2819 comes to London

A couple of years ago, I discovered Philip Anthony Mitchell on YouTube. What I liked about him was his very direct preaching style; he doesn’t sugarcoat things or tell you what you want to hear. He tells you what you need to hear. Everything he preaches is biblically based, and he’s not afraid to speak truth regardless of how people feel about it. One thing about me — I love outspoken people (as I’m quite outspoken myself lol). Since then, I became a digital disciple. I said to myself that one day I would fly to Atlanta to see him preach in person. I had even discussed this with someone from my church who had been thinking the same thing.

Last November, I saw on the 2819 Instagram page that there would be a summit in London on 1 February 2026. I was over the moon — I started messaging my friend to let her know, but before I could finish typing my message, she had already messaged me about it. We were determined to make it to this event by any means necessary! We were thrilled. Luckily, on the day the tickets were released, she was able to secure tickets for us. I was so happy that the event was happening at ExCeL London, which is local to me, and on top of that, the event was free! This was perfect. Many people from my church also got tickets.

When 1 February 2026 came, I was fired up. We got there a couple of hours before the event and were near the front of the queue. I couldn’t believe it was finally happening — I would finally see Philip Anthony Mitchell preach live without having to travel to Atlanta. While in the queue, we even prayed that when we got inside the arena, we would get seats near the front in the middle, and guess what? God answered that prayer, and we had a perfect view. As soon as we walked inside the arena, it felt so surreal. I actually felt like I was in the 2819 Church in Atlanta, as the setup was identical to what I have been watching on YouTube every week.

The praise and worship was amazing. I loved the songs they sang, including Jehovah Gibbor and Marvellous (I have been playing Marvellous on repeat). When I saw Philip Anthony Mitchell on the stage, I was so excited!!  His message was about the book of Jude. Pastor Philip emphasised that we do not have much time left and that we need to be serious about our faith and get right with Christ. We need to speak up and contend for the faith; we can’t be scared to “offend people” or be passive, otherwise other religions and ideologies that do not align with Christianity will continue taking over the UK. If we are not careful, Christians in the UK will be persecuted (which has already started happening). We have a duty to spread the gospel and defend Christianity against worldly movements. This message really moved me, I was locked in the entire time. I genuinely don’t think anyone in that arena left the same — it made all of us realise there’s a lot of work for us Christians to do. 

I am so grateful to God for allowing me to have this life-changing experience and for being able to share this with my sisters in Christ. For years, I had been praying to God for Christian sisterhood. I wanted a group of mature Christian women who could provide me with wise counsel, challenge me to grow closer to Christ, and lift me up in prayer. God answered that prayer for me (“Walk with the wise and become wise" Proverbs 13:20). We can’t walk on this Christian journey alone. God has been showing me the importance of community and being in the right environment for growth. That is why I'm also grateful for my church community. Though I’ve spent most of my life in church since childhood, ARC Forest Gate is the only church I have ever felt fully connected to. I remember praying to God about what I wanted in a church, and ARC ticked every single box. I will forever be grateful to my girl Shak for inviting me to this church. Since joining the church, my faith has grown more than ever before. I believe it is alignment, as both ARC and 2819 have been journeying through the book of Matthew in the ESV version during their sermons. I am excited to continue walking with Christ in this community, to grow in boldness in my faith and to spread the gospel. This season has been full of answered prayers, love, joy, and peace.

IShowSpeed Africa Tour

As a millennial, I only became aware of the streaming world about a year ago. What I found fascinating is that young men in their early 20s were becoming millionaires purely from live-streaming their day-to-day lives. Two popular streamers I see mentioned a lot are Kai Cenat and Speed. I didn't realise how influential these young men were. I had seen clips of Speed in China and Europe, where huge crowds of people were following him and screaming his name. I was shocked; in my eyes, he was getting more attention than most A-list celebrities. I wondered why he was so famous.

Recently, Speed did a tour of Africa, visiting 20 countries. As an African myself, I decided to tune in to parts of the tour. It was very entertaining and educational. Seeing how he was received all over Africa, and the large crowds he drew from people of all ages, showed how much influence he has. I had assumed his audience was mostly Gen Z, but it clearly included people of all ages.

From the Egyptian pyramids, to the Maasai tribe in Kenya, to the AFCON finals in Morocco, to Speed receiving a massage in Ghana while the women chanted "Kurya Kurya Kurugengen," it was an epic tour. What surprised me was the number of online clips of people (mainly Americans) who were shocked by what they saw in Africa; they had believed the whole continent was nothing but dirt, sand, mud huts, and poverty. I was thinking: in this day and age of the internet and YouTube, how did they not know that Africa has cities, especially with YouTubers such as Wode Maya, who has been showcasing Africa on YouTube for many years?

Speed single-handedly shattered many negative stereotypes about the African continent and introduced a new audience to its numerous cultures. He took his time to embrace the local people in each country he visited and immersed himself in various cultural practices such as naming ceremonies, cultural dances, eating local dishes, and learning words in different languages. I liked that he was open to learning about these cultures and did not judge them negatively.

One downside of the tour was the racist abuse he suffered in North Africa. To be honest, it didn't surprise me; my parents previously lived in North Africa and told me about the racism they experienced. While at a football stadium in Algeria, objects were thrown at him by football fans, and he was called the n-word. I understand not all North Africans are racist, but there is a lot of racism in those countries towards Black people. For example, during the Morocco vs Senegal AFCON final, Morocco kept stealing the Senegalese goalkeeper's towels. Morocco also allocated only 2,850 seats out of 69,500 (just 4%) to Senegalese fans. Even the Moroccan reporters walked out of the press conference when the Senegalese coach came in. One of the worst things, in my opinion, was a Moroccan official breaching protocol by not handing the trophy directly to the Senegalese team. That is why I am glad Senegal beat them and won.

The tour shows how diverse Africa is, with its many ethnic groups, languages, and cultures. Africans are not monolithic. I am glad that the beauty of this continent has been showcased to the world. I’m also glad that years of negative propaganda have been challenged by this young 21-year-old and his team. I’m sure the number of visitors to the continent will increase dramatically because of this tour. If you are African or of African descent, it is something to be proud of. I am looking forward to when he does part 2 of the African tour.