Fig I
The Story
“Mum, can I go and play with Daniel and other kids?” Mide asked. Mrs Olowoyeye looked at her beloved son with surprise and slowly nodded in affirmation. She watched her son as he proceeds to the next block which belongs to the Akanbis’. Mrs Akanbi’s always welcome kids in the neighborhood on Saturdays. Sweet enough, the kids return home with a word from the scripture as a watchword for the coming week.
Sometimes Mrs Olowoyeye would watch the kids play at the Akanbis’ compound and wished her son was with them. **Who knows if being with peer group would make him get over his father’s death, she ruminated. Mide had been cold and withdrawn since he lost his dad.
Mr Olowoyeye was a very successful and upright man in the Immigration force and a born again Christian. Despite his busy schedules, he made out time to pray for his family, especially Mide his son , he wished and prayed fervently for salvation of his family before his sudden death.
The effect of his sudden death was so bad on Mide as he becomes a Sadist and finds it so hard to relate with friends and family. So when he suddenly asked to go and play with other kids, his mom obliged without hesitation. This might be the freedom he wants for him, she thought.
Few minutes after Mide left the house, Mrs Olowoyeye noticed the silence the swept through the Akanbis’ compound. She peeped through the window to see if nothing had gone wrong but to her surprise, Mrs Akanbi’s son Daniel had gathered the kids and was talking to them reading from the Bible in his hand which showed he was preaching to them.
Can a child as young as Daniel do this? She marveled. The sight of her son calmly seated and listening also amazed her. Curious, she came out of her house and walked slowly across the lawn towards the children. She sat down and listened too. Her presence didn’t scare the boy Daniel as he continued with his salvation message.
She wanted to know what an 8yrs old had to say. He quoted a verse of the Bible: “But as many received him, to them he gave power to become the children of God, even to them that believe on his name” {John 1:12} and with that he encouraged them to give their lives to Christ which they all responded positively to including Mrs Olowoyeye so he led them to Christ through the prayer of repentance
Mrs Akanbi was watching all along from the kitchen and so she came out to where the kids and Mrs Olowoyeye were gathered. She was overwhelmed to see how vast her child had grown in Christ and how God has used him to lead others to the Lord. Mrs Olowoyeye couldn’t help but ask, “ How did you do it ?”
Mrs Akanbi replied, “Lead them to Christ early; they are not too young to be taught the way of God” {Proverbs 22:6 .... Teach a child the way he should go and when he’s old, he will never depart from it}
Fig II
Image sources:
Fig I