Obaji Promise Onyedikachi

Urban Model Secondary School,
P.O BOX 362,
Okpaugwu, Ebonyi State.

July 2019

The Director,
Parakletos African Girls Foundation,
Abakaliki, Ebonyi State.

Dear Ma,

LETTER OF APPRECIATION

My regards to you and your family, and I hope and believe you are all swimming in the ocean of good health.

My sole aim of writing to you is to share with you my excitement and how it started, and as well, show my gratitude and appreciation towards you and every member of Parakletos African Girls Foundation (PAG-F) for being used by God to be a source of joy and smile in my life and family.

I was actually in the exam hall on the day of mathematics when I heard my name (Obaji Promise). I raised an eyebrow and noticed a teacher was moving towards my direction and then I raised my head. She asked if I was the Promise she has been looking for, and I nodded in affirmation. She gave me a piece of paper and asked me to write my name on it. Now I was really confused, she took some other names and announced the people she just took their names saying that they were going to represent the school in a spelling bee competition. This actually happened a day to the competition. All my classmates whose names were taken were becoming pressured and started getting ready.

All my life, I have never been pressured by anything, competition being part of it. I have so much faith in my God and my friends felt it was being too much.

Our English teacher called us together and then we started practising some hard and tricky words. Our study was more like a competition. We had two rounds of dictations; I came second in the first round and first in the last round.

After all the study, I went home waiting for the next day which would actually be the day of the competition. I was not moved to study any word or spelling, so I decided to study my MARKETING notebook, which was actually the examination I was to write the next day, and again, competition day. I could not sleep on the night before the competition. I kept on waking during the night to check if it was day already. I woke up the fifth time and it was barely morning. I stood up immediately took my bath, dressed up even before my parents woke up. I told them I was ready to go and dashed out of the house. We were asked to be in school by 7:30 am, but I arrived at 7:08 am. I was actually delayed by the little occurrence I had on the road, which I also believed is part of why God decided to bless me with an ordinary Spelling Bee Competition.

On my way to school, I saw a beggar who sat at the front of St John Catholic Church which was before my school (Urban Model Secondary School), I was left with only fifty Naira which I have been holding for up to two days before that day. I was asked to give the money to the disabled young man. But then, I walked past him, just before I got to my school gate, I stopped and turned back, and started moving towards the beggar. I brought the money out of my church bag which I used as a school bag and handed it over to the man and said “Thank you Sir”,  although he didn’t respond.

I was the first to come to school that day as one of those going for the competition. We were delayed by most of the students that were meant to go with us.

On our way, my classmates were all discussing and laughing in the tricycle. I kept on meditating within myself I felt like singing some worship songs that ran through my mind at that time. When I started singing aloud, they all kept quiet.

We got to the venue of the competition (Geneza Hotel, Onwe Road) a bit late and were welcomed by Mrs Blossom Emmanuel. We got inside and one of the volunteers asked my teacher of the school’s representatives and my teacher asked me to choose two persons to represent the school I made no move. It was one of my classmates that stood up and asked the teacher to pick me and my other classmate, Amah Ogonnaya. We are both in the Art /Humanity class. Our teacher accepted and we were given our members. My colleague was given the number 11 and I 7. I was excited because I was given the number of perfection looking at it in spiritual perceptive.

After the praise and worship, the volunteers performed some varieties and all that and finally, it was time for the competition. I was not bothered at all. I suddenly became bold and full of hope. When Mrs Blossom came to give the rules and regulations of the competition, she said that one person out of the whole student will be given a scholarship. Immediately, I bent my head and made a short prayer of thanksgiving, I said to God “Father thank you for giving me the scholarship you promised me some four years ago”.

The competition started, when it was my turn, I was given my first-word, ‘IGNOMINIOUS’. I got it correct and each time I thanked God. The entire students were eliminated as we proceeded including my colleague, leaving just three of us. I did not fail any word thrown to me. The girl that came second failed just one word and third failed two words.

After everything, we were offered our gifts as the results were called. I and the girl who came second were called aside, Mrs Blossom first called me aside and asked a few questions about my background and did the same to her. The girl came to me and said to me ‘CONGRATULATIONS’. I was like….what for? And she just smiled. I kept on staring at her and then Mrs Blossom came up to name the person who won the scholarship and that attracted my attention.

When she told the story of each of us briefly and asked who the audience wanted the scholarship to be given to, they all chose the person’s story they felt was more pathetic and that was me.

When my name was called as the winner of the scholarship, I just fell down to the ground and kept on crying until I was carried up. I was short of words. I also found out that the girl who came second actually said the scholarship should be given to me even if her father was late I felt so sad and touched for the girl’s bravery. Everyone was dragging me here and there until the girl left and I did not know when she left. I did not have the chance to say thank you to her. Although I regret it, I felt she would feel bad if I said thank you, so I wanted her to calm little. Unfortunately for me, she already left before I could appreciate her.

After all the screaming and shouts of joy in my school, I went home and broke the news to my mum who was actually thinking of what her children would eat. She kept on jumping and was in so much shock including my dad who started announcing it immediately he heard about it as he came back from a minister’s conference.

The Volunteers came to my house shortly and interviewed my mum for some time, till date, the joy of that faithful day is still fresh in the memories of my family.

This scholarship did not only help me academically but spiritually as well and is really a testimony and more like a miracle to me and my family. My family and I will forever be grateful to this wonderful NGO that God has actually used to put a smile on my face and that of my family.

I pray that God will take this NGO beyond its foresight and put smiles on the face of my fellow girls just as he did for me.

Ma, I am really honoured to write something you’ll give your time to read, I really appreciate it all. I wish to see you one day, maybe then I will be able to express myself more effectively by talking to you one on one. May God take you higher beyond your limitations. Thanks.

Yours faithfully,

Obaji Promise Onyedikachi

Parakletos African Girls Foundation