第一章

Chapter Three

Church was a must

Sunday, the day of the Lord...

We grew up knowing, Sunday is a day of the Lord, you don’t have to go digging, etc, but you had to go to Church. Sunday was a day for church, we grew up knowing how to pray and worship. Growing up in a Protestant Church, that’s all we had ever known. And that was ok for me and my siblings. In that local Church, we were baptised and confirmed upon by the Bishop. Confirmation was one of the activities that comprised a lot of teachings and activities one had to go through, learn certain Bible basics, before you were confirmed, (as a true Christian, a grown up believer, I guess). The teaching then where conducted by the local priest, you had to prove that you had captured all the Bible precepts, before the confirmation service by the Bishop.  After the confirmation service, you would then, be allowed to start taking Holy Communion, what an achievement that was, a milestone. That was an extra ordinary achievement in the Christian walk then.  We all looked forward to being confirmed upon, so that we can gain access, to go for Holy Communion. Confirmation, is one of the activities that left the entire parish celebrating and overwhelmed. The coming of the Bishop, to a local parish, was one of the most cherished, valued activities of the year. When the Bishop is to visit, it was a blessing from above, people would come from all walks of life and from all corners for celebrations.  Cooking was carried out at Church on such kind of celebrations, other local parish where invited, a huge crowd would always turn up. We kept going to that Church, not until our mother had an encounter with the Lord, in the city where they had taken her for treatment. 

An encounter with the Lord….

An encounter with the Lord, left my Mama a different person, her life changed. 

A renown evangelist, had a ministry in the small town, where our Mama encountered Christ. I didn’t get to know the details not until I was of age. My Mama then in a critical condition, was prayed for, she accepted Christ, got saved, and received her healing. When she returned we continued fellowshipping with the local Protestant Church, because there were no born again, Pentecostal, etc., churches by then. So my Mama on several occasions, would leave and attend some teachings that helped her sustain her healing. Mama found a lot of pressure in trying to maintain her healing, because of the on going struggles at home. She kept falling back into numerous attacks, it has been a journey, to date. I would attribute her healing to the awesome grace of God and her faith that has kept her going.

My education shifts….

Between primary two to three, if I can remember right, I, my younger sister and my elder brother, where moved to our grand mother. We were moved, I believe, to acquire better education background but also to relieve Mama from constant pressure of taking care of us and yet she was unwell. Even then, I believe, it was getting tough for Mama and the coupled pressure around the family, so she opted, we get moved sooner. We would come home, at my Mama during holiday time. That went on until, I finished, I believe primary three, I remember returning when I was in primary three, that could be around eight or nine years old. Then we were returned back to my Mama home, to the local village school we ever knew. I believe we kept being moved because of the conditions we where going through, some I can’t elaborate.

Abused by my step uncle, half brother to my Mama while at my grandmas’ place, I was left with no chance but to struggle with nightmares, constant rebuke at the same time.

No body knew, what took place then, though my Mama sensed something must be going wrong. While at my then late grandmother, it was me, my brother and my younger sister. We didn’t stay there for a long time, but I think it could have been a year or so. Our late grandmother, despite her age, she was a hardworking woman, daily she went selling second hand clothes.

While at grandmother, I used to work tirelessly, more than a donkey. Woke up very early in the morning, go digging before going to school, fetch water, house work then walk to school, a couple of miles away, plus my other siblings. At the same time, we had to go to school like any other kid, by then I was, five or six years old. While there, I was innocent, very young, vulnerable, as a result of hard work, my body gave up quickly, and I fell a victim to a wicked uncle. While my body got warn out, lay helpless, I fell a victim. Our Mama used to come and visit us, once in a while and I vividly remember on one occasion. I told my mama that something is wrong while crying, though I didn’t know because he had started abusing me physically. But being young, I couldn’t understand, but I knew, something was wrong. Now, I know, he abused me sexually and he got away with it. We also had an auntie who was staying there, I remember she had divorced then the husband and returned to her mother. She was a night mare, she denied us food, worked a hell out of us, for us to survive, we had to pick up jackfruits that where thrown by the road side or in the dumpster. We would eat them along the way because of hunger. One day, our Mama got to know about all the mistreatment that was going on, and she came and took us away. I remember, she had to exchange verbally with her sister. Caution; To every parent, there is a child who is being abused by a relative on a daily basis.  

There is a child who falls a victim, being abused out there, every single night and you are not aware…….

Take care of your kids, under your care, they are safe. Caution and warning; if possible, get your kids to the safest place possible, get them out of extended families where you think they are safe and are being offered the help you real think they deserve. Your child, could be or is being abused and you will or never know, or be aware. (I was innocently being abused daily, and nobody knew, and I didn’t even know. Not until physical abuse was involved).  There is a child being abused, every single night and the family, community is not aware.  

I finished my primary school education, from the local village school and upon the return of the results, my Mama told me the worst news ever, me and my brother were going to join our then late father, who lived in a big city far away.  Hardly knowing anything, about the big city, I was full of anxiety, fear, hope that may be life would finally get better. The big city ever, I have never heard of, and we will be staying with our step mother. That sent butterflies in my womb. That was the worst news ever, that I ever heard, after that village Christmas celebration of that year. And the fateful day finally arrived to leave, the only place I had known as my own, I was about to leave it behind. Christmas in the village wasn’t a big deal, all you had to do, is have plenty of food stuff, stock up firewood, stock up water in drums and general cleaning. It was the best ever, the feeling of knowing, tomorrow is a Christmas day, was a day, long a waited through out the year. I wouldn’t exchange or love being somewhere else. But, life was about to change, either for the worst or the best. Having gone through a lot of challenges, I was ready to face another unseen battle. I was ready to fight it out, as young as I was, life was never fair to me. And yet, I wasn’t ready to give up, not now.!!