God’s Double Blessing
The joy of holy matrimony is the cry of a baby in the household. But when that excitement of cuddling a child is not there, especially for the woman, she will begin to question God and attribute the delay to some mysterious happening. And in African, nay Nigerian environment, superstition will certainly set in.
For the man and wife, there will be mutual suspicion. While the wife thinks she is married to a eunuch, the man will continue to nurse the feeling that either the wife is barren, or that she had damaged her womb through series of abortion.
The blame game does not end there. Most time, members of both larger families share in the blame one way or the other because of the superstitious belief that one of them may have a hand in the “misfortune”.
This is the story of Mr. and Mrs. Eghosa Igunbor, who got married on April 18, 1998 and remained childless for fifteen years, until they saw the face of God who blessed them with twin baby boys.
Narrating their experiences, Eghosa and his wife Peace said the matter became worse when on two occasions his wife had miscarriages.
It was at this point, according to him, that he became deeper in his faith as a member of Church of God Mission, where he was later ordained as a pastor and his wife, a deaconess.
Even at that, the situation did not change as a more challenging option arose, of either going after other women or marrying another wife.
“But because of my position in the church and one who at one time or the other have counseled others facing similar challenges, I held unto God believing that He will surely change my own story”, he said.
And God answered their prayers through one Dr. John Idahosa, through an IVF programme in his privately-run hospital called DIFF, Abuja, which combined scientific technology and prayers to assist couples overcome the stigma of staying childless.
Before the blessings of God came into the home of Pastor Eghosa and Deaconess Peace Igunbor, it was horrific for the woman; knowing how the African society treat women who are childless.
“But I held unto God’s words in the Bible which kept me busy in the church and did not have to sit down weeping in a corner or running all over the place in search of solutions.
“However, seeing other pregnant women who carried their children to full term I often raised the question that ‘why I am not like them’?” Peace said.
Just like the popular saying that “God’s time is the best”, the Igunbors waited patiently till the appropriate time for God’s double blessing; and now they are proud parents of a set of twin babies.