#nigerian blogger

It’s been really windy and raining a lot in Detroit lately. Not the type of rain that ruins your plans during the day but, the type that wakes you up in the middle of the night because there’s a slight possibility that a tornado is coming your way. Give it a few hours and it’s almost as if it was just a figment of your imagination.

When my sister and I went out on Sunday afternoon, we got caught in huge gusts of wind. It was quite annoying because the images I had in mind to be captured for this post weren’t working out, meaning the message I had was going to be altered. As I sat down to edit these images, I paid close attention to my facial expressions and the way my hair and skirt swayed as the wind took over.
There was my message.The wind blows whenever it pleases. You hear its sound, but cannot tell where it comes from or where it’s going. So it is with everyone born in Spirit. - John 3:8.Wind is moving air, and is also air that is fresh which is needed in life. Wind doesn’t have a shape, nor does it have a physical presence. We can’t precisely tell where it is coming from, nor do we know its final destination, we just know when it is in our presence, the effects may alter our reactions. Have you ever noticed that whenever God gets ready to put a change in us, he places us in uncomfortable environments? It’s like he pushes you into these seemingly unstable environments that force you completely outside of your comfort zone, all the while changing your mood. Sometimes it seems like he purposely picks out the worst time to do the most mighty things. Moving to Detroit this Spring was a test, one that I nearly failed. I was hesitant  on making this move for multiple reasons, with the main one being that I’d have to forfeit my amazing LA apartment. But the reality is that forfeiting that so called amazing apartment pushed me so far outside of my comfort zone that some of the greatest things began to happen. I became intentional with my words and the food that I consumed. I prayed for specific things and just when I thought about taking a different course, God pushed me into a spinning cycle. While John 3:8 touches on the rebirth and being born again, my initial interpretation went something like this: Wind is invisible, yet it can displace you in a matter of seconds. Like the wind, God does the same exact thing. You may not physically see Him working but, you know when there’s a change within you. I made every intention to get close to Christ and understand the word, and like the wind, it was an unseen process but the end result is evident. This realm has no physical coordinates, but like the wind we call our breath, Christ says “It is within you.
Top: Zarkpa’s (located in Detroit, MI)Skirt: My mother wore this to her high school graduation Sandals: Forever 21 

In many cultures, before any person is born there is much deliberation on what they will be called. How many letters will be in each name, which way will it be spelled? Are they a junior? Does their name symbolize a certain period? Growing up, I never understood why my parents decided on giving me a five letter name. I mean, five letters? Is that all they could do? As my peers would attempt to shorten their names, I’d continuously ask my parents why I couldn’t switch my ten-letter middle name with my first. As I got older and would start to understand the power of names, I became content with the placement in which my name was given to me.

NNEJI 

nne - the mother | ji - to hold

the mother holds

from the Igbo language, southeastern Nigeria



The Igbo language is one of three main languages in Nigeria and it’s disheartening to say that it is on the verge of becoming a dying one. I for one, was not brought up learning to speak Igbo but, that will not stop me from making a solid effort to speak it now. 



Having the ability to speak my native tongue is just as important to me as my ability to accurately pronounce my names and understand the meanings behind them. Our names are who we are, and if you really think about it, your personality or the things that have taken place in your life can often times be traced back to the meaning of your name. 

There’s great power in a name, what’s yours?