Storyline Fall 2020

A Safe Place
I met Jesus at the age of 10 years. A deep
faith in the Saviour was nurtured in me, and
Jesus truly became my forever Friend. As
time went on, I had one desire: to please
Him. My place of friendship with Him was
where I felt safe, accepted, and content. Then
as I grew in years, I started to feel the need
to assume more responsibility for my faith. I
felt I had to somehow prove my faithfulness
and my worth. Every time I lived in obedience
to Christ’s commands, I felt I was ticking the
box labelled ‘worthy;’ that I was working
out my faith, and that I was good enough to
receive God’s favour. I felt safe.
A Turn in the Journey
The year 2003 started out really well for
me and I believed I was enjoying that ‘good
place’ in my faith. I was aware I had been the
recipient of a couple of miracles; my father
had given his life to Jesus, my parents were
experiencing deep healing in their marriage
relationship, and Tomi and I had received
news that we were expecting twins. Little did
I know what awaited us. On April 3, 2003, my
uncle called me to tell me he had some news
from Nigeria where my parents lived. He told
me that my dad had been murdered during
an armed robbery. It is difficult to express
what that conversation was like, but I am
sure some people can relate.
Shortly after my dad’s funeral, Tomi and I
went through a miscarriage. I remember
praying and asking God for a miracle that
day, but it did not happen.
In His mercy, God gave us our first child in
2004 – it was amazing! But the years which
followed proved to be challenging for various
reasons. Some of my difficulties were the
result of the expectations I placed on myself
and my image of success, of which I fell
short. I felt that I was failing as a parent and
as a wife, and I found no fulfilment in the
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