Transition Services for Rev. Paul Kwame Kyei

Report on Trip to Accra Ghana for the Transition Services for Rev. Paul Kwame Kyei Regional Minister for Africa from September 14 to 22, 2015

By Rev. Neroli and Peter Duffy

Rev. Paul Kyei, the regional minister for Africa made his transition on August 30, 2015 at the age of 83. Paul asked for Neroli and Peter Duffy to conduct his cremation and memorial service, so after making preparations, including obtaining visas and beginning a course of anti-malaria tablets, we arrived safely in Accra Ghana early Tuesday morning September 15.

It felt surprisingly good to be back in Accra despite the intensity of the lead up to the unexpected visit to Africa. We were fortunate to be able to get some sleep on the plane and delighted that the Accra airport is being remodeled – the two hours wait in line to get through customs on our last visit in 2012 was reduced to just a few minutes in 2015. What a blessing!

Rev. Emmanuel Asiedu-Mante, Paul’s right hand man, met us at the airport and while waiting to check into our hotel room, we visited his office nearby and went over the program for the memorial and cremation. Emmanuel so appreciated all the prayers, calls and good wishes as he has been so busy making the preparations and picking up people arriving to Ghana for the services this week.

It is interesting that beloved Paul was present in Ghana in 1976 when Mother gave four dictations from the Brotherhood on September 19. This will be 39 years ago to the exact day of his Cremation next Saturday, September 19. It seems auspicious doesn’t it? Lanello, Astrea, Mother Mary and Lanello dictated on that day and they spoke of the divine destiny of Africa. Unfortunately none of these dictations are yet published in print but may be in the future.

Emmanuel told us that Paul will be cremated in his ministerial robes. There will be a viewing of the body prior to the cremation. This is a custom that is traditional in Africa for the family and relatives. Although not done in our church, it will be respectful for the customs here. All the ministers will be wearing their robes for the event. After resting today, we will have dinner with Emmanuel tonight. Tomorrow Emmanuel plans to take us to visit Paul’s wife Elizabeth and family to bring them the best wishes, gifts and cards from our church and some of our members.

Ghana is the heart chakra of Africa and Ghanaians are heart people – many have lovely faces – kind, thoughtful and gracious especially the women who are often lovely. Their colorful clothes warm your heart. Mother said that there are a lot of embodied angels in Ghana. Sanat Kumara ignited the threefold flame of the continent of Africa in 1976 in a dictation through Mother. The masters have said that as Ghana goes so goes Africa.

The energy in Africa is heavy – intense energies of darkness and black magic and you certainly feel it as soon as you step foot on the continent. Emmanuel told us that the economy is not doing well here and there are blackouts or energy saving sessions each day which really affects business. Fortunately our hotel has backup generators to take care of that. The poverty is quite something to see. Most live in the rural areas on farms, eking out a living although Ghana is very rich in natural resources especially gold. Ghana was once called the Gold Coast. There are also records of slavery and intense records of black magic with heavy infiltration of the fallen ones – almost all of the dictations of the masters given here speak of the oppression of the people and the decrees and spreading the teachings as the only answer.

Emmanuel gave a lecture on angels early this year and a man who owned a radio show attended. He now has Emmanuel on the show every Sunday and gets a good response. People call Emmanuel and he is on the phone until midnight every Sunday talking to people who contacted him through the show. Normally you pay to be on a radio show but this man does not charge him because he says to Emmanuel, “you are serving the people.” The prayer is that they will stay with the teachings.

We gave many decrees the whole time we were in Ghana. We are mostly in the hotel room preparing for the weekend services as much as we can, but it is heavy going at times. Praise God for the decrees – as soon as you hear Mother, your soul breathes a sigh of relief.

On Wednesday September 16, we visited Paul’s widow Elizabeth. On the way there we passed the hospital where he spent his last days. On the gate of their home is a big poster advertising Paul’s services which are also being promoted in the newspaper and radio and a week-long celebration of his life.

Elizabeth is a Methodist but supported Paul in his services to our church. Emmanuel says she is a still a fiery soul and very strong, despite having suffered a stroke. Also Paul outside his home when we visited in 2012. Some of his daughters and grandchildren live there too.

Dear Elizabeth understands a little English so to be sure we were communicating accurately Emmanuel interpreted for us most of the time. But I know she understood us heart to heart. We told her how much Paul was loved around the world by our members, and that he ministered to many. Paul had the gift of listening to you with his whole heart and holding what you said in confidence and trust. When he prayed for you, it was deep and you could feel it taking effect. Everyone who knew him even a little, felt that he was a dear friend to them. He had quite a gift and also he had the Holy Spirit.

Elizabeth’s daughter Unity was there too and she read out loud to her mother the cards and well wishes from our organization and Paul’s friends. Unity is a hotel receptionist married to a police officer and they and their children live nearby. Both talked about their gratitude for the support of our church and felt that they could lean upon our church and its ministers. Emmanuel reminded us all that the countdown is on for Paul’s Services on Saturday and Sunday.

Thursday September 17, found us out and about driving through the incredible Accra traffic jams on the way to visit the Lashibi Funeral Home – it took several hours to travel a relatively short distance. Praise God for Emmanuel’s air conditioned car and capable driving. The haphazard street scenes are amazing with people selling things by the side of the road or running up to your car. Everywhere and anywhere people set up a little table or stall to sell anything from shoes and toilet paper to oil for your car, food, water or whatever they can sell that people might want.

We visited the All Souls Chapel where the service and cremation will take place [they opened just a year ago]. Praise God we can hang a large chart of the presence on the wall above where the coffin will be. There is no air conditioning in the chapel but big ceiling fans and windows which open to let the breeze through – typical for Ghana and not be too bad as the weather is a little cooler in September. All the African ministers will be in their robes and on the platform to honor Paul. There is a tiny sacristy to get changed into our robes [which are hot to wear].

We also met with Barnabe N’Tounta the group leader in the Congo. He speaks French and a little English too. He has a challenging task and is doing very well by the grace of God, but needs our prayers and support. His wife also a Keeper of the Flame traveled with him. Barnabe is stalwart and loves the teachings. We brought some CD’s that he had ordered from the conference bookstore. He lives a difficult, challenging and often dangerous life and Paul wrote about when he visited Barnabe in the Congo in his book From the Darkness to the Light.

We are giving as much support and encouragement as we can to all we meet who are in the teachings. The weekend promised to be very busy with the services and we prayed that we could find the time and space to meet with all the dear ones – the ministers from Nigeria and South Africa and the dear brothers and sisters from Ghana. It has been three years since a visit from headquarters.

Later in the evening we visited with Paul’s long time secretary Nada Etsibah to catch up and see how she is doing. Paul was like a father to her. Her father was Rev. Donkoh an ordained minister in our church who has also passed on.

On Friday morning, September 18, we, the Duffys spent two hours with Rev. Lady Santa Poku who is in her sixties, mother of 5 children and 3 additional adopted children and an ordained minister in our church. She is a real lightbulb and a joy to be with. She loves to preach, give invocations, decrees and intercessory prayers and she takes it all very seriously. She is a gung ho spiritual warrior – 3.5 to 4.5 hours of decrees a day, gets up at 2:20 am and decrees until 6:30 am. She starts with 30 minutes of Ruby Ray Decrees for Sanat Kumara’s 144,000 and Lanello’s 10,000 then she does all her other decrees.

She told us that she has to do a lot of Astreas at night to make it in Africa. It is very challenging and she does two sets of 144 Reverse the Tides every night before bed. She tries to go to bed by 8 pm but even if she is in bed by then she still wakes at 1:30 am. Most often she is in bed by 10 and up by 2:30 am. It gives us a sense of the challenge of living in Africa. We cannot even imagine what the ministers and chelas go through here.

They are saying an African phrase about Paul – “A big tree has fallen.” We had a wonderful Ascension Service on Friday evening for Rev. Paul with over 50 Keepers of the Flame. It was so great to see some old friends. The chapel was decorated in purple and gold and his photographs which were everywhere were just radiating with light.

The beautiful printed program is ready for service tomorrow but when the TSL staff went to set up the altar on Friday, we learned that the Lashibi funeral home had arranged another funeral service between 8 am and 10 am right before Paul’s service which was due to start with prayers and viewing of the body at 9 am. So we had no idea when the service will actually start. They visited several times the previous week and we were there even on Thursday and no mention of this at all. There will be nowhere for our 200 plus people to be other than the main chapel which is occupied. We tried to get the word out to come an hour later and we surrendered it all to God’s timetable of African Ghana time as they say here.

By God’s grace the Memorial and Cremation Service on Saturday September 19, for dear Rev. Paul Kyei went very well by the grace of God. We estimate there were around 300 plus people to send Paul on his way Ghanaian style to heaven.

It was interesting watching as the two services crossed over. Around 10 am the previous mourners exited dressed in red and black [traditional mourning colors] playing traditional Ashanti music which was Paul’s tribe. Then our congregation entered all wearing white and listening to Finlandia [Sanat Kumara’s keynote.]

We started at 11 am. After setting up, testing the AV and giving people time to pay their respects at the coffin and then the ministers processed in. A beautiful invocation by Mother brought in the Holy Spirit.

Rev. Emmanuel did a very good job as the MC for the occasion. The family was happy with the event and it was a good crowd with many from our church in Accra. There was lots of beautiful singing from the Ghanaians. Everyone loved Paul and all felt that he was their Father too.

Delightful witnesses were read by Paul’s granddaughter Christine. She was just like him, smiling, gracious and thoughtful. At one point in the proceedings she brought bottles of water for all the ministers (most welcome in the heat with our long robes) and then she sang Paul’s favorite songs that he used to sing in the morning – Glorious Apollo, Mary’s Sweet Diamond Heart and an African song – everyone joined in. Christine is not in the teachings but had memorized the songs having heard him sing them each morning.

After more songs and Bible readings, Neroli gave a sermon about Paul on behalf of our church. Then she made the invocation for the withdrawal of the light while Peter stood at the head of the coffin and Emmanuel stood at the feet. Two Love Offerings were collected, one for the family and the other for Paul’s beloved Church. Then Neroli gave the blessing of the offering and the benediction. The service was completed by 12:45 pm. The service was broadcast and will be archived.

Afterwards we met Paul’s family – his widow Elizabeth and her daughter Unity were there and some of his sons and extended family. His son Jonas read a witness and mentioned Mother and the Summit Lighthouse. We met Paul’s son Isaac who is the only one of the children to stay in the teachings. Also saw lots of grandchildren and great grand-children and more on the way.

After the cremation or funeral, the Ghanaian custom is to celebrate. On September 20, we participated in a lovely Thanksgiving Sunday Service at the Accra Church Headquarters for Rev. Paul. A delegation from his entire family came and made up a quarter of the large congregation of over 100 people. There was additional seating outside. All the family looked stunning in traditional robes, gowns and outfits in the same black and white patterned cloth. Black and white is now replacing the previous black and red cloth. It is the custom for funeral celebrations that everyone in the family wears outfits from the same cloth.

At the conclusion of the service after many tributes and a lovely slide show, when most of the family had left, we conducted the lay minister commissioning for Rev. Philippine Affi Kodjo and offered the Emerald Matrix Third Eye Blessing as this had not taken place in over 4 years in Ghana. The entire congregation was blessed and many beautiful children came forward too. Paul’s grand-daughter Christine and several other family members came up for the blessings, which would no doubt have pleased dear Paul. After the service we spent time chatting and taking photos with the congregation who came from all over the country.

Then after lunch we went to a large and noisy Ghanaian style reception at Paul’s home – tents and music and food and partying. All the ministers were honored guests at a special table – the family gave speeches saying that they were grateful for the services for their father/grandfather and for those who had traveled so far to attend.

Paul has 50 grandchildren and 25 great grand-children. We met several of his eight sons and daughters and spent time with the family. According to Ghana custom, his widow Elizabeth was quiet, not engaging in conversation or shaking hands to show respect for her departed husband. She wore a purple stole over her outfit and carried a violet flower in her lap to indicate she could not shake hands. Everyone else was allowed to be joyous, and they were.

It is hard to describe how moving the day turned out to be – seeing the beautiful Ghanaian faces of the Keepers of the Flame and their children was profound. They are such a lovely people.

On Monday September 21, we had a wonderful four hour meeting with the Africa Regional Board and the African ministers in Church Universal and Triumphant Church in Accra Ghana. 12 Ministers plus the Duffys were in attendance and three other members of the Africa Regional Board were present. We ploughed through the agenda and had good discussions about the future of The Summit Lighthouse in Africa. Then we had a beautiful great lunch and time to relax at Emmanuel’s home where the ministers all talked and shared without an agenda.

Everyone here in Africa is doing an amazing job under quite difficult circumstances. There were lots of important discussions, sharing of information, teachings and technology and support for our ministers and the team there.

A lovely end to a successful weekend by the grace of God. Please pray for our ministers and our groups and congregations in Africa. By the grace of God, our TSL/CUT in Africa is in good hands in the Keepers of the Flame and the Ministry there.

PS. We found out while we were in Ghana that Amazon is doing a one month promotion of the Spanish version of the e-book of Paul Kyei’s From the Darkness to the Light. Reduced from $7.99 to $1.99 during October. They are also promoting Ralph Yaney’s e-book 10,001 just in time for his October Memorial Service. How about that? Just randomly picked right?  We know that heaven had a hand in it of course!