The purpose was to spend the Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread with the brethren throughout the region and to meet with Church leadership to discuss matters relevant to the function of the church in those areas.

The first stop on my journey was Lagos, Nigeria. With over 21 million people, Lagos is the most populous city on the African continent. Amidst all that buzz of activity, I found a faithful group of God’s people preparing to keep His Holy Days. There were 44 of us gathered together to commemorate the sacrifice of Jesus Christ through the observance of the Passover. It was an especially encouraging time, as there were two baptisms which also took place that same day.

While in Lagos I stayed at the home of Oludare Akinbo. He, along with his wife Tohung and their three children, have grown to be close friends. It was good to spend time with them and to catch up with the goings on of the three UCG congregations in Nigeria.

From Lagos, my travels took me 200 miles east to Benin City. Once there, I was welcomed to the church hall for the Night to Be Much Observed meal with the brethren. It was a pleasant evening of spicy food and lively fellowship as we remembered God’s great deliverance of His people, Israel, and considered how great of a spiritual deliverance we have received in our lives as well. I remained with the Benin City brethren through the observance of the First Day of Unleavened Bread. We spent the whole day together with worship services, a potluck meal and a leadership club meeting that evening.

Upon returning to Lagos, I departed Nigeria and flew to Accra, Ghana. There I met up with Henry Aikins, church office manager, and David Messelebe, pastor of the Accra congregation. We discussed planning for the upcoming youth camp and Feast of Tabernacles. 

On April 4, Henry Aikins and I drove two hours west of Accra to the coastal region of Winneba. Winneba is a native name that means “windy bay.” There we met with pastor Benjamin Agyapong and a number of the leaders from three outlying congregations, Winneba, Agona and Kwanyako. We used the opportunity to conduct a leadership workshop focusing on Christ-like servant leadership principles.

Visits on the Last Day of Unleavened Bread were split between the Winneba and Kwanyako congregations. Henry Aikins and I then returned to Accra for the weekly Sabbath. The trip concluded with a leadership workshop in Accra on Sunday.

When traveling through West Africa, one can not help but notice the friendly smiles and welcoming nature of the brethren who live there. They are very happy to receive visitors and greatly appreciate all those who would take the time to come see them. It was a great blessing to share God’s Holy Days together.