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Issue link: http://magazine.kcm.org/i/1385315
Millicent’s life had been good in Sierra Leone. She couldn’t imagine a better city to live in than Freetown. A port city on the Atlantic Ocean in West Africa, it had been settled by former slaves from the U.S., the Caribbean, Africa and Great Britain. Lush with palm trees, coconut trees and fruit trees, the soil and sun nurtured the people. Millicent had attended Freetown’s Fourah Bay College, the first western-style university built in West Africa. She earned her Bachelor of Arts with a postgraduate diploma in education. For almost three years she had lived her dream: educating the hungry minds of the children in her country. Now, something inside was tugging at Millicent’s heart. 'Come away with Me. I have more for you.' She knew it was the voice of God. In order to obey, would she have to leave her family? Her career? Her city? Her country? Finding Faith “My life in Sierra Leone was rich and full,” Millicent recalls. “People from our church, along with family and friends, congregated at our house. My mother was always cooking wonderful things. There were lots of children playing in the yard. “But we’d never been taught the plan of salvation. It wasn’t until I finished college that I was born again. Although I didn’t know a great deal, I knew it was God tugging at me. I didn’t hear His voice, but the message was clear. He had something more for me. “Following that leading, in 1982 I moved to London, England. There I attended the London School of Accountancy. London was very different from the slower-paced life in Sierra Leone, but I enjoyed it. A childhood friend had moved there ahead of me, and I lived with her. We attended church, and during that time I felt the call of God on my life. “In 1985, we met a girl who lived very close to our dormitory. She invited us to attend her church, and my life was forever changed. The church was Faith Christian Fellowship, which had been founded by Dr. Buddy Harrison, the Reverend Kenneth Hagin’s son-in-law. For the first time, I heard the Word of Faith. It was as though God had opened a door for me into another world! “The church was all the way across London, but I didn’t care. They had a small Bible college which I attended. During that time, Papa Kenneth Copeland started holding Believers’ Conventions in Brighton, England. Brighton is far away on the seaside, but we attended them all. I volunteered as an usher and became a Partner. I bought their materials and devoured them. “In 1991, after nine years in London, God called me back to Sierra Leone. My pastor ordained me, and I went home. One thing that my country didn’t have at the time was the message of the Word of Faith. Although we didn’t have Christian programming then, a television slot was given to it every Sunday evening. I was invited to become a regular panelist on that national TV program. I also accepted invitations to minister and started holding meetings all over the city. “In 1993, I started getting invitations to minister in the U.S. I traveled to the U.S. to minister in 1993, 1994 and 1996. In 1996, the Lord told me that He had more training for me. I was to move to the U.S.” Putting Down Deep Roots Millicent moved to New Jersey, where she taught middle school and high school. She also helped a local church get off the ground. “In 2011, I was ordained a pastor at Glorious Light Christian Ministries, Paulsboro, N.J.” Millicent recalls. “The first time I visited KCM was in 1997. I went to celebrate the ministry’s first 30 years. I attended the Great Lakes Convention in 2007, then several more over the years. In 2017, I attended the celebration of 50 years of ministry. That’s when they announced that they were going to start a Bible college.” Millicent heard the announcement with her ears. She wasn’t listening with her heart. She’d lived so many places and moved so many times that she wasn’t interested in relocating again. She was settled. She had put down roots. Her life in New Jersey was fulfilling. Going about her business during the convention, Millicent got caught up in the crowd and swept along. She found herself in a room where people who were interested in finding out more about Kenneth Copeland Bible College had gathered. “If you attend the college, you have to relocate here,” she heard one of the facilitators of the meeting explain. This isn’t for me, Millicent thought as she left the meeting. Back home in New Jersey, she could find no rest. Her once-ordered life no longer felt settled. She tried to step back into it and find the place she’d known before. Except, it no longer existed. Each time she prayed, the Lord told Millicent the same thing. 14 : BVOV