My New World

         It began like every typical endeavor, but who would have known that this venture would change the fabric of my life and family? On March 25, 2007 in the church that has grown to become my family’s home church, an act was wrought that set the stage for the most tremendous transition of my life. On that memorable day, my father’s ministry was inaugurated “Aquila and Priscilla Help Ministry”. The inauguration service was a memorable one. There were different segments which included an anointing service, worship service, the word and the cutting of the cake. The fame, expectations, and responsibilities that have characterized this transition have had an overwhelming effect on my life and that of my family.

        

              The fame that accompanied this venture, which was unlike anything my family or I had ever known. Before the advent of the ministry, my family used to be just like a typical middle class family in our community. My father read mass communication and now owns a media consultancy company while my mother owns a boutique and a travel agency. It all started when my dad told us he wanted to go back to school, my siblings and I burst into laughter because we could not imagine my dad in a classroom with a lot of young people. My dad later explained that he wanted to go to a theological seminary, so he can have a full qualification to start the ministry. Since the ministry is a help ministry it didn't take long before my family began to have connection with benevolent aristocrats and elites who were willing to be partners of the ministry all over the world. Just recently before I came to the United States, my family was given a royal invitation to attend the king of Lagos state’s burial ceremony. It was a party for only the elite of the society. Such incidents highlight the fame my family now knows, and with such fame comes a reputation on which expectations are built.

            Furthermore, the expectations that influenced our actions as a family, these were beyond our imagination. All of a sudden, people in the community were watching how I behaved. I remember going to the salon with my friends on a weekend in Nigeria to have a new hairdo. We began our youthful banter at the top of our voices. To my greatest surprise, a woman just turned and asked me “are you not Aquila & Priscilla’s daughter?” Apparently, she expected me to be more courteous that I was. Even though I didn't know her, she knew me well enough to even expect something from me. I went home that day feeling like I had let my parents down. I told my parents the whole story, and they explained to me that the higher the position one attains in life, the higher the expectation of people from the person. Some people in the community expected my family to be a perfect family; we were not expected to have issues or encounter financial problems. The clothes we wore, things we said, how we acted, things we listened to and places we went, decisions we made were usually commented on. It was like we didn't have a private family life anymore. And with that much attention we, felt the weight of responsibility.

            Finally, like the saying “with great power comes great responsibility”, with the advent of this change, my family’s responsibility became enormous. While I was growing up, I didn't have to consider the amount of money my parents spent daily before asking them for money. This was because although they rendered help to the needy before the advent of the ministry, it was not as demanding as the ministry. My parents were responsible for a lot of families’ house rent, up keep, employment, and school fees. That is they had more responsibilities besides taking care of their own family. On the other, hand my siblings and I also had our share of the responsibility. We had to put other peoples’ needs before our own. Anytime my parents wanted to make a donation, it was always on behalf of the ministry and on behalf of the family. Inadvertently, my siblings and I were learning the intricacies of responsibility.

            It all started like as any other endeavor would, but the fame, the expectation, and the responsibilities transformed this venture into something even greater. Who would have imagined that the whims of my dad would bring us all under this spotlight with so many watching eyes? The decision of one man became the grooming of his whole family, but beyond the superficial were deeper familial repercussions of this endeavor. One such example is that this venture helped my family become more intimate because my family had to be a model for some of the families in the ministry. The process has been laden with very conspicuous undulations, and it’s been all worth the while.