I prayed and fasted for God to change His mind about whom he revealed to me as my husband – Christian lady

God’s will for me right from young age is priority, even though it was with tears, I just trusted the one who told me to walk the path…The Bride (Mrs. Similoluwa Olatunji)

WiGRadio Team: Can we meet you?

Pst.Toni Olatunji: I am Oluwatoni Olatunji, oko Similoluwa.

Mrs. Similoluwa Olatunji: Eiiiiiiiiiiiii, God when o.

Pst.Toni Olatunji: So here’s the Similoluwa.

Mrs. Similoluwa Olatunji: My name is Similoluwa Oyeshola.

Sorry, Mrs Olatunji. 🤭

WiGRadio Team: First, we say congratulations to you on your wedding. And, a belated happy birthday to Mr Olatunji.

Mr. & Mrs. Olatunji: Thank you.

Mrs Similoluwa, how did you meet your darling husband, and what was your impression of him?

Mrs. Similoluwa Olatunji: Throwback to year 2014 where the Guest minister met the worship minister

Some years ago, my friends and I usually organise a worship experience annually around our neighborhood, 2014 was the first edition. So one of us suggested a guest minister to bring for the program and I said no no, I know this person to be a preacher not a music minister.

Apparently everyone was cool with him but I was not, not like he offended me o, I just did not see any reason why He should be our guest minister for the day.

Sha sha, he was invited. He came in at the exact time I was to lead worship. I was at the forefront of the programs team so before the meeting even started, I was tired, my voice was half way down. How I led that worship that night gan, ko ye mi (That is, I don’t know). At the end of the meeting, that’s how Guest minister requested that somebody should call me that he’ll like to see me. I got there, he started with I really loved your ministration, I was blessed, all those kinikini they say (smiles). In my mind I was like which ministration abeg, that I was just singing in the rubbish.

Long story short sha, I stumbled on him about 3 years later and the rest they say it’s history.

WiGRadio Team: Hmm. But did you have any inkling that this man is interested in you?

And when he eventually came out three years later to say his intentions, what was the reception like from your end?

Did you like him instantly? Did he tick all the boxes for your kind of man?

Mrs. Similoluwa Olatunji: Not at all, we didn’t have a serious conversation. However, I think I knew He was going to ask the big question before He eventually asked me.

God already told me about it and I was in prayer and fasting begging God to change it cause I didn’t want him but God dinnor answer me. (Smiles)

I just liked him as a fellow brother, no emotional feelings so to say.

WiGRadio Team: Wawu, nice one. @⁨Pastor Toni⁩, when and how did you meet sister Similoluwa? And how did you know she was the one?

Pst. Toni Olatunji: Alright, I think she already answered the part of how we met. But I think that was when I met her officially or properly. Though, I realized that she has known me before then, I didn’t, you know. She happened to have attended one of our meetings like a year or two before then. But I never knew. Although I checked our pictures later and saw her there.

So how did I know she was the one?

Well, the truth of the matter is, I will say that there was a move in my heart that day when we first met though I didn’t understand but I just knew that there was more. I would have probably explained it away but it was like my heart connected with hers in a way I couldn’t just make any sense of you know. But I didn’t read any meaning to it that day. So I just wanted to connect to her, I got her contact, we chatted for a while and all that. But we lost communication for like two years you know. It was in 2017 that the full story now began. So what happened now is that in May 2017, God already told me that my woman is coming actually, He gave me a word that my wife is very close. So just like a week plus after, you know, she just reached out to me on WhatsApp out of the blues. She just chatted me up and said “Uncle Toni”. She used to call me uncle Toni back then. You know, I mean this was someone I haven’t spoken to for over 2 years, you know, I’m talking of 2017. We met in 2014, that ministration she was talking about was 2014. So 2017 May, she reached out on WhatsApp, according to her, she was scrolling through her contacts list and she was deleting contacts that day. So she happened to see my number as Uncle Toni. So when she got to U ‘Uncle Toni’, she just decided to chat up this guy. It’s been a while I heard from this guy, where has he been? And chatted me out of the blues. Immediately she chatted me, it was like something was connected in me. Don’t forget God already told me over a week plus to that time that my woman is close. So when she chatted me up out of the blues, I was just searching my heart, holy ghost what is going on here? Why will someone just chat me out of the blues? I mean someone I haven’t spoken with in a very long time, you know. So I began to search my heart. And when we started talking, and within a period of like a week or two we were both communicating, you know we really spoke a lot in that period. I was searching my heart and I was getting much more convinced in my heart as I prayed about it that this is the one that God has been telling me about. I had a couple of covenant brothers that I also told to pray along with me, you know. So that also helped then but I was convinced really after a while of engaging, searching and all of that. But keep in mind that she was still a teenager as at that 2014… It will be like child abuse na. (Grins)

Mrs. Similoluwa Olatunji: Adult teenager you mean (smiles) cause I was close to waving the teenage age byebye (tongue out).

Pst. Toni Olatunji: Really? (Teasing)

WiGRadio Team: Amazing! Thanks. It’s the “Uncle Toni” for me. (Smiles) So, it really was God doing the works all the way from 2014. Even the silence, He was working. And she eventually reached out when the time was right. Glory!

WiGRadio Team: @Mrs. Similoluwa Olatunji, Why didn’t you want him then? Was it a case of “he is not fair like I want my husband to be”? Or…???

Mrs. Similoluwa Olatunji: They were not related to any physical appearance, I just don’t want him. I was considering the age difference and the fact that I also have other suitors as at that time.

WiGRadio Team: Okay, when did you finally resolve in your mind that, is like pe this man is really my husband o? And how did you discharge the other suitors?

Mrs. Similoluwa Olatunji: I knew from the beginning that that’s the path God wants me to take, so I just had to drop my will and follow God’s own.

WiGRadio Team: Hmm, but how easy was it to drop your will for His?

And aside your will, was there any other factors that could have made you say no to his proposal? Like family’s reception etc?

Mrs. Similoluwa Olatunji: It was not too much of a struggle for me. Much more than marital stuffs, God is my driver.

God’s will for me right from young age is priority, even though it was with tears, I just trusted the one who told me to walk the path.. I’m sure He can’t mismanage my life

WiGRadio Team: Pst. Sir, could her age at the time you met be the reason why you said in 2019 that you weren’t getting married till after 4years from then? Had you proposed to her then? Or you were waiting till she is an adult before saying “thus saith the Lord”?

Pst. Toni Olatunji: I will come to this. But part of the reasons was because I needed her to finish University…she hasn’t even gained admission to Uni (UNILORIN) then. Though she already had her ND from LASPOTECH. She entered UNILORIN in January 2018.

WiGRadio Team: But what was the reception like from her after you delivered your ‘manifesto’?

Pst. Toni Olatunji: Ghen ghen something ni o. Okay, the truth of the matter is that she was going to be 21 when I proposed to her that year, 2017. She was 20 going to 21 alright. I would have said 20 but she will fight me. She’s beside me here. So she was going to be 21 just like two months from then. But she told me that it’s not like she didn’t like me but she had a covenant with God that she wasn’t going to be in any relationship until 22. And that was like one year and two months from that time. So, I mean in my own mind I was like mama don’t you know what you’re saying. I was 30 as at that time, you know. So for me, that’s not even making any sense but I just told her, see just go and pray, talk to God, talk to elders about it. But it was one of those difficult situations because I wouldn’t know where to stand, is she in or out because it will now be like you are in a confused state, you know, that kind of thing. I just needed that clarity but I think for a period of like two to three weeks we had to disconnect. We weren’t really talking, we needed to give each other space to clarify that part. So that explains the long wait. We dated for almost 6 yrs but God already told me I was waiting for at least 5 yrs even before she came…though it didn’t make sense to me then… So I was prepared for the wait.

WiGRadio Team: Your ability to wait should be studied sir. It’s stellar.

Pst. Toni Olatunji: If you know my story from teenager, it will make better sense…

WiGRadio Team: If you don’t mind, we will like to learn sir.

Pst. Toni Olatunji: Some of these stories have already been captured in writing…and it can be found here: https://bit.ly/JOURNEYTOTHIRTY Wrote that when I clocked 30… The next one will be out when I’m clocking 40

WiGRadio Team: You were already an adult at the time and you were very clear about your intentions towards her from the beginning that you wanted to marry her. Which could have automatically put her in a lil relaxed mode around you. But how were you able to keep the boundaries as Christian brother and sister in courtship?

Pst. Toni Olatunji: Okay so as regards boundaries, well, grace was available.
But the wisdom God taught us was firstly, we were both ready to keep the bed undefiled like we had that clearly defined from the beginning, we have that value system in place alright, so that guided everything we did. You know, as a guy we might be tempted to kiss and all those, but she was more firm. She was like “no, we are not going to do this” and that really helped us a lot.. Of course we hugged. But we didn’t go beyond hugging. Yeah I do peck her on the forehead but we didn’t go beyond that.

Then another thing I learned very early is speaking to my body. So we’ve been practicing speaking to our bodies. We had a confession actually that we take. The short version of that confession is that “we honor God with our bodies. Our bodies only yield to God as instrument of righteousness and we honor God with our bodies”. So we say this confession and in addition to that was that is “waiting is easy we honor each other’s body, we do not defile each other’s body“. We kept saying this to ourselves from time to time. So that kept us conscious and we were surrounded with people that we were accountable to. We didn’t also stay alone in secretive places. We can count one or two times we were alone and that was even towards the ending part of the journey, alright. So for the first five years, we were hardly alone together. Most time, people were around us.

WiGRadio Team: Grace was available. Hallelujah.

WiGRadio Team: Mrs. Olatunji ma, you are one of the most happiest bride I’ve ever seen. Most brides are tired or a little reserved on their wedding day, but you had this joy that was welling up in your heart with smiles on your face all through. Tell us, what was the secret ma?

Mrs. Similoluwa Olatunji: (Smiles) I’m naturally very active and happy person. I have a lively nature and one of my first memory verse was Philippians 4:6, I hardly worry. And yes, thank God for the joy of the Holy Ghost.

WiGRadio Team: So there was this article on “Rest is Here” and the journey to it.

Big weddings are no jokes.

Please share with us, how did the planning and implementation go?

Pst. Toni Olatunji: Speaking about planning and implementation of our wedding, well God really helped us. Initially, we wanted to use an event planner and even had conversations with the guy, you know. I wouldn’t take the fact that that actually helped because at least he gave us some useful information from the very beginning that helped our planning but eventually we couldn’t pay the guy so we just had to let him go but the knowledge we gained at the beginning helped us.

Besides that we were blessed with people, we were surrounded with great relationships on both sides, my side and her side. So the role the event planner probably would have played, we had people that took it up, you know, of their own free will, and they really went all out, we just needed to give them the necessary guidance, necessary support and all that. And in terms of resources as well, God really raised people for us, you know, on every sides resources were coming, we were really blessed with the gift of people.

And we had to put our faith to work. Like I said in that article you read, I knew that I was going to have a big wedding alright. Not because I had any big money somewhere but because of what I knew about my life, my journey and the fact that I was surrounded by a lot of people. I couldn’t do a small wedding, I couldn’t do a secret wedding and the same thing applied to her actually. Plus that God gave us a word. So we were riding on the wings of prophecy really. I remember God told me at the beginning of the year, He said “there are resources available to you that are not obvious to your senses” I mean, and that was something I never forgot.

“There are resources available to you that are not obvious to your senses”

And I can tell you confidently now looking back, truly we saw those resources. There were times we were like how will this money show up but in the midst of it all, help came, God supplied, people rose up, people gave, you know. God had His way, we were blessed with people, I must emphasize that, people, like if you saw how people stood, took their place, is it people from work, you know, different places, from her side too, her ladies. This guys, family, yes, my family, I have people who took up things and just went all out, you know.

We were also walking by faith, it was not blind faith. And I need to put that out there to help the mind of somebody. I’m a person that believe in planning, I believe so much in planning, I believe so much in budgeting and all. But see, because of the season I was in that time, all those things couldn’t have played out in that way for me. But my faith was based on the fact that I have certain relationships in my life and I have certain seeds that have gone into the earth. To be sincere with you and I say this with all sense of humility, not just me, even for her. The truth is both of us, we’ve sown seeds in the life of people, we’ve sown seeds, you know, over the years. So the reality is that we enjoyed and ripped some, not all. A few of some of the harvest of some of those seeds. When I saw the way people took up the event, like it was their event, even I was amazed. People were the one telling me what happened. I didn’t know what was even going on. After the wedding, people were sharing things with me and I was like really. You mean this happen behind my back? How people took up things and fought, and I mean I was like wow, this is amazing. So I’m just trying to say that it wasn’t blind faith. It was based on prophesy, faith based on seeds that have gone into the earth, faith based on certain understanding. I mean so will not just go and jump and say me too I want to do this. O boy, calm down o, you have to be wise. It was just a journey of faith truly…Chai! We really enjoyed grace and favour.

WiGRadio Team: The hunt for hall, accomodation and others. How did they all go?

Pst. Toni Olatunji: Well, it still boil down to the faith thing I just said. The hunting for the hall, accommodation and other things. See, our story is a miracle, I won’t lie to you, it is a miracle everywhere. That word “rest”, you know, my guys and I were praying, ahhhh, after the wedding in the evening, some of them came around and we were just praying again and somebody was reminding us again of that word “rest”. See, that word rest is a prophesy. It is not just a tag, it wasn’t just some street slang. No, of course it was coming from my wife’s name anyway but you see, it is a coded prophesy, we enjoyed rest.

WiGRadio Team: Hmm, tell us about her family reception? How did they take you in? Was there any contention with any of her family members? Any issue at all sir?

Pst. Toni Olatunji: Well, we settled it in prayer ni o. So I was well accepted by all to the glory of God

WiGRadio Team: So you’ve been married for more than two weeks now, any culture shock yet?

Mrs. Similoluwa Olatunji: Nothing really. The relationship was a long one already (laughs).

Pst. Toni Olatunji: Not really, at least for now, from my end. We dated for 6 years so that was a lot of learning about each other, fighting and reconciling. Plus we are given to knowledge from books, messages etc.

WiGRadio Team: Something worthy of mention here, most persons in the Christian circle, pastors inclusive, are of the opinion that long courtship should be discouraged.

But, of course, nothing is cast in stone. And, your story, sir and ma, is an exception to this belief. I’m saying all these to say that, we really need to the secret to your waiting.

Pst. Toni Olatunji: Agreed… We’re an exception. I personally don’t advise it too. But then again, it boils down to our individuals walk and journey with God.

Mrs. Similoluwa Olatunji: It’s not advisable truth be told, I won’t even advise anyone to do it. Ours just happen to be an exception. It was not just long courtship, it was also a distance relationship for the major years.

WiGRadio Team: Finally sir and ma, what is your advice to young or of-age brothers and sisters looking to getting married in the nearest future?

Pst. Toni Olatunji: Get the foundation right. Then build by WISDOM, a lot of wisdom. That foundation include letting God lead you. Your “head” will fail you.
That foundation also includes having the right values and getting yourself grounded in God.

For WISDOM, be open to counsel – from mentors and leaders, books, messages etc.

Mrs. Similoluwa Olatunji: Just allow God lead you, He has your best interest at heart. Let God not emotions.

WiGRadio Team: A truly insightful interview! We had so much fun and enlightenment being with The Olatunjis.

May God bless and keep this union.

The Olatunjis: Thanks for having us. Amen.