EPISODE 10 — Who is Jonah in the bible?
AKILA HYEL’S POV
The morning started with Naya’s voice before I even fully registered being awake.
It carried through the house in that familiar way. Loud, unfiltered, already halfway into the day like the rest of the world was simply trying to catch up with her.
I sat up slowly, running a hand over my face.
Sleep had not been deep again.
It never really was lately.
Just fragments. Interrupted thoughts that blurred into something I couldn’t fully hold on to once I was awake.
From the living room, I heard her clearly now.
“Just come to the house,” Naya was saying into the phone. “We’ll get ready together. It’s not serious, it’s a picnic. But you still need to look nice.”
A pause.
Then her voice softened slightly.
“Yes, Soteria. Denim trousers are fine. Basic tops are fine. Don’t stress yourself. They’re giving us T-shirts there anyway. Yes. Akila will be his usual boring self and probably come with camouflage”
I paused.
Soteria.
That name was beginning to sit differently in my mind each time I heard it.
I stood and walked toward the hallway.
Naya turned slightly when she saw me, still on the call.
“You’re awake,” she said quickly, lowering the phone a bit.
“I heard you, madam” I replied.
She frowned. “You always hear things at the wrong time.”
“I think it was the right time,” I said, walking past her.
She followed immediately.
“Soteria is coming here oo,” she said, watching me closely.
I nodded once.
“Okay.”
Naya blinked. “Okay?? That’s it?”
“What else should I say?” I asked.
“React like a normal person,” she said.
“I am reacting like a normal person, Naya. What do you want from me again?.”
She scoffed softly. “Na so.”
By late morning, the house had turned into preparation movement.
Naya was in full control of the atmosphere like she had been assigned responsibility she never officially accepted.
“She’s on her way,” she announced for the fourth time in 20 minutes, unnecessarily.
“I heard you the first time,” I said from the kitchen.
“She didn’t come with her car,” she added again, like it was new information every time she repeated it. “So I told her to come here and we’ll go together.”
I paused slightly at that detail.
“She is not coming with her car?” I asked.
“Yes,” she said casually. “What?”
“Nothing,” I replied.
Naya studied me briefly.
“You’re doing that thing again.”
“What thing?”
“That quiet thinking thing.”
“I’m not thinking anything, Naya” I said exasperatedly.
She didn’t believe me. She rarely did.
Soteria arrived shortly after.
Naya met her at the gate like she had been waiting there for hours.
I stayed upstairs for a moment before going down.
I saw her from the landing.
She stepped out of the vehicle carefully, adjusting her bag strap once, like she was aligning herself with the moment.
She wore denim trousers and a simple top. Just like Naya suggested to her earlier.
Naya immediately grabbed her arm.
“You took long, Soso” she complained.
“I was looking for what to wear,” Soteria replied.
“You sha still took time,” Naya insisted. “But you look good anyway.” She added and led her to the living room.
I turned away before either of them noticed I was watching.
The drive to the picnic location was filled with convoy movement and noise from other vehicles.
Soteria sat beside Naya in the back seat.
Herself and Naya filled the space as usual.
“This picnic is going to be nice,” she said. “There will be games, food, worship, everything.”
Soteria nodded slightly.
“I have never been to a church picnic before. I had no idea that churches had other activities aside prayer meetings.”
“Oh you are in for a ride. ” Naya added bringing out her phone for them to make snapchat videos.
At the picnic ground, we were given white T-shirts with the church logo.
Soteria held hers up immediately.
“I look like a pizza delivery staff,” she said to Naya.
“And I look like a marketer,” Naya replied and they both laughed as they went to the restroom to change into their Tshirts.
I smiled lightly without planning to.
The Picnic began with worship led by the music team then prayers. I sat at one corner of the field with Naya and Soteria beside me.
After the prayers, Pastor Olive, our cell church pastor stepped forward.
The field quieted almost immediately. She opened her Bible slowly.
Her voice was calm and steady.
“Hi believers in Christ,” she said, “It is an honor to bring a word to you from God. Today, we will speak about the love of the Father.”
Then she continued, “Our bible reading today will be taken from a very popular part of the bible. John chapter 3 verses 16. Can we chorus it as a large congregation?
We all read together “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
Silence settled across the field.
Then she continued.
“Romans chapter 5 verse 8 also says -But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
A slow breath moved through the crowd.
She looked up. “This means something important.”
“It means that Love is not a reward for good behaviour.”
“It is not something God waited for us to earn.”
“Love is a decision.”
Her voice lowered slightly.
“The Father did not send His Son because humanity was already worthy. He sent Him because humanity was already loved.”
The words landed quietly but deeply.
No one spoke nor moved and then she continued.
“The cross is the clearest expression of intentional love. It is a Love that chooses you before you change. Love that does not withdraw when you fall. Love that stays even when you are unworthy.”
The field remained still. Even the wind felt quieter.
I found myself listening differently now.
I was not just hearing. I was absorbing. Beside me, Naya and Soteria were so focused. If there was one thing Pastor Olive knew how to do, it was break down scriptures to very simple terms.
Pastor Olive closed her Bible gently.
“And I want you to understand this today,” she said.
“God’s love is not fragile.”
Then she added softly:
“It does not change based on your condition. It does not leave when you fail. It remains.”
Her eyes moved across the crowd.
“After today, stop questioning whether you are loved by God. Instead, start learning how to receive it.”
The field stayed quiet for a moment longer.
Then worship resumed softly in the background.
She continued “I want you to close your eyes for few minutes and just bask in God’s love. Thank Him for the gift of his son. Thank him for the gift of fellowship with the brethren.”
“Ask that he spreads his love in your heart. Ask him to help you live life with so much love.”
After the sermon ended, the field slowly shifted again.
Worship faded into softer music, people created groups, held hands and prayed over their neighbor. It was a beautiful time in God’s presence.
After that session, conversations formed again. The weight of the message was still there, but it had softened into reflection rather than silence.
Then it was time for the next activity.
“Team games will begin now! Bible charades and Bible quiz challenge!” Lady Biodun announced.
“Everyone!!! Form groups of 10 persons and pick a number”.
Naya’s face lit up immediately.
Soteria immediately dragged two guys and some ladies that were beside us to join our group. Once we got to 10, Naya nominated herself as the group leader and Soteria, the assiatant.
“Ohhh this is my part!” she said, grabbing Soteria’s arm. “Soteria, you are coming with me to pick the number.”
“I’ll just watch,” i said quietly when they turned to me.
Naya immediately shook her head. “No. You are joining us.”
“It’s not that serious,” Soteria cut in. “Just come.”
And before i could overthink it, they already being pulled me toward the game section.
The first game was Bible Charades.
The rules were simple.
One person would act and the team would guess.
The prompts were all Bible-based characters, stories, or scenes.
Naya immediately volunteered.
“This is very easy,” she said confidently. “As the team lead, I will carry this team.”
She stepped forward. I was happy she was having fun.
The first prompt was written and shown to her silently.
She turned back, smiled and started acting immediately.
She held an imaginary object in her hand.
Then she mimed throwing it.
A smooth swing.
A focused stance.
Then she suddenly pointed at the ground, then at herself.
Her acting was surprisingly sharp.
Soteria leaned slightly toward me.
“What is she doing?” she whispered.
I watched for another moment.
Then it clicked.
“David,” I said.
Naya snapped her fingers immediately.
“Yes!”
The team erupted in small cheers.
Next prompt.
Another participant stepped forward.
This time, the acting was slower.
He mimed a boat.
Rain. Fear. Then relief.
Naya frowned slightly then whispered to me.
“I think… Noah?” she guessed hesitantly.
Correct.
She looked slightly surprised when it was confirmed.
Then it was our turn again.
Soteria was suddenly pushed forward gently by Naya.
“No, no, I don’t know how to act,” she protested immediately.
“You don’t have to act so well,” Naya said. “Just try.”
She stepped forward slowly.
The prompt was shown to her.
She froze slightly.
Then turned back.
“I don’t know this one,” she whispered.
Naya called out immediately from behind.
“Just try anything!”
Soteria exhaled and began.
She mimed holding something small.
Then she looked upward.
Then she moved like she was following something she didn’t fully understand.
A few people in the crowd started guessing.
“Mary!”
“No, no—prophet?”
“Joseph?”
I watched her carefully.
She wasn’t confident, but she wasn’t giving up either.
“What is the name on the paper,” I said quietly.
She turned slightly toward me at the sound.
I nodded once.
“The name?,” I repeated.
Before she could whisper the name the name to me, our time was up
The judges confirmed that we failed it.
Her shoulders dropped slightly.
She looked sad.
“I do not have an idea who Rahab is in the bible” she said quietly to I and Naya.
“For your first time, you did well,” Naya said to her.
She nodded slowly.
—
The next round was mine.
I stepped forward.
The prompt was shown.
I didn’t need much time.
I mimed a slingshot.
Picked up an imaginary stone.
Pulled back and released.
Then pointed upward.
The team immediately shouted.
“DAVID!”
Correct.
Naya cheered loudly.
“That’s my brother!” she shouted.
I smiled at her. I was having fun at this.
Soteria high-fived me and I caught myself smiling again.
Then came the Bible Quiz round.
The rules were simple.
A question would be asked then one person from each team would step forward and answer.
Naya immediately stepped back.
“Nope,” she said quickly. “I am not quiz material. I will just put the Gaya family to shame”
She pushed Soteria forward lightly.
“She will go.”
Soteria froze.
“What? No, I don’t know—”
“It’s fine,” Naya insisted.
Her eyes flicked toward me.
I nodded once.
“Go,” I said simply.
Soteria hesitated.
Then slowly walked forward.
She looked smaller standing there.
The question was read aloud.
“Question 1: Who was swallowed by a great fish after disobeying God?”
Silence.
Then whispers around her.
She looked around slightly.
I could see it. She didn’t know. I was shocked that she had no idea about anything in the bible.
One of our team mates whispered loudly from behind.
“Jonah!”
Soteria repeated it slowly.
“Jonah.”
Correct.
She heaved a sigh of relief.
After 5 rounds, the next question came to her.
“Who was known for his wisdom and asked God for understanding instead of riches?”
This time, she hesitated longer. She looked uncertain.
I leaned forward slightly.
“Solomon,” I said quietly.
She heard me.
And repeated it.
“Solomon.”
Correct.
Three more rounds came but she failed because the judges noticed that our team mates were trying to tell her the answer. They moved her to the other end of the field.
Then came the final round.
This one was harder.
“Who betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver?”
Soteria went still.
No immediate answer.
Naya whispered quickly before the judges will see her.
“Judas!”
But she didn’t repeat it immediately.
She hesitated and looked at me again.
I nodded once. I knew we were wrong for giving her the answers but I could not help it. She looked embarrassed and helpless.
“Judas,” I said softly.
She repeated it.
“Judas.”
The judge paused.
Then nodded.
Correct.
—
When she stepped back, Naya immediately wrapped an arm around her.
“You did well!” she said proudly.
Soteria gave a small but embarrassed laugh.
“You guys helped me. I had no idea what to say.”
“That’s how you learn, my soso” Naya said.
Soteria looked at me briefly.
“Thank you,” she said quietly.
I nodded.
“You did well.”
She smiled again.
Then the final score was announced.
Our team had lost by a small margin.
Because she missed a few.
Naya groaned.
“We almost had it!”
Soteria looked slightly guilty.
“I’m sorry,” she said softly.
“No,” I said immediately.
She looked at me.
I continued, calmer. “It’s just a game.”
She nodded slowly.
But I could see it.
She still felt as if she was the reason we failed. Even if she didn’t say it.
And as the crowd began to disperse into the next activity, I noticed something quietly.
She didn’t join in any activity. She stayed where she was.
As if trying to process everything she had just experienced.
And I found myself wondering. Not for the first time that day—why her silence felt louder than everyone else’s noise.
SOTERIA’S POV
I didn’t realize how deeply something small could settle inside me until we got into the car.
It was just a game.
That’s what Akila said.
That’s what Naya said.
That’s what everyone would say.
But as we walked back to the car and laughter floated behind us from the field, something inside me had already gone quiet.
The drive home started light.
Naya was replaying moments from the charade round.
“Did you see the way that guy acted Abraham? He looked like he was carrying a whole goat on his shoulder!”
Akila chuckled softly from the driver’s seat.
“That was Isaac, not a goat.”
“Whatever,” she waved him off. “Same stress.”
I smiled faintly.
I tried to laugh when they laughed.
But my mind was elsewhere.
I kept seeing myself standing there, In front of everyone.
Hesitating, Waiting for whispers, repeating answers that weren’t mine.
Jonah.
Moses.
Solomon.
Judas.
I had said the names.
But I had no idea who they were.
And the thing about borrowing knowledge is that you feel it. You feel the space where confidence should be.
Halfway through the drive, Naya turned to me.
“So, how did you enjoy it?”
I blinked slightly.
“It was… nice.”
Akila glanced at me briefly in the rearview mirror.
“Charade was your strong point,” Naya added. “You actually tried, Soso.”
I shrugged lightly.
Silence settled after that.
They continued small conversations about the food, about how Pastor Olive’s message was still lingering in their minds. But I stayed mostly quiet.
I watched the road.
Watched trees pass.
Watched sunlight stretch long across the asphalt.
Inside, I kept replaying the moment when the question was asked and I froze.
Who betrayed Jesus?
Why did I hesitate?
It was such a basic question.
Basic.
That word burned slightly.
I wasn’t new to church.
I had grown up around it.
I had attended child dedications, weddings, Christmas services. I had nodded at sermons. Sang choruses I half remembered.
But today had exposed something. I did not know the bible. .
Not really.
And the fact that they had to whisper answers to me…
It made me feel like a child in a room of adults.
When we got close to my street, I cleared my throat softly.
“You can drop me here.”
Naya frowned. “We’ll take you inside.”
“It’s fine,” I insisted gently. “I’ll talk to you later.”
She studied me for a second.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
Akila slowed the car.
I opened the door carefully.
“Thank you for today,” I said quietly.
Naya smiled. “Tomorrow we’ll gist properly.”
I nodded.
Then I closed the door and walked inside.
The house was quiet. Too quiet. My parents went on a vacation in Italy.
Sometimes silence feels peaceful.
Tonight it felt loud.
I dropped my bag on my chair and sat on the edge of my bed.
I didn’t cry. It wasn’t that kind of sadness.
It was the heavy kind.
The reflective kind.
The kind that asks questions.
Why didn’t you know that?
Why did you hesitate?
Why did you feel embarrassed?
It was just a game.
But it wasn’t just a game.
It was a mirror.
And I didn’t like what I saw in it.
I reached for my phone almost without thinking.
Opened my browser.
Typed slowly:
“Bible quiz questions.”
Results flooded my screen.
Multiple-choice questions.
Children’s versions.
Hard versions.
Beginner versions.
I scrolled.
Then suddenly, I locked the phone.
“What am I doing?” I muttered softly.
This wasn’t about winning games.
Why did I feel like I needed to prove something?
I shook my head.
“No, no, no.”
I placed the phone down, stared at my ceiling and closed my eyes.
But the questions wouldn’t leave.
Who is David?
Who is Jonah?
Why do these names carry so much weight that everyone knows them except me?
I picked up my phone again.
This time slower. Then I typed:
“Who is David in the Bible?”
The page loaded.
David was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel, a shepherd boy from Bethlehem who became a celebrated warrior, poet, and “a man after God’s own heart”. Renowned for defeating the giant Goliath with a sling, he united Israel, conquered Jerusalem, and established a 40-year “Golden Age”
I sat up straighter.
Wait.
Shepherd boy that killed a giant with a sling?
I frowned slightly and scrolled further.
Then I typed:
“Who is Jonah in the Bible?”
Jonah is a Hebrew prophet from the 8th century BCE, known for reluctantly obeying God’s command to preach repentance to the city of Nineveh. After trying to flee, he was swallowed by a large fish for three days and nights.
I blinked.
This was not small information.
How had I grown up around church and never actually sat down to read these things myself?
Then something else occurred to me.
“Where can I read about David in the Bible?”
The answer was simple.
The story of David is primarily found in 1 Samuel 16 through 1 Kings 2 in the Old Testament. This account covers his rise from a shepherd to king, his conflict with Saul, his reign, and his personal failings. His reign is also covered in 1 Chronicles 10-29, and many Psalms are credited to him
And then I saw it.
A small blue icon on my screen.
The Bible app.
It had been on my phone for almost two years.
I installed it during some random Sunday service when everyone was asked to download it.
I had never opened it. Not once.
It just sat there taking space.
But tonight, I tapped it. As the screen loaded slowly, it felt strangely ceremonial.
Like opening a door I had been avoiding.
I searched for 1 Samuel 17.
And then I began to read.
At first, it felt like literature.
Ancient text with a different language style.
But as I kept going, it became a story.
A young boy sent by his father to deliver food.
He arrives at a battlefield and sees grown men trembling. Then he hears a giant mocking God.
And instead of shrinking back, he steps forward.
I paused.
Wait.
He wasn’t even a soldier?
He wasn’t trained?
He was young?
I read further.
Saul doubted him, the soldiers doubted him.
Even his own brothers questioned him.
And yet he said:
“The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”
I read that line twice.
Then a third time.
Something stirred quietly in my chest.
He was confident in God.
He remembered past victories and trusted God for present ones.
I lowered my phone slowly.
“A small boy like that?” I whispered to myself.
How?
How was that possible?
Was it courage? Faith? Or Both?
I suddenly didn’t feel embarrassed anymore.
I felt curious.
Hungry in a different way.
I picked up my phone again and opened my chat with Naya.
Soteria:
Babe.. Can you explain something to me?
Three dots appeared almost immediately.
Naya:
What happened?
Soteria:
How did David kill a giant? Like… practically how is that even possible?
Naya:
Where did you hear that from?
Soteria:
I was reading.
Naya:
You were reading what?
Soteria:
The Bible.
A few seconds passed.
Naya:
Excuse me??? You are reading the bible?? Glorayyy… This my ministry is moving oo.
I smiled faintly.
Soteria:
I searched David. Then I saw the story. I didn’t know he was that young.
Naya:
Omo. Soso, Let’s meet tomorrow. I’ll explain it properly. Anyone wey pass my power, I will refer you to our cell church pastor.
Soteria:
Okay. Thank you.
Naya:
I’m proud of you sha.
I swallowed slightly at that.
Soteria:
Don’t hype me, joor. I just got curious.
Naya:
Curiosity is how it starts.
I locked my phone slowly and lay back on my bed.
For the first time since the game ended, the heaviness lifted.
Not because I suddenly knew everything.
But because I had started.
I had opened something.
I had discovered that the Bible wasn’t just random names thrown at me in quiz questions.
It was stories.
Real struggles, real courage. Real people who didn’t always have everything together.
David wasn’t confident because he was loud.
He was confident because he trusted in God.
That thought stayed with me.
I placed my phone on my chest and closed my eyes.
Earlier that evening, I had felt embarrassed and exposed but I felt… intrigued.
Like I had stumbled into a room filled with stories I had never bothered to explore.
And instead of feeling behind, I felt invited.
Sleep came softer that night.
And somewhere between waking and dreaming, one thought settled gently in my mind
Maybe losing that game wasn’t humiliation.
Maybe it was the beginning of something deeper.
My babiessss….. This chapter left me feeling full.
Ohhh how I love talking about Jesus and his love for mankind.
What do we think of Soteria’s Inquisitiveness?
The Holy ghost is beginning to do his work in her.
Naya, God bless you oo.
Plussss.. Who noticed that AkilaHyel is now more accomodating.
Thank you for reminding us about the Love of God❤️🥹 I think we need to be reminded is not about works!
Sweet Holy spirit😭❤️ I love Naya’s heart for Soso🤭!!! Like having a burden for souls is so beautiful!!!