Baba Agba accommodated me in his house. God definitely was involved. Baba Agba was a devout Christian who never slept at night. He always prayed through out the night. That explained how he was able to see me the night I was taken to the police station by the vigilantes. The two policemen had paid me a visit by tracing me to Baba Agba’s House. The Hausa policeman had said… “ Of a truth, Jesus was with you. Kai! See how he brought you out!” He had said “ I believe God brought you to the police station to remind me of my faith, thank you!” Officer Adegoke had said “ How is the DPO’s child?” I had asked “ Thankfully, they were able to bring her out of the fire unhurt” The Hausa Officer had said “ Glory to God” I had shouted in joy…. “ That encounter made the DPO very sober, he told the parents of the boy, he couldn’t get a replacement for their son. He has been sentenced to life imprisonment” Officer Adegoke had said They had left after few hours with me. I started attending Baba Agba’s Church where I grew in the Lord. I became addicted to the Scriptures. Baba Agba told me the scriptures was the greatest tool a believer needed to grow. He told me, the Holy Spirit was there to explain scriptures to me. Favour made sure she came around every evening after work. She tried to get me a job, but I was not picked at the end of the interview. Baba Agba called me to his room one night… “ Chuks, I think the Lord doesn’t want you to go for a white collar job, I believe there is something He has planned out for you, I want you to set aside time to pray to God and find out what His perfect will for you is..” I had obeyed him and I spent my night hours praying… “ Oh lord, reveal to me your perfect will for my life in Jesus name…” After the fifth day of praying, I had a dream. I saw myself in an open field preparing Jollof rice and the aroma was so great it attracted a lot of people, but surprisingly the people it attracted were young girls and boys. Most of them looked weak, hungry, injured, tattered looking. I began to serve them the food free of charge and surprisingly as they ate, they started gaining strength…. I woke up from the dream and instantly my Spirit man confirmed to me this was the answer to the prayer I had been praying. But “ Does God want me to be a caterer, does God want me to be cooking food for children?” I kept asking myself on the bed till it was daytime when I saw Baba Agba… “ Congratulations… God has revealed your purpose to you, he wants you to feed the young children who are spiritually hungry or injured. The food you are to feed them is the word of God” he had said “ Like having a children and teenage ministry?” I asked “ Yes…!” “ But I Don’t have what it takes, I don’t even have a job, I am still squatting with you, Baba Agba, how do I go about it?” “ Don’t think about how to do it, let God lead you. Just find this set of people and feed them …” I Obeyed Baba Agba, and I started looking out for the opportunity to teach the teenagers. At Baba Agba’s church, I wanted to join the teenage department, but I was told I had to go through the 6 months Foundation and Membership class before I could be a worker. I agreed to that but Favour told me… “ I don’t believe God is sending you to the teenagers in the church, they already have enough teachers. Judging from your revelation, you are sent to the ones on the open field, the ones in the society who may not go to church. You are to take the gospel to them…” I saw sense in what she said. I drew out a plan. GARAGE EVANGELISM FOR TEENAGERS… I asked Favour to borrow me some money. I told her I was going to pay her when I got a Job. On getting the money, I rented a lot of speakers, I got a Projector to project a teenage centered Christian movie. I had prepared my message. I had rented over 200 chairs. I paid for the space. On the set day, I started with the Filmshow. No one came to watch, the chairs were empty. I kept calling the teenagers to come out to watch the amazing movie, but none came out. Although, I noticed some of them stood afar off watching. I preached to empty chairs and closed for the day. I was disappointed. I wept and felt like a fool. Favour tried encouraging me, telling me “Rome wasn’t built in a day”, and Baba Agba did buttress her point but from a different approach. “ Did God tell you to do a crusade now?, The idea is great but is this the right time, a caterer doesn’t start his/ her business by cooking for the whole community, he/ she starts by making small meals that can be sold in a day. Chuks start making small meals” At first I didn’t understand what that meant but after sitting it out I got it… I needed to start the ministry through personal evangelism; One on One evangelism. I looked around Baba Agba’s vicinity for my first project and right there before me, all these while I never thought of Gloria. The 12 year old daughter of a truck driver living beside Baba Agba’s house. I had noticed she was always very restless especially around young boys and men. I noticed she was always smiling at me, but I just thought she was just being friendly until she walked up to me one day while I was doing my Bible study in front of Baba Agba’s House. “ Uncle Chuks “ She had called me with her tiny voice. As I looked up, I became mortified as I saw her wearing a see-through top with no underwear on. She also wore a very short skirt. “ Yes, Gloria!” “ Please can you help me change the bulb in our room, I just got a new one.” She said innocently and what she was asking for was not out of the ordinary because, her father who was a truck driver who only came home during the weekends. From what I was told by Baba Agba, her mother had left Gloria and her two siblings to go Marry a wealthy man. Gloria had been taking care of her siblings since she was 6 years old as her father was an interstate truck driver. Therefore, everyone was always willing to help her as regards anything she needed adult help for. “ Can you help me?” I heard her asking again “ Sure!” I stood up and followed her. The moment I entered the one room apartment they were living, her siblings left the room like they had been told to leave the room earlier. The younger brother who was around 10 years old gave me a vicious look, before stepping out. I didn’t understand why. After they left, Gloria closed the door behind them as she handed the bulb to me. I took the small table in the room as a way of elevating myself. I was fixing the bulb when from the corner of my eye, I saw Gloria removing her clothes… I pretended not to see her, I thought she was trying to change her clothes. When I was through with the bulb, I turned to leave , then she said… “ This is my way of saying thank you and I don’t mind if you can also give me money for it. My younger ones have not eaten today” she said as she stood in front of the door. I was shocked looking at the tiny girl in front of me. I felt pained in my heart knowing this child was a victim of parental absence. I thought of what to do… “ If I tried to struggle to get out of the room, she could shout and lie I was trying to rape her..” I reasoned to myself “ Wow… I can’t do this to you, you are too young..” I said trying to make it a light situation “ No, I have been doing it for four years, it was uncle Silas that first did it with me” she said proudly “ You will enjoy it uncle Chuks, I promise you, in fact very soon, you will be the one begging me for it. “ she said like a pro as she was gradually walking towards me. Uncle Silas was a matured bachelor who was also living in the compound. He was a quiet bachelor. No one would have thought he was the one who deflowered this girl at the age of 8. How was I going to explain to this girl I was no longer like Uncle Silas. How was I going to tell her the gravity of what she was doing. I had to think fast because she was already touching me… “ I don’t have protection on me” I said “ I have..” She said, “I have worn a female protective condom…” She said proudly “ Jesus!” I exclaimed. This girl was just 12 years old “ Ok, but Baba Agba would be looking for me as we speak, let’s plan this well.” I said , but she wasn’t buying it… “ You are lying” She said “ I am not beautiful enough for you” She said “No, it’s just that, I need to prepare for this” I pecked her cheeks to give her false hope. With that she moved away from the door. By God’s grace, I stepped out of the door shouting “ Thank you Jesus!” in my heart. When I stepped out, her brother gave me the vicious stare again. I could read anger in his eyes. I wanted to tell him, nothing happened between his sister and I. As I walked back to Baba Agba’s balcony where I had been doing my Bible Study, I felt a big pain in my heart. I started tearing up seriously as I wondered how many of such children were out there in the world. Now I understood the assignment but how on earth was I going to help Gloria? I had no money to give her as a way of making her not prostitute herself for money. Secondly, from the way she behaved, sex had become an addiction for her, how was I going to make her see what she was doing was wrong?. To be continued
