The Smiths are a picture-perfect Family. Deacon Orson and his wife, Sis Anesta, sweetly dote on their four-year-old daughter constantly – and rightfully so. You see, little Liesl is very much their miracle baby. The couple sat down with me recently to share their 17-year-long journey to parenthood.
The happy couple tied the knot in 2003 and, like many newlyweds, were looking forward to starting a family. However, the joy of conceiving within the first year was soon tempered when Sister Anesta suffered some discomfort and was advised by her physician that she had had a miscarriage. The news was naturally devastating, and they took time to heal from the loss before deciding to grow their family a few years later.
Their efforts to conceive were met with many challenges. They were candid about the years of anguish they endured as they consulted numerous specialists. Sister Anesta even received a misdiagnosis in the process that led to an unnecessary treatment. The interventions were to no avail, but even as the years rolled by, the Smiths held on to the promise that God had made to them – to have a child.
A few years in, when they had least expected it, Sis Anesta conceived. As you would imagine, they eagerly started to plan for the arrival of their baby, but their exuberance was shot down at month five. This second miscarriage threatened to destroy the couple’s hope. They found themselves in an unimaginably difficult place, and for the next few years, they would experience five more miscarriages, all around the same stages of pregnancy. The Smiths experienced a total of seven consecutive miscarriages – with one of the pregnancies being twins. How does one survive the pain of losing eight babies? And how does one even hope again after so many defeats?
It was like riding an emotional rollercoaster, they said. As soon as they were given a ray of hope, the cloud of death blocked it. They described the numerous occasions they had shopped for the arrival of their newborn, only to bury their little one with the clothes they had purchased. Seeing their contemporaries at church and in the community raise their children made it even harder for the couple. Then, there was the public scrutiny and shaming. Every question about how many kids they had, cut like a knife. It was only human for them to question God. They confessed that while they came close to becoming angry, envious, and, more so, bitter, they never crossed that threshold.
By grace, they remained resolute in their faith and made every effort to be intentional about it. Sister Anesta said she would stop herself from wallowing in self-pity. In prayers, she reassured herself, “Anesta, when you think you have it bad, there is always somebody who has it worse.” She tried her best to focus on the positive things in her life, such as the fact that she had a good job and a home and that while she was not carrying her babies to full term, she was still able to become pregnant. Deacon Orson’s main motivation during that time was his realisation that there was nothing he could do about the situation and that it was ultimately in the hands of God. Serving while he waited helped to soothe his pain. He recounted being a part of the team that helped to construct the building for Generation Next (First Assembly of God Wortmanville’s non-profit community development organisation). He said that while working on the project, he made declarations that his future offspring would be beneficiaries of the work that he was doing.
Almost two decades had passed before Deacon Orson and Sister Anesta experienced a breakthrough in their conception journey. “A little over four Olympics” was the measurement of time that Deacon Orson used to reference the timeline for God’s promise to come to fruition. For this pregnancy, the couple decided that a change of scenery and pace would probably help, so sister Anesta travelled overseas and stayed with a friend – whose relationship with God was very perfunctory at that time – for the duration of the pregnancy. God faithfully kept the pregnancy to full term, and alas, the promise had arrived. A healthy, beautiful girl weighing in at 4 pounds and 14 ounces! They named her Liesl, aptly so, since it means God’s Promise. Her friend, having a front-row seat to the faithfulness of God, and through the testimony of Sister Anesta, now speaks glowingly about seeing the power of God in action.
The Smiths are not naïve to the tremendous support they received from their community. They were fortunate to have family, including their church family and close friends, who rallied around them. They benefitted from prayers, encouragement, and acts of kindness and fondly recalled their champion prayer warrior and cheerleader, the late Sister Alicson Layne. Their pregnancy with Liesl was treated like classified information. It was closely guarded by immediate family, Sister Layne, FAOGW’s Bishop Massiah, and other key leaders until that Sunday morning in March 2020 when Bishop Massiah made the announcement. The Smiths were keen to point out that it was not until they subsequently received the numerous expressions of celebration and joy that they truly realised how many more persons were quietly rooting for them. They are eternally grateful for the support received.
Their overarching takeaway from their story is that God Almighty is constant. And because HE IS, the pain they endured was not wasted. He promised beauty for ashes, and He delivered. He promised to keep them, and they survived consecutive losses that could have easily destroyed them. Through the power of their testimony, many people have been encouraged. Having experienced His goodness first-hand, naturally, the Smiths are more resilient than ever. They admonish us to keep trusting Him. He’s not only going to complete His work for your sake but for His own plan and glory. Keep holding on! God is not a man, that He should lie (Numbers 23:19).
