Nampa, ID — Now freshmen at Northwest Nazarene University, triplets Sarah, Corey, Nicole Crist say that the generosity of family and neighbors made a big difference in their success.
Sarah, Nicole and Corey are proof that faith will help you through even in bleak times.
The triplets survived tough times early in life when they lost their father and their working mother had to struggle to make ends meet. Now settled in their dormitory on the leafy NNU campus in Nampa, the triplets have come a long way.
“I knew the Lord was going to take care of us, and he did,” said their mother Karan Beck , who drove to Nampa with her second husband, Harry, from their home in Hillsboro, Ore to spend Thanksgiving with the triplets.
Then married to the triplets' father, Jim Crist, Karan had suffered through three miscarriages before finally becoming pregnant with the three.
But even that joyous event had its perils.
Complications occurred in Karan's sixth month of pregnancy. One of the babies was ready to be born early and the doctors suggested that she agree to abort one baby to save the others. The doctors warned that the babies may be born with severe handicaps or abnormalities unless drastic steps were taken.
She declined the suggestion to selectively abort and prayed that the babies be spared. All the babies were delivered fine a few weeks later.
“It was a relief when they were born,” Karan said.
But the challenges didn't end there.
Jim Crist was diagnosed with advanced lymphatic cancer one month after the babies were born. He died when the children were barely toddlers.
“It was an overwhelming time in our lives,” said Karan, who resolved to raise her children the best she could.
The burden was eased with the help of fellow members at Hillsboro Church of the Nazarene and people who heard of the family's plight and rallied behind the family. They helped babysit the children and gave respite to Karan, who ran a home business as a hairdresser.
The children were well known locally, and some offered to become surrogate families for the triplets. “We had people who babysat us at night even when we were sick,” Sarah Crist said.
Karan married Harry Beck when the children were about 8.
The Crist kids said it was hard not having a father early in life, but said the love they received from others helped make up for it.
“It was like being a part of a huge family,” Nicole Crist said.
“I'm thankful for having a supportive family and for having these great people around,” Corey Crist said.
Today, the triplets are looking forward to the future. Nicole wants to work in TV or radio production. Sarah wants to work either as a cosmetologist or an interior designer. Corey wants to be an employee of a big company.
To see a picture of Karan with the newborn triplets, go here.
To see a picture of the triplets as they look now, go here.
(This article courtesy of Steven Ertelt and the Pro-Life Infonet email newsletter. For more information or to subscribe go to www.prolifeinfo.org or email infonet@prolifeinfo.org.)
