Diaries of Hephzibah | Part 5

How I Found a Great Treasure in a Small Book

It was in June 1986, I was so bored with myself...

At this time I was serving my nation Nigeria as a Youth Corper (NYSC)...I really wanted to be posted somewhere far but it turns out that I was posted to Oyo State and my primary assignment was in Ibadan (my birthplace)... Again? Why God? Anyway, I was asked to serve in the premier television station, NTA Ibadan...I was posted to the Continuity unit as a Continuity Announcer...that is how yours truly became a "star" overnight...

As a Continuity Announcer, I had to introduce each program including the ones in the Yoruba language...my Yoruba was awful and still is ... understandably so. I grew up in the Midwest of Nigeria! I also produced a couple of children's programs during that time.

So, there was this lady, Mrs B that kept preaching to me... see, I just left university and did not care about the life she was trying to introduce me to so I kept avoiding her conversations.

One day, as I was home bored stiff, I decided to look for a book to read to get into my fantasyland as usual. I went into my uncle's study room to look for any interesting book. Yours truly decided to read a book titled "The Power for Living" by Paul Jinadu...it was a small book compared to the ones I usually read so I finished it within a short time on my bed... At the concluding part, the author asked the reader to pray the 'sinner's prayer' and so I knelt by my bedside and prayed the prayer. Little did I know that my life had just taken a new trajectory... I got saved!!!

By the way, the book had just been presented to my uncle by one of his friends who had also just had the conversion experience (I know that was a set-up by God...the only way He can get my attention was through a book- that is why I am an author in case there is someone just like me...)

The next time I saw Mrs B., I let her know what had happened so she asked me to follow her to a Bible study meeting after work. I obliged...it turned out to be Wale Oke's Ministry (most people know this man of God, right? if not, google his name) ... I remember the meeting was outside a building and after the Bible study, they asked people to come for altar call...I went.

That was the seal to my salvation!

I remember meeting some of my university school mates during our passing out parade some few weeks later and I told them I was now born-again and one of the ladies said, "I will believe you after one year"... it's been thirty-three years or so... God did not let me go even though I failed Him many times after that...

To be continued...

Olayinka Hephzibah Ekenkwo