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Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you O'Lord my rock and my redeemer.
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Psalm 19:14
Kara Jaehnert is a healthcare professional by day and a wife, mom, friend, blogger, speaker and small group leader by night.
At eighteen Kara found herself in an unplanned pregnancy. Worried about what others might think and desperately clinging to her unhealthy relationship she made an appointment to kill her baby. In the parking lot of the abortion clinic, staring at a brick wall the Holy Sprit revealed Himself and told her everything would be okay. Immediately she turned the car around and never looked back. Her miracle baby girl is now thirteen. Kara continued college and went on to get her master’s degree, and is now a successful healthcare executive.
Being a young single mom undoubtedly came with its challenges and Kara easily believed the lies that Satan told her; lies that she was unworthy and incapable of being a good mom, a successful businesswoman, wife, etc. Jesus on the other hand had a different message. Through Him Kara realized that she was worthy and capable! She was saved by grace through faith and loves to share about how Jesus transformed her life.
That transformation and newfound confidence in Him prepared her for another life-changing journey. Happily married to an amazing man and twenty six weeks pregnant with her second child she received news that no mother should have to hear; news that her sweet baby had a severe heart defect. They gave her the option to terminate the pregnancy, an option that wasn’t an option at all. She carried full term and gave birth to a beautiful baby boy.
He had his first open heart surgery at just two days old, and almost didn’t survive the night. A week later he was taken off the ventilator and Kara finally got to hold her sweet baby boy in her arms. However the very next day he went into cardiac arrest coded infront of her eyes. He received chest compressions for twenty-seven minutes. He had no heart rate and his oxygen levels hit single digits. His room was turned into an emergency operating room, his chest was opened up and he was connected to a full heart and lung bypass machine. As doctors frantically tried to save her son, Kara hit her knees and cried out to Jesus. She gave thanks and told Him that she trusted Him. He heard her cries and protected her son. The very next day he was back in the operating room and successfully recovered with no detrimental effects. Three open heart procedures and thirty-one days later she was able to welcome her sweet baby home.
Her son had another open heart surgery at four months old. Today he is a happy, healthy and very busy two year old. He will have another open heart surgery when he turns three and will eventually need a transplant. As hard as it was for Kara to watch her son go through all of that. She can truly say it was an amazing experience. She witnessed miracle after miracle and saw and felt God’s faithfulness like never before.
Kara has Bachelors Degree from Concordia College and a Masters Degree from The University of Mary.
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In my own words:
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Ok that was my "official" bio, but in my own words I'm much more casual. I'm just your average small town/suburban mom who has a story to share. Honestly it's not even my story, I'm just the mouth piece. It's God's story of salvation. He transformed my life and I have never been the same.
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Favorite Things
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Jesus
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Family - I mean seriously my family is amazing! I've been blessed with the very best (yes I'm biased)
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Friends
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Ice cream
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Cookies
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Working out - because I love ice cream and cookies
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The color red
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Hockey - specifically the MN Wild, and although it will be tough…I'll still love you even if you’re a Blackhawks fan! ;)
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The cabin and Minnesota summers
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Quilt Camp - yes you read that correctly...no I'm not 87
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As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
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Joshua 24:15
Handsome Hubby
God is funny. He is! Never in a million years did I think I’d be married to Ry, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. For starters, he likes cats. Yes you read that correctly. Not only does he like cats, he also drives a Harley Davidson. I know, right!? Who would’ve thought…a tough, law enforcement, Harley riding, cat guy. I guess it’s one way to show you can be tender and tough all at the same time. It also goes to show that you shouldn’t judge or stereotype.
In all seriousness he’s amazing. Sometimes I look at him and think to myself, “what do I actually bring to this marriage”...I mean, he cooks, he cleans, he does laundry, he builds beautiful things from nothing, everything he does turns out perfectly, he can literally fix anything, he’s patient, steady and strong, he puts up with my antics, he’s an amazing hands on dad…and, most importantly, he has a heart for the Lord and is a man of integrity! I’m so thankful that God has a sense of humor and put a black & white, straight as an arrow man into my world of colors and rainbows and, “oh look a squirrel!”
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Kenna Grace
My first miracle baby! She saved me. I know, I know…people can’t save you. True salvation is only found in Jesus, I know and believe that, but…she is the biggest part of my journey and testimony. Before Kenna I was on a destructive path. I really was. I was drinking, partying and trying to find me identity in boys…ugh gross! It makes me sick to think about now, but as much as it’s hard to talk about, those bad decisions helped make me who I am today. Don’t get me wrong I’m not saying I’m anything special, but I have experienced Jesus’s transformational grace! It’s awesome…but anyways enough about me. I’ll tell you more about that later…this is about Kenna. My sweet Kenna Grace. She is so incredibly wonderful. She has such a tender heart for people and for the Lord and she cracks me up every single day. You’ll be hard pressed to find another thirteen year old girl like her. Need some examples?
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She LOVEs politics, I mean loves them. During the last Presidential Election she watched everything…ALL the primaries for both parties because she wanted to make an informed decision and didn’t want me influencing her...she watched every debate, some even twice…she made me bring her to the Minnesota caucus because and I quote, “Mom! This is important. You have to exercise your right to vote.”
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Continuing on with the politics theme, she wants to be a senator, so much so that she’s already researched the colleges that have produced the most senators, and also what it will take to get into those schools. She even contacted a publisher and set up a conference call to talk about next steps to getting a book she recently wrote published, because, after all if you’re a published author by seventeen you have a better chance of getting into the college of your dreams. Yes, she’s also a phenomenal writer and has read more books in the past year than I’ve read in my whole life!
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She is stronger in her faith at 13 than I was at 25! In 5th grade she wanted to start a small group called “Girls of Grace”, because, “Well, you know mom, these next years in middle school are going to be tough, you know, with puberty, and boys and everything else that girls go through and I just really think it would be good to have a group of girls who can build each other up.” I’m not kidding. This girl. She’s smarter than most adults. Her favorite bible verse is “She is clothed with strength and dignity and laughs without fear of the future.” Proverbs 31:25 I pray that verse over her every day! It gives me peace and comfort especially when I think about her going to college in just five short years. GULP!
Anyways, those are just a few examples of Kenna’s awesomeness! She’s the bright spot in my day (most of the time, when she’s not teening)! Oh, and one more thing, get this …she still likes to hang out with me!! Isn’t that fun! She makes fun of me and my mom dance moves, but I think she secretly loves my moves, and aspires to be like me some day! ;)
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Rollie J.
My sweet Rollie J! My second miracle baby. Gosh, I don't even know where to start. Kenna saved me and got me on the right path, thank goodness, because Lord knows I needed every ounce of faith I could "mustard" up (pun intended and yes I know I have lame mom bible jokes) for the arrival of Mr. Rollie J...I'll never forget the Sunday after we found out that Rollie had a severe heart defect. I was listening to Pastor Troy Dobbs, Grace Church, give a sermon titled "Finding Joy in Pain and Suffering" with scripture from Philippians, crazy right!? That was literally the sermon for the week. The exact same week we found out our sweet baby only had half of a heart. I was listening in the bathtub, because why not, and trying to hold it together. One of the first main points Pastor Troy made was that pain and suffering happens for three main reasons, instruction, correction and advancing the kingdom. As he spoke the words "advancing the kingdom" Rollie kicked, like crazy soccer player kicking. I thought to myself, that's cool, but didn't think anything beyond that. Pastor Troy said it again, and again Rollie kicked like crazy. Then he said it again and again throughout his message and I kid you not, literally EVERY. SINGLE. TIME Pastor Troy said, "advancing the kingdom" Rollie kicked. At that moment, I knew that whatever happened with our sweet boy, it would be okay. God had a plan for Rollie. That plan, was much different than I had expected, but I wouldn't change it (see blog posts for all the deets). I wouldn't change it because it's God's perfect plan and I trust Him. Fast forward to today and Rollie is just like every other independent two year old boy. He loves to wrestle, play Hockey, ride his "motorcycle", play with trucks, tractors, trains and lets not forget backhoes, and of course climb on just about everything. The boy doesn't sit still and gets into all sorts of mischief...and you guys I'm like the biggest pushover mom ever. He has this little stinker smirk that get's me everytime...and fruit snacks, don't even get my started. I literally cannot, like cannot say no! The way he says "noot nack" and then crinkles the bag to reach every last fruit shaped gummy goodness, game over. You want a "noot nack" buddy, here you go, might as well take two. Gah!