Held in His hands
Elie and Josephine arrived in Boston as refugees last year, trusting that God would meet them in a new country and an unknown future. When their first son was born at just 24 weeks and rushed to the NICU, they saw that the Lord was with them, even there.
Hello, Saints of God. My name is Elie L Tshiaba, my wife’s name is Josephine T Tshimanga, and our son’s name is Andreben T Lukengu. It is a pleasure for us to share our testimony with the desire to comfort someone and to strengthen someone’s faith.
We want to testify to the greatness of the Lord and what He has done for us since the first day we came to this country. We arrived here last year on January 31st, and we were received by Send Relief. Send Relief has been a great blessing to us and continues to be. They connected us with our brothers and sisters in Christ and with our beloved pastor, Steve, and his wife. We are blessed to know that we are not alone, and that God has placed people around us who stand with us. We also thank God for helping us receive all our documents quickly. And on November 9th, God blessed us with our marriage.
Soon after, something else happened — my wife conceived. Unfortunately, at just 24 weeks of pregnancy, my wife began to feel severe labor pains and had to rush to the emergency room. The doctors told us that because the baby was only 24 weeks old, he was not fully developed. They warned us that if he were born at that stage, he might not be normal, he might become disabled, and some parts of his body might not function properly due to the lack of development.
When our son was born, he came out crying. Every part of his body was alive and functioning. He was not disabled, and his progress continued to improve. This was truly a miracle for us — a baby who was not fully developed, yet he came into the world crying and fighting for life. Wow! This was nothing but the hand of God. When our son was born, he weighed just 1.6 pounds. He was very thin and could fit in the palm of my hand. This was not easy for us, especially for my wife.
Our son had to stay in the NICU for almost four months and two weeks. The journey was not easy because he had to go through many procedures. After two weeks, the doctors discovered that his PDA was not closing. The PDA is a small opening in a baby’s heart that normally closes within a few days after birth. But in our son’s case, it did not close, and he had to undergo surgery. A device was placed in his heart to close the PDA, and we thank God that the surgery was successful.
We thought that was the only issue, but after a few weeks, he needed another surgery because of fluid in his head. They had to open his head to create a way for the fluid to drain. Throughout his stay in the hospital, it was very difficult for us. Just imagine your first son going through all of this, with the fear of losing your baby. But the Lord was with us, and all our brothers and sisters in Christ were praying for us.
The most important thing that comforted us during this time was the Word of God. We held onto the Scriptures. We prayed together, holding hands, believing God’s promises — especially John 10:28. The Word of God was our comfort. It strengthened our faith, helped us know God more deeply, and showed us how powerful He is to save us and carry us through every situation.
After four months and two weeks, our son was finally discharged from the hospital. Today, he weighs 6.5 kilograms — a little over 14pounds — and is thriving. His condition is good, and he does everything like a normal baby. His development is a miracle. The doctors are amazed at how well he is growing, and we give all the glory to God for what He has done.
You may be facing a similar situation, or your situation may even be bigger than ours. But remember:
God is greater than all.
Don’t give up.
The Lord is with you,
and He is able to save you
to the uttermost.
