| In 2017, three months after dropping out of the university, I moved to Mutengene to start and pastor a new branch of my local church. Me and my friend Bernard, went around the main streets and every quarter of the city trying to invite people to our church. At the main Mutengene roundabout, we approached people as they passed, some of them ignoring the flyers we shared and the boys around calling us crazy. Every time we got hungry, we slide down the road to an eating house (achombo house) and ordered a plate of food at 150frs. We did that for over a year, walking up and down the street, mapping out quarters, knocking doors and asking some of the toughest guys to join in on a God we found and were following. Months later we closed down the church, led the few members we gathered to another church and I returned to Buea to complete my university studies. My dear , I got a big epiphany last week when I received images of one of the Tiko University billboards mounted with my image at the Mutengene roundabout (pictured below). In case you missed it, I’m officially the brand ambassador for Tiko University–but most importantly… It’s fascinating how most of the lessons I learnt during that process were gradually building up for the things happening today. The times when we were rejected on the streets were the times I began to develop a thick skin for rejection. I had a foretaste of what it meant to hear a series of “NO” and you still have to move on. The days when we went around knocking doors and asking total strangers to let us hold meetings in the houses–those were the days I began to learn to step out to the unknown and chase the dream relentlessly. The times when we lacked money, and still had to go out and preach with a smile–were the times I learnt to totally trust on God. And the moments when we started gathering members, holding meetings and asking everyone to join us on evangelism– those were the times I started learning what it meant to build a tribe of people, to truly care about people as much as you care for the ‘vision’ (I’m gonna sit down and uncover most of this journey later). Right now my Smart Friend, I’m been paid to be on the board at the same roundabout where we used to chase people Billboards are not just on that spot, they’re up across the region and I continue to build and share the journey to inspire friends, something I’m so passionate about You see , a lot of times we’re so focused on where we want to be that we completely lose focus on the lesson that the moment is teaching us. Where you want to be is as important as the stage where you are now… but the big question is, how are you making use of that present moment? All the things I learnt during those tough years were gradually building up and starting to compound on each other I know you my friend, you’re a hustler with big dreams. Maybe you’re planning to start, or you’re already building your own empire. What if the way to start was being faithful to your current assignment and role? What’s your current situation teaching you and how will you use that to develop and grow into your bigger self? It’s a concept I call BEING HERE (You’ve probably seen me mention this online) For me, BEING HERE is a reminder to myself, it’s me saying–I’m not where I want to be, but when I look back, I’m not where I used to be before. So in this phase, I’m going to be present in the moment and enjoy what the process is teaching me (and I want you to apply this to yourself). Run with the idea of #BeingHere and keep putting your best foot forward. Arrey BateInterent Entrepreneur / Journalist / Author |
