A Memorable Monday: My Visit to a Mission School in the Village

I have been in this town since I was posted here last year in January, and by God's grace, I will be leaving permanently this week. However, I will still be coming on a visit once in a while. I've made friends with lots of amazing people here and also become deeply part of the household of Christ, especially with my Reverend and his family; they are truly one great set of people I have met.

To be honest, I've never been privileged to be this close to Pastors like them. They are welcoming and loving. They show love genuinely, according to the word of Christ, and since my stay here, they have consistently practised what they preach. That’s something I admire about them.

Observation is my thing, and once I observe and notice a bad attitude, I step back. But with this family, I always find myself wanting to spend time with them.

It's been months since the Reverend's wife first talked about their mission school to me, and from what I heard, the staff there are doing an amazing job teaching children from homes that aren't well-to-do. Their aim is to give the kids quality education and, in a way, serve God through teaching with sacrifice.

I have always postponed visiting because of my tight schedule. But knowing I would be leaving soon, I decided to sacrifice three days of this week to visit and have fun, too. Mummy was excited when I informed her of my decision, seeing it also as a way to fulfil my promise. It would have pained me if I eventually didn't, because I like to keep my word.

I woke up as early as 5 am, did my morning devotion for an hour, washed my dirty clothes, and got prepared. I went to my Reverend's house, thinking Mummy would follow us, but I got the news that they had an emergency, which required them to travel this morning to another city over a three-hour journey away. Instead, I was introduced to other staff members that I would be coming with.

The church bus took us to the school. School starts at 9 am and ends at 12 pm. On our way, they picked up some of the children from their houses, while others who lived nearby were already in school.

_{The school's building: Oreofe Baptist School}

The pupils had started their exams last week, and the school is now in its 11th week. By next week, they would be going on their second-term holiday. After the short assembly, they all marched into their classrooms.

Before then, I was introduced to the children as an "inspector" just to make them behave (and also as a little prank). I was called upon to address them, and they jokingly remarked that if I'd known, I should have worn my National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) khaki uniform so they would better understand what I was saying. Many of them couldn’t grasp what NYSC meant, but you wouldn't blame them — since they live in the village and aren't as exposed to such things.

The children weren't much; perhaps others had travelled after they wrote their exams last week, assuming they had nothing left to do in school. But then, how about their report cards?

_{Two staff members recording the pupils' scores and entering them inside the report cards}

I helped one of the staff members who wasn't around by recording her pupils' scores for both tests and examinations. Actually, she’s on maternity leave, having had a baby some weeks ago.

After recording the scores on both the sheet and the report card, I went outside to take some photos, and the whole environment amazed me.

Since it's a village, there were lots of trees everywhere. Mango and cashew fruits hung in abundance. These villagers would definitely be enjoying loads of fresh mangoes and cashews this season.

_{Ajelanwa Market. 'Ajelanwa' in English means "We are looking for sales"}

Beside the school, there is a mini market. I noticed that different stalls were set up for traders.

When I took the first photo using a panorama shot, I couldn't capture it well until I moved closer for a better view. I guess the market opens every Tuesday because I was told they would come tomorrow. The village felt very quiet and peaceful. I really enjoyed my time visiting the mission school.

I will be going again tomorrow and on Wednesday. This visit is another opportunity to step out and explore new places, instead of getting bored alone at home. It was a great day — stepping outside, having a refreshing moment, and most importantly, fulfilling my promise. That was how my Monday went.

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_{All images captured by me with my Samsung Galaxy phone}