Tolu was born and raised in Nigeria and only came to South Africa in 2012 after finishing his high school studies. Tolu’s father and mother had both emigrated when he was young, so he had lived with his granny in Nigeria. When he arrived in 2012 it was his first experience to see white people, and the first time that he met his younger sister who was 6 years old at the time.
Tolu had heard the gospel and accepted Christ when he was young, but the te aching he had received was only loosely biblical. When he arrived and began attending church, his dad warned him that Pastor Josh wasn’t like any pastor he’d ever heard before and that he better come prepared to think. For the first few months, Tolu said that he was usually lost and would just fall asleep. But over time he began to be challenged through the sermons, through youth group and through our weekly Bible studies. And his growth in the faith has been both humbling and amazing to watch!
Tolu has the best smile of anyone, anywhere. A good-natured young man, he’s become very close to our family. His family lives about 30 minutes away, so Tolu began staying with us over the weekends in order to attend youth, church and Bible study. When we were away in the States, Tolu stayed at our house and managed things for us. In 2016 Tolu began living at our place full time both to help as he studies mechanical engineering at a local college and so we can take advantage of his tremendous leadership with the other young people of our church.
I’m constantly challenged by his desire to grow and his straightforward passion. His desire to live a godly life has led him to voluntarily make many sacrifices giving up his smartphone to resist temptations, witnessing to friends at school even when they push his knowledge to the limits, taking initiative with discipling other young people. Tolu has become a dear friend to our whole family!