THE ENCOUNTER
OUR STORY
“It began with a vision in the year 1989. I was a poor, but ambitious student, about to complete my studies and officially become a computer programmer, when I had a vision.
In the vision, I saw a people running frantically. There was a chaotic scene behind them. It was not clear what they were running away from. However, I noticed that they were running towards a big bridge connecting their location across a big river to a beautiful and attractive city on the other side of the river. They were heading towards that city.
As they approached the bridge, it suddenly collapsed. They appeared disappointed, troubled, clueless, frustrated, and in despair..
I then heard a loud voice call my name, with a clear instruction,
“Arise! Build The Bridge!”
“I had no tools. I had no background in construction and I had no money! I was a final-year student of computer programming and a relatively young believer at the time.
The encounter was decades ago but it never left me.
I can remember feeling an overwhelming presence of God on that day. I knew that God was calling me to work for Him.
I also knew that I did not want to be a preacher.
Back then, in my environment, preaching was the profession chosen by those that failed in school and could obviously not succeed in other ways. At least, that is how I saw it.
Preachers wore outdated clothes, changed their natural voices to sound more religious, and depended on the mercies and the goodwill of others for their livelihood. That profession was not for me! I hated poverty with a passion and I certainly did not want to depend on others for money…
“Arise! Build The Bridge!”
These words haunted me in the days, weeks, and months that followed the encounter, as I continued to experience the presence and power of God in various ways, and at various times. After serious struggles with the idea of embracing the will of God, I finally found peace when I surrendered to the call and made a promise to serve God as He found fit.
Years of meditating on the initial encounter and observing the various assignments and the opportunities that God has given me to touch lives around the world led me to conclude that the primary purpose of God for my life is to help build “bridges” that individuals, people, churches and organizations need to move forward in their destinies.
The image of people and individuals stranded in front of a broken bridge continued to come on my mind over the years and I still see that image today.
I now see possibilities in times of challenges, see greater things ahead of people and receive insights to help them move forward.
How we see it:
To our ministry, a “bridge” is that timely revelation that moves a person forward, the spiritual breakthrough that changes the atmosphere in a church, the business idea or strategy that creates wealth in abundance, the study material that equips a people, the money that moves a business idea forward, and the networking platform that births destiny’s relationships.
It is the timely support that moves a desperate person forward, the strategic investment that brightens the future of a nation, and much more!”
By Apostle E. Idu