The Making of An ApostleExperience the Book
(a) Hear a prayer that was captured during the creation of Apostle Sharon's first book, "A Seedling".
(b) Watch the author discuss her background and the book's inspiration.
(c) What happened after Apostle Sharon visited her ancestral home in 1990? - Visit http://www.lohp-usa.org and see the work that Apostle Sharon continues to do in Liberia, West Africa through her 501(c)(3) charity organization - The Liberian Orphanage/Humanitarian Projects, Inc.
"Excerpts from a Seedling"
1. It was now about 10 minutes before 12 noon. I felt fresh and alert. I hadn't taken the time to go downstairs for breakfast. As I remember, I actually felt no need for food. Perhaps I was unconsciously fasting that morning. Nevertheless, I kneeled at the side of my bed as I anointed myself with holy oil from my nightstand. Then I threw kisses towards heaven, and softly began to worship the Lord. The next thing I knew, I was waking up, raising my head off the comforter that covered my bed. I looked at the wall clock and it was 12:05 p.m. The words, "Oh, my Lord, I missed You! How could I have missed meeting with the Lord?" immediately entered my mind. Then I felt my emotions swell to panic mode. At that moment, I didn't even consider the possibility that the prophetic word I'd received earlier that day wasn't of the Lord. I just immediately closed my eyes with my head hung down. I am sure I was about to cry because of my inability to stay awake. Then before my tears formed in response to my emotional state the Lord miraculously manifested His purpose for the meeting.
In a flash, the "absolute darkness" beneath my closed eyelids turned into a magnificent "powder blue sky." Then, within seconds, while I was still spellbound with absolute amazement of the appearance of the bluish color, the most beautiful sound I have ever heard filled my ears. It was a melody accentuating the singing of a single word. It sounded like a lullaby being sung by an angel to a baby greatly loved and adored. The tone was so crystal clear in purity, full of tenderness, and compassion. Then I heard one word, "Keyonmie," pronounced three times as though this word was actually calling unto someone. I noticed a silence of a few seconds separating each elongated pronouncement of Keyonmie. Then, in concert with the singing of this word, I saw what appeared to be a "white feather."
2. Even though, in the religious community, I am considered of the Holiness persuasion, I didn't limit myself to visiting only Liberian Christian churches of similar denominational beliefs. As such, I asked Junior to accompany me as I visited various churches, prayer groups, and missions in Monrovia and its surrounding suburbs. Some were small and some very large. I often attended a particular church near the downtown corridor led by Pastor Joe. I really enjoyed his mid-day prayer meeting which included a brief sermon. One day, I received specific instructions from the Lord to attend Pastor Joe's services. I assumed He wanted me to add my prayers to those of the congregation as people were praying against the rebel forces' advancement.
Traffic that day was really congested. There had been a minor accident involving an ambulance and a motorcycle. The prayer service had already started by the time Junior and I arrived. When I entered the sanctuary, the church was at capacity and there were only a few vacant seats on the back row. As a minister, I never liked sitting in the back of a church. I always tried to sit within the first three to four rows to avoid the movement of others distracting me. Nevertheless, before I took a seat, I told Junior I would meet him at the restaurant down the street in three hours. This allowed me time to speak privately with Pastor Joe after the prayer service. However, after service, other people seemingly had the same idea so Pastor Joe gathered everyone, and we had an impromptu group discussion about the war and various issues facing Liberia. It lasted about an hour, and I certainly felt the peace and joy of the Lord as we concluded our discussion.
My watch revealed there was an additional hour before my arranged meeting with Junior. I decided to use this time to take a stroll on the sidewalks that surrounded the beautiful church compound. When I exited the building, I took a couple of steps to walk eastward, then suddenly stopped. Immediately, I felt the need to walk in the opposite direction. I didn't hear any words spoken, but I felt I should walk westward, so I did. There were many people leaving the church walking in that direction. I understood from overhearing their conversations that they had attended a leadership workshop.
This was a typical hot Liberian day during the dry season. The sun was extremely bright as its rays bounced off everything around me. Walking a few feet ahead of me were Liberian women beautifully dressed in bright colors. The men who walked with them wore traditional garments as well as western attire. There were at least three groups of five to eight people walking about three feet between each group in front of me. The last group was so close I could hear their laughter as they spoke in English and in their tribal dialects.
I couldn't help but admire the absolute beauty of that moment: a great prayer service; a wonderful discussion session; and, a bright sunny day. Liberian beauty at its best! Group after group reached the sidewalk's end and turned the corner to walk southward towards the main street. As I reached the corner, I felt the presence of the Lord once again leading me. I knew I was to turn the corner and walk in the same southward direction. When I did, I was stunned as I saw what appeared to be a person lying on the ground. Instinctively my eyes scanned the area and I noticed many people on both sides of the street. As I got closer to the object on the ground, my worst fears were confirmed.
3. We arrived at a very large farm and I was escorted into an office and asked to wait until the man could be brought to me. When he entered the room, I couldn't help but notice his tall skeleton-like frame. He was so bony with very little fat or muscle anywhere. He walked into the room like the walking dead, like a zombie! He was absolutely creepy! Nevertheless, he was a soul and God had released me to come to this place to meet with him. I asked him to tell me why Sheila had arranged a meeting between us. His response was, "I guess she and her sisters want to help me." Then I asked him to tell me about his self. I thought he was going to say he had AIDS or an advance stage of cancer, but I would soon learn his physical condition had nothing to do with his natural state of being.
He began by telling me he was born an only child to a very poor family in a remote Liberian village. His father died before he learned how to walk. He slowly recalled the everyday struggles that his mother faced just to get something to eat on a daily basis. Before age ten, his mother died right before his eyes. He then said, "I began to sleep under huge tall trees near grave yards for protection. If anyone came near me, I would climb high into the tree so they couldn't get to me. People were enslaving, raping, and mistreating boys and girls from my village who had no parents to protect them. So the grave yard became a safe home for me." When I asked him how he ate, he told me he ate berries, mice, snakes, birds and whatever he could find. Then he said, "One night, in the pitch dark, before I went to sleep a spirit came to me." The spirit said, "If you serve me, I will give you power. If you serve me, people will bow to you. If you serve me, you will never be hungry again. I will take care of you."
The man looked at me for a minute or two as though he was looking through me. He then spoke once more, "I had nothing. All my family members were dead and nobody cared about me. I was alone, hungry, cold, and afraid. So, I told the spirit that I would serve it. Then, I felt the spirit come inside of me. I've been serving it ever since." He then said, "I can bring wealth and I can bring poverty. I can bring life and I can bring death. I can haunt people's enemies while they are awake, and I can attack them while they are asleep. He also rather proudly said, "People are afraid of me! People, from all over Liberia, seek me to do harm to their enemies. I'm respected! I want for nothing!" Then he said, "I have eaten human flesh. I have seen horrible things you could never even imagine. I have killed people with my thoughts and my bare hands. I have willingly participated in things that no human would ever participate in. Because of all this, I have power."
------------------------- Order Cancellation
I'm sorry that you have decided to cancel your purchase of The Making of an Apostle, Volume 1, A Seedling. I invite you to follow us on Facebook at Making of an Apostle or Twitter @ApostleSLRuff.
---------------------- Products
To purchase a softback copy of the book, "The Making of an Apostle, Volume 1, A Seedling" please use the button below. Please note that there is a $5.50 shipping fee for anywhere in the US and it may take 2-3 weeks for delivery.
Please inquire about shipping to addresses outside of the US by clicking here.
To purchase a softback copy of the book, The Making of an Apostle, Volume 2, "For People Like Me" please use the button below. Please note that there is a $5.50 shipping fee for anywhere in the US and it may take 2-3 weeks for delivery.
Please inquire about shipping to addresses outside of the US by clicking here.
To purchase a softback copy of the book, The Making of an Apostle, Volume 2, "For People Like Me" please use the button below. Please note that there is a $5.50 shipping fee for anywhere in the US and it may take 2-3 weeks for delivery.
Please inquire about shipping to addresses outside of the US by clicking here.
The ebook version of all three books can be purchased from Google Play or Amazon online stores. Click the buttons below for more information.
