Latter Days
Brother T was a man endowed with good health and he enjoyed this robust health consistently until the latter part of his life.
Sometimes in 1977, he was indisposed but the illness disappeared as soon as he started the renovation of Ijebu-Ode church. He worked so hard that everybody present was amazed at the rate his sledge hammer was felling the concrete walls which young men were unable to pull down.
As he was a man who was always busy at his Father's work, as soon as he finished the Ijebu-Ode work, he facilitated the finishing of the Lagos Great st Tabernacle to get it ready for dedication, which took place on Saturday 1 August 1981. The collected Gospel Songs compiled by the Apostolic Faith in Nigeria was first used at the dedication of the tabernacle. This dedication of the tabernacle, the use of a hymn book owned by the Apostolic Faith and the combining of the adult and junior Yoruba Sunday school lessons into a booklet which was printed in 1983 were some of his dreams that came true in his latter days.
Taking care of letters written in French from French-speaking countries in Africa became a challenge for Portland but Brother T saw the challenge as an opportunity and readily accepted to handle it.
He had laboured much to evangelize some of these French-speaking countries such as the Republic of Benin, Togo and Burkina Faso. As an answer to his prayers, an Apostolic Faith Church started in Ivory Coast. In August 1981, Brother M’Bengani of Zaire (now Congo Kinshasa) came to Lagos camp meeting, got his Christian experiences and went back to start the Apostolic Faith work in his country. Thus Brother T was very delighted in the French correspondences. Creating a French Department in the Apostolic Faith in Nigeria was another pleasant dream of Brother T's fulfilled before he died.
In April 1981, Sister Ruth Ashwell, accompanied by Brother and Sister Cliff and Cheryl Paulsen visited Nigeria and participated in the Easter Retreat of that year. Shortly after their visit, Brother T suddenly had a stroke. Earnest prayers from all the saints went to the throne of grace on his behalf. The God of miracles healed him completely, renewed his strength and gave him new visions about the Gospel work. He again launched himself unreservedly as never before into the work. It was a mighty revival to see him occupy his seat at the ministers and workers' conference in August 1981.
Reverend Morgan Sengwayo of Zimbabwe with his wife and four children came to Lagos Camp meeting during the last week of that camp meeting. It was a very pleasant and exciting surprise for Brother T to meet his convert, Brother Sengwayo whom he suddenly left behind on his trip to South Africa in 1955 because of the shocking news of the demise of Reverend van der Puije, the leader of our work in Gold Coast, now Ghana. In return, Brother T and his team went to the camp meeting in Zimbabwe in December 1981 and returned in January 1982.
As Brother T was preparing to go to Liberia in March 1982, news came that Reverend Sengwayo had died in Zimbabwe. Brother T led a team of ministers to participate in his burial. This happened to be his last trip outside Nigeria.
He took ill again in 1983 and this reduced his activities. However, he managed to continue with his work of administration, counselling, correspondence and receiving of visitors. Reverend J.O. Soyinka became the major link between him and the congregation.
Sometime during the illness, he travelled to Jos to have a rest. While he was there, God spoke to him about a lot of things. He appointed some ministers in Lagos and out-stations and forwarded their names to Portland for credentials and copies of minister's manual. He was coming
occasionally to supervise some works being done on the campgrounds. One such work was the fixing of the light into the pinnacle of the tabernacle. He opened the first meeting and was present for a few meetings during the camp meeting of 1983.
When he returned to Lagos, he reviewed his will in which he surrendered his buildings at 53 Isaac John Street to the Apostolic Faith Mission, wrote a letter of encouragement to the Board of Trustees and named Reverend J.O. Soyinka as his successor, in a sealed letter to be opened after his home-call.
As a loving and caring shepherd, knowing that his days were drawing to a close, he became very concerned about the Church. The Lord spoke to him, calmed his fears with the words of the song, “Be still my soul.” He was confident and as mentally alert as ever. He never missed his early morning devotions for a day.