Stories of Faith: A Girl’s Walk With Her Lord (2)

Heb 11: 1 KJV 

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  

Heb 11: 1 AMP 

Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses]. 

Heb 11: 1 EASY 

This is what it means to trust God: We will be sure about the things that we hope for. We will be sure in our minds about things that we cannot even see.

Next Steps

Crowdfunding was not easy. I went to see some people at their offices, but I was turned back, or when I saw the individual, they didn’t really give me a chance to speak. I reached out to strangers with my pitch via email. I sent hundreds of emails, and I posted letters to offices and homes I couldn’t access as a stranger without an appointment. Someone replied to one of my emails calling me a scammer, lol. I didn’t even have the mental strength to respond to them. It was the person who connected me with them, who was copied in the email, who took the matter up, demanding an apology. Another group said, that after all I had achieved, I wanted to use other people’s money to achieve more. And some others thought that without them (their voice, contribution, influence), this would fail. But God.

There were donors whose public involvement with the campaign could have aided fundraising but their hands were tied and they didn't want their donations or name made public. Some others could not donate but supported in other ways; they prayed, they advised, they encouraged, they shared the information, and they connected me with their network. The thing about crowdfunding is that sometimes the credibility of those who support you publicly can amplify your efforts. But when it cannot be public due to a variety of legitimate reasons, it sorts of presents its own challenges.

Despite the happenings, God sprinkled miracles to prove to me that He indeed asked me to do this, and He was with me on the journey. Family, friends, colleagues, and total strangers donated to the campaign. I'm super grateful to these people who bet on me and this God-given vision. I remember receiving a huge sum from my friend Kemi, it was the highest I received from a single individual who wasn't family during the campaign. I had to call her and ask, “Are you aware of the amount you sent?” She said she was doing what God put on her heart to do. 

I met Dr. W through Emediong. He received my email and called me to hear my story and plan. At this time, I thought I had to have all the money for 4 semesters ($80,000 +) to start, but I quickly learned that fees were paid on a semester-by-semester basis. Dr. W advised me, sent his contribution, and prayed for me. He became a critical help that God positioned early because of the year 2022. From his advice, I saw the way forward and proceeded with the visa application process. I needed at least $30,000 and my brother had it. What was interesting about this miracle was that he was supposed to have made a down payment for a house in Europe, but had been told to hold on to the money for a bit while a process was going on. God kept it for me temporarily.

June came along, and I went for my visa appointment. By this time, I had raised some funds from my family and the crowdfunding campaign, but it still wasn’t enough, so I was rightfully nervous as my visa appointment came along. Prior to this, I had visited the US as an exchange visitor through the Mandela Washington Fellowship, and I had also visited as a conference presenter,  but this situation was different. At my appointment, while awaiting my turn in the queue, I kept hearing officers rejecting people’s applications, and the Holy Spirit called my attention to a pattern those people used in answering a certain question. He said it was wrong and explained the rationale. So I thought about it and rehearsed my own answer to that question. (Because that question and its answer are highly subjective, I won’t be addressing that here.)

When it was my turn, I was sent to a lady. As soon as I submitted my document to her, she complimented my nails and smiled. She was trying to put me at ease. I smiled and thanked her for the compliment, and the interview began. We got to the part about funding and she wanted to know how I would pay. I mentioned that I had received a partial scholarship, my family would support me, and I was also running a crowdfunding campaign. She looked at the tuition numbers again and said, “Explain to me again, how will you fund this?” At this point, I was getting worried as other questions had gone well, including the one the Holy Spirit had called my attention to. I explained again, and she asked more questions.

And then the table turned. Apparently, she had needed more context to approve my visa, so she checked me out online and stumbled on one of my videos, a safety awareness video recap of my time with young girls at the Awesome Treasures Foundation Summer camp in celebration of my 30th birthday in 2019, two years before the interview. She turned her computer screen towards me, and I saw this video of myself playing on her screen, and she began to speak. She said, “Many people come for interviews, but I wish they were as prepared as you. You will do well. It is people like you that will make Nigeria great. Go and prosper. Go and shine. You will do well.” and so many other things.

I lost all my composure at this point, and cried because how did we go from being unsure about the adequacy of the funds to a declaration of blessings at a visa interview? And no, she wasn’t African. That’s how my visa got approved. It confirmed again to me that God was here, regardless of what people were saying or what the school fees account balance was saying.

As a practice, when things happen to me, good or bad, I reflect to understand. So I did the same for this miracle. I asked the Lord why it was a video from two years ago that changed the trajectory of the visa interview. He said I had tapped into the grace on Mrs. Jumoke Adenowo’s life (the founder of the foundation). A few weeks before, I had watched one of her videos on YouTube and felt led to sow a seed following the example of one of the testimonies mentioned in that video. At the time, it was not convenient, so it was a very small seed, emphasis on very small. But God honored that little seed. 

Final Prep Hitch

Admission secured, partial scholarship secured, and visa secured, but my University transcript had not been sent to NYU. I had to go to Ibadan myself. Arrived at the University of Ibadan (UI), went to the relevant office, and as I sat there, waiting and watching the process, my heart kept sinking because it didn’t look like I would get my preferred response as fast as I needed. At that moment, I reflected on the journey that brought me there. I had graduated from my first degree at age 20, and here I was at 32 struggling to get my transcript to facilitate my postgraduate degree. I was inspired to take a picture in front of the University’s gate and write a post about the journey.

Later that night, I wrote a post and published it on LinkedIn. It was just a simple reflective post but it went viral. I was unprepared for the ripple effect of that post. I didn't even have the crowdfunding details there because that was not the essence. But as more people reposted, I had to update the post to include the details. People began to write think pieces on Twitter about transcripts and Nigerian universities. I had an Emeritus Professor from UI in my LinkedIn network. She sent my post to the University's Registrar. The next day, I received a message from the Registrar letting me know they were working on my transcript, and it would be ready in time to go to NYU. It was ready in record time. Social media made that happen for me, and I could see God’s hand all over it because while the money was still in process, every other thing was aligning quickly for my trip.

Through all these, the Lord kept giving instructions and sending words of encouragement my way through several people. In July 2021, He sent my friend Deola to me. He called me “NYU alumni”. Without resuming yet, God already went to the end of the matter while I still had incomplete fees. That was when He said I would be celebrated in school, and many would give great feedback on the value I added. That was nice to hear, but at that time, all I was focused on was getting complete tuition. 

In August 2021, I travelled in faith, thankful for what I had and trusting God for the rest.

To be continued.

At the airport with my dad and brothers

Key Lessons

1. The fact God asked you to do something or said you will become something does not mean there won’t be challenges on the way. So, show up anyway and be as excellent as possible. E get why! (For my non-Nigerian readers, this means there's a reason) Joseph is a solid biblical example. 

2. Courage is crucial for your next level. There’s a reason God said to Joshua several times in Joshua 1, “Be strong and courageous”. He was going to fill the shoes of Moses, a larger-than-life personality to the Israelites. God had bigger tasks for him and needed him to be courageous for what was coming. Joshua 1: 9 MSG says, "Haven’t I commanded you? Strength! Courage! Don’t be timid; don’t get discouraged. God, your God, is with you every step you take.” Be courageous in what God has sent you. His backing ultimately makes the difference.

3. People have a right to choose to not be a part of your story. That's okay. Keep going. Those God has assigned to you will play their part in your story.

4. Do and document your work. Who knew that a video of work done in 2019 would save the day in 2021? Who knew that the work documented in my email pitch would be the link to getting a strategic helper for the journey? Does it mean everything must be documented? Not necessarily, but ensure you have a positive digital trail.

5. When you have divine inspiration, take action. You have no idea what is on the other side of taking action.

Feel free to share your lessons in the comments. It might help someone else who will be reading.