Peniel day foundation
The 3rd of December, 2017 was the first time I made a visit to the confines of the juvenile center for boys in Nigeria. Prior to that day, I do not think I paid sufficient attention to the existence of correctional centers or juvenile centers in Nigeria. But thanks to my membership in Goldmine ministry; a youth outreach ministry in my church I had access to boys at the center on that day.
We broke out into groups to have personable conversations with these boys, I had the rare opportunity to speak with about 7 or 10 boys that day. I wrote their names down after that meeting but unfortunately, I do not know where that paper is right now. One name I remember vividly is Emmanuel.
It took so much restraint on my part not to cry while speaking with them. It took so much, it made me wonder if I could really thrive as a counselor. I was moved to tears not because of the living conditions of these boys but because of what they have gone through and the state of their minds. One of them asked me to help him reunite with his relatives, one of them did not even speak to me.
My visit to the boys left an imprint in my heart, no matter how far away I was from Nigeria, I could not get the boys off my mind. I remember that I was in a class in 2019 and started to pen down thoughts and ideas I had for the boys and other adolescents in similar situations in Nigeria.
The pandemic in 2020, gave me time to plan and write down things that I shared with my friend Esther Himnikaiye. Then we began to share with friends and family with similar passion and vision and Peniel Day was born.
Peniel was imprinted in my heart by the Holy spirit from the onset from studying Genesis 32. Peniel was a place where Jacob saw the Lord and His life was transformed.
We call this organization of people with similar passion and vision- Peniel Day because it is our hope that with every outreach, every interaction with adolescents on the streets or prisons in Nigeria that they see the Lord and be transformed inside out in Jesus' name.
