He caught up with me finally.

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With one eye opened foreign tongue in the background, i’m standing there “preparing my mind” and wondering “why hasn’t this happened to me?”

i was about 14 years old and it was cadet camp (Thats foursquare version of children camp), that year passed and i had still not felt the holy spirit the way they all said he would just come down and fall on you, and the next year and the next year.

“Maybe the holy spirit isn’t for you after all” I said to myself after raising my hands countless times and preparing my mind under the ministeration of various men of God.

I gave up.

But God doesn’t give up on you does he?

A part of me wanted the experience and the other part of me gave up since it hadn’t happened all these years.

i’m 22(.5) *side eye* and he finally caught up with me, did i hear halleluyah? I thought so too ;)

I was looking for a church to attend in Kontagora then and that sunday i told the bike man to take me to the Redeem church over there, just pointing my hand in one direction and in that my small church i felt the holy spirit and i was too sure i was in the right place, i didnt start speaking in tongues at the time but that alone was an amazing experience, the peace that washed over me after that? Ever heard of the peace that passeth all understanding? Then the Joy? Amazing, but i wanted more, i wanted to speak in tongues like everyone else, maybe that was where i missed it. I didnt understand the purpose of the Spirit and why i needed him, i just wanted it because i didn’t want to be the only one praying in English when everyone around me is praying in heavenly language.

I Chilled.

I would wake up in the middle of the night and pray for the holy spirit and wait and wait for the heavenly language that i could not explain. Nothing.

I cried. Nothing

I gave Thanks. Nothing.

Sometime in Ocotber 2012 a family friend (Titus) came over the house to ask my sister and i if we wanted to go for a prayer session specially just to recieve the holy spirit, i was excited and i jumped at it, my spirit obeyed the man of God and recieved the holy spirit that day, i spoke in tongues but.....

Not for long, i had doubts “Am i the one really speaking” “Jeez girl, you sound so weird stick to english”

After that day the only time i remember speaking in tongues was when i woke up from a very bad dream speaking aloud in tongues, balling my eyes out then... Nothing

I did not feel a thing, i gave my self the stick to english prayer speech but it was far from over, Once again i started to Thrist for the Holy spirit and it became frustrating at some point because it started being about the personal experience and i wasn’t getting it even after praying and knowing so much truths about who i am in christ.

2am on the 19th of Jan, i went on my knees, sang worship songs, prayed for forgivenessand started asking for the power of the holy spirit to come upon me, i was repeating one of the prayers (which i can’t remember) when it happened..

you know when you are on one side of a large crossable-gutter then suddenly you jumo and you are on the other side and wonder how you made it there? (You don’t? what happened to your childhood? no gutter jumping? *smh*)

Thats exactly how i felt and i felt it all over my body too and i could hear myself speak a language i didn’t understand.

He caught up with me... Finally and i am so grateful.

Want to share your first experience with the holy spirit with us? Use the comment box or with me? Send me an email tomi.akibo@gmail.com. i definitely want to hear it. Thanks!