Life Without My Family – Lone Survivor of Eleven Children

Nothing could have prepared me for what I was going to discover during my mother’s funeral. The level of trepidation I felt as I drew closer to my destination was held at bay only by the knowledge that my only surviving sister, Elizabeth, would be there with me, to keep each other company, and to share in the pain of bereavement. We had lost nine of our siblings, some as toddlers, and others as grown women.

My sister met me and walked with me towards the crowd of mourners, crying in each other’s arms as we walked. Our mother, our rock and prayer worrier had gone. We had lost a total of eleven people altogether including our dad. Our mother was put to rest. I returned to England after ten days not knowing that would be the last time I would see my sister. She passed away less than a year after my mum. Out of eleven siblings, I was left alone.

This is the story of my journey through life as a lone survivor. It is the story of how I have embraced my healing and found purpose for living despite my loss.

Sophie is the ninth of eleven children born to Sarah Musanda, and the third of the five children born to Sarah and her second husband Daniel Chifuwe. She was born in Mukwela, a small suburban town in Zambia. At eight, she moved to Choma, where she completed both her primary and secondary school education before gaining entry to the University of Zambia College of Agriculture, NRDC. In 1988, the British Council offered Sophie a scholarship to study for a postgraduate diploma and a master’s degree in agricultural extension. She is married with four children and two grandchildren.

Customer Reviews

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Julia Wilson

Life Without My Family: Lone Survivor Of Eleven Children: Overcoming Grief With Faith by Sophie Scenic-Daniels is an inspiring account of a life lived well, loving God throughout all the challenging scenes of life.
The author had a good role model in her Mum. “My mother lost seven children, then lost her husband, but never blamed God. She instead lived a life of prayer.” Prayer is important. Prayer is a bridge to God. Prayer is powerful. “My Mum was a prayer warrior.” When we do not know what else to do, we should pray. We need to pray in the good times and we need to pray in the bad. We need to live a life of prayer.
We need to live a life of love too, knowing that God is love. We are called to show people who do not know Jesus, His love. We must act in love at all times, and never sit in judgement.
When we seek God, He will be found. “I sought God… and… found Him… This… took away the emptiness.” The author has suffered so much loss. She could have gone under with grief but instead she sought out God. “Faith become[s] the anchor.” We all need an anchor, and what better anchor to have than God?
Life deals blows. We pick up scars along the way. Scars show that we have survived. God helped us in our past storms and He will help us in our future ones.
God spoke in the past and He still speaks today. He speaks through the Bible and through other people. We need to make sure that we listen.
We are called to be bold Christians on fire for God. Where we see injustice, we need to speak out. We need to pour the healing balm of love into all the situations we encounter.
When we hear others shouting loudly, we need to check to see if it lines up with scripture. “It’s not one’s opinion that matters, but what God says in His word.” If it is not the voice of God, we need to silence the voice in our ears and in our heart.
This is a powerful book with lessons for us all to learn. It will aid our walk with God if we practice what we know is true.
I want to leave you with my favourite and most powerful quote:
“Remember, love wins.”
I received a free copy from the publishers. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.
Shirley Gostling

Sophie describes movingly her struggles through loss, bereavement, misrepresentation, and racism. Over many years she has found that the only way to overcome life's challenges is through faith in God and the application of Biblical principles. Her renunciation of bitterness and her humility and thankfulness is an inspiration

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