“Say Yes! Say Yes!! Say Yes!!!”

I walked into the church to meet some of my service unit members, my friends, and his friends, all holding their phones. Lights from their cameras shone on me from different angles, joy filling their faces as they chanted, “Say yes! Say yes!” The small hall buzzed with excitement.

My best friend Lizzy led me to the altar, where my soon-to-be husband stood on one knee, holding a sparkling gold ring, a loud smile lighting up his face. Gosh, see his beard—neatly trimmed into a short-boxed style. He wore a black mandarin suit, a leather watch, and matching black Oxford shoes.

I walked slowly toward Joseph, my hand over my mouth in awe, smiling. Everyone thought I was happy, but deep down, I was scared. My heart was racing. How would I explain to my pastor, my friends, my family, and my beloved Joseph that I was with child after two years of courtship? How would I explain that I hadn’t slept with anyone? What would the church members say? How would the Single Sisters Forum, which I had headed for four years, feel when they heard their leader was pregnant?

The jealous sisters already eyeing Joseph would have plenty to gossip about. I could already imagine Instablog, Linda Ikeji, and Phoenix browser carrying headlines like:

“Not All That Glitters Is Holy: Church Sister’s Secret Revealed,”

“Holy Spirit Impregnated Me: Church Gist We Didn’t See Coming!”

or

“From Sweeping Church Altars to Sweeping Ebuka’s Room.”

Maybe even

“Billionaire Carpenter in Tears as Relationship Shatters.”

I was quiet throughout the journey home. Joseph was driving his friends and me back home in his Corolla Hybrid. They chatted about the upcoming wedding while I drifted back to the encounter I had three days earlier—with an angel named Gabriel:

“Blessed art thou among women. You are with child. He shall be called the Son of God, the Savior of the world.” Somehow, I felt peace within me, even though I knew the chaos this news would cause.

I sobbed as Joseph looked at me with disbelief, tears already falling from his eyes. He knelt down, muttering, “Mary, why?”

I stared into the empty space, uncertain about my future... then I heard the still small voice:

“Plans of good and not of evil.”