VOLUNTEERING FOR THE BECOMING CONFERENCE 4.0 & THINGS I LEARNT,JULY 21ST 2018


I am someone who loves and is passionate about volunteering. The ability to serve drives me a lot. I am always ready to serve.Volunteering can sometimes be viewed as an entirely selfless act, with the assumption that you’re sacrificing your time and resources to help others without any benefit to yourself but, as many of us know by now, this is far from the truth. Although our primary goal through volunteering may be to help others, we also know that the experience feels awesome!. Volunteers always get double opportunity (which most people don't know).

Here are benefits of volunteering
1.Reassess your strengths and weaknesses
2.Explore your interests
3.Strengthen past skills
4.Develop new skills
5.Learn something new, I learnt so much I didn't think I would have
6.Become the teacher you never knew you were
7.Broaden your horizons by interacting with new people & places
8.Strengthen your compassion for others
9.Improve or develop new interpersonal skills
10.Increase your self-esteem and self-confidence


I encourage you today, get your heart committed to serve, you will be glad you did and I'm sure you will come back to say thank you.

 A dear friend of mine, Tijesunimi, intimated me about the opening for volunteers at the BECOMING CONFERENCE about three months ago and I plunge into action by filling the form online while waiting day and night for their positive response (I had been denied the opportunity to volunteer for a program I really would have loved to be  a part of  and rejection was my only fear) which eventually came. I went to Lagos, Nigeria for the interview and viola, I was chosen. I was so happy, it felt like a dream come true. I worked with the media team.The team work was amazing, I'm so glad I volunteered.

BECOMING CONFERENCE is an annual convocation of young women between the ages of 18 and 35 aimed at inspiring and empowering them to discover purpose and become all they were created to be, regardless of their circumstances as they listen to and learn from ''older'' women who have ''become'' share their unscripted becoming stories.

 The overriding vision is to raise inspired women who will live up to their full potentials and contribute their quota to transforming their societies and the world at large.

I had the most amazing host in Lagos, thank you so much.
Green carpet with the Media Unit leader, Eno Adesuwa Eworo



Ayomide Aparah (opened the conference with prayers at 10:10am, she urged us to open our hearts to the blessings that was about to come on us, burdens were going to be lifted, lives were going to be transformed.

We had an awesome and soul lifting  one hour worship, there were issues with sounds as it kept triggering off but it didn't spoil the flow of the spirit of God from moving in our midst as the worship team came fully prepared.
Here is the list of worship songs
1.Temple- Outburst
2. My worship- Phil Thompson
3.Reckless love- Cory Asbury
4. I am who you say I am- Hillsong
5.No longer slaves- Bethel
6.Wide as the sky- Matt Redman
7. You have captured my heart- Dunsin Oyekan
8. Withholding nothing(Medley)- William McDowell
9. Glory- The Gratitude
10.Holy ghost- Outburst
11. What a beautiful name- Hillsong
12. Ko s'oruko to dabi ti jesu
13. Halleluyah eeh- Nathaniel Bassey

Chioma Ogbonda, Hephizibah  came on board to perform her hosting duties, she was amazing at it, her voice alone itched us to hear more from her.She did a good Job.

She invited some members of the audience for a little chit chat.
Four ladies, Four questions (pardon me I have forgotten one of the questions)

1.What will be your perfect date?
2. What is that gift a man will get for you that will elevate him?
3. Four qualities you desire in your future partner

Mrs Funto Ibuoye the convener of the becoming conference gave the welcome address and opening speech. Here are a few things she said; God is going to heal people of pain.


*When God gives you a vision, don't waste time, just run with it because He can pass it to someone else if you are a lazy or not serious about it.



*No matter how deep your pain is, the living water can fill it.



*Break out of the norm, religious, tradition, all God wants is a true worshiper.



*Do not cover your pain, open it up so that the living water can soothe you.



*God wants to heal you so you can pour and unleash his living water so you can also pour into others lives and they will receive their healing.


The host interacted well with the audience, she asked four beautiful ladies in the audience to come out answer some questions;


1.Is this your first time at the becoming?
2.What's the toughest challenge you face as a single lady?
3.When did you give your life to christ and what has been the most exciting part of it?
4. If you had two things that you need from now till Jesus Christ comes, what will it be?
The ladies all gave sincere answers and it was amazing to hear their views.

THE THREE KEYNOTE SPEAKERS CONSISTED OF THE WOMAN OF THE GOD KIND, CAREER AND BUSINESS. What more could we have asked for? Amazing line up of speakers I must say.



TOYIN POJU OYEMADE (Founder, Storyteller NG, is a creative, passionate, fearless, driven and the beautiful host of a new Television talk show, CHAPTERS. She continues to use the power of the media through her platform to transform the minds of people and to impact society as a whole).



She started off by calling Funto Ibuoye ''Small but Mighty''. She shared a part of her becoming story because according to her it can't be summarized in 30 mins or 2 hours.

*It should not be taken for granted when women gather.



*When women come together, it is amazing what we can do



* Becoming is not an event, it is not a destination. We are constantly becoming



* There are three important things in Becoming; and they are three relationships



   #Relationship with God: it goes beyond the things we see outside. Many things bring us to Christianity. We will have challenges till Jesus comes. The life of a christian is such that when we have challenges we solve them in a different way, we have a Jesus that will help us solve it and that is the currency of FAITH.
  
 These days people are quick to give public worship but many of us are failing in our private spaces. Our altars are not burning anymore but we can come outside and look pretty and in our private spaces God is saying He cant hear your voice. What is your relationship with God? This is the first important relationship you can have.



   #Relationship with yourself; a lot of us have issues with this kind of relationship. We sometimes forget to value yourself. What is it about yourself that you do not like? Everything that consist of your life is for a reason, you are beautiful the way you are, you are an original the way you are, you are unique the way you are, it doesn't matter what I do not have or what I went through. Your story is not meant to end your life, it is  from that story you will build your life into who you are today. Do you have a healthy self esteem? Do you like yourself? Accept yourself in your totality. Life is a continuous process of Becoming. 



   #Relationship with other people;we are made to truly love one another. We need one another to become. We all possess certain qualities.God is three in one; one had to stay in heaven, another on earth and the third one is always there. Even God didn't do it alone. The bible say its not good for man to be alone. He also sent people out in their twos. The little things matter and that is where our thoughts come in.



*Celebrate others while working on your own Path



*The love work is the hardest work in the world. It is a test of forgiveness, relationship and oneness



* To become, you must be alive to God, get the spiritual foundation right and it is a daily work. You are not perfect, you are a work in progress



* Die to who you think you are, live to who God says you are and that in itself is a process of discovery.



*Accept the season of your life. Life will humble you. Cut your coat according to your size. Always do you and don't let things on the outside distract you.What you need is what you need and sometimes what you need is not what you want.



* When it comes to pain, the prayer is not ''God take the pain away'',it should be ''Lord, let me be formed by this pain, show me the purpose of the pain and this way the pain goes away quickly''. The journey of becoming is a life long process of transformation into who God has called us to be. it only end for two reasons and that is when Jesus comes or you die.



* Accept your story. Accept your struggle. Accept your trial. Accept your fire.

She filled us up... I was getting full.



Iretiola Doyle (An accomplished writer, actor, producer and presenter)



To become means to, be made, transformed, be converted into, changed into, turned into, transform into. It all kind of speaks to a certain process of transiting from one thing to another and incidentally as an actor, everyday I go to work it is required of me to become someone else. My success as an actress is measured by my ability to develop any given character to such a degree that everyone find my portrayal so believable you willingly agree to come with me on an emotional voyage with me.

* When life happens, remember your objective, recognize there are new obstacles



*In all your journey of becoming, try not to focus on the things you create for yourself without support from your director which is God.



* Life can be likened to a script, you understand the story, break it down to scenes, focus on your scene ( journey).



* Life doesnt hand you the crads you are expecting. Do you recognise your inadequacy and prepare to deal with life decisively?

What are your objectives? As an actor when the obstacles in form of someone who is supposed to give a line that would necessitate your next line falls short, do you fall apart. In life when obstacles show, do not give up on your script.

Dont forget to make your becoming story EPIC.

Motunrayo Ade-Famoti (CEO of Money Stewards)



She started with a story of how she applied for 495 job and wasn't invited for any interviews in the New York. Her story is that of TRIUMPH

* You need to be hungry, relevant, focus. Don't eat your dinner as breakfast BUILD YOUR ARK.



* I'll pay you to solve my problem, I wont pay you to indulge in your hobbies.



* Be careful about superfluousness



*You must have a two minutes pitch of yourself, a one minute and a thirty second pitch of yourself. You never know who you are talking to,any opportunity to speak or do something always put your best foot forward. Don't look at the crowd saying you are not good enough.



*A lot of us are focusing on our deficiencies instead of our strength



*Team work is very important. If you do it on your own it won't be big. You have to collaborate.You are not an island of knowledge. Hire people smarter than you.



*Do what makes you uncomfortable. Get out of your comfort zone to be successful. Try solving other peoples problem.



*Make things happen.



* Train your mind never to be negative.There are two types of people; the ones who see obstacles and the ones who see opportunities in it.



* You can be the best you are, all you have to do is believe in yourself and be relevant, study hard, don't do things that are easy.



*The top is not crowded, only the bottom is. Stay focused.

She ended her session with a story of the goose and the horse. I might just be good at one thing but I'll rather be a horse at it than a goose of all. You are not defined by peoples opinion.

An insightful panel session

 with Tola Odeyemi and Olabisi Ola-Soetan, who discussed the topic ''Women in politics,whats the big deal?

 Bisi intimated us about her love for politics right from her childhood, how she won almost all elections she contested for and the life changing experience she had in school.

 Tola  who has two degrees in engineering said Politics is everything that goes into governing and administration into their selected and appointed office. She believes in what the process can deliver. She has worked on several presidential and gubernatorial campaigns. She works for Lagos State as a regulator.

They both urged more women to get involved in politics as the world needs more of the feminine touch.

There was a  musical interval, Rep J came and serenaded us with his beautiful voice and songs.

1st Heart to Heart session 

Women who have been through pain and hurt shared their stories and journey to victory to encourage others who have been going through similar situations.

Eniola Adeniji was divorced in her 20, she left an abusive marriage after 3 years. Ngozi Adebiyi got divorced in her 40s,  after she found out that her husband had another family and still kept cheating. They both shared their story of pain and victory over pain. They are both living their best lives and Eniola is set to marry her Heartthrob sometimes in September,2018.

Spoken word
Spoken word by Amakason was highly connecting, it left the audience wanting for more. ''Right there in your pains and brokenness, please be broken glass.Yes, it hurts. You have every reason to feel dissapointed, angry but still be obedient.''

Fashion Show
Then came the Fashion Show by an Amazing fashion brand in Lagos, Teeshogs. The dresses on the models were too gorgeous, i felt like going to get them all.

2nd Heart to Heart session 
Bolutife Oladipupo lost her baby at childbirth and Tomisin Balogun lost a set of twins at birth too(very painful), they both shared their story on how angry they were with their gynecologist( the former almost sued her gynecologist) and how they overcame the hurt, pain,agony, loss. They didnt deny the fact that they felt God failed them but they walked through this pain.


The conference ended at 6:15pm with prayers and thanksgiving as it was a huge success. Over 400 beautiful ladies were in attendance. My tummy was also filled with lots of yummy things😉. I left the conference energized than ever, I felt the need to do more, to put to full use the potentials bestowed on me. Grace for lasting relevance was transferred to us all.

Some of the volunteers

Amazing volunteers

What I wore, peep the inscrption on my Tee shirt ''I am Becoming"
I hope I was able to pass across the message to you and not make you feel left out? If you attended the conference kindly drop the points I missed out. Thank you.
Beaautified woman

Meet my namesake, sweet lady

On the journey of BECOMING

I was there💃💃💃
I am a beautified woman
Beautiful on the Inside as well as on the outside
My beauty radiates from within and glows everywhere I am
I am confident and intelligent; the Glory of God radiates all over me
I am right at the center of God's will for me
I walk in purpose daily and I fulfill destiny
I encourage and support other women to fulfill their dreams
I live a  life of favour, joy and laughter
I exude love and compassion everywhere I go I know who I am
I AM A BEAUTIFIED WOMAN!

Stay beautified!
Lots of love and hugs

12 comments:

  1. So long a post by Victoria Oyedepo! So sweet to be read by Lustre!!

    Learnt one, two, three lessons from BECOMING even as a man,😂😂😂, shebi I'm sha a man bai.

    Volunteering(with good intention) begets progress (both individually and communally).

    Men too are Becoming tho.👌😜

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Awwww... the joy of reading from you. I'm glad you learnt somethings.

      Of course, Men are Becoming. We all are.

      Delete
  2. Thank you baby for this awesome post.
    With this, I felt like I attended the conference.
    Good job girl
    I am also beautified

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Its good to have you on here Moyosore, I'm glad the post made you feel that way. Please feel free to share with others.

      Thank you so much beautified woman.

      Delete
  3. Wow, Wow Wow!!! This is huge Vicky! Learnt so much from this and I feel energized to do more. thanks for sharing dear...Kudos��

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so glad you feel this way. Thank you so much dear. Please feel free to share.

      Delete
  4. This piece long oo. Fun reading and inspiring tho!
    Thanks for sharing dear

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 🙈🙈 I know it is.Glad you enjoyed the post. You're welcome dear. Good to read from you

      Delete
  5. Great post Victoria.

    Reading this was like attending the conference.

    Thanks for taking your time to share your experience and the lessons you learnt. They are invaluable lessons.

    This blog is a pot of wisdom. VOB is also on the journey of becoming. Becoming a lot of good things. Greatnesss is here!

    Keep up the good work Victoria.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow.. it's good to have you back on here Temitope. Thank you so much.

      Greatness is here.

      Delete
  6. I Am Becoming! 💪

    Thanks girl, I feel like I took these notes myself.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes sweety.
      Awwww I'm so happy I made you feel like you took the notes yourself.

      I'm so happy to read from you😍😍

      Delete

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