PASTORAL INTERVIEW
AS THE FATHER HAS SENT ME, I ALSO SEND YOU ... A large number of missionaries engage in acts of community building. The most important responsibility of missionaries is to teach people about Jesus Christ and the great commandment to love God and to love one’s neighbor. In my interview with missionary pastors Stephen and Favor Ikechukwu Esiobu, I learned about their journey, their obstacles, and the joys of being a missionary pastor.
SHARE BRIEFLY ON WHO YOU BOTH ARE, HOW YOU MET AND HOW YOU CAME TO FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST? Pastor Stephen: I came to faith in the year 1997 in High School. I was very stubborn and strong-willed, even though I grew up in a Christian family. Because of my rebelliousness, I almost ended up in prison. Since God showed me mercy by delivering me from that situation, I decided to follow him and never looked back. Pastor Favor: I also grew up in a Christian home. In university I turned my back, although not completely, on the things of God. In 2010, at a youth convention that my brother invited me to, I had a life-changing encounter with the Lord and served Him ever since. 28
HOW DID YOU MEET? We met in church (Chuckles). Pastor Favor: I greeted him politely the first time I saw him, but he simply ignored me, and I resolved never to greet him again. He approached me one day prior to youth service and, to my surprise, I found him relatable. I made the best decision of my life by marrying him. Pastor Stephen: For me, it was love after the first conversation. I was certain she had to be my wife. After much prayer, God enabled us to marry, which was also my best decision.
HOW AND WHY HAVE YOU DECIDED TO BE INVOLVED IN MISSIONS WORK? We have a heart for souls, a desire to see God work in our generation, and joy in our hearts when we witness it. Coming to South Africa was not our plan it was divinely orchestrated. After we got married, the commission we serve under, Grace of God Mission International, under the Leadership of Bishop Dr. Paul C. Nwachukwu, ordained and anointed us for missions. Our commission is known for going for missions to places where the gospel is hard to reach; however, we ended up in Atlantis, South Africa.
WHAT DIFFICULTIES DID LANGUAGE AND CULTURE POSE TO YOUR WORK IN SA? It was initially difficult, particularly with the music, as the sound of music in South Africa is quite different from that of Nigeria. Going out for evangelism and outreaches was also quite challenging, especially when we were new; reaching the unsaved in our community was particularly difficult. Now by God’s mercy and Grace we have learnt to an extent, the sound style and a little bit of Afrikaans, to reach the people properly. In addition, God has blessed with co-laborers within the community who work with us to reach the people.
TELL US ABOUT THE BEGINNING OF YOUR MINISTRY WORK IN SOUTH AFRICA. We started our Missionary work August 2013. We were pregnant with our first baby, we only knew two families here in Cape Town who received us and aided our settling in. They took us to Atlantis and that is where our work in SA started. The beginning of our work was little, heavy and it took a toll on us financially, emotionally and physically. However, God always
