Oluwafunmilayo Afolasade Elizabeth Akinlami, 44 is the hero of our journey, which began on Saturday, November 25, 2006, when we covenanted to live the rest of our lives together.

She simply hung in there under God for myself and our son of promise, who came on Monday, October 25, 2021. She embraced God’s peace authored by our Lord Jesus Christ. She never wavered in faith in God as she simplified the entire preparation process. She rested in God and stood on our position not to run from pillar to post. We worship at the Fountain of Life Churcho, Ilupeju Lagos and would not visit any other place in search of a child. Her greatest testimony today is not the arrival of our baby, but the peace, which passes all understanding, which God gave her all through our 15 years of preparation.

My wife and I work with children and fellowship with them daily and yet give them our best. My wife is a mother to many precious children, who found our home hospitable and safe during holidays. She is their Mummy Funmi. She is the first to remember the birthdays of the precious children around us and send messages and gifts. She is the first to rejoice heartily on the arrival of new births, go above and beyond to attend naming ceremonies. Could it be that she was doing those things as a seed or point of contact to her own miracle? Well, that would not have been evil. But I tell you, she does all she does because that is simply, who she is, a great lover of children.

She carried her pregnancy with high grace with which she replaces the judgment of medical sciences that her pregnancy was high risk. She was in labour for 3 excruciatingly painful days, yet God gave her the strength of a Spirit-filled Amazon(that is a story for another day). We later elected for a Cesarean Section. As the baby was brought out, despite the fact that she was under the knife, the first question she asked was, ‘why is my baby not crying?’

She elected for exclusive breastfeeding, despite the fact that she is both recuperating from the pain and trauma of 3 days of labour and the consequent CS. It has been not an easy task but she has kept at it. I have been supporting her resolve as we have kept vigil together since our bundle of joy arrived. But this morning, my mind failed me and I wept like a baby as I saw her reeling in pain and yet breastfeeding as many times as our son demanded it. She would not take one of her strongest analgesics for her pain, as she said it would make her baby drowsy.

I am not sure I have ever seen the love of a mother so strongly manifested in seeking nothing but the best for her precious son.

I salute you LOVE and I celebrate your greatness in giving all of yourself to give humanity the reason to hope and rejoice, beginning with your attitude to our preparation years and your outpour of love on our son since he arrived.

Keep SOARING and INSPIRING.