Member births baby in car, uses CHM's maternity program for five pregnancies, Anne Pettijohn, Midlothian, TX

We are a three-generation CHM family. My husband, Lyndon, and I decided to join the ministry in 2009 after Lyndon had a serious chainsaw accident and we were left to pay thousands of dollars in medical bills.

Our adult son, Jon, and his wife, Lesia, joined CHM in early 2012. Desiring to start a family, they were excited about the Gold level’s maternity program and soon gave birth to our two oldest granddaughters: Lily (2013), and Eowyn (2014).

In mid-July 2015 Lesia was two weeks overdue with their third child, Josiah. She decided not to rush to the birthing center as she had during her other two pregnancies, only to wait a while for the babies to come. However, the birthing center was almost a 90-minute drive.

Unlike with her first two daughters, Lesia’s labor pains began coming hard and fast on July 13. Fighting traffic en route to the birthing center, it became apparent that they wouldn’t make it in time. Jon pulled out a small camera to film the event for Lesia.

Lesia’s water broke.

The baby was ready to be born—in the car!

Understandably panicked, Lesia told Jon to keep driving. He unbuckled her seat belt just in time for their 10-pound 3-ounce baby boy to arrive, safely cradled in Lesia’s pajama pants!

About 15 minutes later they arrived at the birthing center where Lesia and baby Josiah could receive medical attention. Thankfully, there were no complications for mother or son.

Lesia later said, “During this strange and scary incident I realized that, even when things don’t go as planned, the Lord has His own plans and they are good (Jeremiah 29:11). Our YouTube post has almost 63 million views and God gave us a platform for our pro-life stance when we were featured on Good Morning America, the Today show and several other national and international media. Who would have ever thought that a birth gone ‘wrong’ would turn out so right?” (Editor’s note: Josiah’s birth video can be viewed at https://youtu.be/WXEZ6g2WLoM. Though not graphic [no nudity], due to the subject matter the video is not recommended for children or sensitive viewers.)

Jon and Lesia had already submitted a maternity prepayment agreement to CHM a few months earlier and ended up paying zero out-of-pocket for Josiah’s birth.

Later that year, Lyndon’s cardiologist recommended he undergo a heart ablation for his atrial fibrillation. Thankfully, we were able to negotiate discounts of nearly $78,000 and CHM members shared the remaining $115,000 in charges. We didn’t pay a penny for this expensive procedure! We couldn’t help comparing our CHM experience to the aftermath of Lyndon’s chainsaw accident six years earlier.

Today we’re all doing well. Since Josiah’s birth Jon and Lesia have welcomed another daughter (Arwen, born in December 2016) and son (Judah, born in May 2018) to their family and to the CHM family. The ministry shared nearly $25,000 for all five pregnancies.

We have also recommended CHM to many friends and family members. It’s a joy to watch them be blessed by the ability to share other Christians’ medical needs. We love this biblical, ethical and God-honoring ministry!