Valley of Hope

By Hester Adaeze Okoh

In this book, Pastor Hester Okoh describes a riveting account of her deadly duel with the infirmity of Cancer. Although given mere months to live, she is still alive years later to testify on how she has survived and managed to defy such a hopeless medical verdict through her stubborn and enduring faith in God. Her story gives the reader a raw, jarring and unforgettable ride through the Valley of Affliction. Valley of Hope teaches life-giving trust in God amidst the most traumatic and hopeless situations of life.

“Firstly, may I say that I really appreciated reading this thoughtfully crafted, honest and faith-filled testimony. It was really an inspiring read.” - Keren, Editor

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Pastor Hester Okoh (a.k.a. Mama Ada) is a suburban wife and a mother to four beautiful children. She has dedicated her life to her family and serving God and His people. She does so alongside her husband, Apostle Felix Okoh, who is the General Overseer of a dynamic ministry in the South of Johannesburg. Pastor Hester has a deep concern for the less fortunate and directs the church’s philanthropic ministry arm, the I-Care Ministry. She also manages the Women’s Ministry.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hester Adaeze Okoh
• Release date: Jun 22, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005273422

Book preview

Dedication

Firstly and most importantly, I dedicate this book to God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit who made it possible. I thank you O Lord for Your amazing power and the tremendous work that You have done in my life. I never would have made it without You.

Secondly, I dedicate this book to every man, woman or child that has been diagnosed with cancer or any other terminal disease, or someone that’s just a victim of circumstances that has lost hope and on the verge of giving up, this book is for you. Know that with God all things are possible, just have faith and believe.

I pray, just like I have, that you will wait upon the Lord and find comfort in God, knowing that no matter what you’re going through, He will never leave you nor forsake you.

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.~ Isaiah 40:31 ~

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.

Proverbs 3:5

Acknowledgements

I wrote this book while embarking on a journey of uncommon faith after I was diagnosed with terminal cancer. God has been my Anchor, my Comforter and Provider. I am also grateful for everyone who has been with me on this journey of recovery.

To my husband, Apostle Felix Okoh, thank you for always being there, and for your love and support through it all. Any time I wanted to give up, you were there to encourage me in the Word of God and in prayers. No one will ever know the sacrifices you have made to ensure I was getting the right treatment. Your patience and endurance have strengthened me. You have seen me at my worst and yet you still chose to love me and care for me through it all. You are the epitome of a godly and loving husband. I love you so much my husband.

My beautiful children - Gershwin, Ashwin, Keon and Hannah - Mommy is so proud of you. You have been so brave through all of it and never once looked for sympathy from anyone. You chose to pray for Mommy to get well and keep on believing that God can heal me. I thank God for the grace He has bestowed upon you. You are my main reason for waking up every morning and fighting so hard, believing God for my total healing. My smile-keepers, Mommy loves you all very much.

A very special Thank You to Pastor Theresa Laryea who went the extra mile and worked crazy hours on my manuscript to see it completed and published. Phenomenal Woman of God, I could never have achieved this without your dedication, excellence, love, prayers, and support. You even had your whole family involved in making this a success. And to your husband Dr Jonathan Laryea, Thank You Sir for working behind the scenes and making my medical treatment possible in the United States of America. You are truly good people of God with integrity and so much humility.

To Apostle Kingsley and his lovely wife Dr. Aleobe, Thank You for welcoming me into your home while receiving treatment in the United States. All you ever showed me was love and kindness. You went the extra mile to make my stay with you as comfortable as possible. God’s Tabernacle International Ministries family, Thank You for your love.

What would I have done without the support of my amazing family, in-laws and friends, even the ones I met on this journey that reached out to me, always checking up on me, encouraging me and praying for me? You are always so awesome, and I love and appreciate you all.

I remember the day I called Lynette, someone I have known for years and told her I was looking for one of the best Oncologists that specializes in Lung Cancer, since she worked in the medical field. After a few phone calls, she came back and told me about Dr. Omondi Ogude based in Sandton. From the moment my husband and I sat in front of him, we felt at ease because it was evident that he knew what he was talking about and that he had extensive knowledge about the disease. Not once in all my consultations with him did he make me feel like my situation was hopeless, irrespective of what the medical reports showed. He encouraged me and remained positive. Thank you Dr. Ogude. You are totally the coolest doctor I know.

I prayed to God and asked Him to surround me with strong women in church who would encourage, support and pray with me, especially in the Women’s Ministry, and still respect me as their spiritual mother and not envy me. He showed me six amazing women, and little did I know, I would need them also for a time such as this. Thank You, my spiritual daughters and prayer warriors, for your loyalty, genuine love and commitment.

A special Thank You to my spiritual father, Apostle Anselm Madubuko, whom I trust with my life, who guides me in the right path, prays for me, and gives me Godly counsel. He is a man of integrity and few words but is mighty in power and so anointed. Dad, Thank You for loving me as your spiritual daughter. You are simply the best, and I thank God for putting you in my life.

I am so grateful for our House of Treasures Ministries family for all your love, support and prayers through this trying time in my life. Your goodness will speak for you in Heaven one day. May God bless you all greatly. My family and I love and appreciate you. I also acknowledge and am grateful to many great fathers of faith and men and women of God around the world who have been praying for my wellbeing. I know God has heard your prayers, and by faith I am healed, in Jesus name, Amen.

May God bless you all and your descendants for generations to come. Your good deeds will speak for you in Heaven one day. Much love and grace to you all.

Foreword

The fiery trials that come to test our faith are varied in scope. One of the most intense is the trial of infirmity; and the deadliest of all is the crucible of that most dreaded disease called cancer. Having watched four of my closest of friends and family go through this atrocious experience gave me a certain perspective of the power and the resilience of the human spirit. I have watched with great admiration, respect, and pride, as each one of these amazing ladies triumphed in their faith through the torment of unimaginable pain; and still managed to come out, pouring forth comfort and encouragement to those of us who were around them.

One of these warriors of faith that has become dearest to me, that I have had the honour of observing, is Pastor Hester Okoh, the woman of the hour, and the protagonist of this book. I was incredibly honoured when she asked me to write this foreword. Having worked closely with her in the writing of this book has made me privy to deep thoughts, sentiments, and experiences that she has had on this turbulent journey. I can testify that my life has been greatly impacted by her grace, poise, tenacity, steadfastness, and focus.

But most of all, what will always stay with me is Pastor Hester’s enduring and unbending faith and hope. I can testify that for Pastor Hester, this book has been an intense spiritual exercise. She had to revisit some extremely dark places and experiences to bring forth an incredibly authentic account of her journey so far. She did this so that the reader will receive the greatest impact possible from her testimony. This book is a labour of love; it is a statement of her victory, and a testament of her faith.

Join Pastor Hester, as she goes on this riveting, intense, emotional, sometimes terrifying, and highly spiritual journey through the Valley of Hope. May the LORD use this book to ignite your faith in an amazing way, and make you appreciate the amazing blessing of life that He has so lovingly given to you. Pastor Theresa Laryea

Table of Contents

Dedication

Acknowledgements

Foreword

Introduction

1. The Storm Begins to Brew

2. Earthquake in the Valley

3. Suiting Up for Battle

4. Initiation of Pain

5. The Clock of Mortality

6. Search for a Cure

7. Wrestling Death

8. Hope in the Valley

9. Divine Reinforcement

10. The Bloodline Factor

11. Human Nature

12. Winning with the Word

13. Travel Chronicles

14. One Journey Ends, Another Begins

15. Looking Ahead

Introduction

Life is a journey of self-discovery. In order to discover who we really are and why we act the way we do, we must become familiar with our own story and embrace everything that has transpired on our journey. Being brave and willing to explore our past and embrace its inherent lessons is an important steppingstone on the road to evolving into the person we want to be.

Looking back now, I realise that many of my childhood experiences shaped me into becoming who I am today. The atmosphere and environment we grow up in often has an incredible amount of impact on how we act as adults. The painful early experiences that some of us had, ultimately determine how we perceive and define ourselves. My life’s experiences have taught me self-love (with my flaws and all), a healthy amount