The New Wine Press March 2018 | Page 12

Precious Blood Volunteers’ Orientation, July 2017, Leah Landry, John Lee, Hector Avitia and Lota Ofodile God Chose You, Remember That by Lota Ofodile, Precious Blood Volunteer, Kansas City, Missouri There’s an old story that has been circulating in my family for years now, since I was born—the tale of how I got my name. Legend has it that my grandfa- ther wanted to name me Raluchukwu (which means “Choose God” in my native language, Igbo) but that changed after a little conversation. Interesting fact: I grew up being part of a small Catholic community called The Neocatechumenal Way. Each year, Andrea and his wife Francesca, a nice Italian missionary couple and the leaders of our group, would make their way down to Nigeria from Rome with a new priest and seminarian and stay for a few months. They lived right next door. (So just in case some of you, like most of my friends and colleagues at the clinic, are all wondering how I am so comfortable living with Fr. Dick and Fr. Garry, it’s because I have lived with priests for years). 10 • The New Wine Press • March 2018 Andrea was in the country when I was born, and apparently after he heard I was going to be called Raluchukwu, naturally he asked what it meant. Once he found out, he said, and I paraphrase, “You can’t choose God; he has already chosen you. You just have to remember that.” That was how Lota came about. My first name, Lotachukwu, means “Remember God.” Funny story, right? And who knows if that’s exactly how it happened? It doesn’t matter now because I have owned it, and every time I think about that story I realize how God shows himself to us in the most unex- pected ways. Sometimes, the most incredible experi- ences happen to us when we least expect it. At exactly this time last year, I had just gradu- ated college and had no idea where my life was headed. I was lost and afraid. I had no job lined up.