Nick Vujicic, known throughout the world as the "limbless evangelist," has announced his wife has given birth to twin girls -- just ahead of Christmas.
"Thank you all for your love and prayers! Babies Olivia and Ellie were born on Mommy's Birthday, 5 pounds 2 ounces and 5 pounds 14 ounces. Mommy is well and so are the girls. Thank You God!" the author and evangelist posted on Wednesday on his Facebook page.
He later shared a photo of the identical baby girls and revealed that both "mommy and girls doing wonderful."
As of Thursday afternoon, Vujcicic's update received over 65,000 "likes" and thousands of comments.
"Congratulations to you & your family! What a nice birthday gift for mommy, & the whole family for that matter; Christmas gifts to all of you! Looking forward to seeing pictures of these precious baby girls! God is so good!!" wrote one commenter.
Wrote another: "Congratulations for double blessings . So glad all three are doing fine . The boys must be very excited for having two sisters. What a wonderful Christmas present. God bless you family and your ministry Nick."
Earlier in the week, Vujcicic posted another update, with a photo of himself and his wife, Kanae.
"Olivia and Ellie Vujicic, God willing will be born on Wednesday morning. Mommy did so great with the pregnancy! Thank God they seem to be healthy! Thank you for your prayers now and during Kanae's recovery," he wrote.
As earlier reported, the couple, who also have two sons, announced they were expecting twins on Father's Day.
"Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there! Today was an exceptionally extra special Father's Day for me, after we recently just found out something extraordinary!" the evangelist posted at the time, linking to a short video that announces Kanae is pregnant with twins.
"Thank you for your continued prayers for our growing family! God is good!" he said at the time.
Photo: Nicoletta Daskalakis/Nick Vujicic Facebook
Vujicic, founder of the evangelistic ministry Life Without Limbs, was born with Tetra-amelia syndrome-a rare disorder characterized by the absence of arms and legs in the newborn baby.
Despite such challenges, Vujicic is today a world-renowned inspirational speaker and author. Last year, his pastor father, Boris, praised his son for using his disability to motivate others not only to overcome personal challenges, but to dedicate their lives to God as well.
In a brief interview conducted ahead of the release of his book, Raising the Perfectly Imperfect Child: Facing Challenges with Strength, Courage, and Hope, Boris, who passed away earlier this year, told his son he was so proud "that you have become a leader in some aspects, an internationally influential person; that God has turned your disability to be used as a powerful force to motivate not only those with disabilities, but also the world all over."
He expressed how joyful the family was when Nick married Kanae back in 2012, something which Boris admitted he did not think was possible when his son was born.
He called the wedding ceremony a "very emotional time for all of us as a family," and added that the "crowning of it all was when Kiyoshi was born," referring to Nick and Kanae's first of two children.
In the past, Vujcicic has opened up about his close relationship with his father and revealed his parents never wanted him to be treated differently or "play victim" and encouraged him to get involved in a variety of activities.
"It was so hard for them," he once said of his parents, "but right from the start they did their best to make me independent."
Vujcicic has also credited his parents for raising him to be strong and fearless: "I decided to use my life to encourage other people...I decided to be thankful for what I do have, not get angry about what I don't. I looked at myself in the mirror and said: 'You know what? The world is right - I have no arms or legs. But they'll never take away the beauty of my eyes.' I wanted to concentrate on something good that I had."
