Almost two decades in waiting, a couple gets first child
By Obidike Jerry
For the Ilounos, it is still morning
on procreation day. Seventeen years of marriage without a child put them down
but not out. As strong Christians, the assertive and declarative statement of
Apostle Paul that barrenness is not of God kept them going. They believed that
one day God would remember them.
Last year, their prayer was answered. The couple’s brooding sense of
childlessness gave way to the rejuvenating eerie of wholeness, as baby boy
Ifeatuchukwu arrived in the home of Ilounos. His dedication, the happy couple
said, confirmed God’s faithfulness to His promise, both to believers and the
unbelievers alike.
“I am really very happy. The Lord has done a marvellous thing that is really
wonderful in my life and in the life of my family, for the past 17 years, we’ve
been married and we’ve been waiting on the Lord and today God has faithfully
given us our own baby. His name is Ifeatuchukwu. I can’t express my joy enough.
In fact, I am overwhelmed. I can’t thank God enough. I just want to say thank
you,” the happy mother, Nkiru, declared.
Mr. Ilouno spoke in the same spirit, even as he highlighted the lost time. He
said: “I cannot monetise or quantify what God has done for me. Considering when
I got married, my son should have been in the university today. But still, I am
giving all the glory to God.”
How did the pill of barrenness taste in the mouth of Mr. and Mrs. Tochukwu
Ilouno for these 17 agonising years? The couple said they were an object of
ridicule, heckled to no end, especially from among the members of the man’s
family and some narrow minded mothers, whose success in motherhood adorn them
with the garb of authority. In the midst of these, Mr. Ilouno stood by his
wife. He also got support and encouragement from some people.
He said: “I have to thank all my sisters for their support. This journey that
my wife and I went through was not without the prayer and kind advice from
them. Of course, you know that pressure usually comes from the family of the
man. I never, for one day, experienced such from my sisters.”
He also recalled that his parents lent their support. “I remember what my late
father told me one day I felt so sad that my contemporaries in the village had
left me behind. By 8a.m the following day he called me and said: ‘Look, my
friend, go back to Lagos and marry your wife.’ And today, thank God, Ifeatuchukwu
is here,” Mr. Ilouno declared during his son’s dedication and naming.
For those whose marriages are yet to bear the fruit of the womb, the Ilounos
have an advice for them. “They should remain prayerful and steadfast in their
belief as the God who did it for us will surely remember them at the appointed
time. Worry cannot give you a child; trouble cannot give you a child. But rely
on the Lord. At the appointed time it will come. Just as I have waited for 17
years, calling upon the Lord, as far as He has done it for me and my family He
will surely do it unto any that is waiting upon Him,” Mrs. Ilouno said.
Rev. Johnson Idowu Ajayi, Vicar of the Church of Epiphany, Ibah. Lagos, where
baby Ifeatuchukwu was dedicated used the doggedness and perseverance of the
Ilounos to urge Christians to keep the faith no matter their tribulations. He
noted that brethren nowadays waver, especially under pressure from relatives
and friends and do what they should not.
His words: “In Christendom we have brethren who are going through one
difficulty or another and at times flesh becomes weak for them not to wait upon
the Lord. Sometimes, friends and relatives will lead them to do what is not
expected of a Christian. But those who are actually in Christ know that with
God all things are possible. Of course, it may delay but it will surely come to
reality. That is one thing about God. Abraham, at his old age, was blessed by
God. Rebecca and many like that never lost hope but they waited patiently.
“Psalm 121 makes us to understand that our help comes from God and we have to
always look up to Him. There is nobody who can find solution to your problem.
If care is not taken they will compound it. But God has done it for many
people; if not it would not have been written. We have heard it; we have read
it. Today, we are all alive to witness and to testify to the faithfulness of
God. I want to appreciate God for this.”
The pastor also remembered the scourge of Boko Haram. He said: “I want to say
this quickly; In the country today Nigeria may be facing bomb attack from Boko
Haram but we have to imbibe the spirit of perseverance. The Federal Government
should not wage war against them because they are still our brothers, but they
must come back together on the round table and find solution to their problems,
the way they have done in Niger Delta. To the glory of God, most of them have
been empowered.”
By Obidike Jerry
For the Ilounos, it is still morning
on procreation day. Seventeen years of marriage without a child put them down
but not out. As strong Christians, the assertive and declarative statement of
Apostle Paul that barrenness is not of God kept them going. They believed that
one day God would remember them.
Last year, their prayer was answered. The couple’s brooding sense of
childlessness gave way to the rejuvenating eerie of wholeness, as baby boy
Ifeatuchukwu arrived in the home of Ilounos. His dedication, the happy couple
said, confirmed God’s faithfulness to His promise, both to believers and the
unbelievers alike.
“I am really very happy. The Lord has done a marvellous thing that is really
wonderful in my life and in the life of my family, for the past 17 years, we’ve
been married and we’ve been waiting on the Lord and today God has faithfully
given us our own baby. His name is Ifeatuchukwu. I can’t express my joy enough.
In fact, I am overwhelmed. I can’t thank God enough. I just want to say thank
you,” the happy mother, Nkiru, declared.
Mr. Ilouno spoke in the same spirit, even as he highlighted the lost time. He
said: “I cannot monetise or quantify what God has done for me. Considering when
I got married, my son should have been in the university today. But still, I am
giving all the glory to God.”
How did the pill of barrenness taste in the mouth of Mr. and Mrs. Tochukwu
Ilouno for these 17 agonising years? The couple said they were an object of
ridicule, heckled to no end, especially from among the members of the man’s
family and some narrow minded mothers, whose success in motherhood adorn them
with the garb of authority. In the midst of these, Mr. Ilouno stood by his
wife. He also got support and encouragement from some people.
He said: “I have to thank all my sisters for their support. This journey that
my wife and I went through was not without the prayer and kind advice from
them. Of course, you know that pressure usually comes from the family of the
man. I never, for one day, experienced such from my sisters.”
He also recalled that his parents lent their support. “I remember what my late
father told me one day I felt so sad that my contemporaries in the village had
left me behind. By 8a.m the following day he called me and said: ‘Look, my
friend, go back to Lagos and marry your wife.’ And today, thank God, Ifeatuchukwu
is here,” Mr. Ilouno declared during his son’s dedication and naming.
For those whose marriages are yet to bear the fruit of the womb, the Ilounos
have an advice for them. “They should remain prayerful and steadfast in their
belief as the God who did it for us will surely remember them at the appointed
time. Worry cannot give you a child; trouble cannot give you a child. But rely
on the Lord. At the appointed time it will come. Just as I have waited for 17
years, calling upon the Lord, as far as He has done it for me and my family He
will surely do it unto any that is waiting upon Him,” Mrs. Ilouno said.
Rev. Johnson Idowu Ajayi, Vicar of the Church of Epiphany, Ibah. Lagos, where
baby Ifeatuchukwu was dedicated used the doggedness and perseverance of the
Ilounos to urge Christians to keep the faith no matter their tribulations. He
noted that brethren nowadays waver, especially under pressure from relatives
and friends and do what they should not.
His words: “In Christendom we have brethren who are going through one
difficulty or another and at times flesh becomes weak for them not to wait upon
the Lord. Sometimes, friends and relatives will lead them to do what is not
expected of a Christian. But those who are actually in Christ know that with
God all things are possible. Of course, it may delay but it will surely come to
reality. That is one thing about God. Abraham, at his old age, was blessed by
God. Rebecca and many like that never lost hope but they waited patiently.
“Psalm 121 makes us to understand that our help comes from God and we have to
always look up to Him. There is nobody who can find solution to your problem.
If care is not taken they will compound it. But God has done it for many
people; if not it would not have been written. We have heard it; we have read
it. Today, we are all alive to witness and to testify to the faithfulness of
God. I want to appreciate God for this.”
The pastor also remembered the scourge of Boko Haram. He said: “I want to say
this quickly; In the country today Nigeria may be facing bomb attack from Boko
Haram but we have to imbibe the spirit of perseverance. The Federal Government
should not wage war against them because they are still our brothers, but they
must come back together on the round table and find solution to their problems,
the way they have done in Niger Delta. To the glory of God, most of them have
been empowered.”
