BRETHREN, praise the Lord! Standing before you is Harriet Ofoegbu from the Watchman Catholic Charismatic Renewal Movement, Padova, Italy. My husband and I had our traditional marriage in 2003 while the white wedding took place in 2005. At that time, we were yet to find the Watchman and to accept Christ. After about one year and there was no sign of conception, serious pressures came upon us. I became worried and disturbed. I needed to make a move and that propelled me into visiting churches for prayers.
In 2009, my husband returned to Nigeria from his base abroad. And during this period, there was still no conception. Soon he travelled again and returned to where he stayed. But throughout this period, despite the trials and pressures, my husband was solidly behind me. He was such an encouragement. He resisted every external pressure targeted at making him end our marriage by pushing me out.
One of the days, we had planned to travel to Aba from Orlu to see a certain woman whom somebody had directed us to, because they said that she prayed for women looking for the fruit of the womb. But one of the elders of the family informed us that there would be a family prayer that day that some people had been invited to come and make liberation prayers for the family. We told him about our proposed journey to Aba. We also informed him that we had already made an appointment with the woman we were going to see, and that she would be waiting for us. But he still insisted that we should not go until they had conducted the family deliverance prayers. Eventually, a pastor they had invited came with three other sisters. After the prayers, he told me what God had revealed to him concerning the problem I was going through in my marriage and some other issues. At the end of the day, he counselled me and suggested that I should identify with the Watchman Church and see what God would do for me and my family. I told him my husband resides in Italy and I was getting ready to join him there. I then asked him if there was a branch of the church there. He said there was, that if I got there, I should ask and I would be directed.
In 2010, I travelled to join my husband in Italy and after about two weeks, I told him that I wanted a direction on how I could locate the Watchman Fellowship in Italy. I also told him that I did not like the indecent dressing of the members of the church that we were attending. In fact, after we had attended the church together twice, I refused to go again. I insisted that I wanted to attend a Watchman Church. When he saw how serious I was, he told me that he had once been to the Watchman fellowship and so knew the place. So we got ready and went there. Soon after I entered the church, my mind became settled. I enjoyed every bit of the message that was preached and I was convinced that it was a place to be. After the church service, I told my husband that I enjoyed the ministration and that we would continue to attend the church.
Later, it was announced that there would be a Mount Horeb programme in December of that year (2010). As much as we would have loved to be at the programme, we had some financial challenges that hindered us from attending. At the end, we decided to put it behind us and consoled ourselves that there would be a next time when we would have saved enough for it.
I have a sister back home in Orlu who is a member of the Watchman. Anytime she returned from the Mount Horeb, she would share with me testimonies of God’s visitation in the lives of the people, most especially, in the area of conception. In the year 2011, by God’s grace, we were able to make it to the programme. In the course of the programme, I became restless to the extent that when an altar call was made for those looking for the fruit of the womb, I couldn’t make it to the altar. My husband came to where I was resting and I told him I was feeling uncomfortable that he should represent me at the altar; that no matter where I was, the blessing of God would get to me as well. After the programme, which was held in December, by the month of January the following year, I took in. I told my husband that I had missed my period and we kept our fingers crossed and keenly monitored the development. By God’s grace, the pregnancy progressed without much stress until I was delivered of the baby in October 2012. I am grateful to God for breaking the yoke of delayed conception in my marriage. I am now a fruitful vine in my husband’s house and no more a reproach to the family. My faith in God and the church is unshakable and I believe that God will do some other things in our lives to the glory of His name. Praise the Lord”.
