A tribute to Peter Kayode Bello

A tribute to Peter Kayode Bello,  a young man I never met.

Last week I heard about the helicopter crash and I thought to myself I hope nobody I knew was on the craft. I didn't make much of it.

Then on Thursday I received a blackberry message from a friend of mine and our conversation was as follows.

F(friend): Omi
O(Omi): Hi love
F: When God said three score and ten is it a promise 
O: Hmmm
F: If yes why don't some people make it. The guy in my dp was 26. Such a great guy. My Aburo (younger brother)
O: Wow, what happened to him?
F: The helicopter crash yesterday. He was the co-pilot.
O: Awww
F: So accomplished. He was an engineer and a pilot. He was also a talented photographer. A sweet soul. His mothers pride. He went to University here in Ghana.
O: It is well. There are somethings we can't understand on this side of eternity but we can only trust God. God is good. He didn't cause the accident. He wants the best for us all. Also I think the way we see death is different from the way He sees death. 
F: I know He didn't cause it but He knew it would happen.
O: Death is a gateway to glory. It is a gateway to Heaven. A transition to Higher glory. While we mourn on this side of eternity, I believe Heaven rejoices when a saved person goes to Heaven.
F: I agree. Yes
O: Death is a gateway to a better place. I'm sure if He is in Heaven he won't even want to come back if given the opportunity.
F: I thought that today too.
O: It. is also a reminder of what is really important. Not our accomplishments. The Lord will comfort his mum. He will work it out for her good.
F: I agree. Amen.
O: Did you read my friends tribute to his late wife who died just 6 months after their wedding. She too was 26. It's on Bella Naija.
F: I'll look for it. God has been speaking to me since I heard today. And you just repeated everything He told me. I was saying He has to explain to me.
O: Google Oluwadamilola Famakinwa's tribute to his wife Tosin.
F: He was saying three score and 10 empty or one score and 6 full.
O: Wow, it's not how long. It's how well. Jesus died at 33. It's about fulfilling the purpose God put us here to do.
F: Yes it is. Thank you
O: We thank God for His word. Was ChristIan?
F: Yes he was.
O: The Bible says to live is Christ and to die is gain.
F: yes.

The next morning my aunt sent me blackberry message Isaiah 66:13 "As one whom his mother comforters, so will I comfort you and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem." I saw this and got a bit scared. Around the same time, facebook and Instagram had so many pictures of this Peter Bello. On Sunday, someone I follow on Instagram, Debola Williams, wrote a tribute to Peter Bello, but I didn't get to read it.

I don't work on Mondays, as it is my sabbath, so I took out time to read Debola's tribute and I ended up going on the Instagram pages of Peters friends to read all they had to say about him. 
I recently experienced the loss of a friend recently, I prayed and felt God say He wanted me to write. So here it goes.

Wow, Peter Bello. What a remarkable young man. Full of life. He fulfilled so many dreams. Handsome, tall, well built. He had a kind heart. He loved his friends. He put people he loved before him. He was a giver. He touched everyone he met. He seemed like a lover of life. He seemed fearless. An Angel in disguise as a human. He followed his passion and died while doing a job he loved so much. I can't imagine what his parents, his siblings and friends are going through. I can only remember how I felt when Tosin died, it was a horrible, gut wrenching, dark, painful experience. It didn't make sense. Tosin too had so much going for her. Her life had just started. What helped me through that week was the love of God, the fellowship of believers. I cried and cried but tears couldn't bring Tosin back. She had gone to a better place and it was Gods will. 
Peter like Tosin is in a better place. They are away from this fallen world. They wouldn't want to come back if given the opportunity. 

It is not how long but how well. Jesus too died at 33 and He fulfilled His purpose. This place is temporary. We are on BORROWED time. Yes we should fulfil our dreams. We should #doitafraid. But at the end of the day, what matters most is your reconciliation to our Heavenly Father.
First you must be saved. Second, you must fulfil your God given purpose. 

I saw a video of Peter which was taken a couple of hours before his death. He looked so happy, so full of life. He never knew he would die in a few hours.
We can never know the hour or time. A few people are lucky, for instance, if they are sick and know they would die soon but most times death comes suddenly. 

Since we don't know the time or day, we should live everyday fully as though it were our last, we should thank God for each morning we wake up and for each day we go to sleep. We should do the things He lays in our heart to do. We should love. We should forgive. We should do what He wants and we should live for the creator who put us here. 

Like in Isaiah 66:13: The Lord will comfort everyone that Peter has left behind. He will wipe away every tear. He will heal wounds. He will mend broken hearts.

Peter has run his own race, it is now up to you to run your own race and finish well. 

Rest in Peace, Peter Bello, a man who touched so many lives even in death.



Sent from my iPad