who is faithful will comfort you in your loss. I’ll continue to pray for Melanie’s recovery.
Love in Christ
Eva
Dear Maxwell family,
Our hearts are broken as we mourn your loss with you. Having lost a daughter ourselves, we know the pain. We also know the peace that comes from relying on the Savior in the midst of such trial and tragedy. You have been a beautiful testimony of God’s enduring grace, mercy, and peace as you’ve faced this time. It is apparent that the power of the Almighty God is working through you as you minister the proof of God’s never ending love for us by sharing Susannah’s life with us.
You are a testimony for all to read.
We continue to pray for your family.
In HIS grip,
Becki for the family in WI
Lifting you up in prayer. May you continue to know His comfort, strength and peace at this time!
Thank you for your faithfulness during this time. My prayers continue for all as I weep for your empty arms.
You touch more lives and influence more hearts than you will ever know.
We are so very sorry for the loss of your daughter. I am at
a loss for words. Please just know that we will be lifting
you and Melanie and your families in our prayers daily.
Keri
She will spend her whole life worshipping before the Throne of Grace, basking in His Glory, serving the King, never struggling with the flesh. May these thoughts somehow bring you comfort as you grieve and your arms ache from the emptiness.
I will be in fervent prayer for you.
I am sorry for your families loss. I am lifting your family up in prayer and know that our hearts are grieving with you today. Even though I have never been through such a loss, my spirit is heavy for you all.
Proverbs 3:5-6
Tina in WI
Nathan and Melanie,
My prayers are with you. Psalm 34:18 “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted…”
On March 26th Nicky shared her experience of when her milk came in and the pain of that. I know that there are homeopathic remedies that will dry up your milk. Ask someone you trust about using pulsatilla.
We can only imagine the pain you all are feeling right now. Our hearts and prayers are with you all. May the Lord draw your nigh and give you a peace beyond understanding at this time. Not fully grasping the depth of all of this or why I was crying, my 5 year old son reminded me that you will see her again someday! I’m sure the time between now and then will seem like forever but I also know that God’s grace and mercy and love will fill your hearts and bring you comfort.
We hope these verses bring you comfort.
Psalm 73:26 “My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.”
Psalm 119:75-77 “I know, O LORD, that your laws are righteous, and in faithfulness you have afflicted me. May your unfailing love be my comfort, according to your promise to your servant. Let your compassion come to me that I may live, for your law is my delight.”
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 “For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
I offer my most heartfelt, loving prayers for you both. What a lovely little girl. I am so sorry for your loss.
Love in Christ, Ardie
I came to your blog to see what God’s answer was for little Susannah. I am also saddened He has chosen to take her home so early. May God hopld you tight in His arms right now and sustain you. His love and His wisdom is perfect, but it is sometimes tough for us to understand.
I know how it is. God chose to raise our first little boy too.
God bless you and keep you
Susan in Virginia (SHS)
What a beautiful baby – she looks very much like her Daddy. I know the photos will be a treasure to you – thank you for sharing and I pray that the Lord gives you strength beyond belief as you continue to go through this incredibly difficult time. I’m so sorry for your loss.
There are so many entries already, I hesitate to add another, especially from someone you do not know; but how can one ever have too much encouragement? How can there ever be an “enough” to how many lives YOU have encouraged by your faith and strength. You give the rest of us the blueprint on how we ought to face the big and little trials of life. Thank you. And God be with you during this heart-wrenching time.
Words cannot express how sorry I am to hear about your precious Susannah Joy. We pray that the Lord will wrap all of you in His arms and draw you close to Him.
In Christs Love,
Kimberley
I am so very sorry to hear of the loss of your precious little baby girl. Although you do not know me, I have been blessed by your family’s ministry through books and workshops.
I pray that you will be able to take comfort in knowing the God Himself is holding your precious child and you will see her again. I pray that you will know comfort as you grief, for we grief with hope as believers. May you know God’s love and comfort in the difficult and sorrowful days ahead.
Words spoken to me at a time like this by a friend who had a full term stillborn daughter helped me immensely. These were her words:
“There are no words that will help, and the intense feeling of loss can’t be described, but it does get easier. There will always be a soft spot in your heart that can be set of and touched by a number of things, but God will use that soft spot to minister to others.”
At the time I read those words in the card sent by my friend, I would not have believed her had she not gone through the loss. (I lost a baby boy at 17 weeks of pregnancy )
She was right, it did get easier. She is right that I have a very soft spot that will always be there, but grief . I have never forgotten our son. We planted a tree for him and watch it grow each year.
Take time to recover, remember, pray and cry. Also, grief can be a bad thing too. Don’t let it take hold of you and whip you around.
Six weeks after our loss, we were pregnant again. This time, the baby was perfect and full term. She is not a replacement, but a gift who has helped us to heal further.
I pray that the comfort from God is there for you in whatever form is necessary for you to realize it is His comfort. I pray for good sleep and a future full of His goodness.
Healing from this is gradual. Let it work fully.
Dear Maxwell family,
Our hearts are with you. We know the loss of a stillborn baby. God, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort will meet you in your time of need. There is a special comfort for you that only He can give. His thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are not our ways. The truth is He loves you with an everlasting love. The Lord is near to the broken hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. He is our refuge and a very present help in time of trouble. May you know the comfort of His nearness as you walk through this time of recovery, bereavement and healing .
The pictures of you and your precious baby are so touching and beautiful. We are so sorry for your loss and so sorry for your grief and sorrow. We are fervently praying for all of you as God ministers intimately to your broken hearts.We pray that you can literally feel His big fatherly arms wrapped around you. We are praying you can see His mighty hand at every turn and see the tender light of His love in every dark and sad moment. He adores you and Susannah. We are thankful for your tender hearts to Him and your wilingness to let Him minister to your lives.
The Father granted me this poem several years ago. I hope it comforts you and yours as well.
Love in Christ,
Monique
My eyes long to see you
Now you behold Him
My arms ache for you
Now you know perfect love
My ears yearn for your voice
Now you sing His praises.
I desire to feed you
Now you will never know hunger.
I anticipated the pitter-patter of your feet
Now you play at His pierced ones.
I dreamed of years of love and laughter
Now you will never know pain.
I longed to watch you grow and develop
Now you are perfect.
This isn’t how I planned
but I know He loves you
and me.
Monique Stam
You were brought to my heart and mind this morning. I am and will continue to pray for you all through this valley of the shadow of death. We know His promises are true and He will never leave you or forsake you.
God bless you all with strength, peace and wisdom in the coming days.
Our hearts go out to you. Thank you for sharing your grief with us. We will pray for you all.
We are so sorry for your loss. The Lord brings you to mind throughout the day to pray for you. Your faithfulness to the Lord is a testimony to all.
I was deeply saddened to learn of your sweet girl’s passing. Now she is in heaven with Jesus and all of the children that we parents have lost. Rejoice in knowing that someday we will all be united with our children. My prayers go to your entire family and especialy Melanie as she goes through not only the greiving but her body recovering. I will continue to pray for all of you in this special time of need.
Nathan and Melanie,
I am so sorry for the loss of your baby! The pictures are absolutely beautiful. I just can’t imagine the pain you must be carrying in your hearts right now. Please know that your are in my thoughts and prayers. Cling to each other and to God. As you well know, He is holding on to you dearly.
Weeping with you!
Julie
Please know that we are praying for you!
On behalf of the entire staff – our hearts go out to you during this time of sorrow and grief…yet ultimate trust in the Lord. We made a special point of praying for you today during our morning prayer meeting. May you especially sense the love and grace of God shed abroad in your hearts over the coming days.