DADDY

This had been in my head since I awoke, but I had a busy day, so I couldn’t type it. By the way, it’s still Fathers’ Day here, so it’s not too late.
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When I was a five-year-old in Primary One, I didn’t know how to read properly. My father let me play during that session. But the long vacation between Primary 1 and Primary 2, he really coached me in those few months so that I learnt to read well both in English and Yoruba before resuming into Primary Two. While in Primary One, my classmates used to call me ‘olodo’ (‘olodo’ means a dullard), but in Primary 2, I became their boss in academics and they all curried my favour. I remember telling some of them when they would beg me for answers to some questions, “You people are now coming to me abi, sebi you tagged me ‘olodo’ in Primary 1?”

That was my dad’s efforts in manifestation. My dad was our (my siblings and I) first teacher. You dared not go to play when you were yet to finish the assignment he gave you. Who born monkey? He really drilled us. He taught my us to read both in English and Yoruba. He ensured we treated every exercise in all the Arithmetics, Mathematics and English textbooks we had at home. He monitored us through reading and answering questions in ‘First Aid In English’ and ‘Way To Success’ to solving problems in ‘Lacombe’. It wasn’t easy on us those days because we thought he was too harsh (though he was really too harsh at times). He made sure we read every night before we went to sleep. You couldn’t go to bed until nine, at least.

It always amuses me how some children these days take as final what their aunties or uncles (teacher) say, even when those teachers are wrong and their parents are correcting them. For me, it was the opposite. My dad always checked our notes everyday we returned from school.

One day in Primary 3, I missed some answers in an exercise. But there was a mistake in the correction my teacher put up on board, I didn’t know and copied it like that. My dad who always checked our notes after school saw the mistake and asked me to correct it. He was sure my teacher wasn’t aware of it. My mum saw the error too and confirmed it. The next day my teacher was not happy when she checked my note and she saw the alteration I made. I tried to explain to her that there was a mistake and my dad discovered it at home and asked me to correct it. She wouldn’t understand and reported me to my mum, who was a teacher in the same school. My mum tried to explain to her too. Well, whether she was satisfied or not, I knew my dad was right, and that she was wrong.

Another case was when my Primary Five class teacher marked a mathematical calculation wrong for me because I didn’t use the method she taught others during her extra-mural classes. (My dad thought it unreasonable for us to wait for lessons after school hours, so I wasn’t part of those classes. In actual fact, she didn’t teach us that topic in class, but I still answered the question and got the answer correctly because I was taught at home ahead of time by my father.) I went to show her my calculations in tears how I arrived at my answer imploring her to check my calculations, but she insisted I didn’t use the right formula. It hurt, but I let it go. I knew I was right, and that she was wrong.

EIGHTEEN AND TWENTY-THREE

I got asked by someone at work today, "How old are you, 21?"
I looked at him, laughing with my eyes and heart, and replied, "I think I'm twelve years old".
"21?" He repeated and I gave him the same answer.
Then he said, "No, 12, no, maybe 18." I chuckled and told him I'm much older than that.
So he made another guess. "23, you must be 23."
"Oh, wow, so I look 18 and 23?" He said yes and asked if I'm married to which I answered no. I let him know I am much older than 23, but he wouldn't believe.
Well, I know, I actually look 18 and 23. =D =D =D

I TESTIFY

I took ill early this year before my birthday and I was really ill. It was the second time in a row as I was sick in November also. I went to the clinic to see a doctor and I had two injections shot into my bom-bom as the first dose of six. I was loaded with a barrage of drugs too. I got back home really weak and dizzy. I crashed on the bed but could hardly sleep. I was too weak. and alone at home because my sister and brother went to church. When I awoke from my hiccupy sleep, I knew I had lost some weight (within few hours) from the feel of the gown I was wearing (lepa to tun n lose weight!). My sister confirmed it when she returned from church, she said, "O ti ru o!" ("You've grown lean o!").

I needed to use the convenience, so I attempted to rise from bed to go. It was very difficult. I had to hold the walls for support. I managed myself to the door and held it open. At that point, I lost it. My eyes went blank and I couldn't see anything. I was sore afraid, I had never had such an experience in my life. My legs felt so weak and my body so light. But for the door knob which I was holding, I would have landed on the floor and fainted. I started confessing the Word and called out for my sister, who had gone earlier to get some water for me from the backyard. She rushed back in fear and led me to sit on the chair. My eyes were still blank. I kept on confessing the Word. Then, gradually, I came around and could finally see my surrounding. It was then I realized I was sitting on the chair close to the door. I literally lost consciousness. That night when I eventually went to the toilet, while I was there with my eyes closed, I saw two spirits. They were telling me my body was their house, but I told them it was a lie that it is Jesus' house because He has said that He stands at the door and if anyone will open the door, He will come in with His Father and with the Holy Spirit and they will live inside that person and I did that already.

Fast forward to the day I was going back to Port Harcourt from Lagos and we were praising God, my sister blessed God for my healing when I was sick. She recalled how, when she rushed in that night when I almost fainted, she saw a look in my eyes that reminded her of when our mum was dying. She confessed she was very scared to find me that way.

I look back and I'm grateful to the Lord my Healer, the One who keeps my soul from death. I will never forget His benefits. I remember them today and I testify. Praise the Lord!

3AM THIS MORNING

I was to be picked for work at 3 this morning (because the journey to the point of departure is 2 hours and check-in is at 5). Usually, visitors have to call a number at the gate which will ring in the apartment of whoever they come for. The host will then respond and open the gate. But my hostess was asleep when the driver approached the gate. She, the chauffeur, told me she called and called an...d she got no response. Fortunately, someone was coming out of the gate and she used that opportunity to come in.

She knocked at our door about 3:10. I already had some worries in my head. "Did the transport company forget to send a driver, but it couldn't be because the booking was confirmed." Well, the van came at last and upon hearing the account of how she made her way in, my heart exclaimed some praises to the Lord.

The Lord well knew that the lady of the house would be fast asleep when the driver would come and he organized for a car to be coming out at that same time so that the van that came for me could enter. So while I was worrying, He already had it all figured out. The Lord is so thoughtful and caring. Can I ever love Him enough for His ever proactive love for me?

HE SEES ME

Thirteen days ago, I was at a park in Abeokuta, just arriving from Lagos. On alighting from the bus, I discovered that my right sandal was almost pulled off at the big toe grip point. So I started scanning around the park for a shoemaker but didn't see any neither was there any one selling flip-flops in view. I continued dragging it along. As I approached the roadside where I'd cross to the other side, the shoe finally pulled. I started looking around again for a shoemaker.

Just as the shoe pulled and I was trying to think of what to do, I heard a guy in a shed beside me calling out to me. I ignored the call because I was not sure it was meant for me. He kept calling and added "Shoemaker is here." Good gracious, my shoe pulled just at the front of a shoemaker and I didn't know!" I did see there were some men standing there from the corner of my eyes, but I didn't bother to check them out. I knew God was telling me something. I was going through a difficult time and I needed some reassurance from the Lord of His care for me. Indeed He is the Living One Who Sees Me. Lahairoi!

HE KNOWS MY NAME

And He did it again! I needed to get to the main road from an area where it is not easy to get public transport. I saw some public buses, but it was as if they were not ready to pick anyone on the road. I did not want to stay there for too long, so I prayed that the Lord would get me out of the place somehow. And He did. Few minutes after narrowly missing a bus that dropped some passengers across from where I was standing, a chauffeured jeep truck pulled up beside me and the woman at the back seat asked me to hop in. She was coming from the same place I came out from and was heading in my direction. I thought to myself:

"Lord,
You do really know my name,
You hear me when I call
And before the world began,
My life was in Your hand."

CHRISTMAS GIFT

 

‘Like the string* is stuck’, Solomon said.

‘Yes, I can observe a sudden abnormal hike in SPP*’, I replied. ‘But I’ll call rig floor to confirm’, I added.

True to our speculation, there was a pack-off* as the driller confirmed it. Strange it was to me for we were still on the surface hole section, just at the beginning of the operation. I was curious so I asked Solomon and he explained to me that it must be that the unconsolidated formation collapsed around the string and choked it. Shortly, jarring* started, and went on for the rest of the day, but no, the string wouldn’t budge.

First day passed, no string, second day no string. The only information was the client reps on board were still communicating with town to know the next step. At last, they decided on employing wireline methods to recover the tool. This would involve loading some explosive into the well and letting it off. A toolbox meeting* was held prior to the operation and I was there as a representative of my department. Some safety procedures were required before the operation could start. There was to be radio silence (meaning every equipment or gadget transmitting radio waves e.g. mobile phones, internet satellites would be switched off) till the end of the operation, no movement around the area of operation—barrier tapes would be placed across the concerned areas and were not to be crossed by any non-essential person. The boats around were to move about five miles away from the rig and blabla and blabla.

All hands on deck, the operation started and ended. However, it was not successful, the gun did not activate. I knew it was going to be a tough time for the wireline guys for two of them were my friends, so I uttered some prayers to God to help them.

As a result of the failure of the equipment, they had to repeat the operation. At that time, it was already my sleeping time. The next day was Christmas. It was a beautiful Christmas morning as it birthed the release of the whole drillstring*. I was going to the galley in the morning when I met the geologist and another man on my way, they were discussing and I overheard them that the whole drillstring came to the surface. Whao! Normally, the drillstring was expected to come to the surface in fractions with the remaining been sealed off with the hole. I was glad I prayed. ‘God you’re so good and you answer prayers’, I whispered. The recovery of the string was a Christmas gift to us on the rig, this was going to be a special rig Christmas, everyone was excited.

In the evening, during fellowship, four people shared the same testimony—the recovery of the string—how they were grateful to God for answering their prayers over the matter. You see, we can trust God for anything and tell Him everything. Nothing is too small or too big to tell God about. No problem is too technical or tough for God to solve; nothing is too difficult for Him.

 (An account of a series of events when I was on Seawolf Oritsetimehin last year December. Written today, 01/02/12)

 

*string/drilstring: the assembly of pipes and accessories used on oil rigs for drilling

*SPP: an acronym for Stand Pipe Pressure, one of the most parameters measured on oil rigs

*pack-off: a situation in which the formation in the subsurface collapse around the drillstring such that it gets stuck in the hole

*jarring: a method of freeing a stuck string from the hole to the surface, it is made possible by a component of the drillstring called ‘jar’

*toolbox meeting: a brief meeting held before every operation on oil rigs