When Bishop Fabian Steele married the love of his life, Minister Khadeen Steele in 2009, he did so knowing the union might not be producing any children. He ensured he opened up to her about his situation as he shared that the doctor had told him that because of a medical condition he had, there was a strong possibility that he could never father any children.
Steele recently reminded those on his social media account TikTok that persons getting married should not keep any secrets.
“Young people who want to get married, there are some secrets you got to tell. Let me say it again, young people who are planning on getting married, some secrets you can’t keep,” he said, before cautioning, “Before you go into the marriage, make sure you are honest.”
Steele said the doctor informed him that it was a 50/50 chance he could get someone pregnant, and added to that was the possibility he would grapple with erectile dysfunction.
“And mi sey heart mi God, dem can kip dat, mi rather fi keep my manhood. Mi sey God mi will adopt, I want to keep my strength. That make me feel like one man,” he shared on the platform.
Despite what he told her, she countered with her own belief. She said, “if the Lord wants us to have children they would and if He didn’t, then they wouldn’t…they would adopt.”
With that out the way, the two got married and she filed for him and he migrated to the United States in March 2011.
Imagine Steele’s surprise one night when his wife approached him and asked that they have a prayer meeting.
“And mi sey prayer fi what? She said fi have baby. Church mi bex, mi nuh vex, mi bex, mi vex. Me already tell you, said that nah gwaan fi mi. Now you come talk about baby,” he shared.
He told her he was like Paul as he quoted “whatever state you find yourself in, you learn to be what? Contented”.
They did pray but for Steele it was the shortest prayer of his life as he accepted his defeat. His wife held steadfast to faith and prayed earnestly
“She go down, she bow, she weep, she scream, she shout, she come like Hannah,” he recalled even as he wondered what had befallen him as he already told her that the union might not produce a baby.
After prayer meeting, Steele said they went into divine ministry. He soon came to realise that faith without work is dead.
Steele said about four to six weeks later she came home from work with upset stomach.
He told her she had gas and should drink tea in the morning and advised her to eat on time.
“Mama, my mind not there. When me couldn’t take the thing anymore, me go to one store called Walmart. I’m going to buy one pregnancy kit. And when me check it, me see positive. Church, me never jump because man made things get trouble,” he shared with his tik tok followers.
Steele said he was afraid to “act up and hype up and nothing go on”. However, she went to the doctor and returned home with an envelope in her hand.
He took the letter and read it – the information was that his wife was tested and pregnancy confirmed.
For Steele it was time to do a victory dance and dance he did.
“I never drink up nothing. All I do is serve God in spirit. Prayer works. When me son born and me throw him up on Facebook, the people who know my story began to criticize and say a jacket. And me just put it up back. Me a Jamaican, me love jacket, black jacket, blue jacket, yellow jacket. This here a fi mi jacket and I’m still wearing,” he informed to robust laughter from the audience.
Steele’s story was not complete as he said a year and a half later his wife returned and requested another prayer meeting.
“Now me say yes. I know what prayer can do. I know she pray and me pray because I said, ‘God, if you do it already, You can do it again.’
It was divine ministry once more following the prayer. And just like before, she got pregnant again – this time she gave birth to a girl.
“And me say, all right, God. Thank you, me done. But the Holy Ghost said one more brother!”
Steele said one day when he wasn’t thinking about another child, he heard his wife got up and exclaimed ‘Lord, God, it look like me gone again. And me say, God, God, you are a miracle’.
He is still amazed. “Three children. One of my testicles bigger than the other one. And there’s a big problem there. But God use the impossible and make it possible. My wife just get mad one day and say, ‘hear me, a the last baby this, me a tie off.”
Bishop Steele is the pastor of the Mount of God Tabernacle, New Haven, CT.
