The day we found out...
in Bunia, Congo
February 28 was an anxious morning. We wanted to trust in the Lord and were asking Him to help us, but Lucy had been up in the night every four hours as the Tylenol wore off and that is never a good sign for us...we were both assuming she had malaria and we were away from home at language school in Tanzania.
Joanna skipped class and took her to the doctor.
Once there, it shocked her to realize, "oh yeah, this is all going to be in Swahili!" Jesus helped and they got Lucy tested as well as seen by a doctor (a minor miracle). The lab test came back negative and the doctor diagnosed a simple virus! PRAISE JESUS!!!!!!
Waiting for another language school student, Joanna tried her best Swahili to get a HOME pregnancy test. I think those don't exist at this particular clinic...She knows the word for HOME, but she was taken back to the lab. The lab tech rummaged through a bottom drawer in her desk for a while before she produced an old Kodak film canister. She indicated the direction of the drop hole!
If you haven't visited a medical clinic in East Africa, let me tell you...these are not the cleanest facilities in the world...the floor was flowing, but the sample must be given...so, holding Lucy up out of the gunk with one arm, and trying not to fall over, the deed was done and the vile closed.
Waiting again it occurred to her...this really could be positive. Hmmmm. What a strange way to find out, if we are in fact pregnant.
The lab tech called them back in...the only English spoken in the building that day...
"YOU GOT BABY!" she said loudly and clearly! What can you do, but laugh!?
So...upon returning to the campus, we delighted together in the Lord's good gift. One "fairly healthy" Lucy and another baby coming in October. WOW!
Fast forward one month...
The days in Congo were long, but Jesus was ever near! The home where we stayed shared a back wall with a mosque and it was a particularly LOUD mosque! :) We didn't sleep a lot in those days, but Joanna spent HOURS of each day in bed, utterly depleated, giving her life for another to live.
We have a dear dear friend who used to live here in Arua, but now stays in Bunia, Congo. Sarah Casson. She has a new friend in Bunia who is Canadian and works at a clinic as a physical therapist. One day Joanna asked Wendy for a contact number or if there was any way she knew someone who could do an ultrasound. It was around 8 weeks we first saw the other girls' heartbeats.
Wendy lovingly set it all up and on our last full day in Congo, we went to a clinic in town.
It was actually a branch of a hospital set up by Helen Roseveare years ago! What a fun reality to be in the place where such a missionary giant had also walked. We were humbled and enjoyed the time to talk and think back through our Congo time waiting on the doctor to show up.
An hour later than planned, Dr. Aimme walks in and we begin our consultation in Swahili.
He asks necessary history questions and quickly turns on the ultrasound machine.
Joanna sensed sudden panic when he moved much closer to the screen and asked how many previous pregnancies she had had and how many live births. Sadly she related the miscarriage we had with our first pregnancy and assumed she was about to hear similar news.
Rather, the doctor said simply, while still starring into the monitor, "Watoto wawili."
That is TWO CHILDREN!
We both just laughed!
How good is God to not just bless, but give a double portion!
The days that followed up til this moment have been filled with Rejoicing, Fear, Anxiety, Delight and Confusion, but we know God gives good good gifts and we are praising Him. Asking many questions and not sure of most of the answers, but praising!
Thank you for your prayers, advice, input, name ideas and support.
We are ETERNALLY grateful. ALL 6 OF US!!!!!!
The Coppedges
Yes, the girls are EXCITED that they each get a baby!
