Memories of slavery and bondage have not robbed West-Central Africa of its optimism for the future.
What happened to the ancestors of modern-day Africans was unjust and cruel. It had an enormous reach, leaving jarring reminders that can still be seen today in former slave trading towns.
Human injustice is painfully evident today as well. Take for example the plight of two faithful Adventists who were unjustly imprisoned for crimes they did not commit.
Pastor Antonio Monteiro left his homeland of Cape Verde and moved to Togo to work as a department head for the Adventist Church in the natioin. While stationed there, he and another Adventist were imprisoned after being accused of seeking blood for an occult service.
Their imprisonment shocked their families and the Adventist world. As family members visited the two Adventist men in prison, the Adventist world family did what it could to diplomatically appeal for their release.
When Antonio Monteiro was finally released a huge crowd welcomed him on his return to Cape Verde. It was a beautiful moment that echoes Jesus’s Second Coming.
Across the West-Central region of Africa, God is doing tremendous things through His people. Despite the bondage of spiritual slavery to sin, God promises to set us free. Just as Africa looks with confidence to a brighter future, we look forward to ultimate freedom in Christ’s soon return.