Jun 24, 2014
Forever changed in West Africa
By Danny Lee, Colorado Springs, Colo.
I was humbly blessed to accompany Missionary Society Director Clint Brown to the Republic of Cameroon, Liberia and Ghana on a much-needed mission trip to see SDBs in West Africa.
We first flew to Cameroon and had the pleasure of attending their Annual Conference in a small village located in the jungle. We worshipped with some wonderful people and shared a feast with them. We also had several meetings with local Christians, pastors, the Conference President, former Minister of Cameroon, and a local chief.
On the way out of the country, we were booked on a flight that did not exist, so we got on the last flight of the day to Lagos, Nigeria. Upon arriving in Nigeria, the officials realized we did not have Visas. They took our passports and detained us in a room with some guards for the evening.
What a blessing! We were able to talk about Jesus with several and encourage one to pursue his desire of being a pastor. I am certain this was God’s will for why we were in Nigeria “by mistake.” All was good in the morning and we were able to continue to Liberia.
While in Liberia, security went everywhere with us. Since the country was recovering from a civil war, some were concerned for our safety. We were able to meet with many Christians, pastors, and University leaders. It was great to visit several churches and schools during our brief time there. We attended and spoke at a church service and held a Q&A with several of the local pastors. From Liberia we headed to Ghana.
In Ghana, we were able to visit the Seventh Day Baptist Church in Accra. We delivered the morning message and conducted a baby dedication during the service. In addition, we held a Q&A with the church and later met with the church Board. We saw some land the church owns and visited a Sunday church that supports our SDB friends.
What a pleasure to see a wonderful church building they had built in the last year, and then be able to help them a little with building a drainage system, bathroom plumbing and floor. In addition, we were able to spend some time with local church leaders sightseeing the local area.
All of the people we met with were loving and very accommodating. They are all committed and hard workers for the Lord. I consider them my brothers and sisters in Christ. Visiting with the children was pure joy.
God is truly working in West Africa, which was so evident in our visit. My travels around the world confirm that the Gospel of the one true God is consistently 100% the same everywhere I go. There is only one Holy Spirit speaking the same message to everyone in the world.
As we were getting bit by mosquitoes, redirected at times, eating foods that could have upset our stomachs, speaking boldly by the Holy Spirit bringing forth Scripture and in areas that were not the safest, God performed miracles each day of our trip. I learned what it is like to stay in constant prayer for days on end and be thankful for the simplest things.
The needs are many in these areas and my prayer is that everyone either begins to give or increases the amount they give to missions. No matter the amount, it is all worthy and needed. I am forever changed by this trip and look forward to hopefully revisiting these areas at a later time.
