Barren Woman

I have never had a guest blogger before, but this subject is so tender and requires a gentle step. My upstairs neighbor and friend, Bevin, has a beautiful heart and gracious spirit. I have been wanting to share on this somehow, but haven't been able to put my feelings into words. I am going to let her do it, with only a few of my thoughts at the end. (She created this graphic.)

My friend Kristi and I went to a fertility clinic with two of our young married Kurdish friends today. Both of these girls have only been married for less than three years, but because they do not have any children yet, they daily face the fear that they might be infertile. 

In this culture, when a married woman isn't pregnant within the first year of her marriage, the gossip begins. Well-meaning and not-so-well-meaning women start insisting that the woman visit a doctor to find out what is wrong with her. Relatives wonder if the husband needs to find a different, more fertile wife. Consequently, the barren woman feels overwhelmed by feelings of stress and inadequacy. This has been the experience of our two friends.

The clinic was less than impressive. We walked up a dingy flight of stairs in a very unassuming building into a small room lined from wall to wall with shame-filled women. The doctor's examination consisted of a brief internal exam to which they replied that my friend's "eggs were small" (whatever that means). Then the doctor prescribed a slew of medications including tylenol and yeast infection medicine. Insert sarcasm...(probably not going to help with the "small eggs").

After the very ineffective visit to the fertility clinic, Kristi and I had a great opportunity to share some encouragement from the Bible with these girls. We came prepared with Bible verses and stories from the Kurdish Bible that talked of women like Hannah, Elizabeth, the Shunamite woman, and Sarah who were barren, but became pregnant by the miracle of God. We encouraged the girls with Psalm 113:9, which says that "the barren woman...will be a joyful mother of children." I pray that God will answer the desires of these two hearts and grant them children. But, I pray that He will do it in such a way that they turn to Him and give Him the glory.

 Please pray this verse over all the barren women in Kurdistan, only God knows all their stories and pain and reasons why they are barren. But suffice it to say that this trip to the doctor's office with our friends was eye opening to realize that a woman here could be infected with an STD, from her husband, and have no idea because of the lack of education. I am torn, because I want to educate my friends, but I realize that this would probably only destroy their lives. I cannot fix this problem. I am horrified by the injustice of it. I am sickened by the filth of it. I am deeply saddened by the scarring and infertility it is causing my friends. They shroud themselves in shame. There is only one answer: JESUS.