The 2nd anniversary of the Pentecost day miracle
It was two years ago on Pentecost day. We had just gone through a well attended three-hour worship service. The sermon was on the protective power over the children of God. Unlike previous Sundays, after worship, within the next 10 minutes almost everyone rushed out of the church compound to get home early because the sky had darkened without warning and it was evident that it can start raining at any moment. Left behind in the temple, were seventeen of us, eleven adults and six kids between two years and six months. I was conducting counselling whiles others were putting some other things in other before they also leave for their homes. Very soon the rain started with a drizzle.
This was how things was when suddenly there was a sharp wind that made everyone sat up. Some who had their children playing away from them went to bring them near themselves. Though, the pillars of the temple were made of timber fastened into the ground, we never felt we were in any danger of the temple coming down on us. There was a lady undergoing counselling at the time who excused herself and went to get hold of her six month baby and fastened her on her back with a tissue(that is the normal practice here in Africa) I had also stood up from my table to go interact with some of those present.
In another five minutes, there was another sharp wind but this time the strength was so great that the whole structure heaved to the direction of the wind. This time everyone realised we were not safe in the temple and on the spur of the moment, everyone did something to either get out or protect him or herself but within a time space of six seconds, the whole structure came down on us! We did not know what happened next, but I found myself outside the temple. Looking behind I saw that the woman I was counselling was trying to come out through a window by which she had been sitting and she was stuck halfway in the window with her baby bound at her back. I rush to her and dragged her and the baby out to safety. I saw that six of us adults had, one way or the other got out. The rest were under the wreck. We realised that the ends of the roof has been displaced about three meters but had fallen on the row of benches that had just been vacated by worshippers. The apex of the roofing had also correspondingly moved from its position to another position but miraculously its new position was the spot that those trapped under were gathered with the little kids.
Those of us outside had to find an opening back under the crumbled temple to see what had happened to those under and were relieved to see them hustled together under the apex of the roof. If the apex had come just a few centimetres lower, they would have been crushed under it. The woman whom I dragged out would also be crushed with her baby at the back. We later realised that it was the alter stand made of timber, on which the roof fell, that prevented the apex from going down any further. The benches on which the ends of the roofing fell were also of strong redwood. They would have given way under the weight of the roofing if they were made of any cheaper material.
The miracle
The real miracle of the day was that when we checked ourselves, nobody among us had as much as a scratch on the body. Not an ‘iota’ of blood of anyone touched the ground or was seen. None of us needed any massaging, not even the kids!
In a nearby farm, the local Methodist pastor who had come to visit the farm after church service and who was also caught unawares by the rain was the first to get to the site after the incident. He said normally he sees our temple from his farm but was surprised that at a time, he could not see the temple. He did not immediately realised that the temple had crumbled under the pressure of the winds but latter it just dawned on him that something had happened so he intuitively ran to the site. When he arrived at the site we had then all returned under the ‘protection of the apex of the roof’ and because he could not fathom how we could be alive under the debris, he started lamenting aloud about the accident until we called out to him that we were safe under the wreck. Just after him, a member of the church, who was among those that left earlier, but who left behind his wife and two kids among us also came running back to check the safety of his family. He also went through the same scenario of the Methodist pastor. He and the pastor joined us to praise the Good Lord when he also came to see the miracle that He has done for us.
The lessons of the event
The greatest lesson we learnt from the events of Pentecost day May 2007 was that God loves His children. We also learnt that the child of God should be ready at all times as the call to come home can be without any prior warning apart from the warnings the Word of God gives . We discerned that God was speaking not only to those of us that went through these emotions, but also the whole of the church at Badougbe (and all children of God near and far that come across this testimony).
As we remember the event two years later, we are still thanking the Lord for giving us another lease of life to continue working in His vineyard. We are praying that He anoints us abundantly with His Spirit so we can be effective in His employ. We ask in Jesus name, Amen.