A few months prior, Bayo turned 18 years old. In our country, this is known as the 'liberty age', when one receives the right to vote, is eligible for a drivers license and can even move out of the family home without any pressure from parents. And so it was for Bayo. We thought his first action would be taking the driving test to acquire his license, as was the case for his older brother Bolaji. And since as students at the University of Lagos, the two of them already lived outside of the home, we were not expecting what happened next. Bayo decided to move out of his brother's apartment and moved in with some of friends to learn cryptocurrency.

For weeks, it was frustrating for us as Bayo refused to come home even when school was on vacation. This gave my wife and I sleepless nights. Worrying about his whereabouts became a daily norm for us. Bayo is very daring, bold and courageous in the face of any situation, but we were worried of the kind of life he would be living with these friends we did not know.

Sometimes during our discipling time with a mature couple, we openly expressed our concern and worries about our son's life on campus. We were encouraged to stop worrying and to not be overbearing, but instead allow him to grow, trusting that we had demonstrated godly parenting. This helped to eventually transform our reactions to his actions. We gave him space, but I must say it was not easy. We would still call him to see if he met with the campus ministry during the weekends.

To the glory of the Lord, my wife and I also decided to fast and pray for them as we totally depended on God for a way out. On one of my visits to the campus to see him, I got to meet Akinbayo with his friends in their flat. It was really surprising for them, but I sat down, shared my life's story and encouraged them to be productive with their teenage lives. I didn't want them to be influenced by the world, but by God. After the chat with his friends, I pulled Akinbayo aside and showed him two scriptures that spoke about the consequences of secret sins and the effect of sin on ones future. He later went back to his friends after we prayed together that day.

Incredibly, two days later, he moved back home and asked if he could start studying the Bible. I obliged him and we did the word and discipleship studies. My wife and I were amazed by the sudden changes in his life and to God's glory, Akinbayo was baptized just after our midweek service!

In all, we give God the glory for the great things he has done in our family through our second son, establishing generational blessing for our family. We pray for all parents to continue to show godly examples to their children, pray for them and be their friends. Ultimately, God's name will forever be glorified!

Shared from ICOC Nigeria