Thursday, December 21, 2023

Bro. E. Ade Shobanke and His/My Family

We have been aware of Bro. Shobanke since the 1990s. 

Bro. Shobanke December 2023

He visited our home church during that time. I did not see him because I was working second shift that week, but he made a big impression on our family and on our church.

I did see him at Highway of Holiness in Hamilton, Ohio about that same time, but I did not get to meet him or speak to him personally.

Fast forward several years to the fall of 2006. We were preaching revival for Pastor Bob Goodwin in Neosho, Missouri. Pastor James Fellers came to the revival and brought Bro. Shobanke with him.

We met that night and he invited me to Nigeria to preach. I literally laughed out loud! I could not even imagine traveling to Nigeria, let alone imagining that I had anything profitable to say. I was totally unqualified for such an assignment and therefore found it amusing.

Long story short, we were in Nigeria within one year and utterly lost our hearts there! We have been back many times over the next 16 years and we have been blessed to be a conduit of blessings to God's people in Nigeria.

We have come alongside them in building churches, starting and operating a school and seeing many people saved and discipled. We have loved every moment of it.

Having Bro. Shobanke befriend me has opened a world to me that we would have never known and we have lived a much richer life because of it.  Praise God for it.

His people have become my people, his friends my friends and his family have become my special family. We love his children and his grandchildren so very much.

On this latest trip we were able to spend a little time with them and we enjoyed their fellowship and friendship so much. Sis. Rebecca, Sis. Ruth and brother Samuel treat me like their own brother and I love them just like that. They are family and I am blessed to know them.

The spouses of Bro. Shobanke's children are also family to us. We love them much as well.

We took a few pictures of the Shobanke family while in Nigeria and I am posting most of them for the first time today. Please enjoy.

Thank you for stopping in.

Davy