Lead Apostle Benjamin Ohene-Saffo surprised the Tema congregation on Thanksgiving Day. He was supposed to be in Togo. However, due to a ban on church activities as part of COVID restrictions, he decided to celebrate this special divine service in Accra. It was beautiful.

He based his sermon on Genesis 2:3, ‘Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.’

The message was moving and simple:
* Let us appreciate the Lord’s work in our lives, no matter the circumstance
* Let us give the best of what we have wholeheartedly
* The Lord’s blessings cannot always be equated to earthly prosperity

A week later, after our regular Sunday divine service, a Brother approached me to share a testimony, a firsthand experience of the manifestation of the words of Lead Apostle.

“My Priest!” the brother heartily beckoned.
I responded: “Hi bro, how are you?”

The Brother responded excitedly: “I’m good. Everyone’s doing well. Something miraculous has happened and I’m itching to share with you. It’s inspired by what Lead Apostle Ohene-Saffo said last Sunday.”
“Wow. Tell me, tell me!”, I eagerly and curiously urged him, as we pulled away to stand under a tree.

Beaming with a wide grin the Brother began his testimony: “Somewhere early April, I promised myself to give double of my last year’s Thanksgiving offering. And by the middle of September, my Thanksgiving offering was ready.”

I could see the joy and fulfilment in the eyes of this brother as he spoke.
He continued: “However, just around the same time, I received admission to a course I have been pursing for a very long time. The problem was that I was being required to pay about twice my Thanksgiving to secure my place by 27th September. Although I had budgeted for it, the amount was much above the normal admission fees I knew, and I’m told there are only a limited number of places; so the earlier you pay, the better your chances.”

“Hmmm. This is getting more interesting”, I thought to myself. I could not wait for the rest of his testimony.
The Brother continued: “So honestly, I was in dilemma; do I pay the admission fees or do I stick to my avowed Thanksgiving commitment, because I really wanted to. At times I thought, ‘Will God understand? After all, He has allowed me to get this opportunity.’”

I remarked in suspense: “Brother, that would have been some kind of dilemma you found yourself in. So what did you do?”.
“Well” he continued, still smiling, “I decided to stick to my promise. I knew it would hurt me, but hopefully, I can wait for next year. Whatever my lot after Thanksgiving, so be it.”

Well, here is comes the miracle, dear reader.
“But guess what the Lord did”, said this Brother. At this point, I could see elation and joy built within him, maybe similar to how the disciples reacted when they saw the resurrected Jesus.
“The school extended the deadline. As we speak, lectures have been rescheduled for 18th October. And I have time to raise enough money to secure my seat. I have even been included as part of the class.”

Hold on, there is more.
“I went to say hello to my parents yesterday (next Saturday after Thanksgiving). And in conversation, my parents said, ‘we have some money reserved for you, to help in your admission fees. Would you like to have it now?’”

“Woooooow”, I exclaimed, I could not hide my disbelief.
“Yes Priest, I could not believe it myself. But guess what, I returned home, decided to relax, and think of how to schedule my weekends since it would be a weekend course. In the middle of my thoughts, I had a call from a good friend. We spoke for a while, about her new job and how she is settling in. Then she asked, ‘Aha! Don’t you need money. You can pay whenever you are ready to.’”

I inadvertently exclaimed, “This can’t be true!”
Grinning from ear to ear, the Brother responded, “It is every bit true my Priest. So I asked her how much she could afford. She threw the question back at me asking how much I wanted. My Priest, the truth is I didn’t really need the money. I was just curious about this miracle and asked for an amount that would complete my first semester fees. And guess what she said next.”

“What did she say next” I quickly responded without a beat.
The Brother could see the anticipation written all over me, laughed and continued: “She asked me if I am sure that is all I needed. I said yes. Then she asked how should she send it to me, via mobile money or bank transfer. At that point I didn’t even know how to respond, so I pleaded with her to hold on to it, and that as and when I needed it I would come for it. And she agreed. My Priest, the Lord truly is with us and hears the heartfelt prayers of His children.”

I was stunned! I asked if I could share this testimony in a report. He gave me the go ahead, but requested to remain anonymous. That was no problem for me.

When I returned home, I quickly replayed the recorded Thanksgiving sermon. And I found the words of the Lead Apostle that this Brother was referring to:

“May the Father bless those who are interested in developing His work. And let that which we have given onto Him this day, be multiplied in thousands of folds and grant onto us to give more to the Church.”

Amen.