Lagos, Nigeria
Ben grew up in going to church because it was a normal part of his family’s life. He says girls, alcohol, and drugs were a big part of his life. He also says, “I didn’t see myself as bad, because I wasn’t into extreme, no stealing, killing or involved with other extreme stuffs like that… I felt I was normal as I fitted in with the crowd.”
When he was at university he attended a Catholic church in in Port Harcourt. There, he found solace from the what he describes as a chaotic life. His friends there were able to take part in some aspects of Mass (church service) he couldn’t. This stirred a yearning for more.
He later moved to Lagos for National Youth Service. He started attending the Catholic Church of Divine Mercy, Lekki, where he came across Alpha and decided to give it a try.
Ben says, “I began to find the program very spiritually enlightening and in a really gentle way too. Soon enough I began to meet and engage with more parishioners in a different way than I had done before due to the small group discussion after every session. The atmosphere was always warm and inviting.”
In one of the sessions he had an overwhelming sense of God’s love for him; a turning point. “I felt like I was experiencing the fullness of life like I hadn’t known before. I have never felt so loved; I understood how much he loves me. God met me where I was and I encountered Him in a way that was really specific to me. Life has become completely different – not all rosy but there’s a certain peace that keeps me going in the Journey of Faith, a certain hope, unlike anything else” he says.
Check out the video below as Ben tells his story.
