Simon's Story

One faithful night in the land of FUTA, I stepped out of my room onto the hostel balcony and there she was. A beautiful damsel calmly sitting on the railings outside (imagine 😄). I flashed my phone light toward her face, and with that simple moment, our story began.

Me: Hello
Her: Hi
Me: How are you?
Her: I’m fine
Me: Are you waiting for someone?
Her: No, I came to visit my brother.

She had come to spend a few days with her brother, Mr. Segun who, interestingly, was my lodge mate.

A day or two into our conversations, I began to discover just how intelligent and thoughtful she was. Her view of life was deep yet balanced. We talked about everything: politics, spirituality, career, family, personal growth, and life itself.

I eventually invited her to my student fellowship for an evening service, and later to the JCCF Prayer and Prophetic Week. Those moments strengthened our bond, and even after she returned home, we stayed connected talking at least once a week and nurturing what had become a beautiful friendship.

Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and eventually, years rolled by. What started as a simple friendship blossomed into a relationship, then courtship, and now marriage.

What helped us along the way?

First, communication with God and with each other. Trust also played a vital role, and yes we involved our parents, spiritual leaders and other important people in our lives.

We also put structures in place. We pray together virtually almost every Friday evening, study the Scriptures every Tuesday night, and consistently challenge each other to read, grow, improve our skills, and advance in our careers. There is hardly a day we don’t talk, through voice calls and plenty of video calls. Yes, you guessed right, ours was a long-distance relationship.

To my adorable Aya Ola, these years with you have been glorious and deeply fulfilling. I am truly blessed to have you as mine. As we seal this covenant, know that we have all we need in Christ. By the help and supply of the Holy Spirit, we will fully accomplish God’s mandate for this union and for our individual lives, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

From praise to praise, and from glory to glory.