JESUS NEEDS YOU....

Then the king will say to those on the right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’

Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitability? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you? And the King will tell them, ‘I assure you, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!  Matthew 25:34-40

The Call

This is a reminder to us all that we should not forget our responsibility towards our neighbour.  We should never be too busy for ‘good works’.  The bible clearly states that we should ‘do good (deeds)- on purpose’. Hence, we need to make out time and set out resources to consistently go out of our way to make the life of a fellow human better.

Yes, the poor will always be among us; and we will continue to care for them, because it’s our responsibility.

So what do you intend to do this Easter?

Here are a few suggestions. 

SO SAID Charity Home

SO SAID is located at Ago Palace way, Okota and it is a shelter and care centre for vulnerable persons, mentally ill and their children on the streets.   

My Encounter: A visit to So Said.

The Admin officer welcomes us, while a volunteer nurse takes over to tell us the stories of the occupants simultaneously showing us pictures that made me cringe and ask in myself, ‘what was it I said my problem is again?’.  The restored destitute sat behind the speaker (the nurse) all dressed in their Ankara, looking their best for their guests.  It was obvious, they’ve all had one big issue in the course of their lives and it is also obvious that they are seriously recovering. They are way better than what they used to be; Ever better.  This is because what these pictures reveal to me is gruesome.  The Children then came forward to sing to us and pray for us.

The different horrendous stories got me shocked and I could not help but give an outburst of how I felt.

Is it the Medical practitioner of 25years who had come home to Nigeria briefly, and then ran mad, and was left on the streets of Lasgidi, until ‘So said’ came to her rescue?  Her phon’e was still there even as she told her gruesome story.  

Or is it the former popular Apapa mad man who had been insane and homeless for 15years?

Or is the former destitute guy that was living in dirt and scum plus he had a hand that was fast rotten at the wrist and was about to come off his arm?  ‘So said’ came and took him in and yes they took him to an hospital and treated his hand. I saw the mark on his healed hands. 

‘So Said’ has 2 centers, the men’s shelter is at Ajegunle while the women’s shelter is at Ago Palace way.  They are currently building a children’s church.  The children currently stay at the women’s shelter.

The visionary heeded the call of the Lord many years ago to care for the mentally ill and their children and she has since then been doing this. She lives in the same building with these restored souls.

Aside from taking these people in and caring for them, they also help reconnect them to their families. And this is more like a graduation period for the persons from the ‘So said’ home.

So Said needs:

Funds for to build their children’s shelter

Food stuff

Clothes and other wears (for children, women and men)

Toiletries

To visit and support, Please contact:

SO SAID CHARITY HOME

45, Owolabi Street, by Lord B/Stop

Off Ago Palace Way, Okota, Lagos

Tel: DL- 08062338837, 08050679161, 07027107239

Email: so_saidnigeria@yahoo.com

Or visit their website on: www.sosaidfoundation.org

Emmanuel Prisons Evangelism Outreach (EPEO)

As Mr Emmanuel Onuorah related his ordeal of how he was wrongly imprisoned and was abandoned in a Nigerian prison, I prayed in my heart that nobody that I’ve ever known or even an enemy (though I refer no one as none) should ever find him or herself in such state.  

I can’t seem to forget a narration he gave of a typical happening in a Nigerian prison, where the president makes a call, and the numerous prisoners lap themselves in a manner which he described and that I cannot even articulate in my own words. But I got the picture... Imagine eons of able bodied men in a cramped cell and trying to create space for one man to stretch his legs *shudders*.   There is one small bucket that serves as a urinary and sewage point...

To cut the story short, Mr Emmanuel was later released after a divine intervention. He started ‘Emmanuel Prisons Evangelism Outreach’, a ministry that reaches out to  prison inmates and helps rehabilitates ex-convicts with the aim of making them better persons in and out of prison.

He said there were lots of wrongly accused persons in prison. He revealed that there are inmates who have been put there for some crime that would have required bail or a few months jail sentence if there had been a trial or due court process.  He says the men behind their ordeal come once in a while to reimburse the prison authorities so to keep these accused persons there-in prisons.

According to Mr Emmanuel: 

This vision came as a result of personal unlawful incarceration I experienced in one of our Nigerian prisons and with the attendant of inhuman conditions and stigmatization that prisoners and ex-convicts have to go through. Many of them are innocent and some are victims of circumstances. I may interest you to know that some of the missing persons announced over the media are in our prisons without any formal charge or record of their incarceration. It is with great burden and sincerity of purpose that I write to inform you of the state and condition of our fellow brothers and sisters in prisons all over Nigeria especially the ‘Awaiting Trial Inmates’. Many of them are very hungry, sick, naked and dying all because of the insensitivity and insincerity of those in authority

The mission of EPEO is:

To take care of the felt need of the inmates

To secure the release of the innocent ones

To rehabilitate ex-convicts

To prepare them for the Lord Jesus

EPEO needs your support in form of:

Foodstuff and beverages, textiles, bibles, educational materials, buses, legal aids, toiletries, medical/pharmaceuticals, finance etc.

To donate and support, Please contact:

Phone: 07038210169, 08059523575, 08065158170

Email: emmanuel@emmanuelprisonsevangelism.com

Website:www.emmanuelprisonsevangelism.com

So, I hope you now have a plan for this Easter and you’ll make it a point of duty to go out of your way to care for the needy.

Can you recognize love?

A lot of us claim we want love.  Some take the extra step of looking for it while some just sit around waiting for it to come by.  Some don’t care and have made up their minds to settle with ‘just nice’. 

In short, we want love or at least someone we love and would love us back.  But can some of us really recognize love?

Do we know what love is like?

Do we know what it sounds like and looks like despite the fact that we claim we know what it feels like?

If you don’t know what love is...

The first step is to admit that you don’t really know what love is like and to take a step to finding out instead of waiting for what you cannot recognize in the first place. 

Nevertheless, I can tell you this; Love is not just a feeling! Love is more of a verb.  It is active and faithful.  The best qualification for love is its ‘giving’ nature.  ‘Sacrifice is a proof of love’ they say.

Love may not be what you’ve experienced

 Love may not be what you have experienced in the past with men or during your childhood.  Some of us don’t really know what it’s like to be loved because we have never really had someone to genuinely love and care for us.  This is a factor that affects a lady’s judgement and choice of men.  Hence we claim she has a bad taste. Why won’t she have a bad taste if she hasn’t tasted any of the good stuff?

Look back at your past and do a thorough check and correction.

You should be careful of not letting your past experiences affect your recognition system, judgement and acceptance regarding love.

This is so you don’t push love away when it comes your way. You should not use your wrong past experiences to determine what love should be like.  If you don’t know you should seek for answers. 

Stop criticizing love especially when it comes your way. Stop hating on it.  Give love a chance in your life.  Stop being afraid of accepting ‘normal’ and ‘right’. If it’s kind, gentle, understanding...If it cares, protects, and provides; that’s normal and right.  Don’t turn your back on it.  Appreciate and embrace it.  Don’t frustrate it or strangle the life out of it.  Let it live.  Be open to it.  Do not be afraid. Remember life itself is full of risks.  

Be conscious of your actions and reactions. Take mental notes of unfriendly speech, gestures and actions so you can correct them. 

How to love...

It is a conscious effort.  There are many times it’s not as simple as ABC. That is why it should not be based on ‘feelings’ alone.  To love right, you need some true love in you.  If you don’t know how to, you have to learn. Because giving back is essential and it’s kind of difficult to give back what you don’t have.

Give love

Don’t hoard it.  Don’t say ‘it feels dumb’ to love back.  Don’t think you are being stupid when you do love back. Do not hesitate to give back.  Sacrifice and show love.

If you are the type that is used to giving and not getting

You are a human being. You need love to survive well.  Accept Love.  Let someone love you- too. Let him make sacrifices for you.  Stop playing ‘superwoman’.  Accept being pampered. 

Scared of love?

Whether because of fear of the unknown, heartbreak, helplessness, or losing one’s self - there is still no valid reason why you should keep being afraid for so long.  You have to deal with it sooner or later.

In true love, fear should not be found.   How long will you run from what you know you need to survive?   Yes it can seem too good to be true, so test it.  And if it is true, embrace it.

You might be wondering, ‘can it really be for real’?  Do ask questions but don’t ponder for so o o long. Did I mention that e fit waka comot when him don wait tire? 

So stop killing Love

Be true to your heart.  Stop trying to suppress or kill love. Stop the habit now. You deserve to be happy. Cute, understanding, committed, accepting, kind, and ‘i go die there’ ....can happen to you. And when it does, don’t get your ‘this is too good for me’ knife to stab it. Instead think ‘why not?’ and try to enjoy the ride.

Embrace God’s Love

God’s love for us is the most perfect and is a true model for us on how to love.  He’s the one who loved us first and he does not hesitate showing and proving to us how much he does love us. The bible says he is so mindful of us, that the hairs on our heads are numbered.  Jesus is the most precious gift of love from God to us.

God is the author of love-the ultimate lover. A healthy relationship with him will help us and teach us how to love unconditionally.