Chapter 12

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Jesse playlist

Be still and know that I am God

By Juanita Byrum

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My grace is sufficient for you,my power is made perfect in weakness 

,my ways are not the ways of men ,you are like a Clay jar which I have stored a treasure ...I will be with you till the end.

That sweet calm voice had woken Jesse up from his deep slumber,he smiled waking up for once in his lifetime, he slept well with no hunting nightmares, he felt well rested and relaxed .

Jesse didn't fail to recognize the different changes around his life,there was this overwhelming power he carried like he was going to explode ,it was too much for him to carry,he was suddenly adjusting to his new life like he had been born anew ,he felt warm and protected like there was a powerful presence always around him.

Jesse fell to his knees and prayed as led in the spirit the journey that laid ahead was enough to make him pray.

Nnnoma wondered why the young pastor had not come out of his room ,after what he had done to the masquerades of oshimiri she wasn't certain he could had survived the wrath of oshimiri through the night .

Instead of concentrating on her morning chores she got up from the backyard and was about going to the  guest room built outside the compound to take a peek ,when she saw him come out from the room,he had freshen up ,Nnomma thought he looked drop dead gorgeous clad in nothing but a simple jean and hackett T-shirt he held his bible and his car key walking down towards their house.

"Good ...good morning pastor" she stammered surprised

"Good morning Nnomma ,why are you looking at me like that" he asked with a smile etched on his handsome face

"You are alive"

"Yes I am alive,obviously" he looked perplexed

"What you did to Oshimiri masquerades..."she stuttered " nobody ever tried to go against the god of this land and lived to see the next day complete"

"But I did" he chucked "Hallelujah"

She collected his two hands checking for spots or any kind of sickness 

"are you sure you are okay"

She asked looking at him in awe

"No Nnomma ,the God I serve is bigger than mere man made gods"

"What kind of God do you serve,is it the Christian God my father talked about that nearly caused him his life yesterday"

"He is the God of all,he sees and know all things,he has the whole world in his hands"

"Why did he allow pastor Kingsley and innocent people  to die, why did he allow oshimiri to take my mother and my love away from me"

"Hmm,oshimiri,what a strange name"Jesse muttered

" its a powerful dirty that had ruled over Umumiri for Years "

"A community with a strange name,your people are living in bondage and it is only God that can liberate you all, Oshimiri is just a powerless idol made by human hands"

"Shhh" 

Nnomma covered his mouth with her hands surprising Jesse "Don't say that the winds have ears"

Jesse pulled her hands from his mouth

"I am not afraid of them,He that is in me is greater than ten thousands of them"

Nnomma gave up, staring at him she wondered why someone she was probably saving his life was being as stubborn as a mule...no! He seemed so sure of himself there was this confidence around him .

"Who is pastor Kingsley" Jesse asked because he had heard the name previously from Afam the twins father lips .

Nnomma led him to a long bench that stood under the huge mango tree opposite the compound

"Pastor Kingsley came here as a stranger like you,he had promised salvation to all that chooses to follow him ,he always talked about Jesus,but it felt more like a myth us ,several times he had received threat from  the priest of oshimiri to flee from the land  ,he had lived with us too,several nights I and papa hears his screams like oshimiri saved the nights to torment him,he with a few members courageous enough to believe him alongside my dad, the rest of us was scared of the wrath of oshimiri had built that church ,one fateful day which was sacredly kept for oshimiri festival ,the pastor was hosting a program alongside his members,papa happened to have escaped death that day ,a mighty wind came and rented the church to pieces with the people inside some died while some disappeared with the angry wind,they died a painful death,no body was ready to bury those that suffered such a cursed death they threatened to throw the body into the evil forest.

my father buried the ones he could find , papa life changed since then like he was tormented mentally,it comes once in a while most nights he shouts like a man tormented in his sleep ,the community called him a mad man, but still my father believed even though pastor Kingsley died he  talked about a real God that was far more better than our god.

I suffered rejections because no one wanted to be friends with a mad man daughter,Osita was the only man that wanted me but a few weeks to our wedding ,the cold hands of oshimiri snatched him away from me"

Jesse had listened attentively without a word,he watched her broke down into tears when she spoke of her father and the man she was to marry.

"Oshimiri masquerades took my mother in one of the dance of the masquerades festival,they took my osita and almost took my father,am loosing all the people I love " her tears brought her father to them he had hanged around listening to their conversation "they seems to be after my family"

Jesse engulfed her in a comforting embrace he nodded at her father who finally sat close to them with a look everything was going to be alright ,old wounds opened as tears flowed from Nwoke eyes.

"I watched with my own eyes how they took my  wife away from me,as life slowly left her" Nwoke

lamented shakingly

"I am done believing in a god that have giving me nothing but pains and suffering"

Jesse wiped tears from each of their faces and held both father and daughter hands comfortingly

The agile old man he saw ran out of the compound shouting he had seen Jesus looked frail and exhausted, Nwoke eyes held a little shine of hope as he glanced up at him

Jesse didn't realize as tears slipped down his eyes he tried putting his emotions on check

"Even Jesus Christ our lord suffered in the hands of malicious men,But Jesus came for a reason that we all may live,His precious blood was shed on the cross of calvary for all of us"

Jesse held on to them tightly

"Papa...Nnomma the years that the cankerworms had stolen and eaten from you,Jesus has come to restore, Are you willing to lay down all kinds of  idol you have or know and follow the one and only true God "

He looked at the both of them waiting for an answer

"I Nnomma denounce Oshimiri as my god" she spoke shakingly though frightened as though something was ready to chop her head off

"I Nwoke denounce Oshimiri as my god, I accept the True God" Nwoke replied as well though confident.

Jesse smiled at them both as he read a few bible passages to them ,he prayed for them both

"Now you bear the mark of Christ and nothing can by no any means hurt you,it is a new beginning for you "

Hmmmmm

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