My Diary Game: PARISH GET-TOGETHER AND COOKING NATIVE SOUP - 15/12/2025

The Parish Get-together

Season's greetings to my great Steemians. I pray for God's blessings upon you. Today the month is divided, leaving us with less than 16 days to go. You will get all your blessings for 2025 in Jesus Christ's name. AMEN21X.

Today I spent a good time at home, preparing the native delicacy with what I brought from the village: “nsana” and “mkpafere” leaves. These two are widely known amongst the Igbos and some parts of Akwa Ibom State, which my area, Ini is part of the Akwa Ibom who traditionally do not downplay the “nsana” soup, especially during traditional marriages.

The “mkpafere” and “nsana” combo are two traditional soups the people of Ini and the Igbos treasure. A very simple but special soup, that goes with goat meat, stockfish, and and smoked fish, and you then decide on other condiments to make your soup the way you want it.

This write-up is only explaining a delicacy that is not common but treasured by some tribes in Akwa Ibom State. In fact, coming back from the village to town, people at home will ask you if you have brought “nsana or mkpafere”.

In the morning I was feeling unwell, but I had to manage myself. After we had a brief morning devotion, I slept again. At about 7:57am, I remembered the nsana and mkpafere I brought from village,lage and I sat down to remove the skins and cut the fresh one for soup. It was a long process that took me about 2 hours for the nsana alone and about 30 minutes to cut the mkpafere leaves. My wife then went to the market to get stuff for the soup. My wife is not from my place, so we have to do it together.

Preparing Nsana and Mkpafere

	The Soup is Served

She came back about 1:43pm, and we entered the kitchen where all the necessary condiments were available for it. After 20 minutes it was done and we served ourselves together as a family.

Later in the evening, while my wife went for choir practice against our carol of lessons on Wednesday, my son and I were going to the headquarters for the end-of-the-year get-together. This has been the tradition of the Parish for the past 15 years, where all the arms of the church, departments and service units come together and eat. People use the opportunity to share their spiritual journeys from the beginning of the year. On this occasion, past leaders (presidents) of arms of the church are recognised with gifts for their labour. We may equate this gesture to the breaking of bread as found in Acts of the Apostles chapter 2 verse 42 -

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

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	The Get-together with meriments

	FreshGrace Jnr. and I

Exhortation was given by the minister incharge who appreciated the church and encouraged everyone to serve God more in the coming year, 2026. Prayers were said and food and drinks shared to everyone who made merriment to the glory of God. The event came to a close about 7:09pm and we left with my son after exchanging pleasantries with those close to our table. While we were going back, just opposite the church premises, the Christmas decorations were ongoing. I stop by to have a view. Uyo is really nice this season.

Christmas decorations

	My Happy boy enjoyingthe views

Upon my wife's returning from choir practice, we went together to dump refuse. We are not keeping any dirty things for a long time. Keeping our compound clean is the deal of the season.

Going to Dump refuse

Today was good altogether, as I engaged myself at home and going out I felt relieved of the sickness that I was battling when I woke up in the morning.

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