WHO WAS CANDACE?

Have you ever been to Africa?

Africa is one of the biggest continents in the world. There are fifty-four countries in Africa. lt is the poorest continent in the world, but it is very rich in its variety of cultures, languages, and animal species.

Over one billion, two hundred and sixteen million people live in Africa. That’s a lot of people, isn’t it? And do you know how many people in Africa are Christians? Almost half of those one billion two hundred and sixteen million people.

Would you like to know who one of the first Africans to accept Jesus as their Savior was? You can find his story in the Bible, in Acts chapter 8. He was a very important man from Ethiopia, one of the countries in Af­rica. A high government official, he was in charge of Queen Candace’s economy. The queen mother was called «Candace» in Ethiopia. lt was a sort of title, just like in Egypt the king was called «pharaoh.»

The Bible says that the minister of finance was reading a book by the prophet Isaiah and had gone to worship the true God in Jerusalem. But he needed someone to tell him more about Jesus. So God made him meet with Philip, one of the seven deacons, on his way back to Ethiopia.

Philip talked to him about Jesus; about His life, death, and resurrection; about how much He loves us and how He wants to give us eternal life. The Ethiopian minister wanted t o follow Jesus and be baptized. As soon as he saw a place where there was enough water to be submerged, Philip bap­tized him. That was the first African to follow Jesus!

ln your Prayer Journal, draw a picture of Philip and the Ethiopian minister’s baptism.