From Suicidal to Excited About The Future – Uganda
Apr 26, 2018 1189
Youth who attended the Week of Prayer hold up copies they were given of Gill Ford’s “Jesus + 0”.
The year 2018 came with a rare invitation to conduct a Youth Week of Prayer at a Christian university church. Theology students organised the event and the theme was ‘New Beginning With God’. It was based on Isaiah 43:19, which says, “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” It was meant to encourage the youthful audience through Biblical motivation. During my talk I was able to address issues such as relationships, drugs, sex, career choices, recreation and many more.
On the last day I requested testimonies from the audience and the following was one of the most touching. A young lady walked straight to the pulpit and taking the microphone from my hand, began to narrate her story that left the whole congregation in tears. She began,
“My name is Eunice from Tanzania. I was born as the only child of my mother, who passed away in 2016 through a greasily road accident that left her and several other family members dead.
Early this year, my dad married another woman with whom I began to stay. My dad is usually out of the country as he is a long-distance truck driver. That means that I am with my step-mum most of the time. But a few months ago she brought her two kid sisters to our home. Things began to change from this moment. I noticed how my stepmother began to treat me as if I did not belong to the family. My dad often said that I remind him of my mother whom he used to love very much. I guess that statement did not go down well with my stepmother who happens to be barren.
“I want to begin Bible study classes and be baptised”
A few weeks before school starting, my stepmother’s sister conspired with my stepmother to create bad rapport between my dad and me by claiming that I am immoral. This was because I happened to have a classmate visit my home. They claimed he was my boyfriend and that I was spending time with him. After this incident, when even my own dad began to rebuke me, I felt so bad that I felt like giving up in life. Things went from bad to worse and I had to shift from day school to boarding school in order to keep myself away from their malice. That is why I applied to come to study in Uganda, far away from them. Now I am a student in the school of nursing.
This week of prayer has been so helpful to me… I have been thinking about my late mother who always listened to me. I felt like I was all alone in this world and sometimes I contemplated suicide, hoping that death would join me with my departed mother. But after Wednesday’s sermon, which talked about believers not living in the past but walking into the future, my outlook on life was greatly challenged. Now I feel ready to face my life. I want also to join the youth department and get active in their activities, as I believe this will help me forget my painful experience. I also want to begin bible study classes and be baptised.”
Eunice is happy with GNU for making such encouraging messages available. It was so rewarding to hear such a wonderful confession from a youth.
The Bible is full of motivational pieces of advice as well as stories. Eunice’s testimony has moved me to think of specialising in motivational sermons, since it appears that the church and a majority of speakers have neglected this side of preaching. I am thinking of establishing a Motivational Ministry, which will target high schools, universities and prison institutions, because I believe people in these institutions are in need of motivation. This is another approach of preaching the Unlimited Gospel.
– Pr Bonifresh Muhollo
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