The Wrong Offering

It was my first year in the university. Finally, I had the freedom I have always wanted. No parents nor family members to monitor my movement. To enjoy my freedom, I had to get an apartment outside the school premises.

Everyone knows I am very jovial, it was easy for me to mix with the other occupants of my house. Most of them just resumed in school like me. Jane became my best friend since we happened to be in the same department.

Source

One day, we were coming from class and got to the school gate waiting for bus when we saw a guy pasted a poster on the wall. A popular Pastor was coming to the school during the weekend for a crusade, we were happy and promised to be there. Since school just resumed, it was a normal thing to go shopping for new clothes, bags and shoes. On Friday of the same week, I went to the market with my new friends to shop. You know how girls are, we all tried to be flamboyant with good taste so we eventually spent heavily. I was actually glad with all I bought.

The next day was the crusade in school. It was scheduled for 5pm. We ate heavily that afternoon and slept afterwards. When we woke up, time was already far gone, we had to rush out. It was I, Jane and two other girls that were interested in the programme. We got to the school field where the crusade was happening late and blended in.

The sermon was powerful and touching. I felt it deep in my bones and made some covenant with God there. When he was through, he prayed severally for us. He later on gave us a prayer point to pray about, we all closed our eyes to pray hard. After the prayer, we opened our eyes and he had gone. The school Pastor took charge and it was time for offering.

I forgot to carry my bag but money was in my trousers’ pocket. I put hand in my pocket and slowly checked, I had both 500 and 10 naira note. My mind told me to drop the bigger note but I remembered that was all the money on me. I returned the 500 Naira note in my pocket and picked the 10 naira note. Even though I felt ashamed to drop that small amount, I still joyfully dropped the money in the offering basket.

It was eventually time to go back home, the rest already boarded a bus home leaving I and Jane. She said we should get meat pie beside the bus stop before leaving. As we were about to get it, a call came in so I told her to get for us and I would pay for her transport fare. After the call, we ate the meat pie and headed back to the bus-stop. My mind told me to check my pocket before we boarded the available bus and that was when something strange dawned on me, I had dropped the wrong offering.

I checked my pocket and saw the 10 Naira note in my pocket, my heart skipped for a second. “How will I tell Jane about this?” that was the first thing that came to my mind. She already used her bus fare to get me meat pie. She was about to board the bus when I drew her back. I narrated what happened to her. I thought she would be angry but she laughed at our situation.

“Thank God we ate meat-pie, we have the strength to walk.” She replied. I was happy she was not angry. We got a satchet of water and trekked home that night. That was the scariest night of my life – walking on that road. I was so tired when I got home and slept like a log of wood. The next day, we narrated the story to the rest, they laughed at me and that was it.