Baba's voice rang through the sitting room. One could feel it vibrate through the purple-painted walls of the large room. I imagined it breaking the window and the flower vase Mama had placed at the center table like those cartoon characters with high-pitched voices would. The flower vase was Mama's favorite one; it was the first one she had molded perfectly in her creation room, as she now calls our backyard. I wished that would happen to take his attention away from me even for a few minutes, but I snapped out of the thought almost immediately.
His gaze bore through my skin, and I could literally feel the heat on my body where I was seated. His thin lips did not stop moving and hurling insults at me. I closed my eyes as my mind had a déjà vu moment when Baba once scolded me like this. I had gone with my friends to steal fruits inside Baale's compound. It was mango season, and the ones in his compound looked juicy and succulent as they called to us on our way from school. We were caught, and the Baale lashed us before asking us to go call our parents. Baba twisted my ears from the Baale's compound till we reached ours; the heat traveled from my ears crunched in Baba's hands to all my body parts before I received another set of lashings with Baba's famous koboko. As if the beating was not enough, he decided to send me to a faraway boarding house and made me choose between going or being disowned. Who could blame him? I was on the edge of driving him crazy with all the atrocities I committed in our small town, but I somehow enjoyed every bit of it.
Baba was scolding me again, but today it was for another reason, one I was really proud of. Iya Osun had come to report me to Baba for preaching to her daughter, Osunfunke. I have carried Jesus on my head since I came back from school for my second term holiday, talking about Him to anyone I could in the town. Jesus had changed my life, and I could not keep quiet about it. Baba sat me down to ask me what happened in school that made me more quiet, respectful, and morally conscious, so I quickly put on my evangelism robe.
"Jesus happened to me, Baba."
"Which Jesus?" He stared at me blankly as he asked. I could feel the sneer in his voice as he asked questions, but I didn't mind.
"The one Baba Ijo preaches about in the morning every day." As though my statement were the fuel Baba's anger needed to burn, all hell was let loose. He roared in anger that evening and gave me a stern warning to never mention that name again.
I understood Baba's pain. He was aiming to be a part of the most revered cult in our town, Èmí Ajigboun. We were not doing badly; Baba was able to support our education with his cocoa business, and Mama's pottery business was taking off. But Baba wanted more. It is not enough to be comfortable in our town, Aromisa; you have to be among Èmí Ajigboun to be regarded as "high class". You'd be powerful and revered even by the Baale, but they were every shade of bad news. This "new me" was not a good fit for his ambition.
"Are you the first person to go to that school, eh?" Baba questioned, snapping me back to reality on the chair in which I was seated.
I kept mute. Saying anything at this point will probably add kerosene to the already brewing fire.
Mama came from the backyard with her hands covered in clay. She had probably heard Baba's voice and wanted to know what was wrong.
"What happened?" She exclaimed.
"Is it not your daughter? She wants to bring disgrace to me."He gesticulated, moving his hand from Mama to me where I was seated, and stormed out of the house in anger.
"What did you do this time? Iwo omo yi, ki lo tun se bayi?" Mama let out in frustration. She kept looking at me with her eyes wide open. I kept quiet, so she took a seat beside me.
"Fadekemi, look at me." I looked up and stared into her eyes. The light brown pupils bathed in a sea of white sclera wore a look of concern, just as they did whenever I hurt myself while playing. I had wondered how she kept hers so white while Baba's was already looking all brown like the dried plantain leaves in front of our house. She took a deep breath before starting.
"What's going on? Ehnnn. When you came back from school, I was really happy. You had changed. That school suited you better. But this strange religion you brought back... this Jesus that you keep talking about, ehnn." her voice soothinly dispensed the words one after the other. Mama had always been the exact opposite of Baba. She'd carefully navigate through every issue, but Baba was the "hard man, fast man" kind of person. Maybe that is why they are the perfect pair for themselves.
"Mama, I'm sorry if I'm stressing you and Baba; that is not my intention. I didn't change because of the school. I changed because of Jesus." I took a quick look at her face to decipher any change, but she remained calm.
"When I got to the school, I swore to do anything to get expelled so I could come back home. That boarding house was not for me. We had a meeting in the chapel during my first week, and that was when I met Him. I had an encounter with Jesus. Mama, I saw Him with my two eyes. He showed me the holes in his hands and feet. He told me He loved me." At this point, I could feel tears welling up in my eyes. This happened every time I passionately shared my salvation story with anyone.
Mama's gaze did not leave me, but mine did. I shifted my eyes briefly to her hands. The clay had dried up and clamped to her hands, forming patches at different places.
"As we were praying in the chapel that evening, I suddenly fell down. I cannot even explain how. The next thing I saw was myself and some other people in chains. The chains were joined together, and we were all walking, dragging each other as we did. Anyone that stopped was lashed by some invisible persons. Mama, people were crying. I cried; I cried for you and Baba, but you didn't come." I paused, trying to catch my breath, before I continued. I looked into Mama's eyes; this time her gaze left me for a little while, but she did not utter a word.
"Then He came with a host of angels. Suddenly, the invisible forces became visible. They had different forms, and they were not fine at all. But they all fell and bowed to Jesus immediately. My chains fell, and I quickly ran to meet Him. His face was beautiful. I wish I could compare Him with the most handsome man in the world, but that would be an underestimation. He told me these words: "I have paid the price for you." And showed me his hands and legs then I woke up. By the time I woke up, the service had ended and I was in the chaplain's office. Many people were praying over me, and they were all students like me. I was really confused and needed answers."
"The chaplain sat me down and explained to me." As I was about to continue, my younger brother came into the sitting room. It seemed he had been listening to my conversation with Mama. He took a seat beside Mama. He said nothing and only held on to Mamas clay hands. Mama was also silent.
That was my cue to continue. How I'd always prayed for a time like this, when I'd get to speak to my family about Jesus but Baba has always been around to forbid such communications.
"Mama, when God created us humans, He wanted us to have a relationship with Him. He put us in the garden he had created so we do not have to worry about our daily lives but only to worship Him. He gave us an instruction not to eat the fruit of one of the trees He created, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He said if we did, we would die. We did and died spiritually, but in His mercy we didn't die physically. He promised to bring us back through His child, Jesus Christ."
"How are you so certain about all these things you're saying?" Mama said, staring intently at me.
"Please give me a minute." I quickly dashed off to my room to pick up the white Bible the chaplain had given me.
"Mama, everything is in this book. This book is like a letter that a father who is on a long journey wrote to his son. It contains everything the father has done for the son and a guide on how the son can live his life." A smile creeping into the corners of my lips. I had never thought about that analogy before, but these days, ehhnn, the way the Holy Spirit speaks these words through me is beyond me.
"Mama, I have seen God do things that one would have never thought possible. During one of our evangelism trips in school, God raised a dead man through us, like they were already going to perform burial rites on him. That was the biggest miracle for me. I've been going to Baba Ijo whenever you and Baba are not around, and he has been mentoring me and other Christians. Mama, I'm sorry, but I knew you would not let me if I had told you." I quickly chipped in an apology before I continued. She squeezed her mouth and protruded her lips slightly, the way she did whenever she was angry with my brother and me.
"I've heard you." Mama finally stated. I had really been contemplating telling her, so this was pure joy for me.
"Even if I don't say anything, the transformation of my life is a testimony on its own. So, Mama, Bamikole, Jesus loves you so much that He died for your sin just so you can get to have a relationship with God, the Father, again."
"Sister, how can I know this Jesus?" Bamikole blurted out. Mama turned to look at the boy whose head was now on her shoulder. She turned back to face me and finally let out a deep breath.
"Yes, how do we do that?"
I covered my mouth with my hands and batted my eyelids rapidly to keep the tears from falling from them. I had literally prayed for hours and hours on end to see this moment when my family would accept Jesus. I was going to go back to school the following day with a heavy heart since that did not happen, but God is bigger than our wildest imagination.
"You can say after me. Lord Jesus, I accept you as my lord and savior. Forgive me my sins, wash me, and cleanse me of all my iniquities. Draw me closer to yourself, Lord. Please help me to continually quest for you." Mama and Bamikole repeated after me, sentence after sentence. I could feel the atmosphere around us tense up; the Holy Spirit was in our midst.
"Thank you." Mama gently stated this after the prayer. Her eyes radiated with a different glow as her lips curled up into a wide smile. The joy in my heart knew no bounds; I'm certain if horses were there, they'd be leaping and jumping. I knew it was not going to be an easy journey since Baba was not yet saved, but it was only a matter of time. Baba's heart is implicated for God.
I handed Mama and Bamikole over to Baba Ijo before leaving for school the following day. Baba still did not speak to me before I left, but I was not even scared, God was going to take care of me. As my bus moved out of the town, swerving left and right to avoid the potholes, I reminisced on the things that had happened within the last two weeks. All my truant friends were saved. A chuckle found its way from my mouth as I remembered that the "truant" word was what Baba used to refer to my friends and me, but I am now a truant for Jesus. The small Christian gathering Baba Ijo was mentoring became twice what it was before, and as the icing on the cake, Mama and Bamikole were saved. The fire of the gospel is burning in Aromisa and it is only a matter of time before everyone gets ignited and burns for God.
Glory to God! Thank God for the light of His word in you.
ReplyDeleteThis is very beautiful and inspiring! Thank you very Abiola. God bless you!
ReplyDeleteEiii! Being a truant for Jesus struck me. Beautiful piece, Abiola.
ReplyDeleteWe will stand for GOD in our land, lifting the banner of Christ high.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful piece.
Thank you so much Abiola for this inspiring write- up
DeleteMore inspirations to you In Jesus Name
Glory to God. Powerful piece
ReplyDeleteHeartfelt and thought-provoking. Thanks for sharing with us a piece of God's priceless gift to you, Abiola ❤
ReplyDeleteThis is so insightful, a beautiful piece❤️
ReplyDeleteGlory to God, this is so insightful.God bless you dear
ReplyDeleteGod's goodness to her in a beautifully written piece. Thanks for sharing
ReplyDeletePraise God! This is inspiring.
ReplyDeleteBeing a Jesus-Rebel always goes hard! Lovely writing as always, Jesuloluwa.
ReplyDeleteWow
ReplyDeleteJust wow!!!
A very beautiful piece.
Awesome. Thanks for this
ReplyDeleteA beautifully constructed piece. Thank you😊
ReplyDeleteA very inspiring piece🔥💯
ReplyDeleteA very nice contents up here.
ReplyDeleteBig kudos to you Biola
This is Amazing Abiola, I was blessed, keep it up. More will still come
ReplyDeleteMore unction to function Abiola,
ReplyDeleteI was bless ,God bless you .
Such a wonderful story 👏.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful piece. Well done ✨️
ReplyDeleteThis is really inspiring, more grace and more unction to write more
ReplyDeleteAmazing piece. 👏
ReplyDeleteNice Piece,
ReplyDeleteGood still changes lives.
This is really inspiring: God's word is out there to save men. Well-done Abiola.
ReplyDeleteWao!!!. Inspiring! Thank you for pushing this out sir... More of God in Jesus' name.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this edifying piece, may Christ be more known in our generation
ReplyDeleteIt's a beautiful writing. The descriptions, avid and the story,p
ReplyDeleteWin content 💯
ReplyDeleteThis is great and edifying one.
ReplyDeleteYour writing captures the essence of the Christian message and presents it in a way that is profound. God bless you!
ReplyDeleteI have read a number of scripts but this has really captivated and inspired me to become a glorious vessel of gold for the father ready to serve and reachout to my loved ones.
ReplyDeleteThank Abiola for the this
Thanks for this piece. More expression of His wisdom. Amen
ReplyDeleteThis is beautiful, Abiola. Glory to God.
ReplyDeleteThis is nothing short of beautiful. You do more for Jesus Abiola❤️💪
ReplyDeleteWaooo! So touching and inspiring,weldone dear greater heights.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this wonderful piece Abiola. It's inspiring.
ReplyDeleteWow! this is the word for the season. More insights and inspirations for you Jesuloluwa.
ReplyDeleteInsightful! ✨💯
ReplyDeleteGreat and Insightful message....thank you.
ReplyDeleteInsightful message. Thank you
ReplyDelete🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
ReplyDeleteThis is Beautiful 🥺🔥
ReplyDeleteGreat story. Jesus only is our message
ReplyDeleteGreat piece 🔥🔥🔥🔥
ReplyDeleteI was blessed. Such an inspired writing. God bless you much more!
ReplyDeleteIn a word, awesome! Keep the fire ablaze, Abiola.
ReplyDeleteThis is an awesome piece of work, Abiola. It is really inspiring. Keep it up
ReplyDeleteGood one 🥰! More ink in your pen
ReplyDeleteThis write-up is really good. I liked the mix of the local language in it. Jesus is indeed who we should "carry on our heads".
ReplyDeleteThe wonderful, saving grace of God! Thank you so much.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful piece, very inspiring too
ReplyDeleteA wonderful piece you've got here Abiola!💯💯
ReplyDeleteVery beautiful work. I love this and it spoke to me in many ways. Weldone Abiola. More power to your elbow!
ReplyDeleteThis is a wonderful writeup
ReplyDeleteThis is insightful and awesome. Keep it up!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful and inspiring 🥰
ReplyDeleteSplendid.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful 👏🏾
ReplyDeleteThis is great 👍, so inspiring!
ReplyDeleteThank you, God. Thank you for the write-up.
ReplyDeleteWow! This is really awesome. Thank you for this. I pray we'll all be intentional about reaching out to our unsaved family and friends like Fadekemi in Jesus name
ReplyDeleteI was blessed🔥
ReplyDeleteThank God for making it easy for you to understand your purpose on earth.
ReplyDeleteThis is more than a story, Abiola🤭. Thank you for letting the Holy Spirit write with your fingers! (I'd have said pen, but I'm sure you typed this😁). All the same, thank you! And I'm really rooting for you on this one!♥️♥️
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