My Pastor M.

I was PREGNANT!!! I wasn’t expecting it BUT I was overjoyed nonetheless…

I excitedly told Mama (the only other people who knew being Rev and Valerie my bestie), and she was happy for me, told me to be sure to take care of myself and eat healthily, and started saying that she needs to start shopping for twin baby girls stuff. Weeks would go by and then we had a meeting at Mainland center of DCC where I had to tell her that I had lost the pregnancy. I had lost the pregnancy before we met that day but I drew back from telling her at first because I didn’t want anyone evenly remotely insinuating that I lost the pregnancy because of my exercising. Anyways, I had to tell her that day and I did. And then she said…

‘’I KNEW… When you didn’t tell me anything about it again, I suspected, but didn’t want to bring it up with you…’’

And if she thought anything, she didn’t show it apart from the fact that I would get pregnant again.

Fast-forward to earlier this year and I get a BFP again. Again, I tell mama. Again, she is excited for me. Again she looks at me and says to be careful, eat healthily and take care. Again, she promises twin baby girl clothes.

Now this is where the story gets interesting…

I have been coaching Pastor M on her weight loss journey, and with my coaching style, I harass you with my post workout pictures DAILY, and expect yours too. I struggled a bit with sending mama my pictures post-workout. She knew I had been pregnant before and lost it, and the absolute last thing I needed was for anyone to advise me to stop/reduce my workouts because of what had happened before (especially because I knew exercising had NOTHING to do with ANYTHING). But I sent my pictures to Pastor M daily and TRUST ME WHEN I SAY I WENT HARD IN THE BEGINNING. I didn’t even behave like I was pregnant. I lifted weights, bench-pressed, treadmilled, cycled, the WHOLE NINE ooo and as I sent mama the videos and pictures, there was never any time she made me feel like ‘Hian Eziaha is this not too much?’ e.t.c. If anything, she was even hailing me lol.

Now, before this comes off as she didn’t really care because if she did, she would have said something. Let me tell you another story.

I will keep this one short.

When I lost weight and started to help people for free, Pastor M was the first to talk to me about making a biz of it. She knew money was not exactly flowing in my home at the time and she thought God had answered all my ‘I am in faith for XYZ prayers’ I used to share with her by giving me a business idea, but I no gree. She tried to convince me but when she saw that I was forming SANTA CLAUS, she stepped back. Then one day, after I had the most ridiculous set of chicks who were giving me CONDITIONS upon that it was free coaching, I KNEW that frustration was God’s way of telling me to have some MAMA sense lol. Then I rang her and told her, and from her reaction, you could TELL that she had been praying for me. She had the reaction of PHEW, FINALLY YOU HAVE SOME SENSE lol even though she didn’t say. But she seemed relieved and very joyful. And trust mama, she pushed me to go LIVE before I was ready. I still recall how ACCURATE the Word she shared with me was then. I screen-grabbed it and saved it for eternity lol.

You see, what both scenarios tells me is that my mama hears from, and OBEYS GOD. It may have seemed like nothing because she wasn’t agitating over my workouts in pregnancy, but what it told me was that this woman knows when to push and when to chill, and that only happens NOT BECAUSE YOU ARE SMART but because you have a relationship with the TEACHER…

Oh but there have been other instances too, when you confide in mama about X or Y and after she counsels me (sometimes saying what you don’t wanna hear ugh), she still tells you to go pray about it. Never any pressure. Never any ‘afterall I am your Pastor’ moments. She just speaks and leaves you to JESUS.

Once I was in a car with mama riding somewhere and we were discussing someone and mama shared something about how she THOUGHT that person should have done XYZ but what tripped me the most was that she didn’t share and impose her opinion with the person, even though I KNOW that this said person has an IMMENSE amount of respect for mama, BUT she was wise enough to let him do his thing his way, afterall it wasn’t a matter of life and death.

You see, I love a lot of things about mama (not the least of which is her STRENGTH) but I especially love the fact that mama knows how to mother you in such a way that you just wanna have sense. When someone drops something deep with you, but lets you navigate it at your own pace, AND IN THE INTERIM between you getting what she is saying, SHE STILL TREATS YOU LIKE HER DEARLY BELOVED WHO HAS BEEN OBEYING EVERYTHING SHE HAS EVER TOLD YOU, you just grow into that level of sense. Lol. You don’t wanna fall your hand when someone has just told you WITHOUT WORDS that she believes that you are wise enough to make right choices… wise enough to have sense!!! You have no choice than to (you guessed right…) HAVE SENSE…

I know I have said SENSE a lot because that is really what mama has made me… SENSIBLE. And this sense includes wisdom, knowledge, strength, courage, fight, love, e.t.c.

Even when I have doubted myself like crazy and have not been able to express myself coherently, Pastor M will listen and then respond like I gave a speech that reeked of Obama and  Chimamanda. It is CRAZY how mama believes in you. In ME!!! And I have seen her rave endlessly too about others who are work in progress as she does me. I think when she sees 10 in you, she adds 2 extra zeros and makes it 1000. She is just AMAZING!!!

And tell you what? I don’t think this is natural. I KNOW that mama has had to learn this. Learn to not just believe in BUT call out the BEST in her spiritual children, no matter their level. I am really learning and applying this from her life, so I am a better person because of her. It is BEAUTIFUL to behold.

I also love that mama always always has a Word for me. If I know God is telling me something, and I share with her, she always confirms it with a Scripture, and then I start to see that Scripture in a whole new light. Such a cheerleader to me. And because I hate to type on touch screen phones, I send her voicenotes… sometimes up to 20minutes, and Pastor M will listen almost immediately and reply (even when I tell her she can take 3months lol). She even types her replies. Has only ever sent me a VN once (Mama you should vn more lol). I don’t know mehn, but Pastor M is unreal. Plus I have not seen someone who loves to give gifts like mama. It is like giving gifts is her hobby and she has kept up this hobby with me since my final year days at UI. She just gives and gives and looks for more opportunities to give, I won’t be surprised if she returns from the US with Joyce Meyer as a gift to me lol.

I also love that she READS mehn, and has both recommended and given me books at different times. Ugh!!! Pastor M sha… WHY SO GOALS???!!!

4 pages in and I am NOT EVEN CLOSE TO DONE!!! But let me stop here.

Thank YOU so much for all that you are and all that you do mama. You are A GIFT and I appreciate and love you totally!!!

Now can we throw a 40^th birthday party complete with confettis, sprinklers and more next year???

Oh I have another story.

So I had gone visiting at mama’s house sometime late last year and as I was leaving, mama was like ‘ehen Eziaha, I have noticed that you sweat a lot, what deodorant do you use? I’m like REALLY? Like I was shocked but in a good way. I like when people GO THERE with me and say the uncomfy things if it will lead to growth ooo. I responded and she said that she had a really good one she got from the US and that I should use it and let her know if it works, and she will find a way to get me more from the US again. And just for good measure, she threw in a perfume too (not because I smell bad ooo lol but because mama is just a giver).

I told you, Pastor M is just AMAZING.

I remember another one but IMMERSE courses be calling my name lol, and with ElJohn asleep and KingDaveed due back from school in an hour, I better go do my challenge for the day.

I love you so much mama and KEEP ON INSPIRING!!!

Happy birthday mama!!!