For the final leg of his tour in the Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division, (SID), Elder Ted Wilson visited the Republic of Angola. During his stay there, he met with the President of the country, His Excellency João Lourenço. Ted Wilson was accompanied by his wife Nancy, the SID President Pastor Solomon Maphosa, and the officers of North East Angola Union, Pastor Justino Paulo and Pastor Texeira Vinte. Elder Wilson thanked the President for religious freedom in the country which allows the Seventh-Day Adventist church to worship freely. He also took the opportunity to highlight the need for Adventist students to be exempted from exams on the sabbath.
Ted Wilson’s visit to the State House would not have been complete without the mention of the four pastors and two Adventist laypeople who lost their freedom due to false accusations. In 2017, four pastors and two lay members were falsely accused of kidnapping. The charge landed them in prison with sentences that ranged from three to five years. In 2019, the church leaders and lay-people were acquitted after an intervention by the current President. Wilson expressed his appreciation for timely intervention. Before leaving the presidential palace, he also shared some scripture and prayed with President João Lourenço.
The Wilsons ended their trip by celebrating the Sabbath with over 35 000 Seventh-day Adventists in Luanda. During the divine service, the world church leader emphasized the importance of unity and encouraged the church members to unite in the mission of telling the world about the second coming of Christ. He reminded the congregants that they are one in the Lord regardless of the tribe they come from or the language they speak. Elder Wilson’s parting word was a call for the church members to all be involved in the work of proclaiming the three angels’ message. He said, “ We have one job: to tell others that Jesus died for us, is now in the heavenly sanctuary pleading us, and will soon come to take us home. God wants us to share this message with Holy Spirit power.”
