When the time was ripe for me to get married, as it is normal that one should have what he wants from a woman, I went to my in-law’s house. As soon as I saw my wife, I knew I would marry her, even though that was the first time I was seeing her. I immediately collected her number, and after some days, I told her I wanted her to be my wife. We got married over six years ago on the 24th of July in 2010.
As a couple, we desired children, but they never came. We went for medical checkups severally, and the doctors affirmed we were okay. We were advised to stay calm and not stress ourselves my wife would always show certain signs of worry. I kept reminding her of Habakkuk 2:3 (NET): “For the message is a witness to what is decreed; it gives reliable testimony about how matters will turn out. Even if the message is not fulfilled right away, wait patiently; for it will certainly come to pass – it will not arrive late.”
We began to attend this church in 2012 and kept hearing the Word of God. After holding on for five years we decided last year, 2016 to see our mother-in-Israel. We concluded that for us to get a different result, we had to do something different. At our first appointment, I told her we had been members of TCC for over four years, she was surprised and asked why we decided to see her now. I replied that we had been praying and getting the same result, but we wanted a different result. She spoke to us assuring us that we would have as many children as we wanted. She encouraged my wife, who is a medical doctor, to delete all her medical knowledge and focus on the Word of God. She put us on a faith building diet of the Word of God and asked us see her after a few days. When we came back, for the next appointment we were both strengthened in faith. Pastor held hands with us and prayed with us and we left her office with a peace from God expectant for our different result.
Every year in TCC, we usually declare a new theme for ourselves. In 2016, the year of THE MANIFESTED WORD, I watched it manifest as if it was because of us the theme was given. God was busy preparing the ground for us. God manifested and honoured His Word to us that same year by giving us two, yes two bouncing baby boys! – Iwhne and Chikemka. In a natural birth calculation of having a child within a certain time, a couple would usually have two or three babies in six years, but God covered it in one birth for us. The years the cankerworm had eaten were restored supernaturally by the Lord.
I never knew the benefits of having an under-shepherd, because I had always believed in prayers, and I also believe that I can pray for myself. It is true that Jesus never misses a service in TCC, and we have a man of God in the person of our mother-in-Israel. Pastor Nkechi not only followed us up in prayers she gave us some messages and a daily confession of God’s Word.
When our prayers and confessions got answered, and it was confirmed that my wife was pregnant, we called her with excitement. Little did we know that that was the beginning. She did not leave us then. She followed us step by step through the pregnancy. She monitored my wife even instructing her not to participate in last year’s medical outreach at the Port Harcourt Prisons, as the pregnancy was young then. She insisted that my wife stayed home to rest and continue to feed her faith. My wife traveled to have our babies and some weeks to the delivery of our blessings, the doctor noticed a trace of protein in my wife’s urine, which made our blessings come earlier than expected. I was still in Nigeria and had to make immediate plans to travel suddenly. When my wife informed Pastor Nkechi about the new date given to her for the delivery, she told my wife “Don’t worry, don’t be afraid, I will stay with you until your husband gets to you,” and she kept her words through prayers and constant calls until I arrived. She then said to me, “I’ve handed her over to you but still keep me posted on every step.”
Pastor Nkechi was in the delivery room with us by text and phone; she refused to sleep and kept calling. It got to a point my wife asked if she sleeps at all, because at any time of the day we called her, she took our calls and sounded non-sleepy, even at midnight. She replied our text messages even at odd hours and kept doing the work God asked her to do. I sent her pictures of every step of the delivery process and she rejoiced with us.
When it was time to return to Nigeria, we informed her and she sent us a message that reads, “I’m looking forward to seeing you all. I met you as two people; now I will meet you as four!!!!” Our God is awesome, and I thank Him for ordering our steps into this church when we were looking for a church to call ours.
One thing I learnt in all of these is: Don’t just be in a church; get involved in what the church is doing. I learnt the value of being submitted to the guidance of a pastor. I specially want to thank every member of TCC; if you hadn’t given us a smiling face, we wouldn’t be there.
In all, I owe everything to God Almighty. He is indeed a good God who is BIG in us.