Gail & Godwin Ekanem
Meet the Ekanem family! Gail, Godwin and their family live in Uyo, Nigeria. Godwin serves as the Mission Africa liaison with the United Evangelical Church whilst Gail teaches and furthers her writing ministry.
Gail comes from Co. Wexford in Ireland, where she was a primary school teacher for many years. In 1989 she became disillusioned with her life and, after reading a book called Approaching Easter, experienced God in a new way. “I realised how much God loved me. I knew he was real as he had answered the cry of my heart”, she recalls.
She continued teaching with a new sense of vibrancy, and soon began to want to serve God more fully. Gail took a career break to study at Belfast Bible College for a year. But one year became two, and then four. In the end she graduated with a MTh, but wasn’t sure what the next step would be.
“Despite applying for many positions, nothing opened up. God has his ways of getting us where he wants us,” she confessed. And so, after talking to a former Qua Iboe missionary plans started moving towards working in Africa. In 1999 Gail left for Nigeria to teach at Samuel Bill Theological College (SBTC). It was there that she met Godwin, and two years later they married.
Godwin comes from Ikot Ekpang in southern Nigeria. In the very same year that Gail became a Christian, Godwin, too, gave his life to Christ at a Scripture Union camp.
Years later his call to ministry became clear when he had the same dream night after night. “In this dream I was preaching to a mixed congregation of people from different nations, both black and white,” he remembered.
Godwin eventually completed a degree at SBTC. And after a brief time managing an ACTS bookshop on the college campus, he and Gail moved from SBTC and took up positions as lecturers at the Peter Achimugu College of Thelogy (PACT).
Gail and Godwin are based in Uyo, where Godwin serves as Mission Africa liaison with the United Evangelical Church and Gail is developing her writing ministry.
