The Ikhinmwins: Loving God, their children and each other

One Christian couple building a strong family and setting an example for others are Samuel and Robbi Ikhinmwin who have six children. They spoke to Keep The Faith about how they met; dealing with the challenges of a cross-cultural marriage; raising faith-filled children; and their plans to support families across the world.

KEEP THE FAITH (KTF): Can you take us back to how you met and what first drew you to one another?

SAMUEL IKHINMWIN (SI): We first met on a bus at the end of 2008. At the time, I was engaged to someone else. I don’t remember seeing Robbi specifically, but I remember meeting a group of four people and we spoke about things of God. Then, in early 2010, we had our second encounter when I joined a gym. I met Robbi there, as she was the receptionist. A lot happened thereafter, but my simple answer would be that God literally drew us to each other.

ROBBI IKHINMWIN (RI): Samuel ended up dropping me home and we spoke for about two hours. His engagement had ended. By the end of 2010, we were making plans towards getting married.

KTF: When did you realise you were meant to build a life together, and what qualities convinced you that you were the right match?

SI: It was the point where I could clearly hear God talking to me about myself in relation to my relationship with Robbi. Remember, I was building a relationship prior, and over the five years of that relationship, it didn’t feel easy. But here, I was speaking to Robbi and it was the complete opposite. I remember telling God: “This just feels too easy.” That’s when I knew.

In terms of qualities, I was looking for a wife. Robbi was great at listening, open to suggestions, and willing to get involved with what I had going on at the time.

RI: After previous failed relationships, I remember crying on my bedroom floor and saying: “God, I’m done with relationships. I’m not getting into anymore unless You say so, because this is tiring.” I prayed and, like Gideon, I got specific and said: “God, when my husband arrives, please tell my mum first.” Then one day, Samuel met my mum. I wasn’t there, but after their conversation she said: “Robbi, that man is your husband. God told me I had to give my daughter to that man!” God had answered my prayer. I didn’t need convincing in terms of character traits; I just needed God’s leading. I did have a list, though, and Samuel ticked everything on my list.

KTF: What principles have helped you maintain a strong Christian marriage?

SI: The most important principle is to put God first. One of the best habits we exercise is having regular goals workshops. Before we got married, we did a goals workshop, and it was extremely pivotal in our union and building of our future, as we could see we had so much alignment. When you see that level of alignment, it’s easy to understand that this is someone who’s a part of your assignment.

KTF: How have you overcome the challenges of your different cultural backgrounds?

SI: We navigated the challenges of culture by choosing a culture that supersedes and is superior to either of our cultures. Our culture has always been: “What is the culture of Christ?” For us, if it isn’t in the Word, we’re not on it. It’s easy to shed cultural ideas when you are subscribing to a Kingdom culture above any other culture.

RI: Agreed. There were times when differences came up because Caribbean culture is quite different to African culture. However, I was raised around a lot of Africans growing up and loved it, so the culture was not something I was oblivious to, and it was something I desired to have for my children. Whenever challenges came up due to our different upbringings or culture, it would eventually come down to: “Okay, what does the Word of God say?”

KTF: What inspired your decision to have a large family, and how has the journey shaped you?

SI: In our first goals workshop, before getting married, we had each written down that we wanted three children. It seems like what’s happened currently is that we’ve got three plus three, making six in total. There was no original goal of having six or more children, but there was the original goal of just allowing God to reign in our relationship. God didn’t tell us to slow down or stop, and hasn’t caused functional parts to drop. I would assume it’s as challenging as someone with one child or four children, because when you have that, you deal with that. We’re grateful to have six children and, for those who don’t know, Robbi wants eight! God is at the centre and is the key to overcoming and navigating all challenges.

KTF: Samuel, what does a wealth consultant do and how do you balance career, ministry, marriage and parenting?

SI: I am a wealth consultant who has the skill set of recognising patterns in people’s financial behaviour – or any behaviour that impacts their finances – which results in their wealth or lack thereof. What that looks like for me is working with people and helping them see how they can create wealth with longevity. I’m able to do that with the Word of God, because that’s where I find the principles and practices I use. I create my own schedule, and that puts me in a position to ensure that Christ can come first, and there can be a healthy amount of time for my family, my wife and my life.

KTF: How do you incorporate faith into your children’s everyday upbringing?

SI: It’s easy to do when it’s a way of life rather than a good idea. Our children observe us daily, and, as a result, it creates opportunities for them to ask questions, participate and engage with us. More is caught than is taught, so as a family we pray together, have times of fasting together and devotion – all of which are part of our lifestyle, but to get to that place, it took diligence.

RI: We teach our children to read from very young, so they have access to the Bible for themselves, and now they are independent with their own devotion and prayer time.

We also raise our children on a Bible-based curriculum and purposefully abstain from secularism in our house. Our desire is that our children are trained in the way that they should go (Proverbs 22:6) and have their own relationship with the Creator.

KTF: Robbi, what message do you hope people take from your ‘Faith-Filled Wife’ platform and your family’s example?

RI: My desire is to demonstrate that you can be happily and successfully married as a Kingdom woman. I was once single and believed I would NEVER be married, and that even if I did marry, it would be miserable and end quickly in divorce, because that’s what I witnessed. From the beginning of our relationship, integrity has been a major foundation of who and how we are as people. Growing up, I didn’t see many examples of this and I wasn’t raised in a household that was integrally Christ-centred.

I wanted my home to be a home of integrity, where what we preached and taught others was something that we practised at home. My life demonstrates the goodness of God, and I am truly blessed to be married to a man of God who encourages me to be a woman of God and raise children in the midst of that.

I gave my life to Jesus at an early age and allowed Him to write my story, so I share that online to encourage others in believing that it is also possible for them to have a Kingdom-cultured relationship.

KTF: What are your hopes and prayers for your marriage, children and legacy?

SI: My hope and prayer for my family is that we will continue to keep Christ at the centre and have Christ as the culture we subscribe to above all else. Our vision is to create a federation of schools which teach a Christian curriculum, supplemented by entrepreneurship and enterprise, in which we equip children to use biblical principles to engage with the current landscape of this world and win. We desire to do that here in the UK, on the continent of Africa and in the Caribbean. Additionally, God has given us a vision to support 300 families through ministry and other assistive endeavours, for them to grow and live in faith every day.

Follow Samuel Ikhinmwin on Instagram @samuelicanwin and Robbi on Instagram @robbiicanwin