It was everyone’s dream and wish that Akweley marries. For she was so kind, humble and generous. She was an interpreter at her local church, helping her town people understand what the English priest said.

Even the priest prayed that she find a good husband. On one occasion while she was interpreting his sermon, he paused to tell the congregation what a virtuous lady Akweley was, and how he longed to see the day she got married.

Akweley was not one of those church members I was close to. But whenever we met in church she smiled at me, like she always did to everyone. She’s kept my face and my name, for she mentions it whenever I bump into her in town.

A day I shall never forget was the day I met Akweley on my way home from school. I had relocated to another part of town with my parents, so we were no longer at the branch of our church where Akweley fellowshipped.

She said to me, “You’re writing your final exams this year, right? “

I answered, ” Yes. “

” We’re praying for you, OK? You’ll come out with flying colours.” She assured me.

Those words were hard to forget and meant so much to me because I was going through difficult times. Her words were like rain on a soil that hadn’t seen water for years.

Truly I passed my final exams with flying colours, despite the many hurdles in my path determined to impede my shine.

You can imagine my joy when I heard Akweley finally got married. It was a great relief. It was such a joy.

It was a memorable day. Many people who had either stopped coming to church or had relocated to different parts of the country were present at her wedding. It was like a reunion of the founding members of our local church. There were even some Muslims present. They were co-tenants of Akweley. I overheard some of them talking about what a good neighbor she was to them.

It was a big wedding, the talk of town. The couple had lots and lots of parcels and fat envelopes. We sang and danced, and ate to our satisfaction. To us the youth in the church, a wedding is only successful when we all eat to our satisfaction, the music is good, and we are permitted to dance and dance and dance.

Theirs was a wedding we shall never forget.

Days after the wedding, out of gratitude, Akwele advised her husband that they keep the various parcels, but all the envelopes of money should be given as offering to God,  a show of gratitude.

She had undergone humiliation, and many other things she kept to herself. She was therefore deeply grateful to God that she too had finally settled.

She had seen how other women flaunted their wedding rings in her face, an indirect message to her. At some point she began to feel being a good church girl did not pay. But it has indeed paid.

Her husband was moved by her plea, and out of love, accepted that they bundle up all the fat envelopes of money, without opening any of them, and give it back to the church.

A few days later, the official photographer for the wedding came to see the couple. He was one of the choir masters in the church. He congratulated the couple on their wedding and told them of what a great wedding theirs was, one that stood out in all he had seen.

“The photos will be 5,ooo cedis.” the photographer announced.

This was a church member, and the church was one big family of God’s children. But business is business. He had done his job, he had to be paid.

The bill was quite huge, and it took the couple a while to come out of their bedroom with the money to settle the photographer, some beads of sweat on the forehead of Akweley’s husband, Mr. Clifford.

Day after day, there was someone to collect a debt. The caterer, owner of vehicle rented for the wedding, the restaurant operator near the church whose space was rented for the wedding reception, among many others.

Reality was dawning on the young couple. Mr. Clifford did not complain, he saved his reputation by always finding the money to pay the bills. But it was obvious to Akweley that her young husband was financially overstretched, and she began to question the wisdom of her move to dedicate all those monies to God. An act of faith that was straining her faith muscles.

Then came the shock, a few months after the wedding.

The wife of a rich man in the church came to visit the couple. She had an angry look. Perhaps out of respect, she decided to speak to Akweley alone, in private.

“My husband has been very generous to you and your husband but you haven’t shown any appreciation for what he has done. He bought a brand new house in your name and envelopped the papers of the house as a gift on your wedding. Neither you nor your husband has called to say thank you. ” the visitor complained.

Akweley swallowed hard. They should have at least opened the envelopes to see what was in them, and who sent what. That way, they could properly thank the donors instead of issuing a general ” Thank you for coming to our wedding. “

She stood there, apologizing profusely, not knowing exactly how to explain things to the rich man’s wife. The visitor left as hastily as she came.

“What was it about?” her worried husband asked.

The explanations took longer in coming. Upon hearing what it was all about, Mr. Clifford realized he had accepted the offer of his wife too readily out of love, without really thinking it through. It sounded nice. It sounded spiritual. It sounded like a wise thing to do. But now…

They decided to go and see the pastor. When they dedicated the monies, they weren’t aware the documents of a newly purchased house was in an envelope.

The couple felt ashamed. They didn’t know how they were going to explain it all to the priest. For the priest had spoken of the sacrificial act of the couple to the congregation, and all those who heard it were deeply moved and spoke well of the couple. “What an act of faith and gratitude! ” they said.

The pastor had assumed the couple knew about the new house and its documents. So they sold it to complete a chapel for a new congregation in a remote area who were so happy to have heard of the gospel and were very eager to worship the Lord but had to attend church services under trees. Whenever the rains arrived, church services could not be held. And so, it was such a great delight and joy to them when a chapel was constructed for them.

The couple, unaware of all these developments, narrated their problem to the old priest. On one hand he was sorry for them that things had turned that way. On another hand, he felt they were spiritually immature.

“Perhaps, God is testing your faith, to reward you handsomely for your sacrifice. But now that you are giving him the impression you regret giving him too much, do you expect him to bless you as much as he would have planned and wished?” the priest asked.

The couple certainly didn’t like what they were hearing, but they couldn’t say it.

Dejected, they returned home.

Akweley felt too ashamed to look into her husband’s face. She had led him into all this.