TEST CASE 1
The day is Tuesday, 15th January, 2019.
We had all just resumed back to our respective PPAs. In fact, it was the 2nd day of resumption in our respective schools. As a custom, as tradition, as a way of life, as an avenue to grow in Christ, Tuesdays (5pm-6pm) have been set aside for Prayer meetings in the NCCF family house. During the course of my stay in the house, I can’t remember myself missing a single day of this meeting. And overtime, I came to cherish, and enjoy these days…and as such I do not joke with days like this. Despite my fondness of Tuesdays meetings, despite the refreshing that I’ve enjoyed in the past from this meeting, nothing, absolutely nothing, prepared me for what happened on this day.
The prayer meeting had been quite cool, and quiet. The atmosphere was nothing like that of the previous week — The atmosphere from the previous week was charged! Electrifying! Permit me to say, Mental!!
For a reasonable portion of the prayer meeting, all that kept running through my mind was: “wetin dey happen today? ginger no dey like last week”. All the while, I didn’t trust (or know) that the Holy Spirit was working. And with that, I learnt a major lesson.
After the relatively “subdued” meeting, we welcomed a female corper who was worshipping with us for the 1st time. While one of us was interacting with, and welcoming her, she requested to see one of the fellowship leaders. Step forward, ETO! As per one of the principal officers wey I be, I stepped forward, and I joined the conversation.
The next thing this lady said surged into the deepest parts of my body, flesh, and bones. She said that, and I am paraphrasing here, for the first time in a long while, she felt a desire to genuinely fellowship with God. She talked about how she felt the presence of the Holy Spirit in her — something she hadn’t felt for quite a while.
When she mentioned this, my mind went: “Bruh!! No be this same prayer meeting wey I dey query be this? Wetin we do for today prayers na? We no do anything na. How come someone is saying today’s meeting had an effect on her?” — I was shook!
She went on to narrate how fire, and zeal, for the things of God had slowly quenched after the death of a loved one. I and my man went on to counsel, and encourage her.
That testimony was a major lift for me! Major!! And I learnt a very important lesson that day — feelings are largely irrelevant in the workings of the Spirit. And it shouldn’t dictate our faith in God (and his word!), as well as the working(s) of the Spirit.
Quote: “Just as Numbers don’t care about feelings, Scriptures doesn’t care about feelings”
TEST CASE 2
The day is Monday, 5th November, 2018.
On this day, I had an extremely unusual, and faith lifting experience. An experience I can never forget in my lifetime. Never! I fear that narrating it won’t be enough for many to understand the depth of this testimony. You have to experience it to understand! It was a whole new dimension for me! Next level stuff!!
Stress finally caught up with me, on this day. Combining my duties as the ZLO (Zonal Liaison Officer) of the fellowship, together with PPA duties as well as another private teaching job began to tell on me. That evening, I was tired. Body was growing weak. Told myself that after dinner, I was going to crash, and fall into a very deep sleep. All I wanted was rest! Time for dinner came…and I ate my food (around 9pm). I rested a bit. And true to my word, I went in search of sleep as I lay on the bed. Lo, and behold, sleep betrayed me. Of all the days to betray me, it chose that time. I was weak, I was tired, head was aching…and I needed to sleep! Almost 11pm, and I was not any closer to sleeping than I was at 9pm. After battling the restlessness, I stood from the bed, left the room, and went to the veranda.
The air was cool. The weather was nice. I found a chair to sit. As I took in the soothing fresh air, I laid my head on the railing in the veranda. In my heart, I pleaded for sleep to come — I was aching all over. In the midst of this, I burst out in songs. I had not intended for this to happen…but it just began. I just began to sing. I was singing Spiritual songs. I sang in a very low-pitched voice. I kept singing…and singing. As one song ended, a new song popped; it was seamless. Desire to worship began to well up in me. I was phasing from spontaneity to intentional worship. Right there, where I sat worshipping, the most remarkable thing happened to me. I saw a name. It was a feminine name. My first instinct was to drop what I was seeing, and continue to worship — I had never had such experience before, so man was seeing it as a distraction — but I kept seeing the name. There was a conviction in my heart to hold on to that name. And almost immediately, I saw two other names (a masculine name, and a unisex name). Not long after that moment, I stood up energized, stepped into the main compound, and burst out in some quality and intense worship. This time, I was loud — I probably disturbed some of the family house members already sleeping.
See, I could not explain the joy I was feeling while I was worshipping. I could not explain where the songs I was singing were coming from. Songs that I had not heard or sang in like forever were popping left, right, and centre. Crucially, I could not explain where this new found strength came from. It was surreal!! Throughout this glorious event, I had not thought to check the time; I was enjoying myself. And when I eventually put out my phone to check, it was some minutes to 1am.
The following day, during our morning devotion in the family house, I told my people about the names I saw, that they should pray for them, and commit them into God’s hands. The rest of that week was such a painful, and beautiful one for me (Painful because, I was terribly ill for the rest of the week. Beautiful because, on the 7th, my birthday, my people surprised me with a Birthday celebration in the house despite the ailment — God bless those people).
This experience was made more remarkable when, on the 12th of November, 2018, I and some selected persons went to the Akwa Ibom NYSC orientation camp to pick new corps members who were posted to our LGA. Imagine my entire shock when I heard the name of one of the Corpers we were about to take to our LGA. You guessed right. Her name was the feminine name I had seen the week before. It was even more significant to me that no other person amongst the corpers we picked bore that name. See, I almost lost it, but as one of the leaders, I had to keep my cool. It was mental!!
Ever since that experience, the boldness I exude to give Word of Knowledge, Word of Wisdom, or Prophecies entered a new dimension.
I hadn’t realized it before, but looking back, I see that God always tried to deliver a key message to me — feelings are largely irrelevant in the workings of the Spirit. And it shouldn’t dictate our faith in God (and his word!), as well as the workings of the Spirit.
The aforementioned test cases are microcosms of my entire experience as a youth Corper in Akwa Ibom State. No sugarcoating, no intention to console, no jokes, no whatever, the service year was an awesome year for me! It was a profound year for me. I had not expected it to happen, but it happened anyway. I experienced personal healing, and growth! — Love growth, Intellectual growth, Emotional growth, Leadership growth (Call me, NCCF ABAK ZLO! LOL! ), Generosity growth (you people, I gave o! I gave! Jesus, I gave! where the generosity came from, I know not), and most importantly, Spiritual Growth (in this regard, I hit new dimensions in word, and in the workings of the Spirit. Literally, my eyes were opened. I asked myself where I had been all the while. My prayer life hit new levels. Come and see manifestations of ministry gifts.)!
As this write-up is inspired by the Holy Spirit, I will quickly and briefly touch on two things I am being led to talk on:
NIGERIA CHRISTIAN CORPERS’ FELLOWSHIP (NCCF)
I had not heard of NCCF, until I was leaving for orientation camp. I never had an idea that such community existed in the country. Imagine this: about a year ago, I didn’t know a body like this existed, but right now, I dey carry this body for my head. What a difference a year can make.
NCCF blessed me in immeasurable ways. IMMEASURABLE! It provided a platform for anyone who genuinely sought to grow Spiritually. For me, apart from Spiritual growth, NCCF provided something extra: improved leadership skills!! And it’s on that note I say this: NCCF is beyond house rules (this one is even the minutest of what the body is about. Very minute), and the gathering of saints — there’s much more to learn when you associate yourself with that community.
One of the multiple things that intrigued me about NCCF was the commitment of Corpers towards community development, souls of indigenes, and fellow corpers. This trait was very evident in Rural Rugged Evangelism (reach out, and soul winning) programs. I actively participated in Four editions of this (Three State Rural Rugged Evangelism, and One Zonal Rural Rugged Evangelism). In each edition, there was consistency in love, passion, commitment, giving, and sacrifice. I saw people who, despite the seemingly uncomfortable (rural) environments they found themselves in, gave all they had for the benefit of indigenes. I saw genuine desire to impact, and transform souls.
There are many things I’d love to unpack about this body, and if I ever come around to writing a book about my service year, tales about NCCF will probably make about 80% of the book. Literally, this was my life for an entire year — service!
Major Lesson from being part of this family: “Whether or not you believe in the efficacy of Salvation, there are people who are genuinely looking to accept this Gospel in its wholeness.”
NIGERIA YOUTH SERVICE CORPS (NYSC)
Lol! Lol! Lol!
I reckon there’s nothing I’d say about this scheme that you don’t already know.
NYSC na scam! Actual scam!
You see, in its purest form, the scheme is such a wonderful, and thoughtful thing, as thousands, maybe millions, of people have benefited greatly from it…but the nepotism, the corruption that has eaten, and still eating, deep into it has severely damaged this structure. Before I got posted, I had heard of the despondent state of this structure. In fact, some of these stories made me dread service year. Despite this, nothing quite prepared me for the depth of decadence this scheme has endured. You have to be in the system to understand how bad it is. Stories alone won’t be enough. Kai! God safe us.
Meanwhile, BREAKING NEWS:
If you are genuinely hoping the Nigerian Government brings to an end what has become a very leavened system, please, biko, stop holding your breath. It’s not happening in another decade. Forget it. All you can do is hope the Government is sensible enough to carry out a total restructuring of the scheme.
SUMMARY
There’s so much I want to say. There remaineth much more stories, and tales to be told of my service year in Abak, Akwa Ibom State.
Without exaggerating, this one year has been my greatest year yet. I had started the service year with some emotional baggage, and I found healing. I started the service year with a stunted spiritual growth, and I found unprecedented growth (I flew!!!). I experienced love, I enjoyed peace, I understood sacrifice, I had some sense of purpose, I became a legend, and I had fun!!!
I look forward to writing a book that details most of my experiences right from Day Zero to Day One in Orientation Camp to…my last day as a Youth Corper. Each day, each week, each month, each quarter provided its own share of unique, and memorable challenge. — I am hoping I find the resources to encourage me write and publish a book on this. If I do, all of you are in for a massive treat!!
GRATITUDE
The reason NYSC was cool for me was primarily because of the people I met, and encountered. People that changed the scope of my thinking, contributed to growth, and took proper care of me — In this regard, special gratitude to Isifeh Kizito, Laya Richard, Omenka Confidence, Adelusi Temitope, Akinyemi Mabel, Okahia Obiagheli, Onabanjo Oluwakemi, Alese Tolulope, and the entire NCCF Abak Family. These ones chooked me word, and took proper care of me (especially when I was gravely ill). God bless their souls.
There were also friends (and a following on twitter) who, during the course of my service, became Kingdom financiers, and contributed to the work we did at NCCF — Thank you @Rubie_TT, Ojoodide Dara, Alagbe Oluwatosin, Adebisi Tobi, Ogunlusi Emmanuel, Bolaji Timilehin, Oyefeso Gbemileke, Idowu Damilola, and the entire Zeners Testosterone team. (meanwhile, Zeners Testosterone is the greatest WhatsApp group of all time!! Those men provided unreal humor for me. Insane one!! Elite banter every now and then!! There were days I was mentally fatigued, sometimes angry, and I’d just enter the group, read chats, engage in one or two football bants, unwind, and regain sanity.)
I am also grateful to my parents, and Pst. & Mrs Sanya. You need to see how supportive they were anytime I talked about some of the work we were doing at NCCF. The support was mental! Kai!
The sun has set on this episode of my life. All that’s left now is to Zanku myself and lift my body to where the sun is about to rise.
Abasi Sosongo…
“The work is done… I’m thankful. Because now I know what I must do…”
