L O L A T E W E

Fit F
P u rp o se
 This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form,
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otherwise—without prior wri en permission of the publisher.

This is partly a work of fic on. The characters, incidents and

loca ons portrayed, and the names herein are fic ous, and any
similarity to or iden fica on with the loca on, name, character or
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uninten onal

ISBN: 978-978-965-407-9

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FIT
/fɪt/
Of a suitable quality, standard, or type to meet the required purpose
Synonyms: suitable, good enough, relevant, per nent, apt,
appropriate, suited, worthy, befi ng proper, right.

PURPOSE
/ˈpəːpəs/
The reason for which something is done or created or for which
something exists.
Synonyms: inten on, aim, objec ve, goal, desire, wish, usefulness
outcome, end, plan, benefit.

CONDEMNATION
\kän-ˌdem-ˈnā-shən\
The expression of very strong disapproval.
The ac on of condemning someone to a punishment; sentencing.
Synonyms: cri cism, cas ga on, stricture, denuncia on, damna on,
opprobrium, reproof, disapproval, disapproba on.
GUILT
\gilt\
A feeling of worry or unhappiness that you have because you have
done
something wrong, such as causing harm to another person.
The fact of having commi ed a breach of conduct especially
viola ng law and involving a penalty.

The state of one who has commi ed an offense especially

consciously.

Feelings of deserving blame especially for imagined offenses or from

a sense of inadequacy.

A feeling of deserving blame for offenses.

BOOKS BY LOLA TEWE

The Preferred Life

The Father's Girls
Fit for Purpose
 Fit F
Purp o se
…Seeing yourself through the Father's eyes

L O L A T E W E
CONTENTS
Dedica on
Acknowledgments
Introduc on

1. The Scary Dream 12

2. Looking for Jesus 16
3. The Birthday Celebra on 19
4. Freshman 26
5. The Misunderstanding 30
6. The Makeup 45
7. The Allergy 48
8. The Discovery 52
9. The Call 55
10. A Beau ful Beginning 66
11. Satan The Accuser Of The Brethren 69
12. You Are Called 72
13. Its All Up To You 74
14. Figh ng Tempta ons 77
15. You Are Not Alone 80
16. Arise & Shine 84
 DEDICATION
This book is dedicated to anyone yearning to touch the Father’s
heart. God s ll loves you and His plans for your life are irrevocable.
They have not changed.
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

If I was to acknowledge everyone who has contributed towards this

project, I believe it would take a li le more than the number of pages in
this book to do so completely.
My apprecia on goes to all the people too numerous to men on, who
invested their me and energy at different stages of this project. I
would however like to acknowledge a few people.

To my editor, Sharon-Ann Adaigbe of Stratum Pages - Thank you for the

support and for choosing to work with me on this project. I sincerely
appreciate it.
My special thanks goes to Damilola Adebayo and Vida Ifebigh for
taking out the me to proofread the manuscripts

To my coach, Lanre Olusola and my OLCA family - I say a big thank you
for the encouragement I received from you throughout this project.
To my best friend, confidant and darling husband, Olujimi Tewe and my
two foremost adorable fans in the whole world, Ayomikun and
Timisayo - I love and appreciate you guys for enduring many nights of a
present but unavailable wife and mother.

To my God and Creator - This would not have been possible if you did
not think about me and send me to this world with an assignment. I
owe everything to you.
 INTRODUCTION

This book is about Elaine.

I met Elaine as a very young girl. She was very pre y, jovial, wi y and
smart. She was a delight to be with. We spent quite some me
together in her younger days, and for someone that young, Elaine was
full of great dreams. She always thought and talked about how she
would grow up to be famous and travel round the globe. She loved to
be in her imaginary world where everything was possible.

Elaine wasn't an only child; she had siblings, and other rela ons who
lived in the same house; I was one of them. It was like “no Elaine no
Family”, she was always good company. Every me Elaine got back
from school, she would run into my room, a room we both shared, and
tell me everything that happened in school that day. I knew her friends,
teachers, her favourite subjects, and the ones she didn't like; especially
maths. She had issues with maths and received several rebukes
because of it. Extra lessons also didn't help as she grew worse by the
day. In spite of this challenge, there was one thing that flowed naturally
with Elaine – Joy.

Elaine was a joyous child. She was so joyful that her dad called her Joy-
Joy. What a joy! She made up songs in her head and usually danced
without a care in the world. Oh!, how I loved this girl.
As she grew older, Elaine began to discover herself. She wasn't
someone you would call an intelligent child, but she had a good heart.
She loved to care for people and dreamed that one day she would
make her own mark on humanity.
 CHAPTER 1

AS c  y
D r e a m
“
Sonyaaa! Sonyaaa!! Sonyaaa!!!” It was Elaine's ny voice calling out to
me. She did this whenever she knew I was home. The school bus had
just dropped her off, and seeing my car in the parking lot, she screamed
my name like she always did, “Sonyaa! Sonyaa!!” As soon as I heard her voice, I
ran from the bedroom and hid behind the kitchen door trying to play hide-
and-seek. Her backpack thudded as she dropped it on the dining table, and ran
to the bedroom hoping to see me there. From the kitchen, I could hear her
move from one room to the other screaming my name as she went around.

Nanny Jane, and asked, “Where is my Sonya?” “I don't know,” replied the
nanny who had a finger to her lips, so Elaine would keep quiet and pointed to
where I stood behind the kitchen door. Seeing her through the space created
by the door hinge, I froze since I didn't have enough me to ptoe anywhere
else.

“Sonya! Sonya!! I see you.” said Elaine giggling, and with that she leaned on
the door so she could press me against the wall. I screamed in excitement and
pleaded for her to let me go but she didn't.

“Pre y please,” I said. “No,” she replied s ll giggling. With a li le effort,

12
I shoved my captor off the door, and I was free in an instant. “How are you my
darling? How was school today?” I asked. “I missed you Sonya,” Elaine said,
hugging me. “I missed you too, Elaine.” I replied. With that, we went into our
bedroom to talk some more.

“Sonya” Elaine called out. “Yes?” I replied, stroking her hair as we both laid on
the bed staring at the ceiling. “Am I weird?” she asked. “No, you're not” I
replied, wondering why she asked the ques on. “I feel weird some mes… my
friends tell me there's something different about me,” she said. “Did
something happen at school today?” I asked, trying to make sense of her
ques on. “No,” she said, exhaling like someone who was burdened with
much.

Seeing how worried she was about her friends' impression of her, I leaned on
an elbow so I could see her eyes and said; “Elaine, I want you to know this –
you are special regardless of what your friends think about you or how they
make you feel.” “Thank you Sonya,” she said with a sigh of relief. I could see the
spark return to her eyes. “You must be hungry now Elaine; why don't you wash
up and come join me on the dining table for lunch?” I said, prodding her to get
up. “Okay!” She responded gleefully as she jumped off the bed and hopped
toward the bathroom.

It was Tuesday, and Nanny Jane had prepared Elaine's favourite meal, pasta
garnished with prawns, sausages and some green vegetables. It looked
delicious. Running down the stairs and seeing the mouth-watering meal on
her plate, Elaine started her usual one-minute dance display while Nanny Jane
and I watched:

13
 Don't you wish your nanny could cook like mine?
Don't you wish your nanny was hot like mine?
Don't you wish your nanny could cook like mine?
Don't you!!!
A er the grand performance, she moved to her plate of pasta, took in a
mouthful, and said “Hmmm, tasty, thank you Nanny Jane”. “Thank you too my
darling,” Nanny Jane replied. “No one sings and dances for me like you do, not
even your Aunty Sonya” she added, beaming with smiles. We all chuckled and
sat down to savour the meal before us.

*********************************************

Beep Beep. That was the sound of a text message coming into my phone and
it was from Kelly, a colleague at work. “See you in twenty minutes,” the
message read. “What!!!” I screamed; I had completely forgo en about the
date. I dashed into the bathroom, had a quick shower, and was done in forty
minutes.Kelly picked me from home and we went to a restaurant to have an
early dinner and stayed there the whole evening. We talked about work,
about life, and about everything. Kelly had been transferred from the regional
office to head my team, and from the first day we met, there was a connec on
between us.

Kelly had just broken up with his long- me girlfriend and this was having a toll
on him. We had a few more drinks, and we were on our way.
When I got back home, I no ced that the light in the room was on, so I ran up
the stairs. Elaine sat up as I opened the door. “Why aren't you asleep dear?” I
asked. “I can't sleep Sonya,” she responded. “I had a dream.” “Really? Tell me

14
about it,” I said. “I saw Jesus in my dream!” Elaine exclaimed. “I was with
Paula, Tracy and Mabel having lunch and talking, then I saw Him.” “He walked
towards me, sat on the empty seat beside Tracy and looking at me, He said,
“Come with me…” As He was about to say the next word, Nanny Jane woke
me up. I haven't been able to sleep since then.”

“What does the dream mean, Sonya?” Elaine asked as we both sat on the side
of the bed with her head on my shoulder, and her two hands wrapped around
my neck.
“Hmmm...” I sighed. Unwrapping her hands so that I could look her straight in
the eye, I said “Elaine, you just had an encounter with Jesus.” “You are special
Elaine and I think he wants to use you big me.” “But I didn't hear the other
things he had to say,” interjected Elaine. “It doesn't ma er dear; I think he has
your a en on already. You will be fine.” I said in return. “As you get closer to
Him, He would tell you the other things He needs you to know.”

I said that to her that night, but she s ll wished she had heard what He had to
say to her. “Elaine, you need to get some sleep now,” I said hoping to get her to
sleep. “Nanny Jane will be here in a few hours to get you ready for school” I
said. “Okay Sonya,” she replied reluctantly as she got on the bed and covered
herself up.

I got into bed as well, and it was me for me to relive my evening with Kelly.
The evening had been good, and I enjoyed every bit of it. Kelly and I had only
been friends for about seven weeks, and I found him to be intelligent, wi y
and hard-working. “I like him,” I said to myself and with a smile on my face, I
rolled over to my side of the bed and pondered on our budding friendship.

15
 CHAPTER 2

Looking F
Jesus
“
Elaine darling, where are you?” I could hear Aunty Kate's voice on the
corridor. “Good morning Aunty Kate” I echoed back. “Elaine slept in my
room; she couldn't sleep off alone,” I added.

Aunty Kate and Uncle Mark are Elaine's parents. I had just moved into town
from the suburbs and had nowhere to stay when they asked me to come and
stay with their family about 5 years ago. Aunty Kate was my mum's colleague
before re rement, and so they had no challenge taking me in.

“Good morning Mum,” said Elaine walking past me to hug her mum. “Good
morning darling, I heard you couldn't sleep last night. What happened?”
asked Aunty Kate. “It's a long story mum,” said Elaine. “I'm all ears,” replied
her mum.

“I saw Jesus in my dream!” said Elaine. “Really? Tell me about this dream” said
Aunty Kate, looking at me in amazement. “I was with Paula, Tracy and Mabel
having lunch and talking, then I saw Him,” relayed Elaine. “He walked towards
me and sat on the empty seat beside Tracy, and looking at me, He said “Come
with me…”, and as He was about to say the next word, Nanny Jane woke me
up.”

16
“Hmmm...” sighed Aunty Kate, squa ng to look into her daughter's eyes.
Then she said “Elaine, you are very special”. “I am your mum, and I am yet to
have a personal experience with Jesus like you just did; I think He wants to use
you for something special and unusual.” “I will con nue to pray for you my
darling. Now you need to hurry up and get ready for school”

Elaine a ended one of the best schools in the community, and her parents
ensured that they did their best to give all three children the best educa on.
“Breakfast is ready” shouted Nanny Jane. It was 7am, and the school bus
would pick Elaine up in 30 minutes.

“Just a minute Nanny Jane,” she responded. Elaine ran down the stairs, had
her cereal and was ready before the bus arrived. All through the ride to school,
Elaine was unusually quiet. She prayed and wished she could have the dream
again. She really wanted to know the other things Jesus had to say to her
before she was woken up.

“You are very quiet this morning Elaine” said the bus assistant. “Your eyes are
puffy and red. Are you okay?” “I am fine,” Elaine replied. Throughout the day,
Elaine thought about what had happened to her the day before. She wanted
something she could not express. A vacuum had been created and she desired
to fill it up.

By the me Elaine got back home later that a ernoon, she saw a beau fully
wrapped gi on her bed. Wondering what it was, she tore at the wrapper, and
found that it was a beau ful pink bible with her name on it. She opened the

17
first page, and it read; “You have a great future ahead of you, signed Mum.”

“Mum! Mum!! Mum!!!” Elaine shouted opening her parents' room, but her
mum wasn't there. A er speaking with Elaine earlier that morning, Aunty
Kate couldn't get their discussion off her mind. During her lunch hour, she
drove to the popular bookshop in the city centre, and bought a pre y pink
bible for her daughter. She had it signed, wrapped and personally dropped it
at home before returning to work.

Elaine got hold of the bible and flipped through the crisp pages. She got to the
New Testament and began to read the chapters, one a er the other ll she fell
asleep.

This was the beginning of a series of other encounters in Elaine's life.

18
 CHAPTER 3

The Bday
Celebration
19
Paula was my favourite, a er my Elaine of course. She was so easy to get along
with; Paula could be in the house for hours and you wouldn't even know it.
She was a pre y girl with a sweet spirit and hardly ever fought with anyone.
Mabel, on the other hand, cut across as the leader of the pack. She decided
who did what and when. She loved to have her way, and got angry easily; and
as for Tracy, she just loved to read, read, and read.

“I am famished,” cried Mabel “I need some food in my tummy.” “Me too” said
Tracy. “Alright ladies let's go get something to eat” said Elaine. The girls ran to
the dining table where the food was served and ate to their fill. A er lunch,
the girls went back to solving more equa ons before going home later that
evening.

Two weeks later, Elaine and her friends wrote their qualifying exams for
college and they made the cut off marks; and for the first me in six years, the
four friends were going to be separated. Mabel and Tracy had chosen a school
in the city, Paula was travelling abroad, and Elaine was going to school in her
home-town.

The last day of school wasn't much fun as it was filled with mixed feelings;
friends cried, and teachers also hated to have them leave, but apart from that,
the students were all happy, and looked forward to going to college.

“Can you take a picture of us, Sonya?” asked Elaine, handing over the
camera to me. “Yes of course” I replied. “Say 'cheese' everyone,” said Sonya.
“Cheese!” yelled the girls, and with that, everyone moved into the school hall.

20
 *********************************************
“Beep! Beep!” My alarm went off at exactly 5:30 am. I felt so red that all I
wanted to do was to go back to bed, but I had the feeling that there was
something special about the day. As I thought about it, I heard a ruffling sound
coming from the si ng room area, so I decided to see what was happening. I
picked out my housecoat and walked towards the door to see where the noise
was coming from. I ptoed towards the si ng room and saw Nanny Jane on a
stool hanging up a banner. There it was: “Happy Birthday Princess”. “Oh my
God, it's September! It's Elaine's birthday today!” I said in excitement.
“Sshhh,” hushed Uncle Mark and Aunty Kate in unison. “You don't want to
wake her up yet, do you?”

“Good morning Uncle and Aunty. I didn't know you were here,” I said. “My
princess is sixteen today, and she leaves for college in a few days,” said Uncle
Mark. “We want to make this memorable for her,” added Aunty Kate. While
we talked, Nanny Jane hung up some balloons and streamers. It felt like Santa
Claus was in town. When we were done with se ng up the decora ons, I
went back to my room to think about how I could make the day memorable for
my Elaine.

We had had a discussion a few days before then about what she wanted for
her sixteenth birthday, and she said she wasn't sure. “I just want to be happy,”
she said to me, and I really wanted to make Elaine's dream come true.
As I sat on my bed thinking, an idea came to me. Elaine was leaving for college
in two days, and a pampering session at the spa would linger in her memory
than anything at the me. I made a mental note to book an appointment for
the four friends and me at the Grand Oakwood Spa.

21
As I wrote my to-do list for the day, the celebrant strolled into my room.
“Happy birthday darling!” I said, li ing her up with both hands and spinning
her around. “So, how does it feel to be sixteen?” I asked. “I don't know...I
guess I'm an adult now,” she replied with a smile on her face. “Have you seen
my mum and dad, Sonya?” asked Elaine, walking towards the si ng room.
“Muummm, Daaaddd, Nanny Ja…” Awestruck at the sight before her as she
stepped into the si ng room, Elaine could barely call out her nanny's name.
“Oh My God! This is so cool...I mean awesome...I mean wow!”

Elaine walked into the si ng room which was now beau fully decorated with
balloons, streamers, drapes, and a big banner that read 'Happy Birthday
Princess'. She felt so special and truly loved. “I don't know what to say!
Thanks Dad. Thanks Mum,” she said, hugging both parents.

Moving to the red love seat, Uncle Mark beckoned his daughter to sit on his
lap with Aunty Kate watching the father-daughter expressions. I was also at a
distance watching what was going on.

“Elaine, I want you to know that you are very special and that you mean a lot to
this family. Never forget that. You leave for college in a few days and you will
come in contact with people from different cultures and backgrounds, people
with different values and beliefs.

You are an adult now and would need to make certain decisions that will affect
your future either posi vely or otherwise. Whatever the situa on is, please
follow your heart to do what's right, and when in doubt, please call home.”

22
Uncle Mark mo oned Elaine to stand to her feet while he walked to the
console beside the red love seat. Reaching behind the huge rose-pink glazed
flower vase, he pulled out a neatly wrapped gi which he had hidden there
the previous night. Walking back toward his daughter, Uncle Mark said, “This
is not a gi a sixteen-year-old princess might want for her birthday, but I can
assure you that it would be of great importance as you start a new phase of
your life.” Wondering what it was, Elaine tore at the gi wrap and found a
book tled Making Right Choices by Chuchi Mekhan.

“Thank you Dad,” said Elaine. As they spoke, Aunty Kate walked to her room to
get her own gi and presented it to her daughter. It was compact and heavier
that her first gi , so Elaine wondered what her mum had wrapped in it.
Without was ng me, Elaine un ed the bow that carefully bound her gi in
place and voila, it was a phone. Elaine leaped for joy, ran from the si ng room
to the bedroom and back. Her nanny smiled at the display of joy while I also
watched my darling in amazement.

“Thank you Mum. Thank you Dad.” said Elaine, trying to catch her breath.
“We are giving you this gi , not as a tool for distrac on, but for you to keep in
touch with us. Whenever you need us we are just one call away, okay?” said
Aunty Kate. Seeing that it was the perfect me to present my gi , I said “As for
my gi , you get to go to the spa with your friends by noon”. “What!” Elaine
yelled in excitement and hugged me. Jumping up and down, she reached for
her mum's phone to no fy her friends.

Her friends arrived much later, ready to have some crazy fun before leaving for
college. None of them had been to a spa before so it was a good idea.

23
They all looked forward to enjoying the day and making memories before
going to college.

We stepped out of the door, there was Kelly driving into our residence. “Uncle
Kelly!” screamed the girls. The girls had come to love him, and this gladdened
my heart. He was there to celebrate with Elaine too. We jumped into the car,
and off we went to the spa.

The drive to the spa wasn't a quiet one. The excited girls screamed, laughed
and talked about everything. They talked about their friends, final exams, and
their last day at school. The noise was soon replaced with amazement as Kelly
drove into the spa premises. As we walked into the large recep on of the
Grand Oakwood Spa, I could see the delight on their faces. “Thank you Sonya,”
said Elaine as she stepped back to give me a bear hug. “You deserve more,”
said Kelly who stood behind me like a mother hen protec ng her chick. It was
obvious that Kelly loved me, and I loved him too.

As we walked through the door, we were welcomed by a fusion of fragrances

from essen al oils and scented candles. It smelt like heaven. There were fresh
flowers at the recep on table and the lights were dimmed to give a relaxing
effect.

“You're welcome to the Grand Oakwood Spa,” said the recep onist,
interrup ng my thoughts. “This place is beeeau- ful!” exclaimed Paula. “Yes!
I love it here,” added Mabel, throwing up her hands in excitement. “I made a
reserva on for four,” I said, interjec ng the conversa on. I had booked an
appointment for the girls to each have a manicure and pedicure session.

24
The recep onist made a call to the nail salon, and in no me, the girls were on
their way for their treat. Each one sat in a massage chair as their hands and
feet got pampered. They laughed and talked about the days to come with
each one looking forward to her first semester in college.

While they got their treat, Kelly and I caught up on work and our rela onship.
We had come to love each other, and we looked forward to spending our lives
together.

25
 CHAPTER 4

Freshman
26
fine” replied Elaine. “Are you sure? The clouds are gathering and it might start
to rain heavily any moment from now,” persisted Benjamin. “I'll be fine, thank
you.” Elaine said reassuringly. No sooner than Benjamin driven off, had the
rain started heavily. Elaine ran for cover. “She's going to be drenched,”
thought Benjamin, and immediately, he turned his car around and headed
back to the bus stop. Elaine ran out of her temporary shelter into the honking
car. “Thank you for coming back for me,” she said wondering how she would
have made it to church if he didn't turn back. “You are welcome,” he replied.

Elaine and Benjamin sat together in church that day, and that was how their
friendship began. Benjamin visited Elaine twice that week, and ensured he
picked her up on his way to church the Sunday a er that. “He is a nice guy,”
Elaine thought to herself. A er a few weeks of hanging out together, the
couple started a rela onship.

Benjamin was in his third year in college and was definitely fond of Elaine. He
picked her up from her apartment every day and ensured he also dropped her
off every evening. It seemed like a rela onship made in heaven.
One Sunday morning, while the sermon was going on, the priest read a
scripture from Ma hew 4:18-20 (NKJV).

¹⁸ And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers,

Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, cas ng a net into
the sea; for they were fishermen. ¹⁹ Then He said to them,
“Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” ²⁰ They
immediately le their nets and followed Him.

27
As he read it, she had a feeling of déjà vu. Elaine saw herself like she had in the
scary dream; she saw a flash of Him beside the priest bidding her to come. She
didn't know what to do. She turned to Benjamin to see if he had seen the
flashing image she saw, but he didn't look like he had. He was focused on the
priest and there was no disturbed look on his face. She bowed her head to
look at the pink Bible in her hand and felt sober all of a sudden. “Are you
alright?” asked Benjamin. “I'm good,” she replied with a wry smile. She didn't
seem to be herself from that moment on. She wanted to understand what
Jesus meant when he said “Come, and I will make you...” and for the first me
in a long me, Elaine felt home sick. She wanted her mum, she longed to talk
to Sonya, and she felt all alone.

A er the service, she couldn't wait to get to her room. The drive home was
quiet as she couldn't get Him off her mind. Once she got to her apartment, she
ran to her room, curled up on her bed, and began to read the pink Bible that
was in her hands. She opened it again to the verses the priest had read.

She read the scriptures over and over again, un l she couldn't bear the
nudging in her heart any more. So right where she was, she closed her eyes
and said this prayer.

“Jesus, I know you are up to something, and though I

am scared, I ask you to reveal yourself to me. Come into
my heart and take charge of everything. Use me as you will. Amen.

Shortly a er that decision, Elaine became very commi ed in church and soon
enrolled in the church's Leadership Training School. Within a few months, she

28
had become a leader in church. Elaine became zealous for God, she was in
every mee ng and this began to put a strain on her rela onship with
Benjamin.

Benjamin was a nice guy who loved to a end church and that was where it
ended. He did not believe that he had to do so much to show he loved God,
a er all, he prayed every morning and read his Bible.

“Do we s ll have a date tonight?” Benjamin said on the phone to Elaine. He

had go en used to her not being available every me; she either had a
mee ng in church or was reading or wri ng an ar cle.

“Umh, I have a mee ng with the Prie…” “Priest again!!!” Benjamin cut her off,
enraged. “We never have any me together; you are either with your priest or
in a mee ng or reading, so why are we in this rela onship?” Angry as he was,
Benjamin ended the call and contemplated ending the rela onship.
“God, why is this happening to me? Why doesn't he understand?” thought
Elaine. She couldn't make their date that night, and this annoyed Benjamin
the more. “Why doesn't he understand?” thought Elaine. She went for her
mee ng that night, taking no thought of Benjamin or anything else.

She had changed so much a er the encounter she had with Him. Elaine
changed her friends, cut off everything and anyone that came across as a
distrac on, but she s ll held on to Benjamin. Benjamin was a nice guy, and by
this me, they had been da ng for quite some me, she knew he loved her.
She just couldn't afford to allow their rela onship affect her rela onship with
Him.

29
 CHAPTER 5

The
Misundstanding
30
she did.

Their rela onship had been the envy of everyone un l Sophia went home
a er an end-of-semester exam, and came back a changed girl, saying she was
born again. They s ll bumped into each other every now and then, but he
would walk past her as if they never had dealings together. On the other hand,
Sophia had go en well known in school because of her faith, and people loved
her the more for that.

“I'll take your advice Bayo,” said Benjamin with a heavy sigh. “I'll give her some
space.” “In fact, I will start in the morning,” added Benjamin. “I won't take her
in my car again nor give her a ride to the campus,” he thought, s ll angry and
bi er. With that resolve, he downed the last bit of juice in the almost empty
glass cup and le with his friend.

7:00 am Elaine's alarm went off at the usual me and she dragged herself out
of bed. She had an hour to get ready before Benjamin would be at her
doorstep. She had her usual quiet me, did her dress-up rou ne and then sat
on the black reading chair to wait for him.

“This is strange,” she said. She had sat on the chair wai ng for about 30
minutes and Benjamin was not in sight. He hadn't called and had not cha ed
with her, so she was worried. She dropped the sandwiches she made for both
of them on her reading table to get her phone from her bag. She checked her
messages, but there was none from him.

31
She tried to call him, but his phone just rang without any response. “He must
have overslept,” she said, making an excuse for the unusual occurrence, and
then she le for her classes.

*********************************************

Elaine got to the lecture room just at the nick of me. The first lecture for the
day was sta s cs and she found it difficult to focus on what was being taught.
She wondered why she had not heard from Benjamin all morning. She
couldn't wait for the lecture to be over. Once the lecturer was done teaching,
she dashed out of the lecture room straight to where she thought Benjamin
was going to be, but she didn't find him there. She checked their favourite
smoked fish cabin, but he wasn't there. “Where could he be?” she pondered
walking towards her next lecture room, and then, she saw him! There he was,
by the gazebo laughing with Bayo and another friend. Glad to have spo ed
him, Elaine ran off to meet him.

“Benjamin!” She called out, screaming at the top of her voice. He turned his
head briefly, and then just con nued to talk with his friends. “Benjamin?” she
called again as she got closer to the trio. “Hello guys,” she said, turning to the
other two. “Hello Elaine,” they all echoed. She felt that was strange. Benjamin
always greeted her with a smile, but this morning he just wasn't excited to see
her. Remembering she stood him up the night before, she pulled him away
from his friends so they could have a private chat.

“I am really sorry about last night Ben,” she said. “It's okay Elaine. I've moved
past it,” said Benjamin, trying to hurry back to his friends.

32
“Is everything okay? I waited for you this morning, but you didn't show up,
and you didn't even pick my calls,” added Elaine, now feeling troubled and
wondering why he was so cold. “I had to do some things at the faculty,” said
Benjamin, taking a look at his wristwatch, “You really need to start heading for
your next lecture now.” he added, trying to send her off.

“Are you trying to get rid of me, Ben? I said I was sorry.” she said, with a lump
forming in her throat and tears welling up in her eyes. “I really have to go now
Elaine,” said Benjamin, walking back to his friends. “Let's go guys,” he said
laughing, as they walked to his car.

Elaine stood there distraught, ashamed and heart broken. She didn't believe
what just happened. Benjamin had le her standing there and driven off with
his friends. She held her bag to her shoulder, only to discover that she had
been carrying the sandwiches she made for the both of them that morning. In
anger, she threw them in the bin not too far away and headed for her next
lecture. She le the campus that day, barely hearing what each lecturer said.
She couldn't wait to get to her room. She wanted to be alone, yet a part of her
wished Benjamin would call and apologise to her, but he didn't. That night,
Elaine cried her eyes out. She wished she had someone she could talk to about
these issues.

The next morning, Elaine woke up with sore eyes from her weeping the day
before. “Are you okay, Elaine?” asked Nike her room-mate. “You don't look
good at all,” she added. “Take a look at the mirror, your eyes are puffy,” she
pressed further seeing that Elaine wasn't in a good shape at all.

33
Elaine got up from her bed and walked towards the mirror and it was true.
Elaine's eyes were red and sore from the crying from the day before. This
brought back memories of what happened: waking up that morning and
really looking forward to seeing him, making breakfast, wai ng for him,
searching for him all over the campus and eventually seeing him, then the
blow he dealt her. It was too much of a shock for her. The thoughts brought
back tears to her eyes, and she just couldn't hold herself. Nike no ced what
was going on and just held her close. “It will be alright,” she said, not knowing
what was making her Elaine cry. She took her back to the bed to sit and waited
for her to calm down.

“I don't feel well,” said Elaine. “I'm not sure I'll be going to the campus today.”
Nike knew that it wasn't a good me to ask ques ons, so she just let her be.
Elaine rolled back into bed while Nike got ready and headed to the campus.
Days and weeks went by and Benjamin did not budge. He stayed away and
refused to pick Elaine's calls nor see her. At mes, he saw her on campus and
just drove past her. Her health deteriorated and her academics also suffered
the blow. When things got so unbearable, one Wednesday night, during an
evening service, Elaine broke down in tears and asked God to take the pain
away, and guess what? He did.

She woke up the next morning with a bounce and almost no pain in her heart.
She forgave Benjamin and moved on with her life. Her smile returned and she
got her shine back.
Elaine le for the campus that morning with Nike as her companion. “I love
the way you look and sound this morning,” said Nike, teasingly. “What
happened overnight?”

34
“Let's just say a miracle happened,” said Elaine laughing at herself.
They got to the campus and both went to their different facul es. Class was
different that day for Elaine. She sat at her usual spot, but this me around,
she had a smile for everyone. She had finally go en her groove back.

She was back in church and everything returned to normal except that she
was single. This wasn't difficult for her because she got engrossed in church
ac vi es again. Elaine con nued serving God and she was happy doing it. The
joy she expressed a racted many guys to her again. They all wanted to be
friends with her. She enjoyed favours and treats but gave in to none of them.
She wanted to get it right this me around.

One day, she was in the company of two guys laughing and cha ng away
when Benjamin spo ed her from a distance. His heart skipped a beat. He
loved her, but he had allowed Bayo talk him out of his rela onship with Elaine;
and although he didn't like her church moves, they could have at least worked
things out, he thought.

He saw how she exuded so much joy and warmth, and this brought back
memories of the mes they shared together. She was the good girl every guy
wanted to have and keep. In that instant, Benjamin made up his mind that he
was ge ng his babe back.

Sunday 7:30am Benjamin rolled over to his bedside table to snooze his alarm.
He had a hangover as he had go en home late from hanging out with the
boys. A few minutes later, the alarm rang again, and Benjamin knew he had to
get up.

35
He hadn't spoken to Elaine in three months nor been to church since he
started hanging out with Bayo. He planned to retrace his steps that morning.
The plan was to get to Elaine's apartment long before she'd leave for church,
so he could be there to give her a ride.

“This isn't going to be easy,” he told himself. He dragged himself out of bed
with his head s ll pounding. He went into the shower, downed some cereal
a erwards, and off he was to Elaine's apartment.
While he was wai ng for her to emerge, he rehearsed his lines:
“Babe, I'm sorry for everything I did to you, please forgive me.” Too shallow,
he thought.

“Elaine, I am sorry for leaving you like I did. I have no excuse, I am sorry”. Not
good enough, he thought.
A er many more trials, he decided that he'd just speak from his heart once
she stepped out of the door.
Elaine hurried to leave her room as she had to be in church an hour before
service started.

“See you later,” said Elaine to her room-mate, holding on to the door knob. “I'll
join you soon,” said Nike trying to dy up the room.
As she opened the door, Elaine was jolted by what she saw outside. “What is
he doing here?” she asked, closing the door hard. “Who?” asked Nike,
wondering who could have jolted her like that.
“Look outside the window,” said Elaine.
“Benji? What does he want? Or are you guys back together?” asked Nike.
“What do you mean by that? Of course not!” Elaine replied.

36
As they discussed between them, they heard a knock on the door. Of course,
they knew who it was. Neither of the girls knew why he was there, and the last
person they expected to see that morning was Benjamin.

“Who is it?” asked Nike, since Elaine was s ll in a shock and too agitated to
answer. “It's Benji,” mumbled Benjamin. “What do you want?” asked Nike.
“Can I please come in?” asked Benjamin, feeling sober and sorry. “You are not
wanted here. Please go away,” shouted Nike.
“Can I talk to Elaine please?” asked Benjamin. “Elaine, I am really sorry for the
way I treated you, I was wrong. Please forgive me”. “What do you want?”
asked Elaine, her heart bea ng very fast.

“I am sorry for everything I did. Please give me another chance,” he pleaded.

“I can't Benjamin. It's over between us,” said Elaine, pacing up and down the
room.
“It can't be over, please forgive me.” He pleaded with her and stooped to his
knees.
“I am on my knees and I am not leaving un l you open the door,” he said.

“Tell him to go,” Elaine said to Nike. “I don't want him here.” “Okay, I've got this
one,” Nike began walking towards the door in anger. She grabbed the door by
the handle and started to talk, “She doesn't …” and there was Benjamin on his
knees looking red, humble and sorry. She was going to close the door, but he
blocked her. He forced his way in and walked towards Elaine who was now
seated on her bed. The last person she wanted to see or talk to that morning
was Benjamin. She had closed that chapter of her life and she wasn't willing to
open it up again.

37
“I have something to say Elaine,” he said, holding her two hands in his. She
pulled them away and posi oned herself be er on the bed.
“I'm sorry for all the pain I caused you and I regret the things I did,” said
Benjamin. Then he con nued:

“Although I was angry, I was too caught up in my emo ons to feel the depth of
the humilia on, rejec on and pain you felt. I pushed you away, thinking you
would come back, but I guess that was the mistake I made. Since you le me,
things haven't been the same. I miss your smile, your warmth, the mes we
shared, and the way you made me laugh. I have not been happy since I le
you, it was like joy le with you.
I am here because I have realized my wrongs. I want to fix things up. I want you
back in my life Elaine. Please forgive me. I love you. Please give us a second
chance.”

The girls didn't know how to react anymore. Nike watched and listened to him
from the reading table, while Elaine was on the bed helplessly looking at him.
Elaine liked him because he was kind and really loved her when the
rela onship was on. What she didn't understand was why he dumped her
abruptly without any explana ons. The rejec on and humilia on was so bad
that it took a toll on her health and academics, but thank God there were no
setbacks.

Since he le her, Elaine had go en deeper in her walk with God and wouldn't
forgo that for any rela onship.

38
“I love you. Please give us a second chance.” He said again.
“I will think about it,” she responded. “I need to go to church now.”
“I will take you in my car,” Benjamin said. “No, thank you. We will find our
way.” replied Elaine as she tried to get off the bed. “Please let me make
amends, please...” pleaded Benjamin reaching for her hands. “I don't need
you.” Elaine pushed him out of her way. Pu ng on her shoes and grabbing
her bag, she walked out of the house with Nike scrambling to catch up. She
was hurt and angry. She felt a lump in her throat again as the tears began to
well up in her eyes.

“Why did he show up now?” she wondered. She was doing fine and had
healed up, but now, his presence in her house had dug up all her emo ons
again. How was she going to deal with this?

Benjamin caught up with her and pleaded to take her to church but she
declined. Nike con nued to watch from a distance because she didn't know
what to do. It was obvious that he was sorry, but she couldn't get in their way.
Elaine had to decide whether she wanted to re-awaken her love for him.

Then, the clouds began to move and the weather began to change. It was
going to rain just like the first day they rode in his car together. It brought
memories to them; for Benjamin, it was a sign from heaven that they were
meant to be together, but for Elaine, it was a bad omen. The first experience
had ended in an abrupt and painful way and she wasn't going to allow it again.

She stood by the bus stop while Benjamin begged her to enter his car. Then a
raindrop fell on her shoulder.

39
“We're going to get wet Elaine and I won't leave ll you enter the car,” said
Benjamin.

She moved her face sideways trying to hide her feelings as the tears ran down.
She knew it was going to rain and she didn't want to go in his car, but she had
to make a choice now.
The rain began to drop with more intensity and Benjamin had to nudge her
towards the car. She cried. She cried harder. She was helpless. She was doing
the same thing again.

“Thank you Jesus for the rain,” said Benjamin. He knew his plan may not have
worked if it hadn't rained. For him, this was a sign that he had God's approval,
but now, he had to tread slowly.
“Thank you for coming in my car, Elaine” said Benjamin. I am really sorry Love
and I will do anything to win your trust back.”
The ride to church was quiet with everyone lost in their thoughts.
Nike loved the couple and she believed the rela onship could work again if
given a chance.

They got to church and everywhere was dry. It had only rained around Elaine's
neighbourhood. “I am sorry Elaine,” Benjamin pleaded again. “I will be
wai ng for you to take you home a er the service,” he added, scratching his
head. “Thank you for riding with us Nike.”

Elaine knew it was a long day for her in church, so she was happy that he
wouldn't be able to wait. It was the last Sunday of the month and they usually
had series of mee ngs that lasted ll much later in the day.

40
A er the service ended at noon, Benjamin changed his seat and moved to the
end of the church. He watched Elaine from afar as she moved from one
mee ng to another. She was the head of the hospitality team and a er each
service, they catered to the guests of the day.

“She is so warm, sweet, loving… I love this girl!” he said to himself. He couldn't
keep his eyes off her. At 2pm, Benjamin was so hungry he walked out to see
what he could get, but all the vendors had gone for the day. He thought of
driving out to get something for both of them, but he couldn't risk it. He didn't
want to miss catching her when the mee ngs were over.

By the me he walked back into the church, the whole place was empty. For
once he thought rapture had happened, but then, he didn't hear a loud noise
so he knew they were s ll in the premises. Unknown to him, the leaders had
gone into a closed mee ng with the priest to plan the programmes for the
new month. When it was 5pm, they all strolled out of the priest's office
laughing and discussing a few things. Then she spo ed him seated at the back
of the church. At this point, she had mixed feelings. “He must really be sorry,”
she thought. She had seen him leave earlier just before they went into the
priest's office, but she didn't know he came back.

Benjamin was happy to see her. He hoped her anger had waned a bit. Seeing
him stand up and walk towards her, her heart began to beat fast. She didn't
know what to do, so she stood.
“How were your mee ngs? You must be red and hungry,” he said. Holding
her by the shoulders, he looked into her eyes and said “Elaine, I am sorry.”

41
The tear began to well up again in eyes, so she held her nose ghtly to stop the
tears from flowing. She didn't want to cry in church or even over the issue at all
so she tro ed towards the car.

While in the car, he asked her if she would like them to get something to eat
but she said no. She just wanted to be in her apartment. Since the ride home
was a short distance, they got to Elaine's apartment in no me.

“Thank you,” Elaine said as she got down from the car. Benjamin got down
too. He really wanted her to forgive him as he walked her to the door. Elaine
knocked on the door for Nike to open and said thank you to Benjamin before
closing the door behind her.

She was hurt, he didn't expect her to forgive him so easily, did he? Benjamin
was heartbroken. He thought that Elaine would at least ask him to go in with
her but he was wrong. She was really hurt. He walked back to his car with his
head bowed. He sat in it, too weak to drive.

“You could have at least asked him to come in,” said Nike. “Benji really loves
you, you know.” Elaine stayed mute all evening and didn't want to talk about
it. She had an early dinner and prac cally stayed in her bed all evening.
She loved Benjamin and knew he loved her too, but there was always going to
be the church issue. That was what caused their misunderstanding in the first
place, and if she was going to date anyone again, they would need to discuss it.

The next morning, Elaine partly wished Benjamin would stop by, and yes, he
was there.

42
They barely spoke that morning, but it was obvious that her anger was
gradually giving way to his plea.
“I will pick you up a er your lectures today, is that okay?” he asked. “Yes, it's
fine,” she responded. “Great! I will pick you up by 2pm.”
Lectures went well for Benjamin that day. He had a spring in his step all
through the day. He looked forward the last lecture of the day, so he could
spend some me with Elaine.

He picked her up at exactly 2pm. He didn't want to rush things, so he took her
straight to her apartment. He asked if he could go in with her and she said yes.
Nike wasn't there so they had some me to talk.
“What do you really want, Ben?” Elaine asked. “I want you to give me another
chance. I love you and I have realised that I cannot do without you in my life.
You radiate so much joy and I want to be part of that joy.”

“This is a difficult thing to ask for Ben. I am a church girl and my commitment
to God comes first. This can get in our way again, and I won't like to see you
angry.”
Benjamin was willing to do all she wanted as long as he had her in his life.

“I understand and I promise not to get in your way where your commitment to
God is concerned,” He replied.
“Let me think about it,” she said. “Come on! I have told you I am sorry...” he
said, “...and I asked for some me to think about it!” she interrupted. “Okay,
how long do you need?” he asked. “24 hours.” “Okay then, see you tomorrow
by 7pm,” said Benjamin and then le .

43
Elaine's response to his request was 'yes'. She loved him and was willing to
give their rela onship another chance.

“Thank you Elaine,” he said with a big smile on his face. He opened his arms
wide to give her a hug and she obliged him. He had not held her in a long me,
and this me around, it felt heavenly.

“I love you,” he said, holding her ghtly. “I will never leave you again” They
both had tears in their eyes, but this me around, they were tears of joy.
“Thank you for giving me a second chance,” he said as they drove out to have
an early dinner.

44
 CHAPTER 6

The Makeup
45
When Elaine was done with her mee ng, she headed for Benjamin's house.
She bought a few things they could eat, and some other things to make up for
their date. On ge ng to the porch, Elaine took a deep breath and then
knocked on the door. She could hear the sound of the television from where
she was.

“Who's …” On opening the door, he saw it was Elaine. Benjamin slammed the
door, and went back in. She had never seen him this angry and she didn't know
what to do. She opened the door quietly, and walked in. Si ng on the edge of
the sofa, she apologised for standing him up again.

“I am sorry Benjamin. I didn't know the mee ng was going to take that long,”
Elaine said, “She pa ed him on the back, but he didn't budge. He was s ll
angry because it was his special day, and they had planned to spend it
together. “She moved a li le closer again, closing the gap between them, but
he s ll focused on the television. She eventually sat beside him on the floor,
holding him close with both hands around his shoulder.

Not knowing what else to do, Elaine stayed beside him as he watched the
football match that was showing on the television. When the match was over,
Benjamin took a deep breath, and said “Why did you do this?”
“I apologise” said Elaine. “You know I love you and won't do anything to
jeopardise our rela onship.” “I hear you but today was my last paper and we
had planned to share the moment together,” said Benjamin.”

46
“I promise to make it up to you,” Elaine said. Benjamin had been nice to her
and she owed him. She wondered what she could do to make Benjamin snap
out of that state. “I bought some food and drinks on my way here; would you
like to have some?” Elaine asked taking out the food from the carrier bag. “I
got your favourite meal from the mall.” In no me, the couple were back to
their usual selves with all the hurt forgiven.

They saw a movie together and spent the evening reminiscing about their
week and their rela onship.

47
 CHAPTER 7

The Agy
“
AAHHH! My head aches,” said Benjamin. Then he yawned and no ced
that his lips were sore. “What is this?” he thought to himself. He got up
to check his lips out in the mirror; and horrified, he no ced that they
were twice their normal size.

Benjamin managed to shower, and then headed for the hospital. He picked up
some medica on and headed back home. On his way home, he decided to
stop by at Elaine's apartment; it was her lecture-free day.

“Hello Sweetheart,” said Benjamin. “Hello Ben, why are you mumbling your
words?” said Elaine with a smile. “I can't say much, please come out to the
parking lot”. “Okay. I will be there in a few minutes,” she responded.

“What happened to you!” exclaimed Elaine as she looked at Benjamin's

disfigured face. “I am reac ng to something; I think it's the food we ate
yesterday. I went to this hospital this morning.” said Benjamin. “Okay, let me
pick up my bag and follow you home then,” she responded, dashing back into
her room.
When they got to Ben's apartment, Elaine asked him to lie on the sofa while
she assisted him with everything he had to do.

48
She made breakfast for both of them and ensured that he took his medica on.
Within a few minutes of ea ng, Benjamin was fast asleep. He had been told at
the hospital that the medica on would knock him off. While he slept, Elaine
did some reading, watched a movie and then read some more. He slept
prac cally into the a ernoon.

“Lunch is served,” said Elaine, nudging him a bit so that he could wake up.
“You've been sleeping all day” “I feel a li le be er, the headache is gone but
my lips are s ll swollen,” said Benjamin. “Yeah, I can see that,” she said
smiling.

“I want to see you eat and take your medica on before I leave for my
mee ng,” said Elaine. “Mee ng? I thought today was free for you”. “You
mean lecture-free day,” replied Elaine with a 'not again' look on her face. “I
have been with you all day Benjamin. I have watched you sleep, cleaned your
house, made you some food to last you three days, and you think I'm being
unfair? Now who's being unfair?”

“Okay, so will you come back a er your mee ng?” he asked. “I am not
promising you, but I'll try,” said Elaine.
Elaine went for her mee ng that evening, and then on her way back, stopped
by to pick some things at her apartment before heading to Benjamin's place.

She got there that evening, and Benjamin's temperature had spiked up. Elaine
gave him a cold press and ensured that he took his medica on a er ea ng. He
was so ill that she couldn't leave him alone, at least not that night.

49
She decided to spend the night in his place.

She stayed on for another three days in a bid to ensure Benjamin was alright.
During those days they were both alone in the apartment with li le or no
disturbances. One thing led to another and then it happened. They began by
making out and eventually had sex.

It was Elaine's first me and she really felt bad. She had promised God, her
parents and herself that her first me was going to be on her wedding night,
but then, she allowed this to happen. She couldn't take it out on Benjamin
because it wasn't his fault alone; she went along with it as well. Since he loved
her, she thought why not. He was gradua ng in two weeks anyway, and this
was going to seal their love for each other.

Benjamin le the campus two weeks later to face the real world, while Elaine
was made the vice president of her fellowship. She did this with all her heart,
and everyone loved her the more.

Then she began to fall ill. She had abdominal cramps and wondered what was
going on. About the same me, Elaine no ced that she hadn't seen her period
in a while. It was strange for it to be late, and then her mind went to the night
she and Benjamin made love. She was so naïve that they did it without any
contracep ves.

She called him right away. “Ben, I have stomach cramps and I have missed my
period,” she said. “Are you okay? Have you run a test?” he asked. “No, I am
scared,” replied Elaine. “Okay, I'll see you tomorrow. Don't worry, okay?”

50
he said. “Okay,” Elaine replied.
While she waited for Benjamin to arrive, she thought of so many things: her
family, church, rela onship, educa on, and everything else. She loved
Benjamin but that was the least on her mind; her life was about to change at
such a young age.

Benjamin arrived the day a er as promised, and they went straight to a

medical laboratory. The result came out posi ve and Elaine was eight weeks
pregnant. She wished she could turn back the hands of me, but the deed had
been done.

“What do you want us to do Elaine? I will stand by you in whatever decision

you make” said Benjamin. “If you want to keep the baby, I am here, and if not,
it is s ll okay by me. I will stand with you through this.”
She didn't know what to do. She was a young girl who was so afraid. She opted
for an abor on, and that was where it all began.

51
 CHAPTER 8

The Discovy
52
By the me I was eighteen, I had go en into a rela onship. Femi (not his real
name) was pa ent, kind and did everything to make me happy. I was not the
demanding type so li le gestures made me happy. Our friendship grew
stronger, but we soon started having issues because our values were different.

I loved God and was always commi ed in church, but Femi on the other hand
struggled in this area. He was born into Islam but had given his life to Jesus so I
thought we could work things out. He followed me to church whenever he
could, but we soon began to have issues because he had not really grown in
his new faith. A er some me, Femi began to ask for more in mate acts like
kissing and making out. I had an issue with this because we had discussed
before the rela onship started and agreed that we weren't going to get
involved in in mate acts, but how can you play with fire and not get burnt?

The rela onship lasted for two years and the fire died out a er I discovered
that I was pregnant and opted for an abor on. It wasn't an easy decision for a
nineteen-year-old believer. I was alone and couldn't tell anyone for the fear of
being cas gated. Beyond that was the guilt and condemna on that had me
handcuffed. I had failed God and I had failed my family. I always wanted to
make them proud, but this incident changed everything.

Our rela onship also suffered a blow because I lost all excitement and feelings
for him a er the evil deed was done. What once tasted sweet had become like
sour grapes in my mouth. I felt exposed, I felt unfit, and I condemned myself
even though no one knew about it. I stayed away from home because I didn't
want to be caught. My parents asked why I stayed back on campus even
during the holidays and I told them I wanted to study.

53
They were so angry that they drove to school to take me home, but I was
resolute and said no. They le angry, but I couldn't bear the shame either.
On June 4, 1999, a few months a er the evacua on, it was the monthly Holy
Ghost Camp Mee ng at the Redemp on Camp of the Redeemed Chris an
Church of God and it coincided with Femi's birthday. I visited him at home but
told him I was a ending the camp mee ng that night, and he agreed to go
with me.

He really wanted to make up for the trouble I had gone through, and though
things didn't feel the same again, a part of me wanted our rela onship to
work. So, we headed to the camp ground together.

I can't really remember what the pastor spoke about, but at a point in the
sermon, he made a call for anyone who wanted to give or rededicate their
lives to Jesus to run to the altar. I guess God had planned that moment for me,
because unlike the shy me, I wasn't bothered about who was looking at me. I
turned to Femi who was beside me and asked if he was going to the altar and
he said 'no.' That night I ran like I had never run before, ignoring the thousands
of people watching and clapping, and running into the Saviour's arms. That
night, my life changed.

I was washed clean, the weight of depression on my shoulders disappeared

and I felt God's love all over again. My smiles were restored because my joy
was restored. One other thing happened though, the li le flame of love that I
had le for Femi was put out and he was no longer a rac ve to me. I had a
new lover, and He was Jesus.

54
 CHAPTER 9

The Ca
55
When I saw this, I knew it was a call of total surrender to Jesus, and because I
had just been restored, I had no choice but to start living for the One who died
for me. Well, I could have done otherwise, but I chose to focus on Jesus. I
began to pray for God to use me for His kingdom and to guide my steps into His
plans for my life.

A few weeks later, I was invited by my sister to her church which I s ll a end ll
today, and that was where everything changed. I a ended their weekly
services regularly, and learned how to pray in tongues to discover God's plans
for my life. I joined the choir and also started praying a minimum of one hour a
day in tongues.

A er some days, pictures of me doing great things for God started popping up
in my mind. I saw myself going places to talk about his love, and preaching
about him. I would sit in my room and get revela ons about different things.
One of such experiences happened one night when I was in my room alone.
The electricity was out but I had a candle on. As I had dinner and looked into
the light, I saw different insects fly towards it, and God began to talk to me
about being a light and a rac ng people to Him. He talked to an extent that I
heard a voice say, “If I were you, I'd pick up a pen and paper to write.” The voice
was so authorita ve that I jumped up to get the closest piece of paper I could
lay my hands on.

That experience was the beginning of my kingdom service on campus. In my

third year at the university, I joined a group of young people that loved the
Lord. It was called the Praise Club and soon, I was given names of members to
visit. . I visited absent members, and le notes for those that weren't available

56
and I wrote as I was inspired by the Holy Spirit. Most mes, they got back to
say that it was a mely word. This con nued ll my final year.

In my final year, I had another encounter where God spoke to me to start

wri ng a monthly newsle ers with its first edi on published September 1st
2001. Ini ally I pushed it aside because before then, I had not really wri en
anything except the notes I sent out to absent members of the club;
nevertheless, the Holy Spirit kept impressing it on my heart to do so.

A er my final exams, I stayed back in school to spend me with my friends and

the thought came again. I really thought I could push it off un l two days to the
set date. I played all day with my friends and didn't give much thought to it.
On August 31st 2001, the burden was so heavy that I couldn't sleep. When it
was 10pm, I asked a friend for sheets of paper and began to write. This wasn't
an easy task as I had to write the same thing word for word for the nine people
I had listed out, except some inspired notes that were added as led by God. As
soon as I dropped my pen, the burden li ed and I could finally sleep.

On September 1st 2001, the Covenant Minds Newsle er was birthed. I

delivered the handwri en newsle ers to the recipients, and they all asked if I
was the one that wrote it. Of course I did, under the influence of the Holy
Spirit. The feeling of inadequacy stepped in again, and the second edi on was
almost late. For one whole year, I had to read up various magazines, and
whatever got impressed on my mind was what I wrote about, but as we
stepped into the second year, the grace to write began to flow and there was
no need to read up magazines to write again. The contents flowed out of my
personal study and communion with the Holy Spirit.

57
At this me, I had been da ng a guy named Jide (not his real name). The first
me I met Jide, I was seventeen, and he said “yes, this is my wife”. He was nine
years older than me so he promised to wait ll I was older. Jide loved me so
much and it was very obvious. We lost contact or more like I felt he was too old
for me so I stayed away from him. This was before I met Femi.

In my third year at the university, our paths crossed again, and this me
around, I led him to Christ. Jide was a nice guy and really wanted to walk down
the aisle with me, but I soon discovered that our values were different. I loved
to serve in church, but he felt I was overdoing it. He professed Christ but his
lifestyle was the complete opposite of his profession. Like Femi, he also had an
Islamic background, so he was torn between the two worlds. We soon started
having fights because we did not agree on the same things and I feared that
marriage with him wouldn't work.

“Can two people walk together without

agreeing on the direc on?”
Amos 3:3

I remember telling Jide that God was asking me to publish a monthly

newsle er but he just couldn't see it at the me. He said to me:
“You? Can you write at all? You'll need to write about ten to twelve edi ons
before you can publish the first one.”

Now, when he said that, I knew what he meant. His plan may have been okay
for a project management plan, but not when God has an agenda and needs
you to trust him at every step along the way.

58
He was not no fied when I wrote the first edi on, nor did he know when I
printed the second and third edi ons. I knew trouble was looming and it was
just a ma er of me before it exploded before our eyes. Apparently, the
rela onship was not what I had envisaged so I started looking for an exit. This
was a tough one, because for two years, I sought for an excuse, but I couldn't
find one. I can't remember what it was, but when I found a loop hole, I held on
to it and ran for my life.

By this me, I knew there was a definite call of God on my life, and I just
couldn't joke with who I was going to spend the rest of my life with.

The impact of the newsle ers grew as we sent out one thousand copies per
month across the different states in Nigeria. A er a while, we increased it to
two thousand copies. The height of it for me was when I boarded a bus once in
Lagos and a guy kept looking at me. He said I looked familiar and asked if I
published a newsle er. I said yes, and he told me that he had received a copy
in a commuter bus in Ilorin. This was about 300 kilometres from Lagos, long
before the age of social media.

People started to partner with us and send in financial seeds towards the work
God was doing through us. My parents were happy, and I felt fulfilled too. It
was during this me that I met my lifelong partner and friend, Jimi (his real
name).

I met Jimi for the first me on September 2nd 2002. It was the day of Covenant
Minds' first anniversary. A friend had invited him to church. I remember
seeing him seated in a car when I complained to my friend that the

59
anniversary prints had turned out bad and I was making fresh ones. This was
intriguing to him, and in his words, he said he had never seen a fine girl serve
Jesus. Jimi later on became a good friend and partner in the work and we
started da ng on May 29th 2003.

On September 27th 2003, I published and launched my first book tled The
Preferred Life. At that point of my life, everything I did was about the kingdom,
and for the first me, I was in a rela onship with someone who understood
my passion and shared my values. We talked about how we would go around
the world preaching the gospel, sponsoring people's educa on, impac ng
our world and simply being role models to the next genera on.
One thing we also did was to commit to purity in our rela onship. We had read
two books - Boy meets Girl and I Kissed Da ng Goodbye both by Joshua Harris,
and we saw how pu ng boundaries in place helped him and his wife stay pure
while cour ng. Our church also helped at the me as we had an accountability
group.

It was a tough one, but by God's grace, we dated for about two years and
seven months without kissing, touching or having sex. I was happy that finally I
found someone that genuinely loved and feared God, and had no issues
seeing me grow in what God had called me to do.
The work grew and people con nued to give towards it. A er some me, my
elder sister spoke to me about helping some children of a neighbour on our
street get into school and I felt it was a good idea. I helped raise some money
for them and that was how Cares Unend started. A er helping Mama Joel's
children, I did not stop there. I con nued to look for opportuni es to be a
blessing to people everywhere.

60
In 2009, I looked at my life and I knew I had come a long way from the incident
that started my journey of total reliance on God, and out of a good heart, I
wanted to write a book for young girls. I started wri ng the book to let them
know who they were and the plans God had for them. I got to a part in the
book where if I had not shared my story, the book wouldn't have made sense,
and then I got stuck.

I heard God say “Lola, I want you to share your story,” and I was like “No way!
Do you understand what you're saying?” I asked God. When I found out that
He wasn't going to back out or bend over, I began to beg. I said “God, you know
I've been a good girl and I have lived right for you.”
At this point in me, I was a leader in church and my husband had been
ordained a pastor. No one knew about that part of me except him, Femi, the
doctor and whoever Femi must have told. Not even my parents or siblings
were aware.

It was as if I never had a past. Grace had smiled on me and that chapter did not
exist anymore. So how was I supposed to now open it all up in a book?
I struggled with what God was asking me to do for weeks and months, I
couldn't con nue the book. At that me, we used to have the Achievers'
Network weekly mee ng, and any me it was me to worship and I li ed my
hands, I'd hear “I want you to share your story”. I would immediately put down
my hands and be destabilized ll the mee ng was over.
This happened to me every Thursday, and one day, when I knew God wasn't
going to back down on this request, I li ed my hands and said, “Lord, if this is
what you want me to do, I will do it.”

61
Immediately I said that, I saw a picture of women and young ladies in chains.
They were crying and stuck and as I shared my story, their chains of guilt and
condemna on fell off and God said to me:

“Lola, I need you to go and save as many girls as you can.”

It wasn't an easy task for me, so I shared it first with the people I believed could
handle the shock. My husband was first, but he brushed it aside; I guess it was
not easy at the me to imagine his wife share stories of her past on the pulpit.
My pastor, Nuel Manufor was different. He said to me, “Lola, you have two
choices before you; do what God has asked you to do and it will lead you to
success, fulfilment and prominence. Ignore it, and you will just live an
ordinary life, so choose one.”

Telling my friend Funke about my past was challenging. To her, I was a gi to

the world, and no one could have thought I had a past. She was my gist, word
and prayer partner. We understood each other and just flowed where things
of the spirit and purpose were concerned.

We met up at a restaurant as I had le the company where we worked

together at that me. When I was done talking, my friend said, “Lola, you are a
new person, the old you is gone so you don't need to worry about that”. I
thanked her and we hugged and le . Funke has stuck with me since then and
showed up at every one of my events.

The most difficult part was opening up to my family. They were the closest to
me, yet they knew nothing about my past.

62
An opportunity came one Sunday morning to share my story. It was an
outreach service, and the resident pastor being my husband at the me
wanted leaders who had a past, but had grown in Christ to share their stories.
There were four slots so I thought it was a great way to start the daun ng
assignment I had be given. I asked for a slot, but my husband quickly shoved it
aside and said an empha c 'no'.

It was three days to the special event and they searched all over but only
found three leaders leaving one slot to be filled. Nevertheless, I kept scribbling
my story and tried to arrange the events in sequen al order in prepara on for
my first speaking engagement. On that Sunday morning, my husband called
me and said:

“Mrs. Tewe, I hope you're ready to share your story?”

It was apparent that God had an agenda to save his girls. Two of my siblings
were in church that day, but had no clue about what was to come. As I sat on
my seat looking sober and agitated, I heard the host call my name:
“Right now, let's welcome Sister Lola Tewe as she shares her story.”
My legs froze as I walked up to the podium and wondered what my siblings
thought. I can't remember what I said that day, but I sure know that many
women were set free. One lady in par cular that I can never forget walked up
to me and said something to me. She said:

“I thought you were stupid for going out there to share your story, but if that
really happened to you and you're like this today, then I can make heaven.”
This was a woman who had condemned herself and thought she could not

63
make heaven because of her lifestyle, but here was a young girl who had made
a mistake, had moved past it and was helping other people by telling her story.
I felt be er and fulfilled knowing that the story was out and that the devil
couldn't taunt me with it any more.

From there, more doors began to open and I had the opportunity to share my
story and help people get free from the devil's hold. I was invited to schools,
campuses, churches, and God began to push me deeper in him.

In September 2011, The Father's Girls was published with my story included in
it. At this me, my loving dad had passed on to glory so I was really looking for
a way to tell my mum.

Every me I tried to talk to her about it, some other events disrupted my plans
and hindered me from telling her. We either got into a fight or her mood just
wasn't right.

A few months to the book launch, my mum moved in to stay with us for a while
and the books had been delivered to me at the me. Unknown to me, she had
read the book with my story in it. Two weeks to the book launch, I went to see
her back in her place and this me around she told me she wasn't a ending
but I didn't try to push.

In a way, I was happy too because I was s ll uncomfortable with the whole
thing. Nevertheless, I called her again because I didn't want her to find out
from somewhere else. So I called her to say:
“Mummy, My book launch is in two weeks and I'd like you to a end.”

64
Her next statement made me freeze. She said: “I have read it, and I saw
something in it”.

I said “that one?” referring to the abor on. “That is why God is asking me to go
around to as many ladies as I can.” Then, she prayed for me. I know it wasn't
easy for her neither was it for me, but my family had my back. My mum follows
every move we make and prays for my events. My siblings sow seeds every
me I have an event and they push me from me to me to share the word out
there.

Today, people call me 'Father's Girls', because I chose to heed the call when
God said “I want you to share your story.” The Father's Girls was originally a
book born out of the heart of God, but right now, it has grown beyond that. It
has become the very heart cry of God.

God loves his girls, and no ma er where they've been or what they've done,
He will go all out to have them restored to Him. Ours is a ministry of hope and
restora on. Will you be made whole?

Selah.

65
 CHAPTER 10

A Beautiful
Begining
66
⁶ You were not sa sfied with the animal sacrifices, slain and burnt before you
as offerings for sin. ⁷ Then I said, 'See, I have come to do your will, to lay down
my life, just as the Scriptures said that I would.'”

⁸ A er Christ said this about not being sa sfied with the various sacrifices and
offerings required under the old system, ⁹ he then added, “Here I am. I have
come to give my life.”

He cancels the first system in favor of a far be er one. ¹⁰ Under this new plan
we have been forgiven and made clean by Christ's dying for us once and for all.
¹¹ Under the old agreement the priests stood before the altar day a er day
offering sacrifices that could never take away our sins. ¹² But Christ gave
himself to God for our sins as one sacrifice for all me and then sat down in the
place of highest honor at God's right hand, ¹³ wai ng for his enemies to be laid
under his feet. ¹⁴ For by that one offering he made forever perfect in the sight of
God all those whom he is making holy.

¹⁵ And the Holy Spirit tes fies that this is so, for he has said, ¹⁶ “This is the
agreement I will make with the people of Israel, though they broke their first
agreement: I will write my laws into their minds so that they will always know
my will, and I will put my laws in their hearts so that they will want to obey
them.” ¹⁷ And then he adds, “I will never again remember their sins and lawless
deeds.”

¹⁸ Now, when sins have once been forever forgiven and forgo en, there is no
need to offer more sacrifices to get rid of them.
Hebrews 10:1-18 Living Bible (TLB)

67
Jesus bore all our sins - past, present and future. There is one condi on though,
you need to accept the finished work of grace. Believe that when Jesus hung on
the cross, it was you on the cross. When he died, your sinful nature died, when
he went to hell, you were there with him, and when he rose from the dead, you
rose from the dead with him.

Now he is alive and seated at the right hand of God, and guess what? You are
alive and seated there with him far above all principali es and powers. You are
in charge now.
Does this mean that you will not sin again? Of course not.

⁸ If we say that we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to
accept the truth. ⁹ But if we confess our sins to him, he can be depended on to
forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong. And it is perfectly proper for
God to do this for us because Christ died to wash away our sins.
1 John 1:8-9 Living Bible (TLB)

Now this is not a license to keep up with a sinful lifestyle. Rather, we're to walk
in the light of the provisions God has made in order for us to live a fulfilled life.

68
 CHAPTER 11

Satan, e Accus
of e Breren
69
From the scripture above, we can see that we are forgiven and now have a
right standing with God and your past cannot hold you down. If God does not
accuse you of whatever sin you have commi ed, then no one has the
permission or right to do so. Next, Christ has died, and paid the price for your
sins. He took your place when he hung on the cross. He was condemned for
the sins you and I commi ed, the charge cannot be laid on you again. He
became your subs tute on that cross.

So when the devil pops images of your past into your mind and tries to accuse
or condemn you, point him to the cross and remind him that the demands of
jus ce were met when Jesus hung and died on the cross for your sins.
Another scripture that shows the heart of God about Satan's accusa ons is
this:
Then the Angel showed me (in my vision) Joshua the High Priest standing
before the Angel of the Lord; and Satan was there too, at the Angel's right
hand, accusing Joshua of many things.
And the Lord said to Satan, “I reject your accusa ons, Satan; yes, I, the Lord,
for I have decided to be merciful to Jerusalem—I rebuke you. I have decreed
mercy to Joshua and his na on; they are like a burning s ck pulled out of the
fire.”
Joshua's clothing was filthy as he stood before the Angel of the Lord.
Then the Angel said to the others standing there, “Remove his filthy clothing.”
And turning to Joshua he said, “See, I have taken away your sins, and now I am
giving you these fine new clothes.”
Then I said, “Please, could he also have a clean turban on his head?” So they
gave him one.
Zechariah 3:1-7 The Living Bible (TLB)

70
Every me Satan points accusing fingers at a believer, God rejects his
accusa ons, and if God will not allow it, you shouldn't either.

God has wiped your sins away. He has taken away your shame and given you a
new name. You are now royalty. Carry yourself in that light and do not allow
anyone, not even the devil, drag you back into the mud.

71
 CHAPTER 12

You Are
Caed
72
fellowship with the Holy Spirit, I bet you, no one will be able to stop your
come back.

So sister, don't give up on yourself. There is a beau ful life ahead of you.
Your sins may have brought heavy consequences into your life, but you
have no idea what wonderful plans the Lord s ll has for you. He may use
your experience to comfort others who are suffering. He may use you to
give hope to others who have made similar mistakes to yours so don't give
up.

73
 CHAPTER 13

's A
Up To You
74
What do you do from here? Make up your mind to be completely sold out and
consecrated to God's plans and instruc ons to you at each point in me. If I
am going to host some guests in my house, I know what to serve each one
based on who they are and on what I perceive their needs and desires to be.

There are people with varying needs in the world and God needs people He
can trust to meet those needs. Only one criterion is needed here – stay away
from sin.

¹² Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. ¹³ Do
not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead,
give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new
life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of
God. ¹⁴ Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the
requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God's grace.
Romans 6:12-14 New Living Transla on (NLT)

As a believer, you have power over sin because your old sinful nature was
nailed to the cross. Jesus gave himself for our sins to free us from this evil
world so we can live according to the will of our God and Father. If you have
made Jesus Christ your Lord, you are no longer under the law, rather you are
under grace.

What makes you stop sinning is your revela on of this truth - that sin has no
power over you. If you meditate on the scriptures for a long me,

75
you'll get to a point where you'll realize that the same things that used to lure
you are no longer pleasurable to you.
Above all, flee all appearances of evil. Do not go to places or expose yourself to
things that s r you up to sin. Avoid those sin-producing circumstances. You
know yourself and the things that easily tempt you, so stay away and run from
them. You are not that strong.

Organise your life to stay in constant fellowship with the Holy Spirit; change
your friends where necessary, and ensure you stay in an atmosphere where
God can easily speak to you and you will be fine.

We can do this together!

76
 CHAPTER 14

Fighting
Temptations
77
Sin starts as a thought in your mind. You are drawn to something pleasurable
which you know you're not supposed to toy with at all. Then, the more you
dwell on it, the more it feels good to do or have. Before you know it, your body
and emo ons are yearning for it, ll you find yourself doing it.
This is not limited to sexual sins alone, but applies to many other things - social
media, food, TV, pride, envy, and whatever it is that goes against God's
instruc ons to you.
Sin offers flee ng pleasures that are short-lived but could cause more damage
that would take a long me to mend. A five minute sexual act with the wrong
person could leave you with a life me of regrets if you contract a venereal
disease. Binging on the wrong foods could give you troubles when diagnosed
with a cri cal disease.

I like the quote by R. Zacharias which says:

“Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you
want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.”
We live in a world where there are many distrac ons with various things and
people trying to get our a en on. Nevertheless, God has not le us helpless.

13 But remember this—the wrong desires that come into your life aren't
anything new and different. Many others have faced exactly the same
problems before you. And no tempta on is irresis ble. You can trust God to
keep the tempta on from becoming so strong that you can't stand up against
it, for he has promised this and will do what he says. He will show you how to
escape tempta on's power so that you can bear up pa ently against it.
1 Corinthians 10:13 The Living Bible (TLB)

78
Latch on to the grace that has been lavished on us and ask for grace when you
need it, and God will see you through.

79
 CHAPTER 15

You e not
Alone
80
That was then, and this is now. Jesus fulfilled His promise. He asked the Father
and He did send them a helper in the person of the Holy Spirit.

The good thing also, is that the Holy Spirit isn't limited to one role. He is an all-
in-one package and will provide whatever you need whenever you need it. He
is the proof that you have received Jesus into your heart. Do you need to be
comforted? He is your comforter. Are you in trouble? He'll fight for you. Are
you weary? He'll intercede for you. Do you need guidance on your journey?
He's always with you. He will strengthen you and keep you from harm. He'll be
there when you need help the most. He is always with you.

How do you receive the Holy Spirit?

You do so by faith and by that, I mean that you must have received Jesus as
your Lord and Saviour.

Choosing to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior is the most important
decision you'll ever make!

God's Word promises that, “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus
and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be
saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the
mouth confession is made unto salva on…For whoever calls on the name of
the Lord shall be saved.”

Romans 10:9 New King James Version (NKJV)

By His grace, God has already done everything to provide salva on. Your part
is simply to believe and receive.

81
If you are ready to believe and receive Him, kindly say this prayer out loud:

Lord Jesus, I confess that you are my Lord and Savior. I believe in my heart that
God raised you from the dead. By faith in Your Word, I receive salva on now.
Thank You for saving me!

It's as simple as that. You're now born again and part of God's family.
Receiving the Holy Spirit is very easy from this point on. All you're required to
do is ask, believe and receive.

¹⁰ For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who
knocks it will be opened. ¹¹ If a son asks for bread from any father among you,
will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent
instead of a fish? ¹² Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? ¹³ If you
then, being evil, know how to give good gi s to your children, how much more
will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

Luke 11:10-13 New King James Version (NKJV)

You can pray this prayer from your heart:

Father, I recognize I need Your help on this new journey in my life. I ask that You
fill me with your Holy Spirit. By faith, I receive Him right now! Thank You for
Your gi to me. Holy Spirit, You are welcome in my life.

The best combo will be to get filled with the Holy Spirit and pray in tongues at
the same me and you require faith to do so.

82
Before I started speaking in tongues, I prayed and prayed, expec ng
something to drop on me. I guess I didn't even know what I was expec ng. But
the day I actually expressed my faith, I found out I could I speak in tongues all
the while.
It is like a toddler learning to talk. He doesn't wonder whether what he is
saying is correct or wrong, he just speaks as inspired. Likewise, once you have
asked God for the gi of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of praying in other
tongues, you have to express your faith by opening your mouth and speaking
the syllables that come to you as inspired by the Holy Spirit.
It might not make sense to you at that me, but according to the Bible, you are
praying directly to God.

²⁷ Instead, God has deliberately chosen to use ideas the world considers foolish
and of li le worth in order to shame those people considered by the world as
wise and great. ²⁸ He has chosen a plan despised by the world, counted as
nothing at all, and used it to bring down to nothing those the world considers
great, ²⁹ so that no one anywhere can ever brag in the presence of God.
1 Corinthians 1:27-29 The Living Bible (TLB)

A person who speaks in tongues helps herself grow spiritually. So you can
make it a habit from now on. Make out me to pray in tongues regularly to
build up yourself up spiritually and watch your life shoot up.
There's so much glory that God has for you and it is hidden in this wisdom. No
eye has seen it, no ear has heard it, no human mind has conceived it, but it can
and will be revealed to you as you stay in fellowship with the Holy Spirit
through reading the bible, worshipping and praying regularly in tongues.
Get up and get running!

83
 CHAPTER 16

Arise & Shine

“
Arise [from spiritual depression to a new life], shine [be radiant with
the glory and brilliance of the Lord]; for your light has come. And the
glory and brilliance of the Lord has risen upon you.

“For in fact, darkness will cover the earth and deep darkness will cover the
peoples; But the Lord will rise upon you [Jerusalem] and His glory and
brilliance will be seen on you. “Na ons will come to your light, and kings to the
brightness of your rising.”
Isaiah 60:1-3 Amplified Bible (AMP)
This is not a cliché, it is a command!
Get up from the feelings of self-doubt that have crept into your heart.

Get up from the regrets of the past.

Walk away from anything that will drag you off your course and focus on the
things that lie ahead of you.
Walk away from everything that has told you a lie about who you really are.

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Ignore the shame.
Ignore the pain.

Embrace your gi s.
Embrace his grace.

You are here for a purpose so go ahead to fulfil it.

Rise up! Fulfil purpose! Shine!

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ABOUT THE BOOK
The author understands the struggle people have when they stumble and wonder if
God will ever approve of them again. Having gone through an abor on as a teenager,
Lola struggled with guilt and condemna on and hoped for the day she would get God
approval again.
Li le did she know that the price paid for her sin included her freedom from guilt and
condemna on.
In this book, you will find out about the father's heart, the provision he has made, and
the joy of knowing that you can trace back your steps into his purpose for your life.
He has not changed his mind about you. He never did. He never will.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lola Tewe is a Cer fied Life Coach and Neuro
Linguis c Prac oner. She is the founder of The
Father's Girls Empowerment Ini a ve, a non-profit
organiza on targeted at restoring hope to abused
women and taking them on a recovery journey to
living a fulfilled life. Her passion for young girls has
inspired her to write two books, 'The Preferred Life'
and 'The Father's Girls'. It has also led her to launch
different programs among which are the Tiaras &
Cupcakes Club (for girls aged 6-11),
I Am More (for young ladies and single mums), and Beau ful Beginnings (for the
broken woman).
Lola is a speaker in churches, schools, trainings and conferences and has a coaching
pla orm called Listening Ear where she coaches young women in the areas of
rela onship, family life and purposeful living.
She is an ordained pastor with Kingsword Ministries Interna onal, a family through
which she has been nurtured and built into who she is today.
Lola resides in Lagos Nigeria with her husband Olujimi and two children.