DELIVERANCE FROM CHILDHOOD PERILS

When I was three, my older sister and I with other kids used to follow my aunt to her lesson-place (sort of kindergarten, but not in a formally organised school). There was a narrow stream we used to cross on our way then. One fateful day during the rainy season, we were going for lessons as usual, but the stream was fuller than normal and was gushing. Every othe...r child crossed but me, I was scared of the rapid waters. So, I stayed put crying and would not cross. My aunt was angry. She could not see why I could not cross when other children (even those younger than me) crossed and refused to help me. At last I tried to cross and my foot slipped. My foot slid, but I managed to balance and cross properly. I was stiff scared. I knew, even as little as I was that 'Olorun lo yo mi' (God saved me). When I grew up and I learnt about the ministry of angels, I understood angels came to my rescue that day. I still remember everything clearly, I can see the rapid flow of the water as it was on the day and the way my foot slipped, I was supposed to be flushed off by the angry torrents, but the Lord delivered me.

Another day at age five, my mum was supposed to go out, but she kept dragging her feet and decided she would not go any more. My dad too had a plan to go somewhere, somehow he changed his mind too. Then without warning, I slumped in the passage. I was rushed to the hospital in our landlord's car. I was in coma for five days. I did not remember all these stories, I was told. But I remember one thing, I recall that when I awoke from my five-day-slumber and I sat up on the bed singing a Yoruba thanksgiving song:

Se ni ma dupe; se ni ma yin O (Me I will give thanks; me I will praise you)
Ainiye lore Jesu; seni ma dupe o Baba (Jesus' blessings are uncountable; me I will give thanks Father)
Sibi ile mi o gbolide; oku eko o won lobe (My spoon does not go on holiday, plenty of fish in my soup)
Iya eleko o wa sinwo (I am not owing any debt)
Ore Jesu se laye mi o; se ni ma dupe o Baba (For Jesus' goodness in my life, me I will give thanks Father)

My mum was there sitting down watching me with joyful relief. I remember some people rushed in (certainly the doctor and nurses), among whom was an elderly white woman--it was Sacred Heart Hospital in Abeokuta. I still wonder till today how I knew I was to give thanks immediately I woke up from that coma.

There was also this day I was riding a gate with a friend at their house. We went on visit to their house (our parents were friends with theirs). We were riding to and fro with the gate and enjoying the ride when my finger was caught in the gate's hinge. I did not remember how my hand was caught, but I can recall how we were performing our merry ride. I was rushed to the hospital.

I was told also of another day when I suddenly developed some swell-up on my body and the nanny who was taking care of me had to send for my mum in her school and I was rushed to the clinic.

The Lord has preserved me from the womb till now. I know He will keep me to the end and fulfil His plans for me.

A LITTLE GIRL'S SENSE OF WIT

 On July 2nd in Newfoundland, I was at my friend's to do my laundry. When she was taking me back to my hotel in her car, we were chatting and I was busy with my phone. So, I didn't know a chicken crossed the roa...d until her little daughter asked,
'Why did the chicken cross the road?'
Her mum said, 'The chicken? Maybe it wanted to cross to the other side.'
She was not satisfied with the answer.
I looked up and asked, 'A chicken? Did a chicken cross the road?'
They confirmed it did. So, we both asked her why the chicken crossed and she said,
'It crossed the road because it wanted to die.' We burst out laughing. What a sense of wit for a little girl!
And this little girl's name is Sofia. She goes to my church with her mum and dad.

DELIVERANCE FROM CHILDHOOD PERILS

When I was three, my older sister and I with other kids used to follow my aunt to her lesson-place (sort of kindergarten, but not in a formally organised school). There was a narrow stream we used to cross on our way then. One fateful day during the rainy season, we were going for lessons as usual, but the stream was fuller than normal and was gushing. Every other child crossed but me, I was scared of the rapid waters. So, I stayed put crying and would not cross. My aunt was angry. She could not see why I could not cross when other children (even those younger than me) crossed and refused to help me. At last I tried to cross and my foot slipped. My foot slid, but I managed to balance and cross properly. I was stiff scared. I knew, even as little as I was that 'Olorun lo yo mi' (God saved me). When I grew up and I learnt about the ministry of angels, I understood angels came to my rescue that day. I still remember everything clearly, I can see the rapid flow of the water as it was on the day and the way my foot slipped, I was supposed to be flushed off by the angry torrents, but the Lord delivered me.

Another day at age five, my mum was supposed to go out, but she kept dragging her feet and decided she would not go any more. My dad too had a plan to go somewhere, somehow he changed his mind too. Then without warning, I slumped in the passage. I was rushed to the hospital in our landlord's car. I was in coma for five days. I did not remember all these stories, I was told. But I remember one thing, I recall that when I awoke from my five-day-slumber and I sat up on the bed singing a Yoruba thanksgiving song:

Se ni ma dupe; se ni ma yin O (Me I will give thanks; me I will praise you)
Ainiye lore Jesu; seni ma dupe o Baba (Jesus' blessings are uncountable; me I will give thanks Father)
Sibi ile mi o gbolide; oku eko o won lobe (My spoon does not go on holiday, plenty of fish in my soup)
Iya eleko o wa sinwo (I am not owing any debt)
Ore Jesu se laye mi o; se ni ma dupe o Baba (For Jesus' goodness in my life, me I will give thanks Father)

My mum was there sitting down watching me with joyful relief. I remember some people rushed in (certainly the doctor and nurses), among whom was an elderly white woman--it was Sacred Heart Hospital in Abeokuta. I still wonder till today how I knew I was to give thanks immediately I woke up from that coma.

There was also this day I was riding a gate with a friend at their house. We went on visit to their house (our parents were friends with theirs). We were riding to and fro with the gate and enjoying the ride when my finger was caught in the gate's hinge. I did not remember how my hand was caught, but I can recall how we were performing our merry ride. I was rushed to the hospital.

I was told also of another day when I suddenly developed some swell-up on my body and the nanny who was taking care of me had to send for my mum in her school and I was rushed to the clinic.

The Lord has preserved me from the womb till now. I know He will keep me to the end and fulfil His plans for me.

Mi o ni ṣe bẹ́ẹ̀ mọ́

Would I have known that I would get late to work when I was leaving home this morning? And it was all my fault. I got to the train station in good time, my train was slightly delayed due to some bugs in the line. At last it came, but because there were so many people and I would most likely stand throughout the journey, I decided to wait for the next train which on a good day should come in five minutes. (I don't do this usually, I go with the first train no matter what.)

Hmm, the next train was first delayed, and then cancelled. Apologies blew over the PA system, but gosh, I was late already. I had to wait for the third train which was also delayed and came after almost twenty minutes of waiting. I hopped in and stood for the main part of the ride because it was jampacked (as a lot of commuters like me who would have gone with the cancelled train were there).
I arrived at the office thirty seven minutes late. I will never wait for the next train again on a working day, no matter how crowded it is. Mi o ni ṣe bẹ́ẹ̀ mọ́.

*Mi o ni ṣe bẹ́ẹ̀ mọ́ : An expression in my mother tongue (Yoruba) meaning 'I will not do that again'.

FOUNDERS' DAY THINGS

Abeokuta Grammar School, my great Alma mater, you turn 105 today. I am so proud of you and of the beautiful children you have sired (among which I am one).

Today reminds me of the school's founders' day in 1998. I was in SS1 (fourth secondary school year), Shade, my younger sister was in JS1 (first secondary school year ). It was the 90th anniversary. It was a celebration galore and students and teachers alike were to go to all the royal palaces in Egbaland on foot to pay tribute to the kings. There were band players playing and all of us were happy, dancing and jubilating. My sister and I spent our taxi-fare on water and meden-meden (junks).

Milo sponsored this foot parade and we all had a cup of cold milo each at the palace of Oshile of Oke-Ona amidst rapturous chants of the old Milo advert song- 'Milo! Pa, Pa, Pa!'. Right there at Oke-Ona palace, some people started turning back and returning to their houses, but Shade and I were determined to visit the five palaces. So we moved on with others. I almost missed her at a point because she wanted to follow one of the vehicles that bore some students, thank God for a friend that hinted me. It would not have been funny as there were so many people. Eventually we decided to turn back when we almost reached Ibara palace. We were not alone, some friends were with us. Remember we had spent our taxi fare home, by this time we were tired, but we knew we had no other option than to walk home (and home was still very far).

At a junction (Ijaye Junction), some friends going to Elega (our route) changed direction. My sister and I supposed to join these people because that was the shortest route  home, but we foolishly opined it would take longer so we walked down with the rest of the party to Idi-Aba (our school area). We even went back to the school compound because we were very thirsty and needed to drink water.

From school, we resumed our journey home. We dragged our feet along, tired to the bones. It was then we realised we made a sheepish decision when we did not follow Ijaye earlier, but it was too late. Normally, it should have taken us about an hour and thirty minutes to get home from there. Now, from Ijaye to Idi-Aba was thirty minutes and from Idi-Aba to Shaje, where we lived, was almost two hours. It was a real tiring-go-round. We were hungry, we were thirsty, we were koboless, we were trekking.

At last we reached home around 5 or 6 pm. No one questioned our lateness at home because they all knew it was a special founders' day edition. God bless Nice Vita--a chocolate drink in those days. That was what we prepared for ourselves, thick and cold to drink before eating. Then we vowed we would never be so silly next time. But we could not fulfil our 'vows' for the next time founders' day was to be with such jamboree was 2008 (by that time sef I don graduate from university).

A LITTLE GIRL'S SENSE OF WIT

On July 2nd in Newfoundland, I was at my friend's to do my laundry. When she was taking me back to my hotel in her car, we were chatting and I was busy with my phone. So, I didn't know a chicken crossed the road until her little daughter asked,
'Why did the chicken cross the road?'
Her mum said, 'The chicken? Maybe it wanted to cross to the other side.'
She was not satisfied with the answer.
I looked up and asked, 'A chicken? Did a chicken cross the road?'
They confirmed it did. So, we both asked her why the chicken crossed and she said,
'It crossed the road because it wanted to die.' We burst out laughing. What a sense of wit for a little girl!
And this little girl's name is Sofia. She goes to my church with her mum and dad.

© July 2013, Ayobami Temitope Kehinde

THIS TIME LAST YEAR

About this hour last year in Port Harcourt on Trans Amadi Road opposite First Bank, I entered a one-chance taxi and was robbed of a notable sum of money. It was like a dream. I was going to church and the monies were my tithes and a seed. Well, I had to cross over to the bank and make another withdrawal because I said to myself, 'Will I because of this not pay my tithes and this seed?'
It was a painful experience for me and what made it hurt more was the fact that it was the second time in the year I would have such experience. Earlier in the year on April 1st I was duped in another man's land of some money. I was an over-trusting Johnny-Just-Come and that was well taken advantage of (full story here: http://preciousay.blogspot.ca/2012/11/i-think-i-was-duped-this-is-account-of.html)
I got to church that evening, we had our Sunday School Prep meeting before the program of the day, after the prep class, one of my pastors observed that I was not my usual self and that something must be wrong. So, I opened up. A big sister was there too and a friend. I told them my anger was just the fact that a similar thing happened earlier in the year, 'Am I the only one?' They tried to encourage me, but I knew I should take it up in prayer....
I didn't tell this story to my people at home, they will all be reading it for the first time now except for my elder sister. Well, it's a story today, it doesn't hurt anymore and it has added to my story. One thing is through the tears and laughs, through the joys and sorrows, through the delays and speed, through the sighs and smiles, through the mistakes and corrections if we will let Him, He is writing a beautiful story with our lives. All we have to do is to give Him the pieces and He will turn them to a masterpiece. He has not finished with me yet, I know that.