The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Enoch Adeboye, has shared an extraordinary story about how the Redemption Camp came into existence.
He recounted how God’s providence and the unwavering faith of a few transformed a forsaken land into a spiritual haven.
The clergyman said the campground used to be the base of armed robbers.
He disclosed this while addressing his congregation on the sixth day of the Redeemed Christian Church of God’s Holy Ghost Congress 2024, themed ‘Onward Christian Soldiers’.
According to Church Times Nigeria on Sunday, Adeboye said, “This place was just about two hectares of land where highway robbers made their base. I was just a little above 40 years old when we came.”
The camp’s inception was fraught with challenges, which Adeboye likened to the Israelites’ encounter with the adverse reports of ten spies, countered by the faith-filled resolve of Joshua and Caleb.
“Not long after we came to the camp, we stumbled on spots where robbers dumped hundreds of suitcases, shoes, and clothes of their victims.
“The place was also a land of snakes, especially pythons. Almost every week, huge reptiles were killed on the campgrounds,” he said, adding that in one chilling incident, a snake was discovered under the bedsheet of one of his children.
Adeboye also recounted cutting a strange tree that sparked fear among local villagers, who believed those who cut it would die. “Many years later, nothing has happened to those who cut the tree,” he said.
Despite these adversities, Pastor Adeboye credited the unyielding support of elders who laboured tirelessly during the camp’s formative years.
“Don’t look down on elders. They laboured with me when we had nothing. They fetched firewood for cooking, dug holes to get water to drink, and worked tirelessly. They have tried,” he added.
