My Children, My Mission

Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him. – Psalm 127:3

So many times I had wondered: “LORD, what did you put me on this earth for?” Well, that prayer was answered on March 12, 2010. That was the day three precious boys were placed in our home for foster care. We had never had children of our own, and now, we were faced with three babies (under the age of four) who needed to be fed, cleaned, and nurtured.

When Bennett and I agreed to foster and eventually adopt our three sons at the same time, we were not trying to be heroes. We saw three inseparable brothers who needed a home. We had a home and we had Jesus. Bennett and I knew it was going to be hard. We took stock of our abilities and accepted the fact that our lives would tumultuously change FOREVER. But then we also knew that we could “do ALL things through Jesus Christ who strengthened us” (Phil 4:13), so we jumped at the chance of becoming instant parents.

We met our boys for the first time one week before we got them. Our ride home from the social services office was quiet and pensive. That night as I lay in bed, I couldn’t stop thinking about the boys. I kept seeing those faces. Each one had a look that said, “Please love me!”

These children had been through unspeakable distress, and they had not deserved any of it. They were well acquainted with pain and rejection. “God, is this what you have for me?” I kept asking silently. “Did You allow me to go through much pain and adversity so that You could use me to help Your children?” I think I knew the answer to that already.

There was a time when I was walking through a deep and dark valley. At one pivotal point, I began to accept my situation and rely solely on God to heal me. The time spent in His presence praying, worshipping, studying, and listening to Him gave me great consolation and made me a better person. Little did I know that my time with God was preparing me for this present moment.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 says it best: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

How was I going to be of comfort to my children if I had not experienced solace from God? There were times when God reminded me that my name, Idongesit, meant “comforter.” There was purpose in that name, and He was going to help me live up to it.

We have now adopted Samuel, Jeremiah, and Caleb as our sons. As new parents of three, we knew our work was cut out for me. However, we found relief in knowing that God was on our side and that He would help us. God has a special place in His heart for our sons. We have seen Him work miracles in their lives too many times to deny it. Therefore, I feel really humbled and honored that He would choose me to nurture them. For that reason, I take my responsibilities as a mother very seriously.

I am not exactly the Proverbs 31 woman. My shortcomings are many, which is why I rely on Jesus to help me raise my boys daily. God the Father is working in my life, refining and conforming me to the image of His Son Jesus Christ (Romans 8:29). He is using motherhood to grow me in ways that I would never have imagined. My sons are also amazing teachers. They teach me how to love unconditionally; how to be resilient when situations appear bleak; and most importantly, how to pray from a pure heart.

My children are my mission field. They are tender plants before God, growing in the light of His love and word. They are fed physically with food and spiritually with God’s Word (Matthew 4:4). The labor is accompanied with tears and prayers. One day, the harvest will be ripe and we would have to offer our sons back to God, as good fruit. It is our prayer that each son will put his hand to the plow and never look back (Luke 9:62).

There is not one dull moment in this mission field. It is exciting, rewarding and quite challenging at various times. Yet, those challenging moments draw me closer to God. Although sometimes, I have entertained the thought of drawing closer to a cruise ship bound on a one-way journey!

Over the last 16 months, God has worked in remarkable ways! He has changed our whole family. Our relationship with Him, Bennett’s and mine, has become more intimate. We find ourselves having practical conversations with our Heavenly Father about our children. We have learned to seek Him for each child as He has a different plan for each one of them.

My purpose as a mother is to comfort my children and point them in the direction of God’s plan for their lives. It may appear to be a simple mission compared to one of building an orphanage or preaching the gospel to hundreds of people, but it is a significant one in God’s eyes. It is significant to Him because I believe it is what He put me on this earth to do.