Regardless of how their children come into the world, every parent endures a strange and wondrous journey along the way. However, Rachel and Aaron Halbert, the couple below, have a more bizarre story than any other parent.
Aaron Halbert/Facebook
When they brought their triplets into the world, the nurses and doctors could not believe their eyes. Something was clearly out of the ordinary, perhaps even wrong. Some at the hospital even wondered if something had happened, or if the Halberts were keeping facts from their doctors and loved ones.
Raised In Different Worlds
Aaron and Rachel Halbert came from very different parts of the world. Growing up in the Mississippi Delta, Rachel enjoyed a healthy, traditional childhood. Aaron Halbert, on the other hand, grew up as a child of evangelical missionaries in Honduras. Because of where she grew up, Rachel knew little about racial diversity. However, Aaron was very aware of racial diversity because he was the only blue-eyed, blonde-haired white kid around!
Aaron Halbert/Facebook
As a young adult, Rachel started serving on mission trips to Haiti. After Haiti, Rachel began setting new goals, hoping to gain more experience and responsibilities. Over her trips, Rachel obtained a wealth of knowledge and stories that she’ll treasure for the rest of her life. Still, she could never imagine the incredible, strange adventure life had in store for her…
A Blind Date
Rachel and Aaron Halbert met each other on a blind date back in 2004. The minute Rachel and Aaron met, they both knew the other was the only one for them. Not only did the two share the same humble personality, but they also wanted to make changes in the world through the power of the gospel. Moreover, they both worked as missionaries!
Aaron Halbert/Facebook
From that very moment, the couple both believed a wedding, and likely a family laid in the future for them. However, Rachel and Aaron didn’t want to rush into things too quickly. So, they decided to continue dating occasionally, getting to know one another better. Plus, their jobs as missionaries also allowed them to work together! So the two started seeing each other, with no inkling of what it would eventually lead to.
Getting to Know One Another
As time passed on, Rachel and Aaron continued to get to know one another, mostly through missionary trips. Before long, Rachel and Aaron’s romantic relationship became steady and exclusive. As they continued to date, the couple discovered that the two shared a unique, common bond, one that drew them even closer than before.
Aaron Halbert/Facebook
It turns out that Rachel and Aaron both shared a dream: they both desperately wanted to adopt children. “When we were still dating, a common bond that drew us together was the fact that Rachel and I both wanted to adopt,” Aaron told The Washington Post. Soon, however, the couple would try something that would cause family members to raise their eyebrows…
Pro-life Beliefs
While the couple would technically have no issues conceiving their very own baby, they felt it was their Christian duty to adopt a child. “While we were fertile, we were both deeply convicted that one of the ways to be pro-life is to involve ourselves in adoption,” said Aaron.
Honduras Halberts/Facebook
By the time the two started discussing adoption, they had no doubts they’d remain together forever. Soon after, Aaron got down on one knee and asked Rachel to be his wife. Rachel responded with a big “yes!” They couldn’t wait to spend the rest of their lives together. As such, the wedding planning began quickly, and soon enough, it was time to walk down the aisle.
Tying The Knot
Most people spend their whole adulthood searching for their one and only, but not Aaron and Rachel Halbert. Not only had they found each other early on, they even shared their deepest convictions! Soon enough, the church bells were ringing. In 2006, the bride and groom exchanged their heartwarming vows at the altar.
Rachel Halbert/Facebook
Even though the now-married missionaries desperately wanted to have children, they decided to wait. As much as they wanted to become parents, they also wanted to continue their work as missionaries and having children would make that harder. The couple felt confident an opportunity for children would present itself soon enough. However, before they knew it, a new mission unfolded in front of them…
A New Mission
Shortly after the wedding, Rachel and Aaron received an offer to go back to Aaron’s hometown in Honduras. The Halberts decided to join the mission, flying to Honduras in 2006. While Aaron felt excited to return home, Rachel felt both excited and nervous. While it was a new place, she still wanted to see where her husband grew up.
Honduras Halberts/Facebook
In Honduras, the missionaries worked as English teachers at a bilingual school right outside of Tegucigalpa. For most people, this might not seem like the perfect honeymoon; however, the Halberts have said it was everything they could have ever dreamed of. While there, Aaron and Rachel started to notice some deficiencies in the community. As always, the couple felt the same: compelled to do something. But what?
Realizing the Needs
A few months into their work in Honduras, the couple started raising concerns about the community’s needs. Through working, Rachel and Aaron became acutely aware of the need for churches that teach the power of the gospel. From that moment on, the Halberts knew that they had a special mission to fulfil in Honduras.
Honduras Halberts/Facebook
However, it was almost time for Aaron and Rachel to go back home! While the missionaries wanted to stay and help, they also had other important plans in mind. But that didn’t mean that they would forget about the community’s needs. When the mission came to an end, the Halberts went back to their home in Mississippi, happy with the work they completed. Back at home though, a huge development for the couple hid right around the corner…
Going Back Home
As the couple settled back into their lives, Aaron wanted to pursue yet another dream of his. As it turns out, Aaron had always wanted to get his Master of Divinity, the first pastoral degree in the United States. So, he enrolled in the Reformed Theological Seminary (RTS) in Jackson, Mississippi. However, through it all, the couple always found themselves thinking of going back to Honduras.
Aaron Halbert/Washington Post
As the days turned into weeks, the Halberts settled into their new, normal, happy life. From there, weeks first slipped into months, and then into years. After a while, the couple began contemplating the idea of having a child. However, the couple wasn’t sure whether to conceive naturally or adopt a baby. The couple had no clue that things were about to take an interesting turn…
Serving The Community
While in Mississippi, the couple wanted to continue serving the community. As missionaries, they felt their work never truly ended. As such, Rachel spent her days teaching at the local Christian school. Meanwhile, Aaron served as the youth director and intern at Second Presbyterian in Yazoo City.
Honduran Halberts/Facebook
Meanwhile, the couple began feeling more and more drawn to the idea of adopting a child. “We see the protection of children not as charity, nor as part of a political agenda, but as something near to the heart of God,” Aaron told the Washington Post. And what was about to happen next would bring them one step closer to making their final decision…
Preparing Themselves For Another Mission
For a while, the Halberts considered going back to Honduras. Not only did Aaron grow up there, and calls it his true home, the couple also understood the needs of the community. So, they decided to go back as missionaries, with the Presbyterian Church of America. Meanwhile, at the same time, the couple was trying to have a child naturally.
Aaron Halbert/Facebook
Still, they also decided to visit an adoption agency in Mississippi, as it meant so much to both of them. While they were both excited to start a family, they also wanted to take in a child who needed their help. A day at the agency told the missionaries everything they needed to know. Afterwards, the Halberts made their final decision…
Time to Expand the Family
After visiting the adoption agency, the Halberts decided to adopt. They knew it was the right choice, as it can be incredibly difficult for non-Caucasian children to find adoptive homes. So, the couple told the agency that they would adopt any child, except a fully Caucasian one.
Honduras Halberts/Facebook
The Halberts trusted that if God truly wanted them to have their own child, the agency would deny their application, and Rachel would become pregnant. “We did this with the deeply held conviction that if the Lord wanted us to have a fully Caucasian child my wife would conceive naturally,” said Aaron. Furthermore, the Halberts felt compelled to follow their duty as Christian missionaries. Still, they had no idea how it would all turn out.
Adopting Two Beautiful Children
As soon as they initiated the adoption process, the agency found children for the Halberts. It seemed they made the right choice! Moreover, the Halberts fell in love with not one, but two children. The agency presented them with a boy and a girl, both of African-American descent. Rachel and Aaron’s hearts melted, and they could not choose one over the other. So, the Halberts adopted the pair of children into their family, naming them Ford and Catherine.
Aaron Halbert/Facebook
Rachel and Aaron understood that race would play a significant role in their family. Soon, the couple began to wonder what challenges a racially diverse family would face. Still, the more they thought about it, the more the missionaries realized they could overcome anything as a family. However, there was no way they could know that life had an even bigger surprise in store for them…
Considering Their Options
Not long after they adopted Ford and Catherine, the Halberts had another talk. Once again, Aaron and Rachel found each other on the same page: they both wanted more children. Both the missionaries wanted to add more children to their family. However, with their new children keeping them busy, they didn’t know if it was the best time.
Aaron Halbert/Facebook
Then, like a sign, the Halberts ran into an old friend, one who highly encouraged them to look into embryo adoption. While Aaron and Rachel felt hesitant about the added workload, they felt they could not ignore this sign. So, the couple decided to do some research into embryo adoption, something they had never even heard of…
Embryo Adoption
Over the next few weeks, the Halberts started learning as much as they could about embryo adoption. The couple could not believe all they discovered not only about adoption but about the birth process as well. “We live in a world with hundreds of thousands of embryos frozen in the United States alone,” Aaron said. Even further, they felt horrible after learning what happens to some of those embryos.
Aaron Halbert/Facebook
“Most who aren’t selected by their biological parents are donated to science or destroyed or kept frozen,” continued Aaron. This means that most of the embryos used for in-vitro fertilization are wasted. Embryo adoption allows others to adopt these embryos and use them themselves. Despite already caring for Ford and Catherine, the missionaries felt compelled to help through embryo adoption.
Going Ahead With The Plan
After their research, the Halberts felt deeply obligated to rescue the tiny lives created from in-vitro fertilization. Furthermore, it allowed Rachel to actually become pregnant, carrying the children around herself. Still, the biggest reason for the missionaries to pursue embryo adoption was their beliefs.
Aaron Halbert/Facebook
“If Christians – or others – really believe life begins at conception, it follows that we should respond by being willing to support embryo adoption and even take part in it ourselves,” said Aaron. So, with their minds made up, the Halberts turned to the National Embryo Donation Center, a Christian embryo bank, to begin the process.
An Interesting Turn Of Events
Of course, Rachel Halbert felt extremely excited to start the process of embryo adoption. However, she could not help but also feel nervous and scared. After all, she first needed to undergo several treatments to prepare her body for the transfer.
Rachel Halbert/Facebook
Thankfully, these all went well. Finally, in September 2015, Rachel was ready to have the embryos implanted in her body. So, soon after, Rachel went in for the in-vitro fertilization operation. Now, all they could do was wait and pray for the transfer to be successful. You see, embryo adoption is a challenging process, and the odds were against the Halberts…
Fighting the Odds
Just like traditional in-vitro fertilization, there are a lot of hurdles a couple must jump over in order for everything to work well. Even then, couples still need a little luck as well. First, comes the procedure. As previously stated, it begins with months on hormone treatments before the operation. Even then, the mother only has a ten per cent chance of accepting an embryo during the actual procedure.
Honduran Halberts/Facebook
Then comes the cost. Traditional embryo adoption can cost anywhere from $10,000 to $15,000, per attempt. Furthermore, most insurance does not cover such medical decisions. So, needless to say, the Halberts faced plenty of challenges while going through embryo adoption.
Monitoring Rachel
As stated, the Halberts went through this all while prepping to continue their missionary work in Honduras. At the same time, they nervously waited to see if the transfer had gone successfully or not. Still, time waits for no one, and the missionaries, along with their children Ford and Catherine, took a plane back to Honduras. There, the wait for information seemed even longer.
Aaron Halbert/Facebook
Six weeks after the transfer, Rachel and Aaron finally decided to make a nervous trip to the local hospital in Honduras. They’d finally find out if the embryos took or not. Once at the hospital, the couple tried to explain as best as they could in broken Spanish everything to the doctor taking care of them. However, judging by the look on his face, it was clear that the doctor didn’t fully understand the whole picture…
“Yes, You’re Pregnant, But…”
Throughout the appointment, the doctor seemed to be missing something. Sure, he understood the idea of in-vitro fertilization, but something clearly didn’t click. The doctor asked the Halberts over and over again if they were absolutely sure that they had transferred only two embryos. Meanwhile, Rachel and Aaron kept answering that they were sure.
Honduran Halberts/Facebook
Then, the doctor proceeded to give them the good news: the transfer was, indeed, successful! Rachel was pregnant. The pair of married missionaries was incredibly happy and excited. However, as the doctor took a closer look, he realized something was not right! When he showed the Halberts the screen, they finally understood why he kept asking about the number of embryos…
Triplets!
Once the Honduran doctor Rachel and Aaron the ultrasound screen, all of his questions suddenly made sense. Not one, not two, but three embryos had made their home inside of Rachel. That’s right, the Halberts weren’t having one or two children, but triplets instead! The Halbert family was about to grow to seven!
Honduras Halberts/Facebook
While Rachel and Aaron felt overjoyed, they couldn’t believe the news they had received. It seemed as though God really did have a plan! They both always wanted a large family, and now they had two children and three more on the way. Going from two children to triplets, Aaron knew that they faced many challenges. However, the missionaries knew they could do anything with one another.
The Miracle of Life
While the couple felt excited while waiting for the triplets, no one felt more excited than Ford and Catherine. “I felt sheer delight during this pregnancy watching my son and daughter, with his dark brown skin and her with the ringlet hair and slightly tan skin, kiss my white wife’s growing belly. Each evening they said goodnight to those three growing little girls in her belly,” wrote Aaron on Facebook.
Honduras Halberts/Facebook
The couple’s children could not wait to finally meet their sisters! And soon, that moment came. Before they knew it, Rachel’s pregnancy came to an end. Finally, it was time for the family to welcome the triplets into their lives.
Blessed With Triplets
In 2016, the Halberts welcomed triplets Anne, Ryley, and Whitley into their lives. While this wasn’t exactly the way that the couple had planned to bring a family into the world when they first started dating, it turned out to be a million times better! The Halberts felt incredibly blessed with their new triplets.
Aaron Halbert/Facebook
“Oh, how thankful we are for God blessing us with these sweet little ones He has placed in our care,” told the Washington Post. Furthermore, he sees the triplets, and his other children, as gifts from God. “As I look at my growing family, I prefer to take it a step further, daring to hope that our family picture is a little hint of Heaven,” he continued.
The Beauty of An Interracial Family
Even though they don’t share the same DNA or skin colour, the Halberts are thrilled to call themselves mom and dad of these beautiful five children. Furthermore, they appreciate the beauty of their interracial family. “The beauty of a multi-ethnic family is found there, in the fact that the differences are the very thing that makes ours richer and fuller. It forces you to think in a new way about the way you think, speak, act and live,” wrote Aaron.
Aaron Halbert/Facebook
Also, they love the experience and even share it with their friends. “There is something beautiful and enriching being the only white face sitting and chatting with some of my African-American friends as my son gets his hair cut on a Saturday morning,” Aaron said.
Overwhelming Amount of Support
With their first children and the triplets, the Halberts have received an incredible outpouring of support. “It’s been heartening to see virtually all of our friends and family express overwhelming support for our family and the unusual ways we’ve built it,” said Aaron.
Aaron Halbert/Washington Post
Furthermore, Rachel and Aaron love that they’ve accomplished their original dream of adopting a family.“In our minds, we are just living out our dream. A dream that may not look like the average family, but one that we are thankful could come true in light of our country’s history,” Aaron said. Unfortunately, when news of the triplets broke, not everyone felt as supportive…
Not Everyone Had The Same Response
After the triplets’ births, the Halberts sadly became the target of a few nasty comments and disapproving looks, from both white and black people. “We knew, especially in the South, that a white couple with non-white children would draw a myriad of different reactions. There will always be the older white woman in Walmart who stared at us with sheer disgust or the African-American mother who looked at us and just shook her head,” Aaron told the Washington Post.
Rachel Halbert/Facebook
However, Halberts have also had good experiences. “There was also the young black girl who wept when we told her this little boy with her skin colour was our son, and the older white doctor who lovingly prayed over him and held him so tenderly,” Aaron recalled.
Not Seeking For Approval
While this lovely family will most likely always have to face these awkward looks, that’s okay. The Halberts are aware that not everyone agrees with their diversity. Nonetheless, the couple isn’t seeking approval by the world’s standard. They believe that our differences are a gift.
Honduras Halberts/Facebook
“One of the central themes of Christianity is, after all, that God, through His Son, is calling people from every tongue, tribe, and nation. Grasping diversity will make the world stronger as we marvel at God’s creative genius on display through His people’s varying pigments, personalities, and proficiencies. Our differences are cause for celebration, not scorn,” Aaron explains.
Recognizing The Complexity of Triplets
Even though Rachel and Aaron are happy with their decision of embryo adoption, they accept that it is not for everyone. “Embryo adoption can also be very difficult for the donor family. I know the decision to donate your frozen embryos for adoption is probably the hardest you’ll ever make,” said Rachel.
Aaron Halbert/Facebook
Also, Rachel is sympathetic of those who give up their children. “It can be so painful to know that someone else is raising your biological children. For some reason, whether medical or family size or financial or age, you are unable to have any more transfers,” Rachel explains. However, the couple has no doubt that it was the best decision of their lives!
Summarizing The Experience
While embryo adoption may not be for everyone, Rachel and Aaron feel it was perfect for them! Not only did they end up with beautiful triplets, but Rachel also had the full experience of pregnancy. After this life-changing experience, Rachel chose the words “beautiful and unique” to summarize it.
Aaron Halbert/Facebook
Furthermore, she is especially thankful to the biological parents who chose to donate their embryos, calling them “brave and selfless.” After all, Rachel and Aaron’s dream came true, multiply by five! Despite having five children under the same roof might be more difficult than they thought, they wouldn’t trade it for anything else.
The Importance of Embryo Adoption
Rachel and Aaron believe that embryo adoption is just as important as regular adoption. Furthermore, they have realized that many people are not even aware that this actually exists. Millions of embryos are there just waiting. For instance, the two embryos were frozen for 12 years before the Halberts implanted them.
Aaron Halbert/Washington Post
“We were not saying that those lives are any more important than the lives of babies and children waiting to be adopted all across the world. No, they are not any more important, but they are no less important either. All of our children’s lives are valued,” said Rachel.
Love Makes A Family
The Halberts entered into their adoption with love, and in the end, it paid off with incredible blessings. While Rachel wanted to have four or five children, she never expected it would happen within such a small window of time. One popular sentiment in the adoption community echoes in the back of my head: love makes a family!
Honduras Halberts/Facebook
As for the Halbert children, they seemed happier than ever. In the end, Rachel and Aaron want to be the best parents they could possibly can to their five children, teaching them good values. Seems like the children share the same optimism, kindness, and compassion of their parents.
What The Future Holds
Of course, many want to know if Rachel and Aaron will adopt again after the triplets. As of yet, they don’t have an answer. “We’ll see what the future holds. For now, we are enjoying this phase of life right now,” Rachel said. As you can imagine, their five children keep the couple plenty occupied.
Honduras Halberts/Facebook
After all, their family is larger than Rachel and Aaron could have ever imagined when they started dating. The Halberts hope that their journey will encourage many couples to give a try to embryo adoption. Though they have children to take care of now, the couple decided to continue their work as missionaries in Honduras.