Not every pregnancy ends with a beautiful baby. For those who mourn, there is Ayumi.
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4, NIV).
It was her second pregnancy. Although the first one had been difficult, even dangerous, Atsumi Nijuken delivered a healthy baby girl. She and her proud husband named their daughter Tomoka. Three years later, they were again looking forward to having a baby.
But something went wrong. One day, seven months into the pregnancy, Nijuken-san noticed that the baby wasn’t moving. Upon examination, the doctor announced dreaded news. Nothing could be done except to induce labor. Ten days later, she delivered a second daughter—once again, perfectly formed, but dead. During four days in the hospital, the grief she experienced was a taste of hell, and the sight of pregnant women and babies aroused unbelievable feelings of envy, anger, and hatred within her.
It was also a frightening time. “What is happening to me? How can I possibly think such horrible things?” Nijuken-san anguished, knowing she didn’t really didn’t want to hate anybody. She only wanted to return to life as it had been before her baby died.
“Why did my baby have to die?” The question tormented her as much as her emotions. It was a question that had no answer—until later when her inner turmoil led her to a church and eventually to Christ.
“It was through the baby’s death that I was born again. Of course, the death of my baby was very hard. I didn’t want her to die. But through that difficult experience, both prayer and God became real to me,” Nijuken-san testifies.
Today she knows another reason for the pain God allowed—pain that also included a third pregnancy that ended in miscarriage before her prayers were honored and she gave birth to a healthy baby boy. Recently, God has given her a new vision: comforting other mothers who experience miscarriages, stillbirths, or the deaths of their very young infants. Her plan is to make doll clothes-size baby gowns in which to dress these little ones for their funerals—something basically unheard of in Japan, where the tiny bodies are only disposed. Nijuken-san also wants to provide a venue through which grieving mothers can share their anguish and questions. It is her desire to “comfort those in trouble” and “mourn with those who mourn” (Romans 12:15) through forming a group called Ayumi (in English, a walk or stroll). She describes the name as indicative of walking with the hurting in their time of need.
After months of being unable to get a hearing for her plans from hospitals and clinics all over Kobe, Nijuken-san is scheduled to meet the head of a well-known obstetrics hospital on September 7. Please pray that the director may listen with open ears and grant favor to Nijuken-san’s proposal. Pray that Ayumi will be launched soon.
