AURORA, Colo. — Nearly 10 years ago, Mark Gilstrap walked the streets of Colorado with a name tag and a Book of Mormon in hand. Six years later, Gilstrap returned to his mission area with his pregnant wife hoping that a high-risk surgery could be performed successfully.

Now Gilstrap has returned again, this time walking the halls of that same hospital completing his residency at the Children's Hospital of Colorado.

Life wasn't so content just four years ago, however. Upon learning their first child Emma would be born with spina bifida, the Gilstraps' life became anything but normal. After that 20 week ultrasound, the Gilstraps consulted with doctors, flew to Colorado to complete a surgery and spent weeks in the hospital on bed rest.

"As stressful as it was, I wouldn’t trade that experience," Ariel Gilstrap said. "I’d do it all over again for all of my children if I had to."

Ariel and Mark Gilstrap, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, are reminded each day of the miracle their daughter Emma is, and how their faith in Jesus Christ, which supported them during times of uncertainty, is a foundation in their home.

"There’s a reason that our Savior is called the Prince of Peace," Ariel Gilstrap said. "He just brings peace in your life no matter what you’re going through and that’s not really something that Satan can counterfeit. You’re just blessed with it."

It was January 2014 when Mark and Ariel Gilstrap attended their 20-week anatomy ultrasound for their baby girl, Emma. As the technician began to check each organ, she began to focus more on Emma's lumbar region. Having both taken several anatomy classes in college, Mark and Ariel began to recognize the possibility of spina bifida.

"We didn’t say anything, you kind of feel the vibe in the room change," Ariel said. "You both know the unspoken. We knew what we were seeing, but too scared to say it out loud because once you say it out loud it kind of solidifies it a little bit more."

As they talked with the technician about their concerns, she told them she could not confirm anything, but did confirm there were some signs to lend concern. The pictures were taken to the radiologist and the Gilstraps were told they would receive news from him in the following days.

"I think the first thought was, I remember learning about spina bifida in college, but not what the outcome is, like what it looks like," Ariel Gilstrap said. "That was my first concern, was it even compatible with life to have a baby with spina bifida."

Before the radiologist called to confirm the news, both Mark and Ariel had already began to come to terms with their daughter having spina bifida.

"You kind of go through a mourning process," Ariel Gilstrap said. "For me, I didn’t really know my baby anymore. I had seen a different life for her. ... I think it was our faith that was the only thing that gave us peace. You kind of learn about Heavenly Father’s plan for you.

"Nobody wants to think that their kids are going to have to go through trials, especially before they’re even born. You realize your child is going to have to go through trials. But having faith kind of helps you to realize that it’s the Lord’s will and not yours, and he has a better plan for their life."

Relying on the teachings of the gospel of Jesus Christ is what made it possible for the Gilstraps to have peace.

"You are still kind of sad and stressed about it, but at the same time there is a sense of peace knowing that at the end of the day that the plan of salvation has accommodated for everything," Mark Gilstrap said. "And having that knowledge and feeling that peace and comfort, it makes it a lot easier and keeps you going, knowing that there still is a plan, Heavenly Father still is in control."

Quickly after receiving the diagnosis, Ariel and Mark Gilstrap met with specialists at the University of Utah hospital to discuss their options. They were told Emma had the most severe case of spina bifida, myelomeningocele. Effects of this could cause Emma to have difficulty with breathing, swallowing, eye movement and weakness in her arms. Because of this, the Gilstraps were told Emma was a possible candidate for fetal surgery.

The Gilstraps were given two surgery options to consider: a surgery after birth or the fetal surgery which would take place during pregnancy. While the surgery after birth was more common, the fetal surgery provided possible benefits for Emma. By having the surgery performed before birth, Emma would be more likely to have some use of her legs and it would decrease the neurologic complications, leading to her potentially not needing a shunt. Risks, however were also attached to the fetal surgery for both the mother and baby. The surgery would have to be done out of state, and Ariel would need to be on bed rest for the remainder of the pregnancy.

"I think the hardest part is, really you’re looking at the statistics and you’re like, 'Well, how lucky do I feel?'" Ariel Gilstrap said. "But just praying about it and having our answer that (fetal surgery) was the right thing for Emma and for us to pursue, that no matter how it turned out, that that was the course we were supposed to take. It was a testimony builder for us because you feel your Heavenly Father’s peace and presence with you, even though they were telling us all these scary things that could happen. There really was this presence of peace with us always. ... We felt very at peace and surrounded by angels the whole time."

Upon choosing the fetal surgery, Mark and Ariel began applying to different fetal surgery centers around the country. Once they heard from Colorado, they flew there to participate in several consults with the specialists, in which they were told of all of the risks.

"We would get back at the end of the day and sit down, just kind of exhausted emotionally, thinking, 'Are we risking our child’s life? Are we doing it for the right reasons?'" Mark Gilstrap said. "It was hard to make that decision, but Emma was very much already a part of our family at this time, it was amazing how praying so much for her and for these decisions that she was already an intricate part of our family and our testimony."

On Feb. 27, the fetal surgery was conducted at the Children's Hospital Colorado when Ariel was 23 weeks pregnant. The surgery consisted of making an incision from hip to hip on Ariel as they made repairs and sealed up Emma's lesion. Ariel then received stitches similar to a cesarean section.

"Seeing how much she would give for our child, it was a pretty incredible thing," Mark Gilstrap said. "I still remember letting her go back for surgery, it was incredibly scary to say, 'Well, here’s everything I care about and let’s just hand everybody over to you and we’ll see you in 3 hours, hopefully everything goes OK.' I knew it was the right thing, but to put it in that perspective there was a lot of trust."

The surgery was successful and continued to look promising as Ariel healed. She remained in the hospital for two weeks before she was allowed to return home to Utah.

"I remember when I was first able to see Ariel after the surgery, they’d been giving me updates and everything had gone great," Mark Gilstrap said. "She was still coming out of it, she still had no idea what had gone on. But the only words that came out of her mouth were, 'Is the baby OK? Is the baby OK?' And I said, 'Yes, the baby’s fine.' She had been cut open and beat up and torn apart and she was on some pretty heavy medications that made her feel absolutely horrible, and the only thing she could think about was our daughter."

Upon returning to Utah, Ariel returned to the University of Utah Hospital several times to be monitored until finally her water broke and she was placed on bed rest at the hospital at 27 weeks.

During this time Mark was completing his first year of dental school. His days would consist of working, going to school, teaching a class and then driving to the hospital to be with Ariel.

After a little more than 3 weeks in the hospital, on April 17, Emma Gilstrap was born. At 3 pounds 1 ounce, Emma was taken immediately to Primary Children's Hospital.

"She was perfect," Mark Gilstrap said. "As a dad, you don’t feel the baby growing like a mom does...but to finally meet this little girl that we had already loved so much was just like, it was an awesome thing to say, 'Hey, we’ve been praying for you, our life has been just about you.' Just to finally see her was an awesome experience."

Emma was kept in the NICU until June 1, when Ariel and Mark Gilstrap were able to bring her home. She remained on oxygen for several weeks, but was soon able to breathe on her own.

Now, Emma is 3 years old and has a 4-month-old little sister. Although getting here was much different for Emma in comparison to her sister Adeline, both Mark and Ariel agree that this life was meant for Emma.

Posted by Ariel Gilstrap on Sunday, August 30, 2015

"She’s just, even from a little kid she’s just been a happy girl," Mark Gilstrap said. "It’s just awesome to see because the things that you think would get you down, or the things that we were worried about, to see her being so happy and loving everything, in retrospect, it’s like, 'Why were we ever worried? She has this perfect life for her and Heavenly Father knew exactly who she was.'"

Although life seems to have slowed down compared to three years ago, both Mark and Ariel constantly reflect on the blessings and strength they received during their time of trial.

"Not only is her life a miracle, just everything that’s happened before then, we’ve had tender mercies that have nudged us along," Ariel Gilstrap said. "The fact that she’s here and she’s happy and has the little spirit that she has, she’s definitely a miracle."