From the Mission Field to Oxford University: How God Orchestrates Our Lives

A life surrendered to God is often like nothing you could ever plan or imagine. This is one of the certainties of life.

Here is my story.

Before the Quake

In mid-2016, the Lord led me to leave full-time employment and follow him. At the time, I was working in a boutique investment firm.

Life was good money-wise, but I had been feeling a bit unsettled. Still, I baulked at the thought of leaving everything—a stable job, good money, and my social network, amongst other things.

There was a war within me, to stay or to go. To leave seeming “security” for uncertainty.

But in December 2016, I took the plunge and left my career. I sensed that whatever God planned for me would be better. At this point, He had given me the idea to start a blog to encourage and inspire women and confirmed that my legal side gig would help fund my ministry work.

But a month later (in January 2017), my dad passed away unexpectedly, and my world shut down.

2017 was one of the hardest years of my life, it was a year that tested my limits in many ways.

I would cry so hard that my body would go into spasms and yet show up with a quiet smile when outside.

That year was a test of many things, and the biggest one was whether God was still good, kind, and faithful.

And every time, even when I didn’t want to admit it, I couldn’t deny His goodness.

In the midst of this, I struggled to write much less start the blog. Even my content ideas had to change as I processed my grief in my new life.  So, it took another 4 months to finally get the blog up and get my bearing.

Pulling out of the curb

When 2018 rolled around, one of the things on my heart was to go on a mission trip. This was weird because I had never been on one, but for some reason, the desire was there, and when I searched online, I only found foreign trips for those abroad.

As God would have it, visiting a new church in Lagos revealed an incredible opportunity to go on one. That story is a testimony and one I may share someday.

My first mission trip was a life-changing experience. It was all I imagined and much more.

For almost two years after that trip, I joined and volunteered with mission organisations. I learned about the realities of life in different parts of the country, particularly the northwestern parts of Nigeria.

Little did I know it would come in handy less than a year later.

 

The Questions Begin

At this time, family and friends were wondering what I was doing with my life. It seemed I had lost the plot.

At first, I got a pass because I lost my dad and was helping my mum, but as my seeming exploration continued, I could see the concern on their faces. I can’t tell you the number of times people asked me what exactly I was doing.

I couldn’t blame them.

I also didn’t know how to tell them that God had given me specific instructions regarding work (I could only do the legal side gig, which was a part-time gig at best).

Even I started to wonder if it was God leading me or if I had gone overboard.  But the imprint to obey and trust God remained strong. God would also send me people to encourage me at strategic times.

 

The Journey to Oxford University

In mid-2019, a friend sent me a scholarship opportunity to one of the best universities in the world. At first, I Ignored it.

I imagined that God still wanted me to remain in a season of incubation.

After a lot of back and forth, I applied.

When I passed through the first round, I was shocked. After all, I hadn’t had any real job in over 2 years.

But guess what, my unorthodox experiences on the mission field and doing various volunteer work became my experience. The application was big on volunteer and impact work, and I had that in droves.

I didn’t realise that God had been preparing me in His own way. Not just with my experiences, but with my heart posture, He had been teaching me to keep trusting even when nothing made sense.

With each stage of the application, I kept thinking there was no way I could get through.

But on a sunny day in December 2019, I found out I had been selected. I couldn’t believe it.

Little me who had seemed like a vagabond to some had gotten a scholarship to Oxford University.

It was a full circle moment for me because I had started an application for the same program in 2014, but discontinued it when I realised there was no way I could cover the tuition fees.

Less than 5 years later, I got to do the same course on a full scholarship.

And guess what?

Suddenly people who had written me off started calling and congratulating me.

Their tone and actions changed and somehow, they all seemed to know,

“I was a brilliant girl and would do great things.”

At first, I shied away from the attention, I still have people who don’t even know I graduated from Oxford.

But with time, the Holy Spirit reminded me that focusing on what people were saying or trying to hide myself stemmed from fear and pride, not humility.

Moving back to Nigeria

After my programme, I returned to Nigeria to look for work.

Even this process was rife with uncertainty and confusion. There was pressure to look for a great job after my degree, but I felt the Lord imprint it on my heart not to.

I remember the day a family friend invited me to a meeting with a highly influential person. As they were speaking, the Holy Spirit told me nothing would come of it. When I heard this, I almost laughed out loud.

‘Like Lord, I don hear you, I will not try again.’

So, for months, I wasn’t sure of what was next. I tried a few things, and spent a lot of time reading books, going on retreats, and praying, but with no clear answer.

Then in June 2022, a fire outbreak occurred at our neighbour’s home. When I arrived at the scene, I realised that they didn’t have some basic fire safety equipment.

I recall saying to myself:

“I wish someone would provide this service to homes.”

And I heard an immediate response: why not you?

Of course, I discounted it.

I had no business in fire safety. I didn’t even know there was a whole industry of safety experts.

But I couldn’t shake off the feeling.

For 2 months, I pondered this idea and wondered if this was why God hadn’t wanted me to look for work.

In September 2022, I officially started the company, and I haven’t looked back.

 

See the forest but don’t miss the trees 

I know this was a long and winding story, but I shared all this so you know that a God-orchestrated story is hardly ever linear.

There are so many parts of my story that I haven’t shared, yet each part is a reminder of how good and intentional God is.

Many times, God will have us doing things we never imagined in ways we never considered.

Unfortunately, we often shut down that voice when we worry about what people will think or the fear of starting over.

Right now, there are so many people in my life who can’t understand my current vocation or choices. They wonder how an Oxford graduate and first-class lawyer would move into fire safety.

But I know enough from my experiences that people often view life from their own biases, fears, and culture. And their opinions are often fickle, because the day this business grows, they will likely be back (like they were when I got into Oxford) to celebrate and act like they knew all along.

I pray you do not let go of what God has put in your heart simply because it looks nothing like what you wanted or imagined.

Trust that the God who knows you better than you know yourself will give you what you need.

Today, my life is so different.

While we are still a small company and face the usual challenges of a growing business, I can’t discount the joy I feel doing what I do. I love my work and usually look forward to going to work each day.

These days you may find me inspecting homes, lugging fire extinguishers around or just creating awareness about our work, which I believe is a calling.

 

What happens now?

So dear friend, what is God calling you to?

I pray my story stirs and inspires you to trust and obey your Heavenly Father. Amen 🙏🏽

To follow or support Cavanna Fire, please go here.

God bless you 🙏🏽

 

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