MRS ONYINYE BERNADINE OKORO (NEE OLEDIBE): A LADY OF PIETY

In our journey through life, they are people that we meet and just fall in love with or vice versa and the reason(s) for this can never be explained by anyone, not many of us, yet we fell in love.

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Perhaps, it is just a natural tendency or better still, a happenstance, but whatever it is, these type of people or persons remain forever in our hearts, indelibly written there whether in close distance, close to us or even in a faraway distance.

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This is the story of Mrs Onyinye Bernadine Okoro (Nee Oledibe), a lady of true piety that I tell today.

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This story holds for me, a story of true love, love borne out of admiration of a life of piety, honesty and truthfulness. It is a story of faithfulness and devotion. It is the true story of simplicity and humility. It is the story of Mrs Onyinye Bernadine Okoro (Nee Oledibe), a lady of true piety.

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She was the Branch Administrative Secretary (BAS) at Ozumba Mbadiwe Branch.?She was employed on Tuesday, November 28, 2006, on the University 3 Grade by Oceanic Securities (International) Nigeria Limited (OSIL), a subsidiary of Oceanic Bank International Plc and was seconded to the Bank.

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In her expansion drive, early in Year 2006, 24, Ozumba Mbadiwe Avenue, Victoria Island, Lagos, formerly home to the Embassy of the Netherlands was acquired by the Bank and some Corporate Office Departments were relocated from her Waterfront Plaza Corporate Office at Plot 270, Ozumba Mbadiwe Avenue, Victoria Island and my Department, Human Resources was one of the Departments that was so relocated where she occupied the Second Floor of the Left Wing of the building.

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And in continuation of this expansion drive, through rapid branch network in her vision of ‘Think Banking, Think Oceanic,’ there was a need for a Branch to be opened and operated at the new building since the Corporate Branch located at the Waterfront Plaza Corporate Office at Plot 270, Ozumba Mbadiwe Avenue, Victoria Island was becoming a behemoth of a Branch and there was an urgent need for a decongestion, hence Ozumba Mbadiwe Branch was opened at the new building.

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As one of the key components of the administrative structure of the branch, she was therefore employed on Tuesday, November 28, 2006, as the Branch Administrative Secretary (BAS).

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Now, the Branch, Ozumba Mbadiwe Branch was located at the ground floor of 24, Ozumba Mbadiwe Avenue and because of this proximity as we shared the same building, especially as most of her key Officers (Branch Manager, Head of Operations, Cash Officer, etc) were my contemporaries and personal friends, it became for me, my favourite Branch to carry out all my banking transactions and it was here that I met her in December 2006 following her resumption and seamlessly, we became friends.

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One of her strong attractions for me, was the way that she wears her smiles; so simple, yet so beautiful and inviting and in this attribute, I found a sister in a colleague, and I became fond of her, sincerely and truly.

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Another one of her strong attributes that strongly attracted me to her, is her level of piety. Bernadine is a Catholic and through the rituals of attending morning Mass together at the Lagos Resource Centre at 9, Anifowoshe Street, Off Kofo Abayomi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos from December 2006 when she joined our little group of Morning Mass Attendees to Friday, September 17, 2010, before the completion and dedication of the Parish, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church at 14B Musa Yar' Adua Street, Victoria Island, I found a lady of true piety.

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Her virtue of piety was simply inspiring. She was not just devoted religiously, but she acted this out in her daily conversations and her level of spirituality and duty of respect, especially for things of sacred nature, was simply unbelievable in our modern world where profanities avail at every corner.

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In these, she took my heart, truly and sincerely. Her sincere and attentive engagements, conversations and friendship was simply inspiring, and this offered me the comfort and inspiration, not only to be her friend, but her friend where a natural and warm friendship and strong family bond has existed between us since then.

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I recall, fondly, that in the company of Mr Cletus Omale Igah chronicled in ‘My Brother Cletus, My Prayer Partner’ on Saturday, April 28, 2018, Mr Damian Ohuakanwa and Mrs Okuguni Vivian Uvietobore (Nee Okoro) chronicled in ‘The Quintessential Vivian’ on Tuesday, July 10, 2018, we created and formed a ‘Community of Trekkers’ especially back from the Church to the Office after every morning Mass and this experience can never be described.

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In togetherness, we formed the right spirit of attending morning Masses and the atmosphere that we created among ourselves was that of true brotherhood and sincere sisterhood.

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Faithfully, Onyinye was always in this company and through it, we formed a bond, a family bond that has transcended our working relationships at Oceanic Bank International Plc into our families.

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Proudly, she calls me ‘Big Brother.’

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“Piety, according to Pope Francis 1 in his General Audience in June 2014, points up to ‘our friendship with God.’ It is a gift that enables people to serve their neighbour ‘with gentleness and with a smile.’”

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And this is the simple and true lifestyle of Onyinye as she always serves people with a beautiful smile and a clean heart.

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She is a pious woman living amongst us.

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Yes, it is very true that no human being can be described as perfect, but let me state here clearly that Onyinye is a near perfect woman in her piety, integrity and humility.

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Sincerely, every single day that passes in Oceanic Bank International Plc, drew me closer to her because of her piety. Her prayer life was excellent, her thirst for God was inspiring and her sense of respect, especially in communication, was highly commendable even till this moment.

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Daily, she would respond to my early morning prayers to her and her family on WhatsApp with simplicity, humility and faith. For instance, on Wednesday, March 09, 2022, while responding to my early morning prayers to her, responded thus: ‘Amen. Amen. Amen. Praying same for you all my lovely family over there.’ The constancy of her consistency in this regard, is simply inspiring.

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Thank you, my Biggy Belle for calling me, proudly, ‘Big Brother’ even when I have done and continued to do things that do not deserve this, yet you have continued to see and call me ‘Big Brother.’

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Truly, there are continued signs of God’s presence and love all around us. Onyinye has continued to be a great sign of God’s love for me and my family by her piety and simplicity.

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This truly sums up the pious life of Onyinye as she has continued to offer me her gift of piety with a clean mind and a clear conscience.

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Honestly, Onyinye’s work of evangelization is steeped in simplicity, humility and love.

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I recall when I created the Daily Strength Devotional (DSD) platform on WhatsApp on Thursday, September 29, 2016 for the spiritual needs and growth of its members all over the world, she was one of the very first members that I added and through her enthusiasm and passion for the things of God, made her one of the Administrators of the Group where she has not only added additional members, but has continued to ensure that for the spiritual growth of its members in a prayerful community of love and faith in God like ours, their spiritual needs are fed every day.

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Dutifully, she has become one of the most resourceful persons for the Group.

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God bless you my dearest sister for your true love for things of God. Thank you for recognizing that you owe everything to God and teaching this to everyone through your acts of reverence and devotion. Thank you for your piety!

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Thank you for giving meaning to the faith that you have in Jesus Christ, your Lord and Master.

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Truly, the choices that we make in life define who we are. Onyinye has made the choice, the only choice to follow her Lord and Master, Jesus Christ in her faith through the Catholic Faith and she has continued to live out this choice by her life of piety.

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Thank you, my dearest sister for your gift to the world, the gift of your life of piety, a life of faith, trust and hope in God.

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Thank you for teaching me and others many sterling virtues by your life of piety.

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Truth be told, it is very rare at times, in fact, most times to find people who would readily accept others who are better than them in something, but when we do, it gives such joy to the heart and makes the society to progress.

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Onyinye is better than me when it comes to the issue of faith and through this, she became my trustworthy Teacher and Spiritual Guide even till this moment because I am profoundly aware, not only of her spirituality, but of her humanness.

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She is a phenomenon and a blessing to our world.

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Sincerely, since our days in Oceanic Bank International Plc, it was not just her spirituality that caught my eyes and heart, but her leadership abilities and qualities as well. She can do many things at the same time without compromising her faith in anyway.

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Yet, she is always willing to learn, learn from anyone, sincerely and truly.

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Sadly, something significant happened that could have marred our beautiful relationship forever and perhaps, this story would not be told today if not for her life of piety.

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On Saturday, August 21, 2010, at the impressive SS Peter and Paul Catholic Church, Oke Afa, Ejigbo, Lagos, Onyinye walked down the centre aisle to be joined in the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony with the love of her life, Mr Mike Okoro, but sadly, I could not attend this beautiful and wonderful ceremony even when I was properly and duly invited.

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And this huge failure on my part would hurt me forever as I cannot really explain why I was not with my little sister at the most important day of her life.

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This hurt, it hurts me truly and sincerely, yet, she has said to me severally ‘Big Brother, I would have loved to see you at my wedding, but God knows best.’

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This is profound because Onyinye always believes that whatever comes her way, is the will of God for her and this should be our collective attitude in our faith if truly we are a people of faith.

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Thankfully, my hurt, the hurt of my failure to attend her wedding at SS Peter and Paul Catholic Church, Oke Afa, Ejigbo, Lagos on Saturday, August 21, 2010 was healed on time as Onyinye got pregnant with a big stomach and this gave me the opportunity to call her fondly, all through her pregnancy, ‘Biggy Belle,’ a sobriquet that she accepted and admired so much because recently, in fact, on Saturday, February 26, 2022, she said to me in one of her chats on WhatsApp ‘thank you Big Brother. The Baby that added ‘Biggy Belle’ to my name is eleven (11) years old today. Please join us in thanksgiving to our able God.’

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God is truly good, and we can never thank Him enough because when Onyinye gave birth to her first child on Saturday, February 26, 2011, she simply christened her Ifunanyachukwu ‘God loves me,’ Munachukwumso ‘my God is with me’ and her baptismal name, Gabriella was even more profound as ‘God is my strength.’

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Graciously, God has continued to be the strength of Onyinye and her family because He loves her and He is always with her, guiding and guarding her because it is never easy to serve God and remain faithful to Him without His abiding grace.

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Truly, no one can follow our Lord Jesus Christ faithfully and devotedly, unless he or she is ready to meet the demands of true discipleship.

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Faithfully, God’s grace, divine and abiding grace has continued to walk with Onyinye in her choice of a life of piety.

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Onyinye is a strong learner, always seeking after knowledge. Her relentlessness in seeking for knowledge has taken away any form of pride from her because she can seek for answers from anyone for the questions in her heart, especially those bothering her on her Catholic Faith that assail or disturb her heart.

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As my professional colleague with a 2003 Higher National Diploma in Secretarial Administration from Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, Imo State, she served in the 2003-2004 Service Year in Zamfara State. And while in the services of Oceanic Bank International Plc (OBIN), she enrolled into the Distant Education of Imo State University to study Marketing in order to abridge her Higher National Diploma (HND) certificate as she was hoping that she could become a permanent staff of the Bank.

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Sadly, this dream never came through for her in Oceanic Bank International Plc (OBIN) because on Friday, February 17, 2012, just two (2) days that I left the Bank on Wednesday, February 15, 2012 following the Bank’s consolidation with Ecobank Nigeria Limited, she too left the Bank.

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Clearly, there are some things one should never hurry because if one wants to see good and lasting results, one needs to exercise one’s faith and trust in God. And sometimes that means waiting patiently for the Lord to act because when one waits on the Lord like this, it shows that one believes that He hears him or her. It shows that one trusts that He will give one bread, not a stone (Matthew 7:9).

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This is God’s promise to us, to always give us good gifts because fortunately on Tuesday, April 03, 2012, just about one month and half that she left the employ of Oceanic Bank International Plc, nature smiled on her once more as she joined the services of Royal Exchange Plc with much excitement as she was employed as a main and full staff.

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Her excitement knows no bounds as her immediate Boss who was like a father figure in her life mandated her to start writing Insurance Professional Certifications with the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria (CIIN) and in 2014, she got, to the glory of God, her Certificate in Insurance which was followed closely with her Diploma in Insurance in 2015 and in 2018, she achieved her cherished dream, an Advanced Diploma in Insurance that qualified her to become an Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria (CIIN).

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This feat was tough and challenging, but according to her, giving up is never an answer to a difficult situation. Onyinye never gives up in the face of any difficulty, but facing it squarely no matter how difficult or hard it is, but to conquer it with faith.

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Truly, Onyinye is a seeker of knowledge and an Enabler!

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As the Branch Administrative Secretary (BAS), Ozumba Mbadiwe Branch, Victoria Island, she always ensured that she goes the extra mile to make things work and function optimally in the Branch by her sheer commitment and dedication to duty.

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Although a lady, she had both the physical and mental abilities with integrity to manage the Branch successfully, managing men and women, seamlessly.

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And with her as the Branch Administrative Secretary (BAS), Ozumba Mbadiwe Branch, Victoria Island, I enjoyed a lot of assistance in all my transactions at the Branch. She was very kind and patient with me and this explains clearly why we are so close and fond of each other, an affiliation that I have continued to have and enjoy with her to this moment.

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Thank you, my dearest sister, my Biggy Belle, my lady of true piety.

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Honestly, I have never seen a committed Catholic so true and so real to the values of her piety, her faith and devotion like Mrs Onyinye Bernadine Okoro (Nee Oledibe).

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In her piety, I have been so proud of her, especially in her humility and prayerful life.

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Perhaps, this is why Very Reverend Father Tony Ewherido in his ‘My Morning Minute with Jesus’ on Saturday, March 13, 2021; Third Week of Lent, said that ‘humility remains a fundamental virtue in life whether before God or before fellow humans.

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Before God, we are nothing and can boast of nothing; before fellow humans, we are fellow co-dependents on God’s mercy and providence. Failure to realize this is pride and robs us of God’s grace.’

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In this, Onyinye has continued to harken to God’s voice and walk in His ways by her commitment, obedience and loyalty. In simplicity and humility, she is living out her Catholic Faith through her life of piety.

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Onyinye is a true friend in the true sense of the world.

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I recall with gratitude when our dear colleague and friend, Mr Stanley Chidoezie Nwabia died on Sunday, September 29, 2019, her love for humanity came to the fore once more. It was she that encouraged me and through this, the Oceanic Bank International Alumni Association (OBIAA) was able to raise a ‘little’ fund as a family for the family of our late brother where she put her personal account at the disposal of the Group to collect the funds and remitted every kobo collected to the family.

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She was so transparent in this very sensitive assignment that members suggested that we retain her as the Collector of Funds for the Alumni.

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Truly, one does not know a friend until one is in a need of a friend and perhaps, this is the reason why Harvey Mackay authored that great piece, the bestseller ‘Dig Your Well Before You Are Thirsty’ in 1997.

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Onyinye is a true friend as she has continued to live out what she preaches and professes, the love of Christ for mankind even though we were yet sinners, He died for us (Romans 5:8).

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Honestly, I have nothing, but positive words to say about Mrs Onyinye Bernadine Okoro (Nee Oledibe) because she made a long-lasting impression on me at Oceanic Bank International Plc with her life of piety and she has continued to make a lasting impression on me.

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As well as being a true Catholic, she is really and truly a family woman who is always so proud of her family and would do anything positive to ensure that she follows only the way of Christ.

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My dearest sister, my Biggy Belle, I will continue to leave you in the intercession of one of your Patron Saints, Saint Bernadette of Lourdes whose Feast Day is April 16 and who is the Patron Saint of the poor, ill, sheep tenders and especially those ridiculed for their piety. She will continue to intercede for you in your life of piety.

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Sincerely, Onyinye has got a real stamina and she is so talented. Her personality, her intelligence in the banking hall at Oceanic Bank International Plc, her energy was so profound where she cannot stop smiling, always seeking to help people truly resolve their issues with creative ideas.

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And as creative as she could be, on Wednesday, August 18, 2021 while thanking God for my twenty (20) wedding anniversary, she decided, creatively, to send me a voice note and one of the lines from her sonorous voice caught my attention and brought tears, wet tears to my eyes when she stated that ‘she was lucky and happy to be my little sister’ as her own wedding anniversary, the eleventh, comes up the following Saturday, August 21, 2021.

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Honestly, blood is thicker than water because the blood of our Catholic Faith has continued to bind us together lovingly since December 2006 when our pathways crossed at the corridors of Oceanic Bank International Plc.

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Thank you, my dearest sister, for blessing me with the gift of your Catholic Faith and through this, strengthened my weak faith.

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My dearest sister, my Biggy Belle, it is a blessing that I have this great opportunity even against your wish, to celebrate you and say ‘thank you’ on this day that we celebrate our eleven (11) years as friends on the social media platform of Facebook.

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According to the promises of Psalm 23:5.6, ‘surely, God’s goodness and mercy shall follow you all the days of your life and in the Lord’s own house shall you dwell for length of days unending.’

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This is my sincere prayers for you and your most amazing family.

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God will bless your later years beyond what you have ever prayed for or imagined.

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Thank you for everything.

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Truly, when we connect ourselves with positive people, they reflect the colours of their lives onto ours.

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Thank you for reflecting the colours, the colours of your piety, humility; simplicity, reverence, etc onto me. Thank you for becoming a sign of conviction and conversion for me that I too could do it.

Certainly, Daily Strength Devotional (DSD) in her Friday, March 26, 2021, devotion ‘I will follow You Lord, but…’ could not have put it better when it stated clearly ‘it is one thing to choose to be a disciple of our Lord Jesus Christ, and another to be committed, faithful and devoted to this noble course because so many people today who wish to follow our Lord Jesus Christ, find it difficult to meet the demands of true discipleship. After putting their hands on the plow, sooner or later, they look back. Such individuals are likened to some would-be followers of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Scriptural passage (Luke 9:57-62), who despite their readiness to follow Christ, were distracted by worldly affairs, so that they started giving excuses as to why they will delay in following Christ.’

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Thank you for never complaining or delaying in living out your life of piety as a true disciple of our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ.

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Thank you for this beautiful gift.

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My dearest sister, on this day that we celebrate our eleven (11) years as friends on the social media platform of Facebook, may you continue to live in the light of Christ and may your light continue to shine for the world to see and lead them, not only to appreciate the light, but become light themselves to the world to make the world a better place for all to enjoy and give glory to our father in heaven.

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And may our Lady of Perpetual Help continue to pray for you, your most amazing family and for us. Amen.

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Thank you for being my gift, the gift of piety. Thank you for being my living St Bernardine!

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I love you, always. Gracias!

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Na me

Your big brother and friend

Mark Osabomeh (HR)

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Monday, March 14, 2022