A Surprise Guest at Valentine

Michael Bimbo Ojelabi, M.Sc.

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
(Mat 5: 7, Luk 10:30 34)

It was a busy time inside the living room with my friends as we undergo the final rehearsal of our Valentine Days love drama slated for presentation that afternoon at the school auditorium. Mummys distinct voice was heard as she walked through the gate and the entrance into the living room, heading for the backyard. As I concentrated on the play, I could not look her way. But, somehow and suddenly everyone started to jump and scampered for safety. I tried to figure out why, but could not. I still did not get the reason because my back was turned to mummy. I turned to greet her, and then I noticed a bent figure right behind her with face and top covered with a scarf.

Startled, I was so confused in the melee that it was very difficult to greet mummy or hold myself together. She was equally embarrassed and clearly disappointed at my clumsiness. Never mind them Auntie, just keep following me. She whispered unto the bent lady as she led her to the living apartments at the back of our main building within the compound. After their departure, we gathered ourselves together, bewildered and disturbed as to what my mother could be doing with such a clown and bent figure of a woman. Who was she? Where did she come from? What has she got to do with mother? Why should she come to our home? I was not impressed or proud of whatever must led mother to this sort of a woman, and neither were any of my friends. But because we all realized that we were running out time for the rehearsal, we quickly took off our mind from mother and her guest, and got serious with the upcoming play. Our drama presentation was well attended and generously applauded. My script and role were the main characters, and I received warm ovations from the audience. It was a great and fun-filled Valentine presentation with many young lovers and adults in attendance. Lost in the euphoria of the celebrations and the positive turn-out of our drama presentations, I headed back home in company of school-mates and neighbors. I had completely forgotten about the case of the bent woman who came into our comnpound with my mother. As I arrived home, mummy was waiting to get the report of how the Valentine celebration went. She was glad it all went agog, and everybody was happy. She then opened up to me about the stranger in our compound. Ms. Kuku was a pretty young woman married to a farmer in a distant village. They had three children a son and two daughters. She was afflicted with a strange illness that defied medical treatment three and a half years ago. Gradually it became difficult for her to stand upright and walk up straight. As her condition kept getting worse without any known cure, she was abandoned by family and relatives. Her husband ran away out of fear and lack of funds to treat his wife. The children were sent to foster homes of distant relatives and community members where they engaged in child labor for daily survival. Ms. Kukus health deteriorated further, and the villagers alerted her parents and siblings who arranged occultist treatment at the shrine of a popular herbalist.
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Rather than get better, Ms. Kukus condition got more complicate d and precarious, but she could not do anything about it as she had neither visitations nor support from her people. She accepted her fate at the herbalists, waiting for either a miraculous healing or terminal date. Some three weeks afterwards, the traditional healer died, and was buried a week later. Other patients in the healing home were collected by their people, but there was nobody to receive Ms. Kuku. Her parents and siblings believed it was a serious taboo to allow her live with them, so they kept away from her, and stopped paying her any more visits. My great grandfather, Pa Jonathan, was a foremost Christian Yoruba gentleman in his days. Grandfather Emmanuel was a wealthy Anglican community leader and close adviser to the king. He had a close encounter with the preachers of the Cherubim & Seraphim Movement of Moses Orimolade later in his life that he virtually left family and property, and embarked on a missionary journey of northern Yoruba lands of Nigeria. He later died on this missionary journey and was buried in the church yard of one of the missions he helped to establish. Dad was privileged to be trained in locomotive transport management and administration by the Americans. While training abroad, he took up the Catholic faith of his mentors and became a devoted Roman Catholic, more catholic than the Pope. He would have been knighted by the Pope had he lived a bit longer. Thus we were Roman Catholics, schooled and trained under the close tutelage of Jesuit priests and Reverend Sisters. Antonia, my elder sister traveled to Northern Nigeria, and got born again into an evangelical church movement that sprang up in Nigeria in 1973. Her attempt to introduce the new-found faith into the locality upon her return was rebuffed by the priests and laities of the Catholic faith. She was grossly persecuted by family, friends and foes. Nevertheless, she refused to buckle. Antonia set up a house caring prayer cell in our compound where people of various faiths meet regularly during the week to pray and listen to Bible teachings. While my mother would not discourage my sister from hew new found faith, she remain dedicated to her church activities and religious duties in the Catholic Church, scheming to become a Parish Woman Leader. As a respected women leader in the community and known trader, the family of the deceased traditional herbalist approached her to find a sanctuary for Ms. Kuku, saying she could probably find healing and be delivered of her many demons by the clapping society or evangelical prayer cell. It was rather out of concern and support, and not out of faith, that mother stretched out her hand of fellowship of the good Samaritan to Ms. Kuku. She thought the lady needed a home and some care, which could give out of philanthropy, but never thought of any healing miracle.

Upon her acceptance into the boys quarters of our house, the prayer cells Prayer Warriors, Bible Teachers and Evangelists descended upon Ms. Kuku and the compound at regular intervals. These guys were serious evangelists. They never got tired to preach, pray, or counsel in the way of Jesus Christ and the Holy Bible. Most of us were even wearied by their dedicated approach to convert into the way than the circumstance of the ailing guest. Over time, Ms. Kuku, who was a chronic pagan and stark illiterate, began to confess her acceptance of the gospel message. She was noticed to openly mentioned her many sins, confessed them and publicly renounced them. Though her recant were generally embarrassing to most of us in the compound, but she was unashamedly serious and sincere about them. She openly repented of her sins and sinfulness, denounced and renounced all her pagan and idolatrous life-styles and practices, and miraculously began reading the Bible in the vernacular, while confessing Jesus Christ in their congregations. By and by, the radiance of her color began to blossom and reflect. She was getting healthier by the day while most of her ailments and sicknesses started to give way and abate. Visits by her children and a couple of family member became regular. About three months after her fellowship with the prayer group, Ms. Kuku was able to stand erect and walk straight up! She was able to stand up, bend down, and get up all by herself! This was quite interesting and difficult to believe. It was a great miracle indeed. Our compound became a Mecca of sort, with people from far and near coming around to witness the bizarre wonder, look at the woman, talk with her and discuss with people who had known her in her former condition. The prayer cell grew in leaps and bounds. Mother and her children soon became regular devotees. A patch of land was ceded to the group within the family estates, upon which they erected a district church of the evangelical movement. February 14th of the following year witnessed the opening ceremony of that district church which drew prominent members from the orthodox churches, Muslims, and pagans unto Christ. My mother and I, following the steps of Nicodemus, threw away our pride and self-righteousness, met Christ without hesitations, and became born-again Christians that day. Kindness to a sick and dying pagan has led nominal Christians unto true and genuine salvation. What a surprise guest at Valentine!!!