My Mom the Queen

By Joseph Stowell, delivered Mother’s Day 2016.

Good morning. My name is Joseph Aniefiok Stowell.

My middle name is from the Ibibio language. It means “one who knows.” I was named in honor of my uncle, who died before my mom and dad got married.

It also reminds me of my mom, and how I should try to always honor her, and respect her.

My mom is named after a very powerful woman in the Old Testament. Queen Esther was a beautiful woman who became queen in a foreign country. My mom is also a queen. My dad says she’s the queen of our house. And I agree.

My mom is also from another country. I am proud that she was able to come here, stay out of trouble, go to school, and raise a family. She did it all while her mom and dad stayed in Nigeria.

The Queen Esther of the Old Testament had great faith and courage. She relied on Heavenly Father to save her people. She prayed and fasted in order to know what to do.

My mom Queen Esther also has great faith. She prays with us every night. She fasts when she needs something or wants guidance. Except she can’t fast right now because she is pregnant. A few weeks ago she went to her doctor. The doctor told my mom that my baby sister had a heart that wasn’t working properly. My mom went to another doctor to get more information. He said my little sister’s heart wasn’t letting enough blood through. He said it couldn’t get better.

My mom prayed. And my dad fasted. But mostly my mom prayed. This week, when she went back to the doctor, he couldn’t find anything wrong with the baby’s heart.

I am so happy to have a mom with great faith, and who is an example to me about how to rely on Heavenly Father.

I love my mom. She is beautiful. She takes care of me. She makes sure we have food and clothing. She is a queen to me. We should respect queens.

Queens don’t choose themselves. Queen Esther in the Old Testament was chosen by the king of Persia. I believe my mom was chosen by Heavenly Father to be my mom. And I am glad he did.