My husband is not a pastor but a riitualiist – Episode 30
When I arrived home, I didn’t want him to return and find me in the master bedroom, so I went into the guest bedroom. I lay on the bed to rest for a while, pondering everything that had happened that day and waiting for him to satisfy my curiosity.
I heard his voice in the parlour around 8 pm when I had already fallen asleep. I jolted from the bed and went out to greet him.
He told me he had come back late because he had stopped by with some pastors to see Alfred and to make plans for his wife’s burial, Judith.
I followed him into the master bedroom. Throughout the discussion, he sounded like someone who knew absolutely nothing about what had led to the death of Judith.
I kept listening, marveling at his calmness as he spoke. He didn’t sound guilty about the tragedy he spoke of. He told me he hadn’t forgotten his promise that when he was done bathing, he would continue the story from where he had stopped the previous night.
My palms became wet, and I sat down on the bed, waiting for him to freshen up and continue the story. I thought of recording whatever he was going to say, but I was scared he might find out, so I didn’t.
In less than 30 minutes, he wrapped up, wore his navy blue pajamas, and sat to my right on the bed. He seemed more relaxed and unbothered in contrast to the previous night when he had first begun the story.
Since I had taken an oath of silence, he was more comfortable telling me every detail of everything he had ever done, knowing it would die with me. He appeared confident despite about to confess something he should be ashamed of.
“Where did I stop last night?” he asked.
“You overheard your pastor, his wife Grace, and Frank discussing in his office about sponsoring the education of your siblings all through high school and college if they could later afford to do so,” I replied.
“Good, I just wanted to know if you still remember where I stopped,” he said.
“Since they were still discussing it among themselves and hadn’t told me officially, I tried to contain my joy so that it wouldn’t seem like I was eavesdropping.”
“A few minutes later, they all turned toward me, their faces beaming with joy and gladness. ‘Peter, come over,’ my pastor said, and I left my siblings on the couch and went to meet them.”
“We thank God for healing and restoring the health of your three siblings. By the grace of God, the church is experiencing massive growth after the crusade, and as part of our devotion to using our growth for the glory of God, we’ve decided to sponsor the education of your five siblings throughout high school.”
“And if, by God’s grace, we continue to grow, we could also sponsor them through college. We hope that by doing this, your burdens will be greatly reduced, and you will be able to focus on achieving your dreams,” he added.
“I was quite speechless and didn’t know what to say. I went on my knees and managed to say, ‘Thank you, Sir. God bless you, Sir. Thank you so much, Sir.'”
“He held my hands and kept asking me to stand up. ‘You don’t have to do this, please stand up. It’s the handiwork of God, not me. Please stand up, Peter,’ he said, and I stood up, feeling so emotional, almost as if I would cry.”
“From that day onwards, the church took care of me and my siblings, making sure we never lacked food. They kept their promise and enrolled my siblings in lessons for six months so that they could learn the basics because they were old enough to have started primary school.”
“My pastor didn’t want them to begin from scratch because they would find it difficult to cope, given that they hadn’t attended school early. So, he wanted them to acquire some foundational knowledge before officially enrolling them in school. After six months, they were admitted to the same primary school.”
“I had already finished high school at that time, and I understood why I wasn’t part of the scholarship. It would have cost my pastor more than they had budgeted if they also wanted to sponsor me in college.”
“I had resumed work as a bricklayer during those six months when my siblings began their lessons. Every morning, as they went to learn, I would head to work.”
“Seeing how well my pastor took care of us, the thought of becoming rich through questionable means began to fade away. I became more dedicated to the work of God. I no longer saw Mr. Frank as an enemy but as a role model.”
“I started getting closer to him and began to wish I could become like him. I attended almost every prayer meeting and became more dedicated to God.”
“I heard about a construction company that needed laborers. I offered myself and fortunately was chosen from among the hundreds who applied. I left the bricklaying job and became one of the company’s masons.”
“As I embarked on my journey as a laborer in the construction company, I knew there was more to the construction world than just laying bricks and mixing mortar.”
“The idea of studying Civil Engineering part-time at a polytechnic had been on my mind, and I finally took the leap to write the JAMB exam. I was extremely excited when I received admission the following year.”
“With my admission secured, I faced the dilemma of balancing work and studies. I mustered the courage to speak to my manager about adjusting my work hours to fit my class timings. I was pleasantly surprised when my manager agreed to the flexible arrangement.”
“Armed with this newfound flexibility, I delved into the world of engineering, attending classes, and then returning to the construction site to apply what I was learning in real-life scenarios.”
“The journey was never easy. Over six years, I became a master of time management, juggling construction tasks, classes, and endless study sessions. Our house transformed into my college as I pondered over blueprints and equations.”
“At that time, my siblings were about to graduate from high school. The continuous support of my pastor and the church, not only to my siblings but also to me, fueled my determination.”
“After six years of unwavering dedication, I finally stood at the crossroads of success, graduating with a National Diploma (ND) in Civil Engineering. I realized that my journey had transformed me into more than just a skilled laborer; I had become a qualified engineer who could bridge the gap between the practical and theoretical aspects of construction.”
“Immediately after graduating, I was promoted to a construction supervisor at the same construction company where I worked, and my life took a new turn from that day onwards.”
“At that time, our church had experienced such massive growth that we were building a headquarters church capable of accommodating at least 30,000 worshippers, and the project was nearly completed.”
“Because of this tremendous growth, many new branches were established, and the church needed more pastors. Since I had just graduated, our pastor told me he would like me to pastor one of the branches. He gave me one week to pray and think about it and get back to him.”