For many of us, the search for truth has been a life-long affair; a journey which has taken us to many places and sometimes through many trials and unforgettable moments. “All of life’s toughest questions were answered when I discovered The Urantia Book.” This is the testimonial of quite a number of readers who have discovered the Fifth Epochal Revelation, and for me, it pretty much did so but it also left me searching for more to know in this vast creation.
Although the search for truth is a never-ending quest, the journey becomes exhilarating when one discovers friends and fellow truth seekers who share the same light and energy and seem to be connected by a universal purpose. Delae Sowu is one such truth seeker who I describe as “a friend to everyone.”
The Urantia Book readers in Ghana held a conference in 2017, and among the attendees were readers we’d never met or heard of since we started our study group. The amazing thing is that we discovered quite a few of them had the Big Blue Book for over 20 years or more and they’d been reading it along with other religious texts. The sight of meeting many Urantia Book readers under one roof and publicly sharing insights from this amazing revelation was a lovely scene, and joyful for many who attended that day.
What endured beyond this gathering was the spirit of friendship cultivated among us. Among these newly found truth seekers was Delae, a long-time reader who I met for the first time at the 2017 conference. My first impression was that she was a woman full of courage and love, and curious about life and the beyond. She spread the love and light of the universe with smiles and a cheerful demeanor to everyone she comes across.
For the many years we’ve hosted study groups in Ghana, I thought regular meetings and having well-coordinated discussions would keep the group going. While we managed to stay active and grow in number, it became apparent to me that what really kept us going was the friendly bond we’d developed with the friends we made on this journey. I don’t think we would have lasted for so long if it were not for the wonderful souls who graced our meetings with good cheer and welcoming personalities.
I joined the group to study The Urantia Book and, before long, became good friends with Delae who would call me at work and share experiences of her youth and work life. She would bring seedlings to meetings and give one to each of us to start our own gardens. Delae would also bring tasty dishes that I’d never heard of—and they were awesome. I savored every bit of them!
In this part of the world, it’s not always easy to get readers to participate in major gatherings or events apart from the usual study group meetings. As an organizer, it was hard to find presenters or speakers for conferences and Urantiathons. However, Delae would always answer the call to share her views on the revelation. She was a friend I could count on when all else fails.
As a study group host, I sometimes wanted to cancel meetings due to pressing personal activities but the thought of my friends who were longing to share our time together was enough for me to sacrifice all matters just to come meet and connect with members to discuss the book. I know there are readers who won’t miss our once-a-month meetings for anything in the world, so I respond likewise.
My journey with sharing The Urantia Book has been graced with friendships that developed beyond sharing a common goal of acquiring spiritual enlightenment. As inspired by the Master, I try to make friends wherever life takes me, and l make an effort to take an interest in the lives of those who chance to come my way. Indeed, people listen when you show interest in their lives, even if it’s only in the simplest of ways.
I woke up to this reality when, on the morning of January, the 7th 2023, I received a call from Delae’s mother telling me that “your friend has passed on. Sorry to give you this news.” This really shocked me, and I couldn’t believe that the same friend I read a post from on our study group page barely hours before, was gone. For days I pondered over the calls I had with my reader-friend and thought of the many discussions we had on topics from the book. The void within me due to this news made me realize that the opportunity to know my reader-friend was not merely about the study of a book but truly, that a friend walked this journey with me; a friend encouraged me to share the light with many; a friend that came along to grace this service of sowing the seeds of enlightenment and awakening on Urantia.
No doubt we will miss her presence in our meetings and Urantiathons, but we will rejoice in the knowledge that she’s taken on a new form now and embarks on an amazing adventure on the mansions of the Universal Father, for, while she sojourned on planet earth, she so longed to see the new life that awaited on the higher realms.
Till we meet on new shores for universe service… journey on my friend and dear sister, Delae Sowu.