Celebrating 10 Years of God's Precious Gift

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows" (James 1:17). 

The birth of a baby in the family is often a source of great joy and celebration. And greater still is the joy if the baby is not only the first one, but also one that comes after the pain of losing two previous pregnancies. Such was the joy with which we welcomed our first baby. It was an indescribable experience!

Like most married couples, we looked forward to our first child. After providence frowned upon us with my wife's loss of two pregnancies in succession, the gift of our first baby in the third year of our marriage filled us with exceeding joy and gratitude to the Lord. It was at 20:45 hours on Sunday evening, 27th August, 2000, that our precious baby girl was born. I vividly remember that day as if it was only yesterday.

I had the privilege of witnessing Shupe's long labour at Nchanga South Hospital in Chingola. The midwives who attended to Shupe were excellent, and as providence would have it, all the three of them were not only personally known to us, but also very close sisters in the Lord, and fellow members with us at Central Baptist Church in Chingola, where I was then serving as an elder. The Lord could not have prepared better and competent hands to help bring this new life into the world! Two of these midwives have gone to be with the Lord, Mrs. Cornelia Kanyata and Mrs. Appronia Gardner and the third, Mrs. Cerrien Siluka is now working in Scotland. (Below, Shupe holding Mwitupa at 7 months)

As we celebrate our daughter's 10th birthday which falls on August 27th, we acknowledge God's provision of this precious gift to us. The name which we chose to give to our daughter sums up our sense of gratitude to the Lord. She is appropriately named MWITUPA, which in my native language, Kaonde, means " You have given us." God is the one who gave us this child. Our God, the Creator of the rolling spheres, He who is ineffably sublime and immutable is the source of this "good and perfect gift." He gave us a daughter, and less than two years later, a son. (below Mwitupa with her younger brother Taonga, picture taken in 2004). All that is loveliest and best has come to us from above, from the Father of the heavenly lights himself.

                    
It has been such a joy and a delight to see Mwitupa grow in her first decade. Oh, what joy she brings into our lives! Her name is a constant reminder to us of the goodness of the Lord and a summon to us to keep trusting Him and depending upon Him always. The birthday girl herself is so excited to be in the 2-digit age bracket! (Below, the picture taken outside the hospital where she was born).

The Lord constantly lavishes upon His people all the best gifts, and with these gifts comes responsibility. It is our hope and prayer that the Lord will grant us the wisdom and grace to shepherd the hearts of these little ones and "bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord" (Ephesians 6:4).