... "Bl00d of Jesus!" My husband exclaimed, while I stood there with my mouth agape staring into the bucket.
"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of de@th, I fe@r no ev!l" My husband said to him.
"Ah, you will fe@r Jogbo! Yes, you must fear this place cos we don't do Jesus and His people here. We have our own god that we call upon here and he has been answering us. See, let me advise you. It is better you both go back to where you are coming from before it is too late" He said spreading his palm.
"I have come to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ, and nothing shall stop me" My husband said already swelling in @nger. I reached for one of his arms and then grabbed it.
"Let's leave here" I said to him in whispers.
"Better!" The man said.
"Don't just take him out of here, also take him out of the village" He added.
My husband looked at me...
"Let's leave here" He said and we both turned our backs swiftly. The man continued saying whatever he was saying but we ignored him and walked away.
"Did I make a mistake following my husband here?" I asked myself as we both walked side by side to our new home.
I took Layla's little keg of water from the car and I managed to clean the bedroom with it somehow cos it was just too dirty. We brought out our things into the house from the van but it was so late by the time we finished so the van driver had to spend the night in our house. We couldn't even get water to cook, my husband went to one of the shops around to see if he could get sachet water so we could at least make something with it but our arrival into the village had already spread all around the village that the shop owner even told him to his face that he wasn't going to sell to him, adding that he was one of Jesus' people. Thank Goodness we came with some packs of bottled water, we had to make something that night with some bottles of water.
The driver slept on one of the couches in the living room. We went to bed around 9:30 pm and by 11 pm, there was a bang on our door. No one answered at first, but the b@nging continued. Then I heard the driver asking all of a sudden at the top of his voice...
"Who is that?"
"The King demands to see you all" The person said from outside.
As soon as my husband and I heard that, he picked up his phone from the stool beside the bed and we both jumped out of bed and ran into the living room.
"Who is that?" My husband asked the driver in whispers.
"I don't know o" He whispered back.
My husband then turned towards the door.
"Who is it?" He quizzed at the top of his voice.
"The king wants to see you all" The person repeated.
My husband checked his phone screen for the time and it was already 11 pm. He went towards the door and wanted to unlock it.
By Blessing-Enejo Abrahams Elleywrites.
"What are you trying to do?" I quizzed.
"Opening the door" He replied.
"But Pastor, you don't even know who it is. Don't you think it is unsafe?" The driver said.
"Nothing will happen" He said and then opened the door and flashed his phone torch on the person.
"Yes, who are you?" He questioned again.
"The king demands to see you"
"At this time? Do you know what time it is?" I heard my husband asking.
"Checking the time is not part of my duty. I'm only here to deliver a message" The person said.
"Ok, tell the king I will be there tomorrow"
"You're all coming with me now. It's an order from the king" He said.
My husband returned and then urged us to go to the palace. I bec@me so @fraid as I slowly walked into the other bedroom to wake the kids. We all left for the palace including the driver and we were all made to stand before the king. The elders too were present, not one of them even minded the time.
"I learnt you came into the village today. Were you not told that Jesus' people are not welcomed here?" The King said biting from the colanut he was holding.
"I didn't send myself here, God sent me" My husband said with confidence.
"And until I'm done winning this place for God, I won't back out" He added looking into their eyes one after the other.
"He's got guts" The king said laughing and the elders too chorused with laughter.
"Your God sent you to another man's land so you can talk to people in the land and make them forget their god and follow yours?" The king said laughing again and the elders too started to laugh.
"The earth is thy Lord's, and the fullness thereof" My husband replied.
The king turned and looked at him all of a sudden.
"Keep quiet!" He r@ged in @nger.
"What effrontery! How dare you?" He thundered and I immediately grabbed one of my husband's arms and attempted pulling him back with it but he withdrew his hand. I could see fe@r in my children's eyes as they stood there visibly shaking.
"Guards, bring me a very long cane" Said the king.
"Are you too Jesus' people?" The king quizzed staring at us one after the other. We paused, and my first son spoke.
"Yes, I am" He said and my husband turned swiftly to look at him.
"I am" My daughter said, and my husband smiled with head bowed.
"Yes, I'm one of Jesus' people" I said.
It was the driver's turn. He had been worshipping in the church we were transferred from for years now but he really shocked me.
"No, I am not. As a matter of fact, we have our own id0l that we worship in my place. Your Highness, I'm only a driver who helped them bring their things. I would have since gone back but I decided to stay back till tomorrow cos it was late" He said in a trembl!ng tone.
"Very well then, step aside" The King said.
"Guard, give the men 50 strokes of the cane, and the women 20 strokes each" Said the King.
"No, No one touches my family. Give me all the strokes of the cane instead" Said my husband as we all stood there with mouth agape as soon as we all heard that.
"Very well then" Said the King.
He was fl0gged mercilessly, as we stood there in tears and helpless. We pleaded but nothing happened.
"You are given 3 days to leave this village. Else..." Said the King.
The following day my husband managed to go out to the church without telling us despite the pain he was feeling, opened it, swept it, and started preaching to the empty chairs at the top of his voice...
To be continued!
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