There Was A Heartbeat

"There Was A Heartbeat" was co-written by Cindy Hughlett and Lana Newton, little Eli's mom, and was inspired by a poem written by Lana. This is Lana's story of what happened and how she and husband, Stephen, came to know the joy and love that entered their lives when they first met baby Eli.

Lana's Story

No one in my family had ever struggled with infertility, so I had never really thought I'd be unable to bear a child. But shortly before Stephen and I married, I was diagnosed with endometriosis. The next four years was an emotional roller coaster, including fertility treatments and four surgeries.

When I awoke from my last surgery, Stephen leaned over and said, "We don't have to do this any more if you don't want to."

We realized that HOW we had a family wasn't the important thing. We just knew we wanted to have a family. We stopped praying that I would get pregnant and began praying for our child, wherever he or she might be. And in God's wondrous way, the very month we stopped trying was the month our son was conceived!

We adopted Eli through the Gladney Center for Adoption. We were matched with our birthmother in her third trimester, and we were there when Eli was born. We fell in love instantly with his birth parents. They were very young, but they had made such a mature decision for their baby. The day Eli was born was the best day of my life, and I will be eternally grateful. All I kept saying to the birth parents was, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

When we took Eli home from the hospital, I remember laying him on the bed. I sat down beside him and cried. I cried because I was happy; I cried because I was a little scared; I cried because I knew how hard it must have been for Eli's birth parents to let him go; and I cried because I was amazed at God's plan and His love for everyone involved.

One day Stephen called to tell me to listen to the new Faith Hill Christmas song, "A Baby Changes Everything." I thought about how much Eli had changed our lives. My thoughts turned to Eli's birth parents and how their lives had been changed by Eli, too. I know the decision they made was not easy for them. She had told me that abortion had never been an option, but I knew that for a lot of people it certainly would have been. As I put on my makeup, the words to a poem took shape in my head. As the words came, I hastily scribbled them down, and in a matter of ten minutes I had written the entire thing.

I was introduced to Cindy Hughlett, and she worked her magic on the piano. I still can't listen to the song without tearing up. It's so much more than just a song to me. It's our story, our birth parents' story and Eli's story.

I know there are countless people who either have no opinion on abortion or who believe it is a woman's personal choice. But as the mom of a beautiful adopted child, I look at Eli every day and I thank God that his birth parents made the choice they did. Without them, we wouldn't have our sweet little boy. He means everything to us!

Through this song, it is my prayer that expectant mothers who are frightened and struggling with what to do about an unplanned pregnancy will realize that it takes great courage to choose adoption. Please know that there are people waiting to give your baby a loving home.

My hope is that they understand -- there really IS a heartbeat inside of them. The heartbeat of a someone's son or daughter. The heartbeat of a family waiting to be made. The hearbeat of a precious baby that God created for a purpose.

Cindy's Story

Sometimes God gets your attention by placing a burden on your heart. This was the case in November 2008. Not because of the political changes on the horizon, but my heart was burdened for the destiny of the unborn. "Please allow me to do something," was my prayer, and two weeks later I received my assignment.

Returning home from work, I had a message on my answering machine to call my friend, Bill Stewart. "I have something I want to talk to you about." I called my friend and he shared Stephen and Lana Newton's story with me.

Lana had written a poem that needed to find a songwriter to give it life and a melody. It was a true account of the adoption of her son, Eli. Reading the poem, I was touched by the story of a young girl facing the life-changing decision of an unexpected pregnancy. The next day I sat down at my piano and the Lord wrote "There Was A Heartbeat." Lana and I both knew this was much bigger than either of us, and we were merely instruments of the Father's hand, reaching out to hurting and confused parents and daughters with a message of hope and love.

Taking the song to the studio, I sat down with my producer, Wally Moyers. As we listened through the song, it seemed to become a part of us. Each musician took ownership of the song, having their own personal story and passion for the message. We all became attached to the young girl facing this choice. We felt her burden, rallied behind her courage to unselfishly place the child up for adoption and then celeberated with the couple who so desperately wanted to become parents, now a mom and dad.

Stephen and Lana Newton hope to start a foundation assisting others with the financial burden of adoption. Plans are being made to promote and place this resource in counseling and crisis pregnancy centers, adoption agencies and churches across the nation. The video presented here and the "There Was A Heartbeat" CD are being distributed to reach and touch the lives of untold families and young ladies in the midst of one of the life's most sincere turning points.

Who knows? The next Billy Graham may be born because "There Was A Heartbeat" touched someone's life and a little one was saved.