This is how God blesses – The testimony of a mother of 18 children

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When Olga Firus moved with her family from Kazakhstan to Germany in 1988, she had no idea what God had in store for her. Her life has been marked by change, accompanied by the constant desire to fulfill God's will in everything she does. Today, she is the mother of eighteen children and can bear a special witness to God's wonderful guidance and blessing.

A triple cord

“Do two people go together without having agreed to it?” (Amos 3:3) .

Presumably, every young person dreams of a happy family life and wishes to live their life in such a way that there is no room for disagreement, arguments, and insults.

This year I turned 59. My husband turned 62. God willing, we will celebrate 40 years of marriage in May. In these 40 years, the Lord has blessed us abundantly. And so I write these lines with a heart full of gratitude. To the Lord be all glory. We have not earned His grace. He has given us nine sons and nine daughters; in total, we have eighteen children. Eleven of them already have families of their own, and seven still live with us. We are also blessed with wonderful grandchildren; currently, we have thirty.

It all began a long time ago, yet it doesn't seem that long ago. In 1982, when I was nineteen, a young brother proposed to me. After I said "yes," and our parents and the church community gave their blessing, our life together began. Since my husband was the youngest in his family, we lived with his parents in their house until we moved to Germany in 1988. By then, our family had grown considerably. We already had two sons and two daughters and were expecting our fifth child. One event from that time has stayed with me in particular.

To fill out the forms for the crossing, we needed photos of each family member. So we set off with our children to have them taken. The oldest was five, the daughter four, the son three, and the youngest not even a year old. When we arrived, someone asked us, "Are these all your children?" Another person standing nearby added, "Children are the support of the elderly." Today I can confirm that this is truly the case, as our grown children are a great help to us.

Sowing and Harvesting

After we moved to Germany, we no longer lived with our parents. Our fifth child was born in our own apartment, and so at 25, I was already a mother of five. We managed very well, though, and everything seemed to be working out. As our family grew year by year, we longed to own our own house. We dreamed of a garden for the children, no matter how small or old the house might be. The Lord took care of that, and so we only lived in a rented apartment for a year while we searched for a house.

Since my husband has always been a very sociable person, we loved to entertain guests. We often invited them over "just for a cup of tea," as my husband used to say. During the time we were saving for a house, a brother from Argentina came to visit our community. He told us about his work in orphanages and the work being done there.

A collection was then taken up to support this brother's work. My husband was deeply moved by the testimony and decided to donate a certain sum for this purpose. When he told me the amount, I was shocked, as we needed equity for our house and were saving up for it. Nevertheless, I never contradicted him in this matter. I decided that he should go ahead and donate the money if that was what he had decided.

Not long after, my husband told me that we were 100 Deutsche Marks short for our next grocery bill before our next paycheck arrived. About a day later, he retrieved an envelope from the mailbox. Inside, we found exactly 100 Deutsche Marks. We were very surprised and saw it as a blessing from the Lord. Praise be to Him!

The comfort of the Almighty

When we moved from our apartment into a house, we already had six children. The oldest was in first grade, two were in kindergarten, and the three youngest were still at home with me. That's how we lived. Our children grew up, and over time, we gained experience as well. We gladly listened to the advice of those who had already gone through the stages of parenting that lay ahead of us. We wanted to give our children the very best for their lives: love for one another and love for God.

As the birth of our seventh child was imminent, we entered a very challenging phase. Suddenly, it was especially difficult to cope with all the young children. My husband was at work during the day, and we couldn't expect much help from the older children yet. There were days when it seemed like we went from one stressful situation to the next, and I just didn't feel well. Sometimes thoughts like, "Maybe we're making it so hard on ourselves? Maybe there's a different way to do things with children?" would cross my mind.

One thought after another raced through my mind. But then I reflected that surely it must be written how the Lord views these things. I remember feeling the urge that very same day to go into prayer and simply open the Bible to read it. Through God's guidance, my gaze fell directly on a verse: “ Surely children are a gift from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of youth; blessed is the man whose quiver is filled with them! ” (Psalm 127:3-5). This was a verse from the Lord that destroyed all my doubts, and I thank Him for giving us this blessing. The Lord greatly comforted and strengthened me through His Word.

An inexhaustible source

Another time, when I was in a spiritual low, it seemed to me as if God no longer heard me. There were no prayers, and I didn't even have the strength to pray. Nevertheless, I picked up the Bible and said, "Lord, you see my condition; give me the strength to get up again." So I took the Bible and read: " Do you not know? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, will not grow tired or weary; his understanding cannot be exhausted. He gives power to the weary and increases strength to the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint " (Isaiah 40:28-31).

As I read these lines, it seemed to me as if the Lord himself were reading them to me. I needed them so much at that moment, and they are still precious to me today. He truly filled me with new strength and gave me the assurance that He knows all our worries.

We lived in our first house for eight years. We already had 11 children there, seven of whom were school-aged and four who still lived at home with me. When the children were on school holidays, my husband also took time off work to help me.

The little ones loved spending time with him. In the evenings, we would all gather as a family, and my husband would pick up the guitar, even though he couldn't really play. Still, it was easier to sing along with the guitar accompaniment. We sang familiar songs, and our favorite was about a wonderful land waiting for us in heaven.

God's hand is everywhere

In 1993, we moved to a different house. Here, the Lord once again met us in a wonderful way. We had seen an advertisement in the newspaper for a property being sold by a real estate agent. We liked the house, but we weren't entirely satisfied with the price. So we began fasting and praying to pay for it.

After a few months, the house was offered for sale again, this time by the owner himself. And this time it was a very good offer and significantly cheaper than before. The location of the house was ideal. It was on the outskirts of town, there was plenty of room for the children, and we could even walk to church. This is how the Lord showed us how He hears and answers prayers when you trust in Him. Praise the Lord, for we still live in this house today, where three more sons and four more daughters were born.

Of course, it's impossible to write everything down, but over all these years we've seen God's grace in all things. When our eldest daughter started looking for an apprenticeship and writing applications, it was all new to us. We worried and prayed, but it didn't go as I had imagined.

Because we couldn't find her an apprenticeship right away, she lost a whole year. I told myself that it's written we should cast all our cares on Him, for He provides for us. But during that time, it didn't seem to be true, because we simply couldn't find an apprenticeship. However, as I reflected on the situation, I had the profound thought that everything would turn out all right in the end. And so it did.

Blessed at the right time

It was around the year 2000, a time of rapid advancements in computer technology. Our daughter came across a computer course she was allowed to attend. As a result of her participation, she landed a job with the German Red Cross, and the year she spent in the course was even credited towards her training. Everything worked out better than we could have ever imagined.

After completing her training, she wasn't supposed to be hired permanently, but a position opened up at just the right moment. Of course, things didn't always happen at the exact instant the desire arose, because everything has its time with God. And so, little by little, everything fell into place for the best.

Back when we had just arrived in Germany and were attending a language course, my husband's teacher said that it would be very difficult to find work in the city. She said there was no future for the children either. But thank God that we have Him who truly cares for His people. All our children found apprenticeships. We always brought this hardship before our Lord, and everything always worked out for the best. My husband, too, has never been unemployed for a single day.

When one of our sons had just finished school, it was actually too late to start vocational training that same year. So he began an internship at a car repair shop, and after a week, he was spontaneously offered an apprenticeship there without an application process. That way, each child found their place, even if it wasn't always easy. Another of our sons, despite numerous applications, simply couldn't find an apprenticeship.

In his desperation, he even applied to the local chimney sweep, which many ridiculed. Undeterred, he began an internship there, which led to an interview. Our son ultimately decided to pursue an apprenticeship in this profession. He graduated with honors, even earned his master craftsman's certificate, and is very happy with his work today. He now manages his own district, and we saw God's guidance in that as well.

Of course, such a family not only needs to be fed but also clothed. We didn't live in luxury, and often we only had what was necessary to survive. Once, our teenage son told me he needed new shoes. I told him, "As soon as Dad gets his paycheck, we'll buy you some." Our son then asked why Dad gave a tenth to the church.

I explained to him that the tenth doesn't belong to us, but to God. I think it was no coincidence that our neighbor brought over a large box of shoes the next day. She worked at the shoe store, which was closing down. These shoes were actually supposed to be destroyed, but the woman explained to her supervisor that she knew a large family, and so they gave her the shoes. The Lord arranged things so wonderfully, because our son fit not just one pair, but several. That's how our God is—He gives us more than we can imagine.

What really matters

Today all children are grown up, and there is much to remember. Remember and count God's grace, and keep it always in your heart.

On my fiftieth birthday, my brother asked me what wish I had in my heart for him to pray for. What wish could parents have? It doesn't take much thought, because one wish has accompanied me throughout my life: that the children the Lord has given us would love Him and serve Him alone. We are very grateful to the Lord that all the children in the church serve the Lord and one another, each with their gifts. But we are still on our journey, and our prayer to the Lord is that one day we will be able to say, "Here we are, and our children."

I return to my initial thought about a happy marriage without disagreement, arguments, or resentment. I want to say that the Lord has taught us many things. He has taught us to forgive, to ask for forgiveness, to be obedient, and to love. Only with Him are we truly happy. He has taught us to be close to Him, for He has promised to fulfill the desires of those who fear Him, to hear their cries, and to save them. Praise be to Him alone.

Olga Firus
Ramstein municipality