The church where I have ministered yesterday and today has been totally different from the two that I ministered at earlier in the week. Here, I was treated like royalty. A large banner on the side of the church building with my face on it welcomed me, albeit with my name spelt incorrectly. The whole church lined up outside to welcome me, and sing their greetings as I walked in. They had spread cloths on the ground leading up to my seat, which was like a throne at the front of the building. It was pretty over-the-top, but an obviously sincere expression of their beautiful hearts. When we were inside they sang another welcome song, and the ladies danced up to my seat to give me hugs.
As all the churches I have been to here in Benin, the congregation was small and at least half of it was kids, with the remainder mostly women and very few men. The building is unfinished, but more substantial than the one where I was on Friday, and it is part of a village where most of the houses are small mud huts.
Unlike the other congregations, these people were attentive, with only a few getting up during the preaching to attend to the needs of children. Yesterday on the altar call five people responded for salvation. God is so good!
Today was much the same. No salvations today, but that was not surprising as it was basically the same congregation as yesterday. I felt particularly to pray for healing today, and heaps of people came out, including many of the little kids who I am sure did not understand what I was actually praying for, but I prayed a blessing on each one anyway. I believe that God touched many of them, and am hoping that I will hear back some testimonies of healing. Our driver later said to Pastor Roland that his wife had pain in her leg, and would I pray for her, so they brought her back to the hotel room where I prayed.
Meanwhile, there has been a bit of drama about my bus trip to Ghana tomorrow. The day I arrived Roland took me to the office of a bus company to book. We couldn’t do it right then, because I had to get the money. While we were there I noticed a mini-bus outside the office, so on the way here I asked Roland, is this bus we are booking a big bus or a mini-bus. No worries, it’s a big bus. Hakuna Matata.
Yesterday Roland was able to send the money through for me and actually book the ticket. He sent me a picture of the ticket and one of the bus by WhatsApp. The mini-bus. With a luggage allowance of 10kg. I have a cabin bag that weights almost that much, plus my big 23kg case.
I went into a full-on panic attack. I couldn’t breathe my heart was racing so fast. How could this happen? Apart from the fact that I have seen how many people they try to cram into those mini-busses, and the thought of being trapped in one for eight hours is an absolute nightmare, how is my bag going to get to Ghana?
Much frantic messaging back and forth to Roland. Everything will be fine. No worries. Yes, worries – I have to be in Ghana on Monday so I can get to the Liberian embassy on Tuesday to sort out that visa. Yes, worries – it doesn’t look as if there is even room for my bag on that little thing.
The long and short of it is, (a) I have repented of my panic, which essentially was a lack of trust in the Lord; (b) we are going to leave here at 6 in the morning to get down to Cotonou by 9 or 10, so that we can check out things with the bus company and if I am not satisfied I will try to book a different bus.
Meanwhile, Roland tells me that the company does also have big busses, so I am praying that God will bless them with so many passengers for the trip tomorrow that they won’t be able to squeeze them in to the mini-bus and will have to use the big bus.