I experienced one of the finest moments of my life today. I am currently leading a health awareness project which will take me to all 63 public primary schools within Surulere in less than 60 days. It’s been a pleasure doing this.
A little past 7 am, as I was rushing to make it early enough to the morning assembly session where I would get the opportunity to address most of the pupils of 1 of those schools, a boy holding an empty bucket rushed towards me. I had to stop ‘what does this boy want from me’, I thought, and then, he greeted me and said ‘you are the person who came to our school to teach us.’
Oh my, and when he mentioned the school, I remembered I was there on Wednesday. It was the same school I visited and as soon as I stepped into the gate, I started hearing ‘Uncle Yomi, Uncle Yomi’, who is the person that knows me here for God’s sake’, I wondered. Apparently one of the teachers knew me from another project.
I asked why are you then holding an empty bucket, he said he wants to go get water to take his bath. I said ‘go boy, get to school early.’
Little things, big things, they count the same for me – it’s for thanksgiving to Divinity and impact living to humanity, and I don’t take any for granted. There is at least a 30-year gap between that boy and me, that generational gap disappeared in that moment.
I felt like hugging the boy this morning but one has to be very careful in our tense security situation. God bless that boy, and all of the pupils I have met and will yet meet on this tour. I am thankful for the opportunity to impact the next generation through this ‘My blood and I’ school tour.