Slain evangelist Eunice Olawale
Eunice Olawale, 41, was stabbed and cut to death by a band of Islamists in a suburb of Abuja, Nigeria on July 9th while proclaiming Jesus in the streets.
The last words of the evangelist and mother of seven were, “Blood of Jesus,” her husband told Morning Star News.
“My wife loved Jesus so very much,” Pastor Olawale Elisha of the
Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) told Morning Star. “Some of the
people living close to the spot where she was killed told us that they
heard her last words as she was being murdered. They said she was
shouting, ‘Blood of Jesus! Blood of Jesus! Blood of Jesus!’ And that was
the end.”
She had been preaching Christ on the streets for six years, following
in the footsteps of her evangelist mother, the pastor said.
“I was told that my mother in-law would go ‘round streets, ringing a
bell and urging passersby to receive Jesus into their lives,” he said.
“Sharing the gospel with others on the street is a lifestyle to my
wife’s family. Her younger sister also goes out to the streets to preach
Christ. Love and compassion is the hallmark of the life of my wife.”
A Muslim leader and five other Muslims from a mosque in the Gbazango
area of Kubwa have been arrested in connection with the murder, the
pastor told Morning Star. He said he prays the killers will repent some
day and join her in heaven.
“My desire is that our persecutors get to know God – our desire is to
see God arresting them one by one to confess Jesus Christ,” Pastor
Elisha said. “You know when Jesus Christ saves their souls, Satan and
hell will lose. If we desire that those who persecute us should die,
then we are increasing the population of hell. The Bible says there is
rejoicing in heaven when a sinner repents.”
Pastor Elisha believes God has given believers a ministry of reconciliation.
“Our persecutors were also created in God’s image,” he noted. “It is
because we are weak that we think people that are doing evil are
stronger. But if we are committed, God knows how to handle our
persecutors and increase people coming to His kingdom.”
Pastor Olawale Elisha
His wife had a sign about being in heaven a few weeks before her passing, he told Morning Star News.
“There was a day three weeks back when she called out and said, ‘…my
Husband.’ I responded thinking she had something to tell me, but then
she told me she was not talking to me, but Jesus. I responded by telling
her that she is right by saying she was a heavenly bride, but by still
living here on earth, I was her husband. And she jokingly asked whether I
was jealous of her becoming the bride of Christ. After laughing over
things, she began to sing of Christ being the lover of her soul.”
The day before her martyrdom for the faith, he asked the family if
they would pray together before her trip to Abuja for a women’s
fellowship conference.
“However, she asked me to kindly allow her have some quiet time with
the Lord,” he said. “And when she went into our bedroom, she was there
praying for three hours. She was in there praising and worshipping God.
And when she finally came out of the bedroom, I could sense the peace
and brightness of God on her face.”
On July 9, some of Pastor Elisha’s children overheard friends say
that a woman who preaches regularly was killed. They raced home to ask
about their mother.
“I tried calling her mobile phone but was unable to dial her phone
number, as my hands were shaking and my mind unstable at the news,” he
said. “We then rushed out to the scene.”
People playing soccer at the scene of the attack were unwilling to
tell the pastor, or his son and daughter what happened – they only
stared at them. A police officer confirmed that a woman was killed and
told them to go to the police station to find out her identity.
“As we were entering the premises of the police station, we saw a
police pick-up van driving past us at the gate,” he said. “My daughter
turned around and looked inside the pick-up truck and saw the corpse of
my wife; she screamed, and this attracted my attention to the back of
the truck. I saw the corpse of my wife and could not bear what I saw. I
collapsed and was on the ground while my children were crying.”
A police officer called two associate pastors from the church to come
to the police station. They also called Pastor Elisha’s younger
brother, since the pastor was too devastated to drive.
Olawale is a martyr whose faith has challenged many people’s lives, he said.
“This challenge is that we need to wake up to the task of sharing the
gospel,” he said. “My joy in this tragedy is that my wife is resting in
the bosom of the Lord.”
Christians face persecution throughout most of Nigeria, especially in
the northeast. Pastor Elisha said as the church faces increased
persecution, it spurs growth and brings greater glory to God.
“In John 16:1-2, Jesus told us that He would not leave us in
ignorance – that a time is coming when people will drag us out of
synagogues or churches to kill us and think that they are rendering
service to God, because they don’t know Him or the Father.”
Persecution is not a punishment, but rather enduring persecution
faithfully is a way of expressing Christ’s love, he told Morning Star,
adding that there is a need to pray for Christians in northern Nigeria
and assist those in need. They should not respond to persecution with
violence, but with Christ’s message of peace, love and joy, he noted.
“We are sheep, and He is the Shepherd,” he said. “A sheep cannot fight for itself.”
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Source: Godreports