A Nigerian-born UK student Anu Yusuf, aged 26 got married and graduated with a first-class degree on the same day! Hence, a double celebration!
Hours before wearing her graduation gown and cap to receive her law LLB from Birmingham City University along with hundreds of her fellow students last week Wednesday, Yusuf was dressed all in white, as she tied the knot at Birmingham Register Office.
Yusuf and her now husband – Joseph Kolawole Ola – met four years ago in Gombe while working as part of Nigeria’s National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), and their subsequent engagement was prolonged as a result of her coming to study in the UK.
Sharing their testimony in a post, Joseph Kolawole Ola who is also a pastor titled “I MARRIED YOU!” He said;
“I Married You” isn’t just a phrase; it’s the title of the book I bought for her ON THE VERY FIRST DAY THAT I MET HER. It was in a Youth Service Camp in Northern Nigeria. I was drawn to her as she stood looking at the books at the book stand in front of the hall where I had just finished holding a Bible Study session. I walked up to her, struck up a conversation, and felt led to buy her a book by Late Walter Trobisch. I wanted to buy her “I Loved A Girl” which was the only book by that author which I had read, but they were out of copies so I opted for another title by the same author; a book I HAD NOT EVEN READ MYSELF. And the title became a prophetic script: “I MARRIED YOU!”
And it came…to pass. Last Wednesday. July 27th. I married her!
But not only that, ON THE SAME DAY, she graduated with a FIRST CLASS in her LLB Programme.
Pause right there. Give me a moment to tie it up for you…
Of course, this isn’t just a post about me getting married or about her graduating with a first class (we won’t be the first in anyways); but you know I like to draw out life lessons from almost everything. So this post wouldn’t be without one, and here is it: GOD LISTENS TO YOUR SILENT WHISPERS!
Here’s what I mean…
When Eleos was leaving Nigeria for the UK in 2013, I intended to meet her at the airport. I woke up early enough, stopped by at a store to buy her a golden wristwatch that I wanted to give her as a parting gift alongside a Friendship Journal where I chronicled our first conversations in our first few months together since February 2012 when the relationship started…
But Lagos traffic did its worst and I didn’t make it to the airport in time to meet her. She had boarded the plane before I got there.
I cried. Like, literally.
But the aircraft had some little challenge so their take off was delayed… So we spoke on phone for almost an hour until it was time for the plane to take off.
But the only thing I can remember in that long conversation was this:
“Eleos, don’t worry. I’ll come and give you these things in the UK by myself…”
I said it jokingly, though. I had no plans of coming to the UK. I even had no Nigerian Passport at the time let alone a UK Visa…
Fast forward to months later, I find myself telling her (again, jokingly) in our almost-every-night conversations while I was still in Nigeria trying to encourage her with regards to her studies… I’ll say something like:
“Don’t worry. Study well and FINISH WITH A FIRST CLASS… I’ll be there at your convocation…and WHISK YOU OFF AFTERWARDS TO MARRY YOU ON THE SAME DAY!”
Again, it was just a joke, but I love to tease her with the idea…
But as of today, not only did I actually come to give her the golden wristwatch by myself but I also witnessed her graduation and ‘WIFED’ her the same day! (Only the order was different; marriage first, graduation afterwards…)
Where am I going?
Here: GOD LISTENS!!!
In the two cases above, I neither prayed nor fasted for days for those things to happen. They happened…because God listened! And He still does…
And that’s my news to you today…
What have you been asking Him that He seems to be delaying to do?
What are your deepest desires?
The truth is that the God that cared enough to listen to my silent whispers is still alive. Don’t stop trusting Him.
So yeah, I married her! And same day she graduated! And same day we got to have our first kiss in a SUPER GREAT and DUPER GUILTLESS atmosphere…
That’s what love looks like to me!
If our story inspires you enough, do well to drop a word of prayer for us. We will appreciate it.
If you feel offended to not have been informed, no hard feelings. At worst, pardon my forgetfulness. At best, respect Romans 8:14
Wishing you even greater testimonies!
Let’s celebrate!”
