My name is John Leslie and I am the grandson of Najeeb Khalaf, My wife is Sarah Leslie. These are my two children Noah and Genev’e Leslie.
Back in 2003, Sarah and I had been married for 6 years and were not able to have a child. We were both okay with that since we knew that the Lord knew what was best for us. We only prayed, thy will be done. In 2004, Sarah was found to be pregnant! We were full of joy, yet Sarah has Multiple Sclerosis, so we were also somewhat concerned. We again gave all the concerns to the Lord. This was our seventh year of marriage, and we thought that was special, seeing the Lord’s perfect number in this, trusting that this was His perfect will.
We had an Amniocentesis done per the doctor’s orders, and Sarah soon after received a call from our doctor. We were blessed with the most special doctor. In fact, an amazing doctor in every way. Her name was Dr. Genilyn Cross, and at first, we did not know the significance of her name, but soon, we would. For in her name, Dr. Cross, was another witness of the unexpected journey we had been set upon and the many blessings in going in a way that we would typically not want to go!
When Dr. Cross called, she told my wife that there was a problem. The tests came back telling us that Noah would have Trisomy 21, Down syndrome. When Sarah called to tell me, I was shocked. I wept like and wept and wept! On top of all that was already going on in our house, now this?
Oh, did I pray, and I confess my thoughts were not as they should be. I said Why, Lord? We already have so many challenges with my wife’s illness. The Lord spoke to my heart very strongly and said to me, John, This is my perfect will, your boy will be perfect. I know this did not mean a healing, but meant that my son would be exactly as the Lord wanted him to be. Indeed, he would be!
Sarah went into the hospital to give birth on the 7th of August, and on the 10th, they induced labor. Noah was born on August 10th, 2004. As soon as he was born, they put him on the scale. The scale displayed the perfect number, as you can see in the picture, 7.0 pounds! Just as the Lord told me. He is perfect. We named him Noah, which means “rest” or “comfort.” There is rest and comfort in the Lord’s ways.
As you can see the face of my wife. There was nothing but joy in the room except for one nurse who said after examining him, yep it is a down’s baby as she saw the tell tell signs of the mark on his palms. We were not moved but rejoiced with our Doctor as there was only love in the room.
Noah was a beautiful baby boy and all who saw him agreed. We truly felt very blessed and trusted the Lord for all the tomorrows!
I prayed and asked the Lord for a sibling for Noah. I did so, thinking that we need a brother or sister, since we are older, to care for Noah later in life. My wife got pregnant again in late 2006. We were so happy, as it was not easy for my wife to carry a pregnancy to term. Also, by this time, her MS was much worse. Then, we had a call from the same doctor. Our baby would also have Down syndrome. This time, we laughed and said Thank you, Jesus, we trust you.
Our second baby was born and a precious daughter! Our daughter was born with Dr. Cross’s help, and it was again a very happy day. She was born on June 18th, 2007, one day after her grandmother’s birthday.
Our second baby with Down syndrome, and she too, as the Lord said, was perfect, weighing 7.7 pounds! Praise the Lord. Oh, and her name, you ask? It is Genev’e! When we had honeymooned in Switzerland, we were told, while looking at the beautiful Lake Geneva, that the name Geneva means to gush forth. Well, this is the joy we experienced when Genev’e was born, and so this is her name! Later we discovered that her name actually means the same as Genevieve came from the following. Mouth of the waters: The city of Geneva, Switzerland, where the Rhône River flows out of Lake Geneva, gets its name from the Celtic word Genava, which means “mouth” or “estuary”. This is the source of the “gushing” association.
I kiddingly have said with all that we have going on, my wife with advanced MS and two children with Down syndrome, that either God really hates us or really loves us. I know it is the latter! The chances of having 2 natural children with trisomy 21 if you already have one child with DS is only 1% and according to our geneticist, there is only one other family that she knows of in San Diego with two children with DS that are not twins. Some perhaps would not see this as good but for us it was a miracle. A gift even.
We have learned that we, too, are perfectly flawed with no good thing in us. It is only Jesus in His declaration over us of His love that we can stand as His little children. Therefore, we have so much love as we are loved in our needs.
He keeps us as children with childlike hearts. I am glad for that. Not knowing anything but Christ crucified. Never to boast in what I am or have become. Never to know anything but He who first loved me.
I have never been a patient person, but now I am. I have always been a man with plans, but now I am resigned to God’s plans for me and my family. We are a testimony to many other families like ours who also have similar challenges. They see the joy and love in our family, and so we have been able to encourage them. No school could teach us how to be a blessing to others like our children have. When we say to others that we understand, we really do!
