There are tall grasses on his left, waving in the morning breeze, and there’s a large outcropping of boulders on his right.
Entering the church, he’s greeted by women wearing colorful dresses with blooming flowers and bright patterns, their heads wrapped in traditional scarves called geles. The men wear a mix of Western clothing and long sokoto shirts that come to the knees.
When worship begins, the church comes alive with clapping, rhythmic Nigerian choruses, steel drums and heartfelt dancing. The music thrums and pours out the square windows and into the radiant morning light.
This time of worship might seem normal, but it wasn’t long ago that Pastor Andrew thought his church would never worship again.
In 2015 the extremist group Boko Haram violently attacked the Christians in Guyaku, killing several believers and burning all but six of their houses. And Pastor Andrew’s church was reduced to rubble.
“I lost hope that we would come together to worship God again because our church was destroyed,” he shares.