THE MIRACLES OF SIMEO ONDETO OF LEJIO MARIA OF AFRICAN CHURCH MISSION: AN AFRICAN CHRISTIAN MARTYR? Volume 5 (Charles Obiero Afullo Series Book 7)

Jesus warned his disciples of possible persecution in the future. and prophesied that it would turn them into his witnesses (Luke 21:13). On the other hand, Paul showed clearly that his imprisonment and suffering did not hinder the gospel—but instead, furthered it (Philippians 1:12-26). It is from these unique illustrations that the work of Simeo comes to mind. He suffered for the sake of Africans and the world at large. Through his suffering and persecution, Lejio Maria of African Church Mission spread very fast. The Miracles of Simeo Ondeto have been covered in five volumes Authored by Charles Obiero Afullo, under a series of ‘Documenting the Undocumented’. The 1st Vol. covered the early life of Simeo, the African Traditional Religion, the Jewish Religion and the concept of Messiah. Further, it covered the introduction of Christianity in Africa and East Africa, leading to the formation of Independent African Churches such as Lejio Maria. The teachings of both Jesus Christ and the Lejio Maria church were also dealt with. The author also covered the life of Simeo which is seen as a contradiction and gave examples from around the world of various people whose lives resemble that of Ondeto. The death of Ondeto was highlighted as well as various testimonies. Finally, the author recommended religious dialogue, unity and togetherness. The 2nd Vol. covered completely new areas of life about Simeo Ondeto that had never been explored. These areas include his role as a world leader, an African leader and a Luo leader. The book covers his role as a holy spirit inspired person and the activities of Mama Maria and Gaudensia Aoko. The author assesses several unique roles of Simeo as a musician, a priest, a prophet, a martyr, a miracle healer and a politician. The volume has also captured the split of the church into two after the death of Simeo and its aftermath. It also covers living testimonies from various people. The volume recommended emulating Simeo by turning to lead holy lives as Christians because his original teachings have been forgotten and thus left in the oblivion. The 3rd volume of this book covers facts on Kenya, Lejio Maria as an African Independent Church, Simeo as a missionary, prophesies around the world and the role of both Jesus and Simeo as prophets. The book also covers miracles, their classification and importance. The roles of miracles in the Bible is well documented as well as the roles of both Simeo and Jesus as miracle healers. It also discusses persecution from specific regions of the world. In an attempt to bring unity in the church, the author looks at the origin of the rivalry leading to the church having two different popes and Raila Odinga’s promise to bring the two warring factions to a talking table for the sake of unity. The third volume also handles the issue of leadership and servant leadership. Simeo is considered as a servant leader. There are also comparisons between Simeo and other great African leaders. Testimonies from various people are discussed as well. Some people have done research on Lejio Maria church but it has reflected some weaknesses that I have attempted to correct. The 4th Vol. covers the role of Simeo Ondeto as a black christian missionary. It also covers missionary activities in both the old and New Testament, call of Simeo and spread of Lejio Maria Church. It also covers selected teachings of Simeo, missionary activities of great people in the world. The previous writers failed to document the true identity of Ondeto and merely studied him as a normal human being. They also failed to document the full story of Simeo while some consider the church to be a false one. The complete story of Simeo is well captured. But the more one writes on him, the bigger the volume of work that comes to the open and the more mysterious the work becomes. Therefore, this book is a must read for laymen, serious religious people, philosophers, theologians and for general knowledge. Read more