Deceived

He was a very religious man.

His knowledge of the scriptures was top notch.

Out of the blues one Sunday, He joined their church.

He registered as a first timer, and promptly joined their foundation class.

He was punctual, eager and attentive.

Within a year he had distinguished himself as very diligent.

There was no task beneath him in the church.

He would drive the church bus when the driver was not available, help with the generator, deputize for an absent usher, Sunday school teacher or Children's  Church teacher.

He was a proper Christian brother.

Born Again.

He paid his tithe diligently.

Contributed to the welfare purse generously.

Taught the word soundly.

He would sometimes hold a night vigil alone when members didn't turn up.

He was that committed.

He walked the talk so convincingly that within four years the church made him a deacon.

When he informed the Pastor of his desire to marry, the church celebrated.

If there is a brother who ought to be supported for such a lofty endeavour, it had to be him.

The Pastor told him to pray diligently and make sure he heard from God.

He did and God spoke to him.

It was good news.

The sister the Lord chose for him was an orphan who had been

raised by the church, since her parents died years before.

She was also the choir leader.

The pastor told her the news.

She was enthralled!

Her dream had always been to marry a child of God and serve the Lord in every way possible.

Since the brother was a late convert to Christianity, the pastor felt the sister should be given the room to be sure.

The brother and the sister were allowed to spend time together over the course of two years to ensure that they understood each other well enough.

This was done.

The sister had only high praise for him.

He was disciplined, god fearing, well behaved, dedicated and prayerful.

The sister attests to his spirituality as uncommon and unique.

He would not even sit on the seat she stood up from, for fear of becoming lustful and tempted to sin.

The church sponsored the wedding.

He wanted to but the church would have none of it.

The bride was the church's responsibility.

He was a man after God's own heart.

Every member of the church council voted that the church should sponsor the wedding to encourage other 'would be' couples.

They went to another state for the honeymoon.

The day after the wedding, the story changed.

He told her he was no longer a Christian and as a matter of compulsion, she was begin  practicing his religion.

He already had three wives and she became the fourth.

She protested to her own detriment.

He locked her in a room without any means to reach the world.

For one month, she was without food or water until she succumbed.

She was immediately given a special attire which she was to wear throughout her life with her face covered as his property.

She was officially in hell

The church didnt hear from them and decided to send a team to find out what was going on

To their shock, they discovered that they were a victim of a sting operation by some fundamentalist religious group to invade the church and marry their daughters under false pretenses.

The church prayed!

The pastor especially, felt it was his personal responsibility to protect the flock and he had failed God.

He refused to eat or drink until there was a divine intervention.

God stepped in!

The deceiver died in a car crash on his way to a religious meeting.

The ladies fled.

The sister's tale of woe caused many ears to tingle.

Three other ladies also married by the deceiver from other churches under false pretenses returned with her.

All of them were restored and are happily married today.

The practice is still ongoing

Watch and Pray

The end