Hebrew 12:1

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

According to the scripture Hebrew 12:1, it is my privilege to share the vision that was set before me and the race that I have to RUN. I would like to share with you how I received the call of God, my history, my vision, and how far I have gone with the vision.

My History

To the glory of God Almighty, I was called into the ministry in 1988, August 12. On August the 12th, I had a revelation that launched me into my calling. I can never forget the revelation in my lifetime because it was written as if on a tablet in my heart and it can never be wiped off. I was in a village in this dream, and Jesus came to the village to look for me. He saw some children playing on the field and he told them that He is looking for Peter and there was only one person bearing the name Peter in the entire village. My friends ran to me to call me and tell me that a white man was looking for me. I was surprised and I asked, “A white man in our village?”

I ran quickly to meet the white man. I looked at the white man, it was Jesus Christ. He gave me a Bible and He said to me, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15), “In 20 years’ time, you will be in America.” On the front cover and back cover of the Bible that was given to me it was written, “GOLDEN BIBLE”. After He delivered the message to me He left, and I was very happy to show my friends my “GOLDEN BIBLE” because there was no one that had such a Bible in the village and in the whole nation.

When I woke up from my dream, I was worried because I didn’t know the meaning of the dream, after all, I was only 21 years old. At that time, I was a member of Scripture Union. I ran quickly to the Scripture Union Coordinator, Brother Tayo, now Bishop Tayo Odunuga, (Late), to share my dream with him. He explained to me that the revelation I was shown was the calling of God upon my life. Even though he had been telling me before that time that I had the call of God, I didn’t understand what the call of God was all about. Brother Tayo later started his own ministry, and he became the Bishop of his own ministry, CHRIST LOVE EVANGELICAL MINISTRIES. Bishop Tayo Odunaga has since gone home to rest. May his soul Rest in Peace.

After my encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ in 1988, I had a passion to reach the unreached with the Gospel of Christ Jesus. This prompted me to start going to several villages in Ijebu Land, Ogun State in Nigeria to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When I was in secondary school everyone called me ‘Pastor’ because I usually preached to my fellow students. I was also the assistant secretary in my school fellowship but when I received the call of God the fire in me doubled. I told my fellow Christians that villages had been neglected and many preachers did not want to go to villages to preach, they preferred to go and preach and hold crusades in towns and in the cities because they feared death. I cried to God that many souls were dying every day in those villages and there is no one to preach to them. I told God, “Here I am, send me, I am ready to go to the villages, to go and preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to reach the unreached.” I feared no death and I told myself that I was ready to die for the sake of the Gospel.

I did not waste any time! Immediately I had understanding that the call of God is upon my life to take the Gospel of Christ to the unreached people, I started preaching the Gospel of Christ from street to street in Ijebu Ode in 1988. Someone who knew me and the gift of God upon my life introduced me to a brother, his name is Gbenga Odusanya. Brother Gbenga told me about their village youth fellowship, and he wanted me to come and preach the Gospel to them.

I went to their village to preach the Gospel to the youths and also to the secondary school students in their village and God worked in a miraculous way each time I preached. Miracles happened among the youths, schools and my name was spread all over the village and the surrounding area. I held my first village crusade in OdesenboraIlugun, Ijebu-Ode in 1988. God performed miracles among the youths and adults, and it was a glorious day. The entire village and 2 other villages around the area also were affected by the fire of the revival of the Lord.

By this time that I started holding crusades in these villages there was no electricity, and the roads were extremely bad. Darkness occupied the villages, and the people didn’t want light at all. That is why many of the preachers ran away from coming to preach in those villages then. Those who came before me to preach were chased away by the evil possessed people, the leaders of the villages chased them and some of them lost their lives.

I was 21 years old and looked small in stature, therefore they counted what I was doing then as child’s play. Before they realized what was happening, the fire of the Lord, the fire of Revival had already spread all over mostly among the youth in the villages. This led to the leader of the Anglican Church in the village accusing me of bringing a strange religion into their Church and their community. Our prayers at that time scattered their evil kingdoms and that was the beginning of my persecution.

During this time there were no good roads leading to some of these villages, furthermore, most of the brothers that followed me were students in the secondary school. We didn’t have money to sponsor some of our trips to these villages, but we lived by faith. Many times, I had to do some petty jobs to sponsor our transportation and food costs. Several times we had to walk from Ijebu-Ode to Odosenbora which is a distance of about six to seven miles. After resting for some hours or a day in some of the villages we would then proceed on another journey to other villages which would take us about 7 miles or more by trekking. At that time, we were very young and had strength so we didn’t tire easily from all this walking.

The spirit that was driving me then, was the Spirit of God. He led me to reach the unreached to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to these villages. By God’s grace within 2 to 3 years of holding crusades and engaging in prayers, the Fire of Revival spread out among the youths and old men and women in the villages and many people gave their lives to the Lord Jesus Christ. God used our prayers to suppress the people of the darkness in those villages, and within 3 years electricity was installed and good roads were built which could reach the villages at that time.

My Persecution

At the time that I was traveling to preach in those villages, I was 21 years old and my family believed I was going into dangerous zones, these are places where some of the great pastors chose not to go. My family was afraid of losing me. I was called for a family meeting in my home townEpe in Lagos State. In the meeting, I was told to stop going to the villages to preach the Gospel because they feared I would be killed by the demonic power that controls the villages. I told my family that I am ready to die for the sake of the Gospel of Christ Jesus because Jesus Christ said: Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. Matthew 10:39.

As a result of my stance, the entire family rejected me as their son because of the Gospel. Nonetheless, with confidence in Jesus Christ who I accepted and received in my life as my God and my Savior, I told my family that, when my father and my mother forsake me, the LORD will take me up. Psalm 27: 10.

Though I faced a lot of persecution, hard suffering, pain and rejection etc, all these things did not stop me from preaching the Gospel of the LORD JESUS CHIST. I was attacked many times on this journey. There was a time that I was sick and slept for 3 full days in a row without waking up. My enemies thought that was the end of my life, thinking that I was dead and that they had finished me off. To their surprise, I woke from my sleep on the third day like my LORD JESUS CHRIST. After I had woken up from my deep sleep, that same week I traveled to preach again in village where the severe attack on me had come from. Immediately I alighted from the bus at the bus stop, I saw many people running away from me! Some ran quickly inside their houses and shut their door. The people thought they had seen my Ghost because they thought I was dead, hence seeing me again in the village was a big shock to them. I did not allow what happened to me to disturb me from preaching the Gospel of Christ. I continued to preach the Gospel of Christ in villages, towns, and cities working with Ministries in Nigeria for a prolonged period until God asked me to leave Nigeria to go to South Africa in 2004. 😀😄😍💗

The Fruits that Remain

I want to give thanks to God almighty that many of the youths that I preached to in those villages are doing well in the kingdom of God working for God and committed to the work of the ministry. They are mature men and women now doing exploits for the Kingdom of God. Among them today we have Pastors, Serving overseers of their own Ministries, Lawyers, Businessmen and women. I want to use this time to thank God and to remember some of my converts who had slept in the Lord, May their souls rest in Peace.

To this end, what prompted me to start RIVER AND TREE OF LIFE FOUNDATION is the passion that I have for the Gospel of Jesus Christ to reach the unreached. My passion is to Train, Mentor, and Equip (TME) the small Churches in the villages, towns and cities in Nigeria, other African nations, and all across the world so that they can achieve their purpose and their calling in their community, in their nations for the work of GOD at this end time.

I have to share my Calling, my Vision and my History with you all for you to know the purpose of this Organization called, RIVER AND TREE OF LIFE FOUNDATION (RTLF) I am not starting this foundation to enrich myself but to support small Churches, ministries, communities, and the less privileged.

So many big ministries today have neglected the small Churches but have rather chosen to concentrate on building mega buildings for themselves, which is admirable, if they could also lend help to the growth of other small Churches or Ministries. Jesus Christ said, My Father work hitherto, and I work. John 5:17. Let us all do the work that God has committed into our hands, Mara’nathah. (Our LORD is coming soon)

Hebrew 12:1

Dr Funmi Olamide ANDREWS is the president, FUNMI ANDREWS FOUNDATION, and RESTORERS' BAND an arm of Funmi Andrews Foundation, with the mission to reach out to and restore men to Christ. Has ministered within and outside Lagos. A trained accountant from the Institute of Chartered Accountant of Nigeria. Holds a diploma certificate in music from Lagos state school of music. A Leadership certificate from Day Star Academy, also a Basic Certificate Course, Leadership diploma course and Leadership certificate Course from Word of Faith Bible institute.

Worked at MIKANO INTERNATIONAL, as an Account Officer, also worked at OAO and CO (AuditFirm) as an Audit Officer, and Managing Director of Silvery Vest Ltd, a Subsidiary of Olydite group international. She is an Ordained Minister, music director of Pentecostal fellowship of Nigeria(PFN) Agege/Ogba Province, and assistant music director of Lagos state (PFN), mother of lovely children.

She hails from IpetuIjesha, Osun State Nigeria, she is the Author of the book “OFFERING ACCEPTABLE PRAISE” and owes three music albums to her name: RESTORING PRAISE, THE BLESSER and THE TURNAROUND. She was the Lagos Representative of Gospel music Ally of Nigeria, and now the assistant Governor of Gospel music Ally. She is currently the CEO OF TRIBLESA GLOBAL SERVICES LIMITED

Arah James is a gender-based violence activist and has worked with NGO’s such as Women Against Rape (WAR), Professional Organization for Women in Antigua (POWA) advocating for gender parity and gender security. She has also worked with Community Charitable Ministries (CCM) in addressing the issues of the poor and ostracized in the society. She has used her gifts and talents while working with El Shaddai Promotions to spearhead Christian based talent shows in Antigua Barbuda. She has hosted and performed on many of these dinners and galas.

Arah is a member of the United Progressive party (UPP) a political organization in Antigua Barbuda. She holds the position Secretary of the St. Peter’s Parish Branch and served as the Public Relations Officer of the Women’s Forum. She also served as a member of the Movement a political watchdog advocating for political and constitutional change

Arah has worked extensively as an Administrator and Liaison Officer with the government of Antigua and Barbuda and other private entities. She is convinced according to 1 Corinthians 12: 28 that she has been anointed with the gifts of helps and administration. She loves planning, coordinating, and seeing programs come together. She is passionate about her walk with the Lord and believes that “we can win by righteousness”.Arah currently functions in the position of Executive Network Relations for the River and the Tree of Life Foundation and serves as the Vice Chairman of the RATOLF Events Planning Committee.

Adebayo Okeowo is a human rights lawyer with over a decade’s experience working around issues of socio-economic rights, environmental justice, and international criminal accountability. His current focus is on exploring, through research and practice, the intersection between human rights and technology.

In his role as the Associate Director of Programs, Regional & Partner Engagement, Adebayo provides strategic insight and guidance on the day-to-day operational and programmatic work of WITNESS across the regions, ensuring that human rights impact is achieved for the communities we support, center and serve. Previously, Adebayo led WITNESS’ work in Africa, where he implemented projects seeking to secure justice for victims of police brutality, war crimes, technology-facilitated violations, and environmental crimes.

In the course of his career, Adebayo has worked for the Centre for Human Rights in South Africa, Global Rights Nigeria, and the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative. He also served as the Lab Manager at the University of Pretoria hub of the Digital Verification Corps project – a collaborative initiative between Amnesty International and six universities around the world which uses digital tools to verify citizen media with the aim of advancing accountability for atrocities.

Though a self-taught photographer and filmmaker, he has won two human rights photography awards and had his work exhibited in Italy, Mauritius and South Africa and has executed campaigns focusing on the rights of vulnerable groups such as persons with albinism, women, and older persons. In 2017, he delivered a TEDx talk on the Visual Disruption of Injustice.

Adebayo holds a doctorate on International Human Rights Law from the University of Pretoria, South Africa, a LLM from the same university, and a LLB from the University of Ilorin, Nigeria. You will find him tweeting about social justice, international criminal accountability, human rights and technology via @AdebayOkeowo