About A Life Is Saved Twice Through Prayer And Community with Irene

A doctor looks at Irene’s scans and says the baby has no space to grow. Irene looks at God and says she’s ready anyway. From Luanda Children’s Home in Uganda, Irene Nasike joins us across the distance to share a story that is both brutally honest and deeply hopeful: a life built in service, tested by pain, and held together by prayer. 

We talk about her calling as a Christian teacher, how she started as a volunteer when there was no open role, and how years of steady work turned into leadership and legacy as her students grew into confident young adults. If you care about education, child advocacy, or faith-based nonprofit work, you’ll hear what long-term impact really looks like when a community becomes family. 

Then Irene opens up about her high-risk pregnancy at 40 with severe fibroids, the fear of miscarriage, weekly scans, and the financial weight of medical care. She walks us through the C-section, the internal bleeding, a second emergency surgery, and the staggering recovery that followed, including devastating complications in her hand. Through it all, she names the “destiny helpers” who showed up with money, presence, and prayer, and she reminds us what it means to walk by faith when the outcome is not guaranteed. 

If this conversation encourages you, subscribe, share it with a friend, leave a review, and tell us what line or moment you’re taking with you.

Transcript

Welcome And Prayerful Reunion

SPEAKER_02 0:30

I am so thankful for technology that connected us today. Irene, I cannot believe you're here. I've been praying for you. Let's pray as good hand. And he heared me for the audience. Girls, we are here together in Wimberley, Texas, and Luanda Children's Home in Uganda right now. Mary Thresher and Irene, who is a teacher at Luanda Children's Home. So talk to me a little bit, Irene. Tell us about yourself.

SPEAKER_00 1:11

Okay, my name is Irene Nasike from Africa, Uganda, Rwanda Children's Home. I'm a teacher by profession. I love teaching. And I'm a Christian, born again. I love Jesus so much. He has done mighty things in my life. That's why I love him. Jesus is my savior. It's great.

Irene’s Calling To Teach

SPEAKER_02 1:36

This um podcast, we talk about the amazing things God does in our lives. I'd like to know how you end up ended up at Luanda Children's Home. Can you tell us a little bit about that?

SPEAKER_00 1:54

I came in Luruanda in 19. Uh 19 in 2010. In 2010, 2010. Yes. I qualified as a teacher. So I was once teaching in one of the schools. So I had about Rwanda children's home and what they do. I picked interest as a person because I love it so much. So I interacted with the administrator, then Edward, who was an administrator, told me about Rwanda and I told him I would wish to work with Rwanda. He told me no opportunity, no vacance for now. Then I asked him, is it okay if I volunteered as a teacher? Oh, praise God.

SPEAKER_02 2:47

You started volunteering there.

SPEAKER_00 2:49

Yes. Now he said it's okay. I came and volunteered in Kinter Cardin on nursery primary as a teacher, though I had never taught nursery section, but I had I could come to teach them, play with them, have fun, teach them with a lot of fun. They loved me, and kids were progressing. So Auntie Mary and Uncle Thrasha came to Ganda that year. They liked me and my work. They said, no, we can employ her in primary since one teacher and primary is retiring. So they gave me a joke. I was excited.

SPEAKER_02 3:30

Oh my goodness, I know that's awesome. Uh Mary, like you were there in the beginning when she got hired.

SPEAKER_01 3:38

Yes, and we saw we we were able to observe her in the nursery school, and we said, Who is this? She is so good. And they said she volunteers. And Uncle Mike said, No, we are hiring her.

SPEAKER_02 3:55

Oh, that's amazing. And so for since 2010, so you've been there, so it's 2026 now. 16 years. Okay, so have you seen God's presence?

SPEAKER_00 4:12

Very, very much. Can you talk about that for me a little bit? Yes, God's presence number one. I thank God, who confirmed me as a teacher in Rwanda, he fulfilled my desire to work as hired. The next presence was when I they hired me, I was able to do my work and I was regarded as the best teacher teaching, then P1. They gave me a certificate, they recognize me as the best teacher. They even could some school come for me to request me to train their teachers on how I teach uh grade one. So I saw God, that was God, not me, because Jesus is the best teacher.

SPEAKER_02 5:00

That's amazing. And just to have the opportunity to achieve that best teacher. Uh, do you remember some of your very first students?

SPEAKER_00 5:15

Very first students, yes. Some of them, the names, I remember Grace, I remember Xachi, I remember uh uh Darwin, they're in high school, some of them, some of them graduated, some of them they've done different levels. So those are great achievements I have. Whenever I look at them, I see God. When I look at Sylvia, I found them in primary. So I work with them, must be a coordinator. Slevia is a social worker, they treasure me as their teacher. Whenever I see them, I feel joy of the Lord in me. I don't know about the teacher.

SPEAKER_01 5:56

Both of those young ladies are college graduates, work here at Lawanda, one as a social worker and one as a coordinator, coordinator and uh phonics teacher. Yeah, I teach.

SPEAKER_02 6:12

I began teaching as a phonics teacher in English when I was young. And uh, so that's neat that we're that far away from each other, but we have similar experiences. That's awesome. And watching those children grow up, um, it's like your own children, right?

Watching Children Grow Into Leaders

SPEAKER_00 6:35

Of course, I see them when I look at them, they're like my own children. I personally didn't have a child by then, but sometimes some of them could write to me, mommy. They write for me, some not some better, they could hug me. I feel just loved and mothers.

SPEAKER_02 6:54

So, Irene, lately you went through um, you have your own little baby miracle. Like, you know, that's it's it's a small world because you have your beautiful little baby, and then even and we were all rejoicing for that, and then you were going through some hard things, yeah, and we nine hours away were praying for you where you are, and your whole community was praying, and those children who you had raised up were praying. We get to live to see this miracle of your life, not just a miracle, baby, but this miracle of your life.

SPEAKER_00 7:42

Okay, I love to share about my story because every time I share about it, I see God. Yeah, it was last year, um, in Jan when I tested that I was pregnant. Um, old, I mean 40 years, but I didn't have any baby 40 years, 40 years, and before last year, in 2024, I was having some pain in my stomach. When I went to hospital, they told me I have vibrates. Fibroids were inside grown big fibroids. Yes, they told me we are giving you two options. Your fibroids are worrying, they're so big, you may not produce a baby. So we either operate you or you conceive, and your chances of conceiving is low.

SPEAKER_02 8:42

Yeah, I'm just gonna repeat that your chances of conceiving were low because of those fibroids.

SPEAKER_00 8:49

So they told me that um even though you conceive, you'll be in much pain because of the size that's so big. So I tried to consult because they were in the inside the uterus, not outside the walls of the uterus, they were inside the walls of the uterus. So I see sit for Mago Advice. After conceiving, they told me it was the wrong advice for you to conceive. You are not supposed to conceive, you are supposed to operate uh to be operated and remove them first before you conceive. Reason the baby will not be having space where to grow from.

SPEAKER_02 9:27

Okay, that makes sense. No space to grow.

SPEAKER_00 9:30

Those they were in nine centimeters, about ten centimeters, they were so big. So when they told me I'm pregnant, I was happy, excited, because every mother wishes to have a baby. Hence started. I could go to hospital for scans. The first scans worried me. They told me that you are fetus, the baby has no space, it's just size. The fibers are pushed away the baby. The baby has very small space to grow, may not grow. If you don't mind, maybe they terminate the baby. Uh, they do abortion. They told me to seek medical advice to the specialist, the kinecologist. So I went. He cancelled me, he told me, yeah, he's right, but we are not sure whether you will manage the pain. I told him, with God, everything's possible. I'm ready. So I started the journey, but I was in much pain. First month, when it reached to the third or fourth month, I had threatening miscarriage. I was admitted in a hospital. Behind the placenta was bleeding. Doctors tried to manage to save the baby. I would go for scans every week to monitor whether the fetus was growing or not. It was quite expensive for me. But Philippians 4:19 says, uh, he provides for us all our best knees according to his riches in the glory.

SPEAKER_02 11:19

Thank you. Yes, yes, Lord, you do provide according to your riches and glory because he wanted miracle to be here.

SPEAKER_00 11:27

Around five months, the doctor told me, Irene, do you know that that baby is a miracle baby? So every time you feel any pain, you feel any change, don't hesitate to call me in the night anytime, and we make an appointment with you so that we monitor the baby. And God attached me to a guy, you know, who was a Christian. He will pray for me, he will counsel me, encourage me every time I lose hope. I rest on my God restored my hope and faith because I can go here and say we walk by faith, not by sight.

SPEAKER_02 12:05

That's right, we do. Amen.

SPEAKER_00 12:07

I had that one time I carried a baby, so I was excited, but God also brought some destiny helpers to help me financially, spiritually, emotionally, always so that in every area there he was a very present help in time of need.

SPEAKER_02 12:27

That's the that's his promise, and he was there for you.

SPEAKER_00 12:31

Yes, so I saw God. It reads some moments, uh, life could be tough. I was like, has God left me? Yes, but I I opened my Bible. The Bible is my first counselor. I will read the Bible, open the Bible, I read the scripture for encouragement. I read it and I said, Oh, God has not left me. Uh, God gave me patience. So I thank God for Ludwig Children's Home. The management understood my situation, the administrator, all people around. And when it came to around seven months' age, they gave me a leave because life was very hard. I had back problem. I thank God they bought for me a special chair, a doctor recommended to support my back. It helped me a lot.

SPEAKER_02 13:25

Even the even the smallest things, even the just to be able to teach so that you could continue teaching those kids. That's amazing.

SPEAKER_00 13:34

Yes. So I saw God doing all the ways to protect my baby, to protect my life. So when it was coming to eight months, I had a lot of pains and the body became became heavy for me. The administrator saw me and says, No, you need to rest because doctors had recommended bed rest, bed rest, which was helpful and good for me. Because every time I could lie, I feel some pain relief in me. So they could check on me on phone and find out how I was doing. I find good for them. My employers, because they care, they lie. Not everyone can do that.

SPEAKER_01 14:19

So there's it's family, it's family, and it's Grace International Children's Foundation that that is her family sponsor from the U.S. And at the time, Irene has been head teacher, she's the administrator of the school and over the nursery school.

SPEAKER_02 14:41

Right at the end of the pregnancy, and then through what the following stuff, um, the the school had to come together to fill that gap while uh you were you were going through delivery and then the after uh uh effects.

SPEAKER_01 15:03

And because she is such a good administrator and cares and loves and prays for her staff, they continue to do business as usual.

Miracle Pregnancy With Fibroids

SPEAKER_00 15:16

That's a testimony to you. While in office, I try to train others to do, even if I'm not there, they have to perform duties, life has to continue normally. Uh, because I always tell them iron can be out, but the school remains, so we have to continue operating. So they continue filling the gap, carrying duties as normal. They said I felt as if my baby was not moving well in this womb. I talked to the doctor, told me, come we check. We checked, then he gave me an appointment that we can do C-section or we can operate you and remove the baby. I think the baby can grow. The survival rate now is very high for the baby. I was so excited about that. I remember the day I went to the hospital. I packed my suitcase and packed are yet, so I other things missing, I had to work on them. I called someone who was supposed to take me to the hospital. We packed people around me and we went by 5 p.m. in the evening. When you reach the hospital, they told me to choose a room of your choice according to the money you have. I told them I want the best room. They told me the best one, but it's quite expensive. But I believed in God that I would make us like, yes, I'll pay. But of course, I didn't have enough money, but I believed in God. So I chose a room which had two beds, which was a private room. So uh I reached there at five in the evening. They told me by morning, 7 a.m., you'll be seeing your baby. For people were sleeping, me, I was looking at them. I started praying, put my music, praising God and thanking God for the baby. Because I walked by faith. I had not seen the baby, but I was thanking God for the baby. I woke up, I bathed, I left people, I told them, please, I've gone to see the nurse to prepare me for theater. You come with my suitcase, which had clothes for my baby. So I slept, I went to the nurse, prepared me to the theater. By seven, I said, doctors, enter. I was happy to see them. So they say they told me what I want to do. I was like, it's well with me. They started the work, I was hearing the last thing I had was I see the baby cry on that day from around eight o'clock. What followed with the whole day? I I was not understanding, it was a narration to me. So they told me after operation what the fibroids had to bust, it had covered the baby. So they worked so tirelessly to remove them. Okay, when they remove, they finished, they sent me back to the ward where I was supposed to stay. Uh, I failed to recover. I had internal bleeding in my uterus.

SPEAKER_02 18:42

That was full of all those fibroids, yeah. They weren't sealing, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:47

Yeah, a lot of blood internally not coming out, it was full. They had to rush me to the theater again for the second time.

SPEAKER_01 18:55

And the theater is the operating room to check through recoursing the internal bleeding.

SPEAKER_00 19:06

They had to reoperate me. They checked the uterus was affected, they had to remove the uterus. There, I lost a lot of blood. They had to look for many units of blood. Actually, I took like 10 units of blood.

SPEAKER_02 19:22

My goodness, thank God they had it. Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_00 19:27

God provided blood. So during that process, second operation, life I almost died.

SPEAKER_02 19:36

Several times afterwards, too, right?

SPEAKER_00 19:39

Yes, doctors told me that even them they lost the hope. They're like, I think she has died. Oh wow. That period was just between God and my life. Even them they surrendered my life to God. I was like, you can't do much now. You have tried a level, so they also are praying and dedicated my life to God. They told me when they reached a time, my body became cold. They were like, Whoa, she has died.

C-Section Crisis And Second Surgery

SPEAKER_02 20:05

But our God is a God of second chance, yes, yes, and you know, the miracle was that that little baby was born, and we know where we would go if we died, we would be with our father, but he had more even for you to do, Irene. Um, because you're still here, you know. And I just think like a lot of people, um the miracle is that from us could come another human to live in the earth. And you know, I know that that would be enough if that's all it is. But then he calls us to even have more life for you to continue to teach at Luana Children's Home, to raise your little girl up in that place and talk of the miracles that God's performed in your life to inspire and encourage the rest of the women and the young girls that are growing up there and the men, that that God is the most important thing in our lives and he raises us up for purpose, right? I I love that.

SPEAKER_01 21:21

She almost lost her arm. Oh, did lose some fingers.

SPEAKER_02 21:27

Oh, I see. Oh my goodness. But is it healed now, Irene?

SPEAKER_00 21:33

Is it well? Not complete, but it's healing taking place. At least it's better than how it used to be. So I have high hopes that it will get complete. After that, they had to put me on oxygen that very day I slept on oxygen the following day. So when I came to my senses, the first thing I realized was pain in the hand, in the wist. I thought maybe the cannula which they had put on me, the IV. So the pain continued. It was so painful. I could not bear. They rushed me in the scan to scan the hand. They suspected blood clot, maybe. They did x ray, but they could not confirm anything. The following day, the hand was swollen, dark, heavy, paining. Twas worrying, and they said if they don't work on it, operate it. The blood is not moved up to the heart, maybe I'll die. So they took me to the theater to operate the hand to allow the blood flow. After that, the hand stayed and has to rot. The hand rotted, it was looking so bad. It was rotting.

SPEAKER_02 22:55

Yes, yes. Your hand was, yes.

SPEAKER_00 22:58

The fingers, the palm, yes, and the muscle which was cut was just open so big.

SPEAKER_01 23:05

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_00 23:06

The first hospital was in, they got scared. They told me we are giving you a referral to another hospital. We can't manage, you can't handle. So you got moved. I had to move. So God brought destiny, help us, and provided money again for me because I manage the bills. So they helped me to pay the bills, and we had to move to another hospital. So when we reached there, they also got scared, but they said it's okay. Let's try our best by God first. Let's pray that He does every work, good working.

SPEAKER_02 23:46

Oh, wow, that's so good. Because the great physician is Jesus. It is not the doctors, right?

SPEAKER_00 23:56

Not the doctor. Because me, my life is by grace of God, not the doctor. Not the money, not the doctor, but just soul.

SPEAKER_02 24:04

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 24:05

So we went to the second hospital. We were there for almost two months. They did their best. So they managed their fingers. After the fingers, they dried up, they became like wood, so dry. Yes. The blood could not flow in up because they had chopped cut cut. So the blood was not reaching up. They became dry. So they said, What can we do? We have to amputate the hand and chop off the dry cut so that to reduce the pain because the pain was too much. So they did that, and we continue staying in the hospital. And they had they were managing dressing it, putting medicine, putting IV on me, yes, trying to save life because it was travelment. It was time of death and life, time of tears. I had my sisters sleeping on the floor for two months, just crying, looking at me.

SPEAKER_02 25:08

Where was the baby at the baby was with me in the hospital?

SPEAKER_00 25:12

The room had two beds, so the baby could sleep on one bed. They carry her, me also on one bed. Because I was in pain, even I forgot about my baby at first.

SPEAKER_02 25:22

Yes, of course, because you were hurting, you were in pain, yes. But your sister was there to help with the baby.

SPEAKER_00 25:29

Sisters were there to help with the baby, but she will cry so so much. Uh, call it now, which could make her cry every night, every day. They could just carry her in shifts day and night. And since I had stress, trauma, pain. I didn't have breast milk. Yes, of course. Yeah, I had to feed her on formula. Yes. Uh, Mama Ida introduced us the best formula. It is good, quite a lot, quite expensive, but has been so good to have thank God who provided money that we have been sustaining her on formula, and she's healthy. So God kept me in the hospital, provided everything, and he's continuing to heal me up to now.

SPEAKER_02 26:21

You know, like we go through hard things in this earth, and you're describing a just such a terrible time, and yet, even in the worst places, we can trust our God to hold on to us and deliver us out of every adversity. And just as I'm listening, um, I believe that there are women that are gonna hear uh us talking about this and just be encouraged, even in their pain, in their journey that they're going through, that God will use them because he's using you now. After all of that, you're so open, Irene, and you're teaching even now, you're teaching us to how to walk through hard, hard things. And I'm so grateful that you were willing to talk to me today and just tell this story of God's grace in your life.

Healing, Ongoing Pain, And Prayer

SPEAKER_00 27:28

Amen. So I'm so believing God because this last week I went for the scan. I had some pains on my abdomen wound. The scan had uh the wound had a swearing. So the scan showed that I have penia growing penia defection. So we are yet to know the doctor still to examine the results and find out what's causing this, so that they see how they can manage it.

SPEAKER_02 28:01

So let's just pray, Father God. I just thank you that you delivered Irene out of uh the fibroids, you delivered her uh out of the pregnancy and saved miracle uh through all that process. You delivered Irene out of the blood clots. Uh, you have rescued her life for purpose, Father. And I just speak to that hernia in her body and just proclaim healing and deliverance in her abdomen and her fingers and her arms, Father. Um, I as I'm speaking with her, I know how much you love her and how much you want her to be mighty in the land where she is walking, in the children's home, in Uganda, in Africa, that her voice will be heard and that she will be giving glory to you, Father. So I just pray for complete healing, for complete deliverance from every adversity, Father. You've promised that, that you pulled our lives from the pit of destruction. You put all our sins behind you and you healed all of our diseases. You are Jehovah Rapha. You are our healer. And so we just rest now as she takes the next step and the next step and trusts in you that you've called her for purpose. And I just ask for blessings for every need in Jesus' name.

SPEAKER_01 29:41

In Jesus' name. Amen.

SPEAKER_02 29:44

Oh, I'm so happy to have gotten to visit with you. Uh, Karen Walker tells me all the time about you. She loves you.

SPEAKER_00 29:54

Thank you for the love.

SPEAKER_02 29:55

And I guess you'll see them again this summer because all of them, all of our little uh family will be heading back that normally heads to you, and they'll be looking forward to it and report to me how awesome you are doing.

SPEAKER_01 30:11

How awesome you are doing. I will I will send you a picture of miracle because you want photos about my hand still.

SPEAKER_00 30:18

We can send them to you. I can give them to Aunt Mary when the hand was worse.

SPEAKER_02 30:24

I've seen those pictures because uh you they were being sent to us as we prayed, and I just know God's got such amazing things ahead in your life, and so we'll just continue to pray for you. You pray for us in Wimberley and in San Marcus when when Mary's back home, because we're a small world, God has made this world small to us now where we are friends, and I'm so thankful.

SPEAKER_00 30:57

Excited that you're praying. Um is my prayer that one time you came to Rwanda with Denise, please.

SPEAKER_02 31:05

Yes, I would love it. I'm I'm kind of a wimp about traveling so many hours, but but God can remove that and give me courage to do that. So one of these days I may see you, or you may come see me, and either one would be in the next few uh years ahead. We'll have more conversations and we'll share them with our friends and encourage one another in the Lord.