Stolen

There are all sorts of cases
that comes to him
He had seen a lot
Right from his university days,
he had dealt with strange
and sometimes absolutely
unbelievable cases
He had seen humanity broken
and fixed
He had seen many of the things
most would term unthinkable
From afflictions to infirmities, to
negligence, to foolishness, to
demonic oppression and so on
From mental to emotional 
From physical to spiritual
He had seen so many broken
realities
He had also seen the Holy Spirit
restore and heal so many
He had seen the power of God
in the lives and testimonies of
thousands of people
He was not a gatherer, he was
an equipper and a builder
He didn't have a church
But he built the church of Jesus
by his messages and the 
demonstrations of the power
of the gospel for all and sundry
The testimonies continued to
flow
His confidence is in the Lord
He was unshakeable, immovable
Strong and steady 
He would confidently tell-all and
sundry that the power of God
remains the same
He knows this to be the absolute
truth
And yet, there was a case he
dreads the most
He prays every day that nobody
would bring such a case to him
It was not raising the dead or
restoring the mentally ill
It was the case of a missing person
That had always been the case
he avoids
A lost child, a missing spouse
A missing individual...
Such cases are the height of
man's inhumanity to man
The end of such stories are
either total joy or anguish
There is usually no in-between
The absoluteness of the case
was why he avoids it
The rage and the blind reaction 
it elicits from him
The first time he handled such
a case was in 2008
There was a service that
was held in the church he 
attends every Tuesday morning 
for pregnant women and the unemployed
The service was tagged 
Hour of Mercy
It was an hour service
that starts at 9 AM
He was called to stand in for
the pastor at the time
He was the youth pastor of
the church he was attending
and he was also working as
a commissioned writer at
the time
So he had the time to spare
He led the service that morning
He tagged it "Dew of Heaven"
The service was attended by 14
people
Suddenly in the middle of the
service, the weather changed
The sun was swallowed by the
clouds and the dew began to
fall
Everybody in the service started
speaking in tongues
The Holy Spirit took it over
Heaven was responding
to the ministration of the
inexperienced young man
The faith of many was stirred
Those who had not been filled
with the Holy Spirit started
praying in the spirit and 
prophesying!
It was an Asuza street experience
By the time service was over
the church was filled up
People came by themselves into
the church to join the service
The Holy Spirit drew them
They came in droves
He couldn't just leave the service
He started shaking hands and
welcoming them
He asked them if they were
saved or not
He listened to those who
needed counseling
That was when he saw the
woman
Her eyes were red and puffed 
out 
She looked tattered and broken
He was drawn to her
He asked her what was wrong
She started wailing
Her younger sister was with her
Her younger sister said "Please
sir, help my sister. She delivered
a baby two weeks ago from today!
Her husband insisted that being
their first child they had to go to
his parent's house in Abeokuta
for the naming ceremony
They traveled to Abeokuta
They went to do the naming at
the church of her husband's 
parent
This time last week they were
at the naming ceremony service
After the service, something
happened
As my sister was greeting the
people she assumed the baby
was with her mother in law
Her mother in law also claimed
she assumed the baby was with
my sister
The baby had been stolen, sir
They searched everywhere and
eventually ran to the police
station
The baby was gone, sir!
Eight days old baby sir
Eight days old living baby boy sir
The baby had vanished into thin
air sir
My sister almost ran mad sir
We had to tie her up and bring
her back to Lagos
She was practically roaming the
streets in tears sir
Can the Holy Spirit help my sister
sir!
He looked at the lady who had
been speaking
He looked at the sister who had
fallen on her knees hold on to
his left leg
He said "Sister, please look at me!
I am releasing a storm that will
not settle until your baby is restored to you!
A storm that will tear forests and
uproot cities
A storm that will defy sacrifices,
prayers and the supplication of
men
A storm that will only stop when
your baby is suckling at your 
breast in safety!
He left her on her knees and
attended to the others
He left the church at about 1 pm
Seven weeks later, three men
came to the church asking
for him
They met his pastor
They told the pastor they wanted
to see a young man
Unfortunately he was out of
town that weekend
The pastor heard their story
and prayed with them
When he got back to town
The pastor called him
The pastor told him about
the three men from Abeokuta
The pastor said the three men
came to meet him so that he 
would lift a curse
He told the pastor he didn't
know anybody from Abeokuta
and he had never cursed 
anybody
The pastor agreed with him that
it must have been a mistake
Two weeks later, during Sunday
service
Two cars arrived at their church
Nine people in all were in the 
car
Three of them were very sick
The three men were among them
The young lady who came with 
the woman whose baby was stolen
was also among them
They asked to see the pastor
They told the pastor they wanted
the young man
The pastor sent for him
He was right on the altar
about to take the offering
He did his duty and then walked
out to meet them
They told him to lift the curse
He said he didn't understand
what they meant
The young lady spoke up
She reminded him of the Hour
of Mercy meeting of two weeks
before
He remembered her
He asked for her sister
She said her sister was at home
He asked if they had found
the baby
Everyone kept quiet
He wondered why they came to
him
He said "Why are you people
here? I didn't curse you!
I don't know you from Adam
I am a blesser
I was raised to bless
Tell me why you are here
The eldest of the men stepped
forward
He called the pastor aside
He told the pastor the baby
was dead
All they wanted was for the 
young man to lift the curse
and they would be gone
Seven people had died since
that service
Three more are sick
Hospitals couldn't diagnose
what was wrong
They had been to many churches
and spiritualists before the young
lady spoke up
It was a family matter and they
had agreed to resolve it within
the family
How can the loss of one baby
lead to the decimation of a
whole family
There was already a talk in their
village of the Oro cult being
released to do a cleansing 
because of the weekly deaths
being recorded!
Wow!
The pastor called the young
man aside
The pastor explained that the
matter was no longer their issue
He should bless them and
let them go
He said he has heard
He told them to go and bring
him the lady whose baby was
stolen and her husband
Three of them left with a car
The pastor went into the church
to close the service and calm 
the members down
Voices have been heard and
people were wondering what 
was going on
Members left
The family members arrived
with the lady whose baby was stolen and her husband
When they arrived, the young
man looked at her and said
"Do you know these people?"
She said "Yes! They are my 
husband's relatives"
Then he said "Why is your
younger sister with them
and not with you?"
She just starred at him
Like him, she had no idea
Her younger sister too kept
quiet
Then he turned to the husband
He said "You are sleeping with
your wife's younger sister"
The husband fell on his knees
weeping
Wow!
The Husband said "She was the
one I met first and we were 
in love.
We were so in love that we
swore a blood oath never to
betray each other!
She had done six abortions for
me and in the process damaged
her womb!
It was her idea that I marry her
sister and get babies from her
She said she loved her sister
so much and that her sister's
children will be like her own!
She said she will stay in Abeokuta
and I should be coming to
spend time with her every
forth night
Her sister didn't know this
She introduced me to her sister
and we got married
I kept my side of the bargain
and kept going to be with her
in Abeokuta every forthnight
Until my wife delivered and she
suddenly said she had changed
her mind
She wanted the baby
Her sister can always have another
one with another husband
She wanted us to get the
baby and travel abroad together
This plan was hatched with
my mother and three of my
sisters
They were very close and
they decided it was for the best
I didn't really love my wife
and I wanted her to find someone
else to love
So I agreed to this plan
That was how the whole plan of
going to Abeokuta for the naming
ceremony and stealing the baby
was hatched and executed
We knew it would be traumatic
but we were hoping my wife
will get over it after some time
and settle down to live her life
We had saved up enough money
and believed we could be out
of the country by the end of
the year
Wow!
His wife went berserk
She slapped him and locked
his shirt
She kept screaming
"Where is my baby? 
Bring me my baby?"
The young man told her to
calm down
He turned to her sister
He said "Are you guys sisters
from the same parents?"
She said No!
She is my step sister
Her father married my mother
when i was fifteen
She is two years older than
I am.
Then she said "He is not really
her husband! He belongs to me!
She couldn't get a man and
she kept lamenting to me
One day she saw my man and
hinted that she liked him
I felt it wouldn't be a bad deal
but after they got together I 
realized that I cannot deal!
He made me lose my womb and
could compensate me with a 
baby of my own through her!
We had swore an oath at her
mother's insistence when we were
much younger
They felt i would cheat on him
and made me swear the oath
That made me his real wife
Ask her if she wore any oath
with him
Ask him if he took her to their
family groove for the custom
See, in their family, it is only
those who swore the oath that
are considered bonafide spouses
So i am the one the whole
family knows and recognize as
his wife.
I have been living with them in
Abeokuta since i finished my 
NYSC
They are my family!
Hmm...
The pastor shook his head
The lady spoke without a shred
of remorse
She was so "Matter-of-fact" like
When a woman goes all out 
to get another woman she 
resents, it was always to the 
death!
The Pastor said "So where is the
baby now?"
Everybody went silent again
The baby's mother wanted
to scream
The young man put his finger
on his lips
She calmed down
The young man turned to her
sister, he said "Go and bring the
baby"
She said "What of all those who
had died? Will you bring them
back to life?"
The young man said "When I
prayed for your sister, I said the
storm will never stop until her
baby is suckling at her breast 
again.
Do you see the milk pouring
from your sister's breast?
Every time the baby is not there
to suck that milk, nobody who
knows about this issue in your
sister's husband's family will be safe from this storm!"
The young man started praying
in tongues
The husband got on his feet,
told his wife he was coming,
the wife released his shirt
He got into the car and drove
off
He returned twenty minutes
later with the baby!
The baby had been in Lagos
all along
They brought the baby with 
them when they were coming 
to the church from Abeokuta
that morning but decided
to see how things will turn
out before returning the baby.
Had the young man lifted the
"curse" earlier they would
have kept the baby
It took six hours
Around 4 pm, the baby was
returned to her mother
The young man told her to go
into the church and feed her
baby
He told them to pray that the
baby takes the milk
She went into the church crying
She was alone
No husband, no sister
Nobody!
It was a painful sight
The husband and the others
didn't wait
They left immediately they
gave her the baby
The Pastor held on to the 
young man
The pastor's wife, who had watched everything from
afar fell on her knees in tears
The atmosphere turned
again
They all started praying
in tongues!
At about 5:30, the pastor
and his wife drove the young
lady and her baby home
When they got there they
found the apartment empty
Her husband had packed 
everything of value and left
with his "oathed" wife!
The pastor and His wife had
to take the young lady and the 
baby to their house
She lived with them for a year
before she saved enough to
rent a house and stand on her
own
in 2015 she re-married
Her son was even years old
That same year, she and her
husband won the visa lottery
and traveled to live in America!

PS: The young man in the story
above was the Brother in
Jeans and T-shirt
He was wearing suits then
and hoping to become a pastor
one day
The total number of missing
person's case he had dealt
with was less than ten
It was always a wearying case
with a lot of gory secrets
and repercussions flying
everywhere 
Indeed the heart of man is very
wicked!

GSW's Notes: Demons don't steal
people!
People steal people!
People steal reason for all sorts
of reasons
The bottom line is this
No matter the reason that was
eventually given for doing something so horrible
It always broke the faith of man
in man and incapacitates both 
the victim and the perpetrator

I am praying for those searching
for missing loved ones today
that the Holy Spirit will fish them
out and direct their paths back
home in Jesus name!