…..Part 1

It was one pleasant cold raining afternoon as I was busily auditing the finances of a Rural Bank in Kumasi when I received a rare and unexpected call from a private number. I received the call and surprising and quite unexpectedly it was the man of God, Prophet T.B Joshua who was on the line. Make no mistake; while it has been my wildest dream to one day visit the SSCOAN or even talk to the Man of God someday, I never expected it to be so soon.

The Man of God told me he appreciates my belief in him as God’s prophet and wants to officially invite me to the SCOAN head office in Nigeria for a visit. He also made it clear he wants to bless me. I was completely deflated and felt so elated. What! To receive a call from the True Man of God with the purpose of blessing me was more than I hoped for. That was a prayer being answered by God! He urged me to make contact with the Accra Church and they will arrange for the visit at my convenience. In less than 2 minutes I had another call from Accra and the message was as what the True Man of God told me. I informed them of the time for my visit and they confirmed it a few days later.

I came back and shared the good news with my family. As usual, there was joy and celebration in my house. We all acknowledged God’s hand in the matter and prayed earnestly for the day to come. As the day was getting nearer for my trip, I kept on receiving calls from the Accra branch reminding me of my impending trip to Nigeria and my preparation towards it. Then the day finally came!

Not knowing what to expect, I decided to keep an open mind and report exactly what I will see during my visit. I boarded the Aero Flight 2004 J at exactly 7:15 PM onboard to Lagos with trepidation as this represents my first visit to Nigeria. At exactly 9:15 Nigeria time we were in Lagos. I have been told what to expect when I get to the Lagos Airport and that the Protocol officers of the Synagogue Church of All Nations will be at the Airport clearly identified to pick me and transport me to the Church.

When I got out of the Airport, I met the protocol team ready and waiting. They gladly transported me to their waiting vehicle and drove off to the Church. I have to quickly add that I wasn’t the only visitor to the church on that night. Inside the van were three other Ghanaians and a South African lady who had all come for a visit. We drove through the maddening Lagos traffic and 1 hour, 15 minutes later we were at the SCOAN. When I saw the building housing the SCOAN, I felt within me that this is a true house of God.

I was welcomed by the SCOAN team and I cannot describe the outpouring of love and happiness from the team that welcomed us. They were genuinely happy and elated of our visit. They took me through the usual registration, my name, passport id, length of my stay and other questions. They also asked if I had some medical condition and asked for the purpose of my visit. They then proceeded to list the conditions that existed at the SCOAN and how we can find our way around. They assigned us individual visitor coordinators and urged us to contact them in case we need anything. We were told the time for our breakfast, lunch and dinner and where to take them.

Finally we were assigned our rooms. Well, I wouldn’t say I wasn’t expecting some VIP treatment since the Man of God invited me himself but I was in for some surprise. The room I was assigned was the best dormitory I have ever seen with three occupants already in the room. The dormitory has its own toilet and bath with chilled air-condition. The room already had two Ghanaian contractors working with the Church and the Coach of the Nigerian Beach Soccer Team. It was a modest room but very comfortable. I was asking myself why I was given such a modest room and the answer came quickly. The True Man of God, Prophet T.B Joshua had absolutely no intention whatsoever to influence me in anyway. He wanted me to see and believe without treating me like some special guest. To him, all men were created equal and must be treated as equal. In all, I was extremely grateful I was assigned that room. I made a wonderful friend with the Beach Soccer Coach who taught me everything about the SCOAN and built my faith in Christ. This was quite surprising since the Beach Soccer Coach is a practicing Muslim! So you see, even at the SCOAN, all religious persuasions are welcomed!

After I was taken to my room, they informed me to come downstairs and take my dinner. It was late but I managed to eat very delicious and nutritious rice. I finally retired to my room for a blissful, restful night. What a sleep I had! And a wonderful dream too!

The night finally came to an end and Saturday morning came. What happened next?

Watch out for Part 2!

Henry Kpakpo Allotey 0243370764 kpakpogh@yahoo.com