The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of GOD, Pastor EA Adeboye has recounted the early years of the Redemption Camp.
He spoke during the annual Holy Ghost Congress themed Onward Christian Soldiers.
Addressing a congregation on December 14, Pastor Adeboye recounted how God’s providence and the unwavering faith of a few transformed a forsaken land into a spiritual haven.
According to Church Times Nigeria on Sunday, Adeboye said, “This place was just about two hectares of land where highway robbers made their base. I was just a little above 40 years old when we came.”
The camp’s inception was fraught with challenges, which Adeboye likened to the Israelites’ encounter with the negative reports of ten spies, countered by the faith-filled resolve of Joshua and Caleb.
“Not long after we came to the camp, we stumbled on spots where robbers dumped hundreds of suitcases, shoes, and clothes of their victims,” Adeboye revealed.
Nature, too, seemed hostile, he recounted.
“The place was also a land of snakes, especially pythons. Almost every week, huge reptiles were killed on the campgrounds,” he said, adding that in one chilling incident, a snake was discovered under the bedsheet of one of his children.
Adeboye also recounted the cutting of a strange tree that sparked fear among local villagers, who believed those who cut it would die. “Many years later, nothing has happened to those who cut the tree,” he said.
Despite these adversities, Pastor Adeboye credited the unyielding support of elders who laboured tirelessly during the camp’s formative years.