Greenhouse Becomes Symbol of Hope for Couple Struggling to Conceive

In early 2017, Mitch and Megan Vaughan decided to add to their family of three.  It didn’t take as long as they thought.

Megan explains, “One month later, positive test.  I was like ‘Oh, right now!?  Okay, let's – right now.’”

Megan quickly realized something was different about this, her second pregnancy.

She shares, “It just felt off.  And I think it's ‘cause it caught us off guard cause it happened so quickly.”

At six weeks, Megan miscarried.

She says, “When you find out you're pregnant, that baby's whole life flashes.  Those baby’s first, and then you just see all of it so quickly and it just engrains in you so deeply, so fast.”

Mitch remembers, “There was confusion for me.  And we were both perfectly healthy, so how do you – how do – how do you answer that?”

Megan also began to question God.  She felt, “‘You knew this was going to hurt, why did You do it?’  I just didn't understand why – why that would happen.”

As for Mitch, “It was just a matter of focusing on Megan and what I could do to support.  ‘Cause it wasn't a...fixable situation.”

There was one thing that brought Megan some comfort.  She says, “One of my friends brought a pot of daffodils over and they just made me so happy.”

So, Megan started buying more.  She explains, “It was a living thing that I could control, ‘cause I couldn’t control losing the baby.”

Although still grieving their loss, the couple decided again to try to get pregnant.  This time, it wasn’t so easy.

Megan says, “Every month after, I would get a negative test.”  

Mitch adds, “And then discouragement.  It was just a repetitive cycle at that point.”

He did his best to encourage Megan to lean on their faith, saying “‘Let's continue to pray about this, whatever the solution may be.  If we're not supposed to have another one, give us peace about it, give us understanding.’”  

But with each passing day, Megan found it harder and harder to trust God.  She shares, “I was angry for a long time.  I was angry at God and I was mad at myself like ‘Why couldn't I keep this baby?  What did I do wrong?’”

To cope, Megan continued buying plants.  By summer, she told Mitch she’d like to build a greenhouse.

He says, “This was going to be something for her to put plants that she cares and nurtures for to help through that pain of loss, and if I can do that for her then let's make it happen.”

Megan adds, “It was a true labor of love.  He was outside every day by himself building the greenhouse.  And it means so much more because my husband built that for me.”

The seasons slipped by.  And while the greenhouse was taking shape, they still weren’t pregnant.  But now Megan was beginning to trust and feel God’s love once again.

She recalls, “It was a slow process to get to that point, when I finally had peace and understanding about the miscarriage.  When I stopped being angry and frustrated.  I think I just realized like ‘Okay, I get it now.’”  

On April 3rd, 2018, nearly one year since the miscarriage, Mitch and Megan put the final touches on the greenhouse.  That same day...

Mitch remembers, “She'd shown up and, tears in her eyes.  I'm like, ‘What's going on?!’  And she handed me the pregnancy test.”

Megan says, “And we just both cried!”
 
Megan reflects, “After building it for seven months, after trying for a year, He allowed us to find out that we were pregnant on the day that it was completed.  I just don't know how you can look at that and see anything else but it being a God thing.”  

On December 8, 2018, the Vaughans welcomed their daughter into the world.  They named her Marigold.

Megan remembers the moment: “I felt her skin on my skin and it's indescribable.”  

Mitch recalls, “There's this massive sigh of relief, but at the same time I'm like, praise God!  She's healthy, she's here, she's-she's perfect.  You can't help but just think, God.”

Megan says, “It was just like God saying, ‘This is Me fulfilling My promise to you.’  And it was just such an all-encompassing feeling of thankfulness to God and just knowing that there's no way any of this could have happened without Him.”

Today, Marigold is an active toddler who’s growing as fast as Megan’s plants and flowers.  And the greenhouse?  It’s become a symbol of God’s faithfulness for the Vaughans – one they often share with others for life’s big moments.   

Megan says, “If it's to help one person feel better about their situation then it's worth it.”

Mitch shares, “You really can't see the light until you're able to step back and say, ‘Wow, God-God used this situation for good, for His glory.’”

Megan adds, “He really does have a perfect plan for you and, it's about what He wants for our lives, His purpose for us.  And I wouldn't want to fulfill any other purpose.”