ENGAGED BY GOD
(Inspired by Drama unit PGCF)

"Oluwa gbo adua mi. Eli shikenu. (Jehovah, pay heed to my prayers)
Oba aiyeraye the only being who holds the itinerary of life's journey. I believe in you oba mi Alagbara.
Je ki iyanu re shele ninu aye mi. (Let wonders happen in my life)"
So prayed the Woli trainee as he punctuated each prayer point with a ring from his bell.

That had been his tenth prayer point that afternoon, and he had more than thirty more to go before he could release the angeli to n pin ire (angel that shares blessings) to go and bring his own blessings.

He had been fasting for twenty days now,
Had not tasted any peppery substance for more than forty days.

And had not heard any other sounds apart from the early morning chirpping from brightly feathered birds and late evening croak from the frogs who were surely in mating season.
For the male frogs raised their voices so high and sang sonorous tunes to delight their female kinds who did not reply with the same vigor.

Much like the Nigerian female who replies "kk" to a lengthy composed message of a male admirer who has been struck with the lightning bolt of love.

Much like a Nigerian lady's weak "thank you" reply given to a guy who had expended all his energy, forming Michael Power, while pushing her car to start.

Much like a Hall 2 girl's incensing "thanks" reply given after a hall 3 boy, forming E money, expends all his finance on buying Fresh bite Ice cream and pop corn for the girl and her legion friends.

________________
The Woli trainee had not yet seen any human for three months,
For he was expecting the heavenly caudron to cook up an excellent meal of promotion for him.

Perhaps a dish of transfer to the church headquarters in Lekki Lagos.
Or a sumptuous meal of transfer to become a protocol officer in the church's branch at Manchester, England.

Those were the example of the dishes that the Woli had been waiting to get with his hungered stomach as his plate.
As he had been tried and found faithful in little things.

The eternal cook read the order from his son and smiled;
Transfering two cubes of maggi into the meal which He knew, would be beneficial to His other children;
Transfering a laddle of soup to His mouth to taste the delicious work of His hands.

Then he called the angeli to n pin ire closer.

Beckoned on him to bring a cooler from the heavenly storehouse;
Transfered two scoops of ewedu into the cooler with one tough looking pomo;
Added one wrap of Amala and then sent the angel on his way to deliver the order.

The angel took the cooler and raced down to the doorstep of the Woli trainee.

Choosing to quickly drop the meal and take off, for he knew that Edumare had a way of giving humans another meal apart from the one they ordered.

Just like the way He had given one child to the mother who had earnestly yearned for triplets.

Just like He had called home a set of twins even though their mother had bathed them in anointing oil that morning before they travelled.

Just like He had made a sack letter to come the way of a man who had been 'kabashing' for a promotion letter.

And just like He had stamped that the Woli trainee would be transferred to Aiyelara village in Iseyin local government Osun state.

Indeed, God was that kind of cook and He did things according to His will which was to favour most humans.

Too bad people did not see it that way.

The Woli trainee took one look at the transfer letter and fainted.
Awoke after he had been doused with cold water, took another look at the letter and laughed out loud.

A laughter that reverberated across the room and forced his thirteen year old daughter to wonder if her father had finally gone off the bend.

Just like that time that the Woli had declared that the family would celebrate Christmas with two cows even though they did not have two chicks in their home.
Just like the time when Woli declared that the church population would grow to three hundred even though the members at that time consisted of himself, his wife, his child and one sulking boy who had forced himself to attend the church because he had seen a flower which he intended to pluck.

The Woli trainee took another look at the letter, drew two long draughts of air and shouted "Iro o". (NO)

Standing up immediately as if being stung by a soldier ant which finds the softest portions of the 'yansh' and sinks its piercers inside.

Standing up immediately like an Ijebu man who just recieves an alert that he has been debited the sum of Three hundred thousand when he knows that he sent his son to only withdraw the sum of three thousand naira; half of which was to be used in buying pepper while the other two parts were to be spent on buying tomatoes and garri Ijebu, the human ambrosia which is prepared in local factories.

Immediately, the Woli trainee stood up and began to question if the God he was serving was the true one.
Was He indeed the Agbadagburu who wields the power over all things or was He lord over some things.

Or was it that the church administrator at the central church were jealous of the way which Edumare was using him and thus used this medium to get back at him.

Or had the village witch which he had successful binded up after a fourteen days isegun revival session, unwound herself and was using his destiny to play 'tete' (gamble) again.

Or had the wizards in his village went global, acquiring sophisticated mirrors and latest game consoles with which they were now forming CIA covert operations and now controlling his life.

All these he wondered as he folded the letter and pushed it back into the brown envelope;
Swearing that he would never step his foot on any ground apart from the land filled with milk and honey.
"Iseyin ko, Ise waju ni"
He muttered in finality

Then, like the donkey which a grey haired Balaam rode upon on his way to curse thd beloved apples of Edumare's eyes,
Like the little maid servant whom Edumare used to complete the healing process of the headstrong Military general whose name was Neman,
Edumare opened the mouth of the thirteen year old daughter and filled it up with wisdom that was beyond her age.

"Baami oo.
Ewo ni mu ki inu yin baje? (My father, what makes your mind so sad).
Is it not the same Edumare who called you out of that bush we were, that is now telling you to trust Him once again.
Is it not the same Alagbara nla (powerful being) that caused the rain to fall in a sunny day when the Ogboni priestess dared you to 'pi tu owo re' (showcase your craft).
Is it not the same Olowogbogboro that saved mummy Agba when she said that two thousand witches gathered at the crossroad to take her life after she had successful converted one of their own.

That same Edumare oba Oke is sending you on a task and you are saying that you won't go.

Abi e ti gbagbe ni wipe okuta a dide lati se ise re bi omo araye ko lati gbe ga (have you forgotten that stones would rise to do His bidding if human beings state that they are bigger than Him)

Eni kan kan ko ni gba ise yin se o baami. E suure tete gbera ki a bere si n lo si Iseyin.
(No one would replace you my father. Be quick and pack your loads so that we can began out journey to Iseyin)"

The Woli trainee looked at his daughter that moment and realized the voice which was speaking.

It was that same voice that had told him to rise and dust himself up while he was passed out drunk on the village refuse dump.

It was that same voice that had told him to move without being afraid of any human born of woman and every spirit born of the devil.

It was that same voice that had strengthened him when he confronted the Ogboni priestess on that particular day.
For even though other people thought that he was as bold as a lion, he knew that a tiny drop of shit had escaped from his rectum in fear.

Beeni o.
Koju ija si iya Ogboni!
(Confront the Ogboni priestess!)

The same priestess who had hit a grown man on his head with a tiny leaf and transformed into an ewure jesu jesu (goat that eats yam)

The same priestess who had brazenly walked into the palace, slapped the king's wife for assaulting her page boy and had still being demanded an apology from the king.

The same priestess who knew the coordinates to the house of death, drank agbo with the chief priest of Sango and sometimes ate dinner in the house of the chief priest of Esu.

That was the eyan abami (inhuman human) which the Woli had dared and lived to tell the tale.

And it was all due to oba Oke's help.

"Mo ti gbo oo Olorun mi. Emi o je ipe re ni Igba gbogbo o"
(I have heard your call my God. I will answer your call at all times.)

What did he meet at Iseyin village?
How did God transform this seeming dull dish to a delightful one?

Await the other parts in PGCF drama presentation at Engaged by God.
#Bashorun

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