Day 141 to 147 (19th Sept to 25th Sept)

I arrived in Nigeria safelyto the glory of God. The flight was quite nice on Arik. We had individual TV but no ear phone. I guess we were being thought how to lip read. Luckily I had my laptop earphone with me!

My first challenge now is last minute publicizing of the event. I deliberately fought a mindset of having no one turn up for the event, after all who knows We CAN in Nigeria? But this is not my vision. It is God’s. I totally depend on His help to get this off successfully.

I went from the airport to distributing fliers. And God opened doors of favour on Tuesday. My sister in law and I met a friend of hers at the bank who is into radio and TV. I met a media guru Taiye Akinpelu who is larger than life. She is such an extrovert and a talker. She would be great in publicizing We CAN. Before I could say Jack Robinson, I was on live Yoruba program the next day. Needless to say, my previous night’s dream was full of Yoruba (Nigerian language). The program went very well and we immediately started getting phone calls even before we came off air. Some people were even ‘flashing’ us!  There were also some interesting calls like 'I just wanted to hear your voice because I like it', 'I appreciate what you are doing and I have been praying for you because I know that God is going to make it big', 'how can you help me for visa' and so on. We got more people attend the event as a result of the TC program than event the Guardian newspaper advert.

The first day of the event started off slow but picked up. We had about fifty three people in attendance which was encouraging. All the speakers did very well and we had good questions at the end of the event. There is a hunger for empowerment in Nigeria among the popular masses. But people are constrained by lack of funds. There is definitely opportunity and the market for We CAN to impact lives through such programs. We have learnt a lot of lessons from this event; on how to reduce cost, what to charge and in particular the importance of publicity. God had also provided a much better and cheaper venue with all the equipment we need for the next events

My friend Begay arrived from Senegal on Wednesday. It was marvelous having her with my family here. This is not her first time in Nigeria as she used to come to the Oxfam office in Abuja but this is the first time she would be entering the ‘real’ Lagos. She is such a wonderful child of God. She is so passionate about God and her relationship with Him. I love being around her because her passion for God just keeps mine glowing. Not only her love for God but her passion and support for We CAN. She caught the vision right from the start and she has always been there. There are some relationships that is just good for you and for me this is one of mine, not only helping to execute my vision but also helping to build my relationship with Christ. A true child of God is she.

God has been so faithful. He provides what we need at the right time. It really works when you totally depend on Him. I have been opened to a different side of my relationship with God during this event.

We went to Daystar church today. It was awesome. The organization, the church interior, the time keeping was inspiring. I was not surprised given the leadership focus of the founder Pastor Sam Adeyemi, it was bound to be. I listened to a couple of his messages and I was impressed. I love his concept of combining spiritual growth with leadership, so much aligned with my passion. I wish they have a centre in South Africa.

Nigerians can worship. We went to the 7am service and the place was packed! The Wednesday service was packed as well. If only our heart is regenerated from our passion for worship

Deon arrived from South Africa today. This is his first time in Nigeria and even in West Africa. He is staying for three days. One thing that has struck him is the humidity. He is definitely not used to this. I’m still in awe to have such talented people in Nigeria for these events, Deon, Begay, Tosin, Tunde and Olalekan from Abuja. God definitely has a plan for Nigeria through We CAN. I don’t think I know the extent of it but I know that with how God has been opening doors of favour, nothing is impossible. I am just looking forward to enjoying the ride with my Father.

We took Deon to dinner at KFC on Allen Avenue. It was nice chatting with him and Begay and showing them the Nigerian night life. We are all set for tomorrow. The glory belongs to God