After the awkward introductions
I learned that her child’s name was
Nicholas. After our conversation, I ex-
plained, “I loved your child, and I love
you. I have wanted to give this baby
a proper burial, and it’s still something
I’d like to do. It’s a gift I’d like to give to
you. Do you think you can trust me?”
Knowing the weight of what I was
asking, I quickly interjected, “Don’t
answer. Sleep on it and pray about it.
Decide if you can trust me, and I’ll call
you tomorrow.”
Graciously, the following day, Nich-
ole agreed. As we planned the ser-
vice, I learned Nichole had an abor-
tion twenty-three years earlier. She’d
always held that child in her heart as
her daughter, Natasha. When we bur-
ied Nicholas two weeks later, Nichole
was wearing a charm I’d given her
with the names of both of her chil-
dren. Both lost. Both loved.
Saying Yes
God continued to provide oppor-
tunities to serve children and families.
Sometimes a huge crowd of family
and friends would show up at the
graveside services where we’d wor-
ship together in a church without walls
to celebrate the lives of their loved
ones. Other times, when infants had
no known kin, as it had been with
Zachary, men, women and children
who’d never known them would show
up to honor the lives of precious ones
they’d never met.
In an education I never would have
chosen, I began to learn there were
all different kinds of abandonment.
Dead babies were left unclaimed at
the coroner’s office and at hospital
morgues. Infants were abandoned in
state parks and residential neighbor-
hoods. One girl died at the hand of
temporary caregivers while her moth-
er was in prison. Some grieving families
simply lacked the resources to honor
their lives with the dignity they des-
perately longed to give. Honestly, as
I’ve walked through each door God
has opened, every situation has been
unique.
This ministry of He Knows Your Name
isn’t one with a five-year plan. Hon-
estly, we don’t even operate on a
one-month plan! As a follower of Je-
sus, eager to join the Spirit-led work of
His kingdom, my only strategic plan
is to stay connected to the Vine so I
can hear what God has for me next.
That first “yes,” the one that led to my
friendship with Nichole and allowed us
to honor her children and bury Nicho-
las with dignity, changed my life. I pray,
and expect, that your next “yes” to the
nudge of God’s can change yours.
Linda Znachko is the author of He Knows Your
Name and founder of the ministry He Knows Your
Name, which gives children a name in life and
dignity and honor in death. She also partners
with mothers who do not want their children’s
legacies to be the circumstances of their death.
Her aim is to assist the grieving in finding healing
and purpose in knowing every life is sacred to
God. A sought-after speaker, Znachko works to
bring attention to the problem of abandoned,
unwanted and marginalized children.
RELATED LINKS
Ministry: www.heknowsyourname.org
Facebook: /HeKnowsYourNameMinistry
Twitter: @LindaZnachko
Solutions 9