CHAPTER 32 –
© MOMOH GIFT
Emmanuel Oluwatobi! Is this really you? Oh! This is indeed the happiest day of my life.
Oh! Tobi, it has been a long while indeed.
Dr. Ayoola ran towards his friend who was also running to him and they both hugged each other with each having tears of joy rolling down from their eyes while Mrs. Emmanuel and Tayo watched the two friends with smiles on their faces.
Oh! Glory be to the most High who has made me see you again my brother after so many years.
I had always prayed to God to help me meet with you again my dear brother before I will finally leave this world.
I have tried so many times to get your contact around because I lost my phone that period you traveled but no one seems to have your contact.
Day by day, I have always prayed that God should keep you safe and also grant me the grace to meet with you once again. Elder Emmanuel replied.
Oh! This is a blessed day for me. Emmanuel Oluwatobi! My brother from another mother. I missed you so much, bro.
I had never stopped telling all my children in my orphanage home about you.
I do narrate our childhood days to them and they all prayed for me to locate you again.
I am grateful today that their prayers have been answered by God. Thank you so much, Lord.
Oh please pardon me. Meet my wife and my beautiful daughter.
The beautiful daughter whom the Lord handed over to me a few days ago.
So pleased to meet with you again my dear sister. It has really been a very long time.
I’m glad to see you again. Good to see you too our lovely beautiful daughter.
Oh! God bless you so much my in-law for taking care of my lovely brother.
You have Indeed done great work in the life of my brother here.
I remember this was not how he looked the last time I saw him which was on your wedding day. God bless you dear daughter of Zion.
Amen! Thank you so much, sir. We are really happy to reunite with you again sir. My husband has really been worried all these years. Thanks to the Almighty God for this beautiful day.
All praise to God Almighty ma.
Where have you been Ayoola? I remembered begging you to stay for that night after standing in as my best man at the wedding but you said you had to travel that same night for an emergency business meeting and since then I never heard anything from you again.
Hmmm! It’s a very long story, my dear brother.
You should be thanking God on my behalf for being alive today because I would have been a dead man if not for his mercy over my life.
It’s a very long story but I will quickly summarize it here so that we don’t remain here standing for too long.
The summary of everything was that I was involved in a very fatal accident which claimed all the lives of the passengers except me whom the people around in the scene where the accident took place found still breathing.
I was rushed to the hospital where I stayed for so many weeks unconscious and at the point of death when Jesus Himself visited me.
He told me that I have received His mercy because of the assignment which He has given to me even before I was born which I must accomplish.
He said the enemies were trying to stop what He wanted to do by causing the accident which would have claimed my life but He in His mighty power has prevailed against them.
He said I am to take care of abandoned children and train them in His ways.
I must love them like my own and do everything possible to make sure they have a good life.
He said in the course of doing that assignment, a special child with great glory shall be brought to me.
I should take care of that child and ensure that he is groomed in the way of God.
This encounter was after I had spent three months in the hospital unconscious.
I woke up after that encounter and that was where my journey of fulfilling purpose began.
I was discharged from the hospital after a good Samaritan helped to pay all my bills then I traveled down to the place you lived before but was told that you relocated to a new place that no one knows about.
I settled down in the place God gave to me after trying everything possible to convince God to allow me to fulfil my own ambition but after so many trials, I decided to do what God has called me to do and I started little by little.
Oh! The journey was very tough but God was with me all through till today.
His mercy and Grace have been speaking for me all these years. I am truly grateful to God.
Hmmm! Ayoola! It was indeed not easy for you.
I never knew about all these. Oh! I really appreciate God over your life.
Ours is a very long story as well but in summary, we were told we lost the baby a few hours after birth and due to the pain my wife insisted on going home, and for so many years we haven’t gotten another child.
After some years we came to realize that our child was never dead rather was sent to an orphanage home by a nurse who wanted to sell the baby to a rich woman for money unfortunately the rich woman died and she brought the child to the orphanage home which we couldn’t locate after being told they relocated from their former address.
Unbelievable! You lost your child! You later realized the child was not dead? How come? I’m really confused my brother. Dr. Ayoola asked looking very confused already.
It’s a long story, my dear brother. I will explain everything better to you when we settle down in the house not here.
Right now, we are desperately in search of our lost son.
These were the documents given to us by that same nurse before she died to help us locate him and luckily, we found your name and phone number there as the owner of the orphanage home where he was kept.
You mean your baby was sent to my orphanage home? But how and by who?
Calm down, my dear brother. Here is the document. Please go through it yourself.
Dr. Ayoola collected the document and glanced through it and immediately he shouted.
What! Jesus Christ!
As he shouted, Ade walked into the reception of the hospital and was shocked to see Father Ayo and elder Emmanuel with his wife and a young lady beside them as well.
Father Ayo! Good afternoon to you.
I never thought I would still meet you here since you said you were in a hurry.
I’m so sorry for delaying you Father.
There was a little fault in the vehicle I entered.
Ade greeted his father Ayo with so much excitement but to his amazement, Father Ayo did not say a word to him rather he was looking at the paper in his hands with tears running down from his eyes.
Oh! Good day to you my elder and mummy. It’s a surprise to see you here in this hospital. How are you doing sir and ma?
Good day, bro Ade. We actually came here because of someone who was admitted here but unfortunately, we lost her a few days ago.
Elder Emmanuel replied Ade while Mrs. Emmanuel was so much lost in thought as she watched the reaction of Dr. Ayoola.
Oh! So sorry about that sir. God knows best. Please be strong for her.
Thank you so much, my dear brother. Elder Emmanuel replied.
It seems you both know my father Ayo very well.
Yes! He is my childhood friend.
Wow! He has told us a lot about you, sir. I’m grateful to God for giving Father Ayo the opportunity to see you again after these years.
I never knew you were the one he had been talking about.
I would have told him that you are my father in the church I attend. Thank God for this great reunion.
All glory be to the most High God.
Ayoola what happened to you? You haven’t said anything rather you are shedding tears since I gave you this document. Elder Emmanuel asked curiously.
Hmmm! This God is indeed a great God.
He does His things in His own mighty ways.
He used me to groom my friend’s child in His way.
He did a lot of things to ensure I began that assignment because He knew that He was bringing that child to stay under my care.
At first, I was very reluctant to begin that assignment because I felt that was not the dream I wanted in life.
I felt bad and wept for days because I thought God was not being fair to me seeing most of my mates were allowed to go for their own dreams.
I tried to argue with God but when I remembered that I was saved among others solely because of this particular assignment, then I had no choice but to obey the instruction of God.
It looked so impossible at first because there was no means of financial help coming forth but I prayed and told God to support me since He was the one that gave me the assignment.
That very day when the nurse brought that baby, I wanted to reject the baby because I thought it would become a problem for me since I found it very difficult to believe her story but God instructed me to collect that baby because he was the same baby He told me about before I started.
I gave the lady this document that very day and she left and till today I haven’t seen her.
One thing that the Lord has always been telling me is that a day will come when I will hand over the child to the parents because they will come looking for the child.
He said He brought the child to the orphanage home because that would be his training ground for the destiny he has ahead.
Today, Emmanuel Oluwatobi it is with great joy in my heart that I present to you the child whom you thought has died for so many years now.
Dr. Ayoola held Ade’s hand and placed it in the hands of the couple who began to shout so loud in the hospital reception attracting so many people to the scene.
My brother, Emmanuel Oluwatobi, Ade is the same child you lost many years ago.
This was the document issued to the nurse that brought him to the orphanage.
Ade! These are your biological parents, my dear son.
It is indeed a very long story but it was all programmed by the most High God.
What! Father Ayo! You mean I am not an orphan after all? Do you mean I can still have those to refer to as my own parents? Oh! Je……..sus please this should not be a dream. I really don’t want to wake up if this is a dream. Oh! This shouldn’t be a dream at all.
Ade hugged his parents with tears running down from his eyes.
Father! Father! Father! What … Mrs. Emmanuel tried speaking but the words just couldn’t come out from her mouth.
Oh! Ade! You are my son! My own blood.
Oh! I never knew that I had been so very close to my son all this while. No wonder the bond I and your mum have towards you has been so strong.
No wonder I couldn’t join the others to hurt you. No wonder the kind of love we have for you. Lord, you are faithful to me.
So I am not a barren woman after all? I am the proud mother of a man whom I had always desired to be my son.
Oh! Thank you, faithful father.
We are so sorry for leaving you all alone my dear son.
It was never our intention to abandon you.
We never knew we had a son all these years.
We were told by the nurse that you died shortly after your birth. Please forgive us, my son.
Hmmm! You never abandoned me, mummy and daddy.
You stood right there by my side as parents to me even when you thought I was the child of someone else.
You proved your love to an unknown person.
You took it upon yourself to pray for me always even when you were battling with all of your troubles.
Daddy, I was told how you kicked against the plans of the elders to destroy my life and how you told Mum that both of you should always intercede for me.
I owe no grudge against you mummy and daddy. In fact, I am very proud to know that you are my parents because it has always been my secret desire.
The Lord has always promised me that He would give me a father and a mother at the right time.
I never thought He was actually referring to my biological parents.
I thought He wanted to give me a Spiritual parent but today, my joy knows no bounds. I am so happy for everything that the Lord has done.
Hearing the story of Father Ayo on how he started this orphanage home, I know that the Lord has truly done all this.
He has made me go through all that I went through because He wants me to receive the right training I need to fulfill my purpose in life.
Thank you so much for obeying the instruction given to you by God because it is through your obedience that I am who I am today and also standing with my biological parents as well.
This is indeed a great lesson. Never ignore that which the Lord has called you to do no matter how it looks or sounds.
You could have decided to pursue your lovely dream of being a pilot but thank you for listening to what God told you and today through your obedience, my life was preserved and so many other children as well.
Also, I now understand that sometimes, the challenges we go through as children of God are not because God hates us or has forsaken us but because it is necessary to prune us in order to become who we are meant to be. Thank you for everything, Father Ayo.
All glory be to God my son.
Daddy and mummy, please where is the nurse that was used as a vessel to take me to my training ground? I really want to see her and say a very big thank you to her.
Though I know humanly speaking what she did was very wrong and punishable by the law but I know that everything was ordained by God for His own will. Please where is she?
Hmmm! My son! She passed into glory a few days ago in this hospital.
She pleaded that you should please forgive her for all her wrongs.
She left us with a gift from God Tayo who is now our daughter.
Oh! May her soul rest in perfect peace. I hold nothing against her.
My God! You are so wonderful. You did not only bless me with a lovely parent but also with a kid sister as well. Come to your brother my dear sister.
Tayo walked to where Ade was standing and they both hugged each other with smiles on their faces.
Mrs. Emmanuel knelt down and began to sing a song while others joined her as she worshipped God.
“You’ve got times and seasons in your hands. You called for light out of darkness
You don’t need a man to be the God you are. But you have chosen to call me your own
You are God from beginning to end. There’s no place for an argument
You are God all by yourself”.
TO BE CONTINUED