The Oyebodes’ twin
hearts of gold
By Jossy Idam
Saturday, September 30, 2006
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•Marybeth
Photo By Sun News Publishing |
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Pastor Bayo Oyebode and his American wife, Marybeth, have
a lot in common. They are simple, affable and compassionate.
These are perhaps the main qualities that attracted the couple.
Different backgrounds
Marybeth came to Nigeria as a school teacher. Before getting
married to Pastor Bayo in December, 1997, she was an up-beat
school teacher in an Ivy league secondary school, Hill Crest,
in the Plateau State capital, Jos.
Born one of 11 children in Ife Tedo, Osun State, Pastor Bayo
grew up seeing his father giving succour to the needy. Those
days, according to him, his father had a farm with cash crops
like banana.
Almost every day, his father cut and left a bunch of bananas
at the entrace of the farm and nearby pathway. “I asked
my father why, he told me it was for hungry people who came
passing by”, Bayo recalled. He also remembers seeing
his father generously helping out the poor with cash and all
types of gifts.
Education
Pastor Bayo read religious study at University of Jos. He
followed this up by enrolling in ECWA theological seminary
in Plateau State as well. After his ordination as pastor,
he floated an NGO-urban Frontier and began ministering to
prostitutes in the city of Jos and its environs.
Beginning
Months after beginning, he discovered that most of the whores
were HIV-positve. He and his partner, Marybeth reviewed their
approach and re-named their NGO as Mashiah Foundation Ministry.
Said Bayo:so, in 2000, we began gradually, Next we discovered
that they needed medical care, food, shelter and sundry expenses”.
Gift of giving
Seeing these challenges, Pastor Bayo and his wife, Mary-beth
began using their lean resources to run the NGO and take care
of the sick, hungry and dying destitutes who ran to them.
But they soon discovered that the cost was enermous. They
went cap in hand to good-spirited Nigerians and churches in
and outside the country.
Areas of need
The key areas Mashiah foundation ministry foaused on include
Bezer Home for HIV/AIDS widows and orphans.
At metropolitan Avenue, Tudun Wada, Jos, where the home-a
storey building is located there are 10 widows and 30 orphans
being catered for.
The women form part of an out-reach programme, women of Hope.
They and over 50 other widows who reside in their widows who
reside in their homes go out regularly to sensitize the public
on HIV/AIDS. The widows, in addition. Learn to make quilt
bedspreads, pillow cases, necklaces, ear rings, book marks
and so on.
Indigent, HIV/AIDS Single mothers and teenagers also live
at Bezer Home. The NGO also run an IT and computer Engineering
school for teenagers.
Surrogate parents
To the house mates at Beze Home, Bayo and Marybeth are their
God-sent father and mother. Whenever any of them comes to
the home, widows and orphans rush out to meet them with smiles
and embrace. They simply call them “Daddy” and
Mummy”. In one of such visits to the home, Saturday
Sun saw Bayo wrestling with Lucky, a 10-year-old orphan.
Located on Panshin Street, the school has more than 100 teenagers
doing the training. According to the NGO’s Director
of Public Affairs and Information, Nathaniel Adeoye, “the
IT course is Mashiah Foundation’s own way of capturing
the interest of teenagers who belong to the most vulnerable
category of the soceity. Everything here is based on christianity.
They are given IT lesson and much more to see them through
life”.
Support group and vounteers
Backing Bayo and Marybeth is a large support staff comprising
Dr. Julius Oyekunle Oyekan, James J. Alewen, laboratory scientist,
Mrs Juliana Jokodola, counsellor, Mrs, Margaret Tersoo, youth
vocational trainer, Abah Moses, Computer engineer, Caleb Yakubu,
co-ordinator, vocational training and counselling, Sarah Abidan,
vocational trainer, Faith Muya (Kenyan), teacher and micro
biologist, Chidi Elizabeth and others.
Huge budget
Pastor Bayo puts the running of the NGO’s hospital,
IT school, Bezer Home, widows of Hope, primary school and
caring for HIV/AIDS orphans to millions of naira annually.
Mashiah foundation gives its services to the public free of
charge and this includes ARV drugs, food, clothing and shelter”.
The Lord has been supportive. We’ve never lacked even
though the demand is increasing daily”, Pastor Bayo
said.
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