Testimonies

The Karamojongs are one of the most well-known warriors, cattle rustlers, and thieves in the northern part of Uganda. John Aooko, one of the chief warriors whom we met two years ago, shares how the chronological booklets changed his life.

John says: “I feared for my life because I have killed many people during our raids. I was good at shooting guns and even arrows, and our group looked to me as their hero.

One day, when the chronological teaching was going on, I came and stood
behind, listening keenly and asking myself lots of questions which included how my life would turn out. Later, I got booklets for myself and started reading. I could only see myself as having lived a miserable life and I needed help. I had a decision to make.

I went and told my friends that I wanted to quit everything that I had been doing. I told them that I wanted to be a child of God and they chased me. They looked at me as a failure, mocked me, and even threatened to kill me as they thought that the government had bought me.

I continued reading the booklets more and more and after a time, I started seeing my life changing. One day, I felt convicted to surrender the guns that I had, and I carried them to the police station. When I reached the police station, I was arrested because I was among the most wanted list of criminals.

I was taken to court, and I accepted all the charges for all of them were true. I asked for forgiveness and promised to change. I was imprisoned, but I still kept trusting and asking God to help me.

The Lord started visiting me in the prison through several dreams. I kept praying. Last month, I was released from prison to become a peace ambassador to the other Karamojong warriors like me. My life has completely changed, and I don’t take anything for granted. Thank you for teaching us the Word of God through these booklets.”

Many like brother John are in need of the Word of God even more. May the Lord Jesus Christ help us to share His Word to many people.

We live in the world but we are not of the world (John 17:14). Thank you, Jesus.

God gave us ten months for a little baby girl to be with us. It has been a struggle for the life of this baby. This baby little died yesterday.

She was born to a Muslim mother. The baby never did breast feed because the mother had no milk.

While we were doing door to door evangelism, we met her mother. She was crying. She wanted to breast feed her baby, but she had no milk in her breast. The baby was often sick, and they had no medicine to give to her.

We prayed with her and her baby got well. After weeks of seeing this, the mother gave her life to Jesus Christ. This was a miracle which could not happen in the Muslim society. No Sheik or Iman could do it.

Two months later, the mother started having milk in her breasts. This brought joy to her, and she would dream of God’s love and grace. We had started to help to feed the family, especially the baby.

Last week, we received an email from one of the team leaders in the camp about the death of the baby. This message was heartbreaking for a child to die at only ten months after her miraculous healing and breast feeding.

Here is what the mother said: “I am not leaving Jesus. He was able to heal my baby and to allow me to produce milk to breast feed my baby. He has walked with me through all of these storms of life, and He is able to give me another baby. I am praying that you stand with me in prayer and also pray that many children would be able to be breast fed and not die like my own.

My daughter was a miracle to me. She brought me to the truth of Christ, and I will walk in His true way even though she has died. I am taking this as an opportunity to know God more, to study the booklets more, and to walk in God’s way more.”

This testimony from a Kenyan pastor who has been teaching the chronological booklets:

“I was traveling on a bus to Bungoma from Nairobi, and I happened to sit next to a woman whom I believed was a Muslim, as she was wearing a Hijab covering her head and face. As the journey is eight hours, I took out my booklet and started reading the story of Abraham and how God provided a lamb to take the place of Isaac.

As I was reading, I discovered that the woman was also reading with me. When I closed the booklet to say a silent prayer, she asked me to give her the book to look through it. I then noticed that she went straight to the page where I had stopped, and she continued reading. After a few minutes, I noticed some tears in her eyes. Although I was afraid, I asked her if all was well, but she didn’t answer.

After few hours’ drive, we stopped to have a cup of tea. I thought to myself that this would be the best time to talk so I invited her for a cup of tea, but she refused, yet requested if she could talk to me while others were having tea. I agreed.

This is what she told me: ‘I am from Mombasa and I have been a Muslim, but my life has been full of pain. I have never had peace. I got married to a man whom I later learned was an armed robber who kept a gun in the house. When I asked him about it, he beat me, broke my arm, and promised to kill me if I ever told anyone.

Two months ago, he joined the Al-shabab militia, and now, he is worse. Therefore, I am running away to my people in Bungoma were I can hide, but I am not sure if I will be safe. I feel like Isaac in the booklet who is ready to be sacrificed innocently, and am wondering if the God of Isaac can save me?’

She started to cry. I held her hand and told her that the same God is ready to save her if she would surrender her life to Him. In short, I prayed for the lady and she gave her life to Christ just like that!

I compared this with the Ethiopian who met Philip on his way. I am so humbled that just by reading these booklets on the bus could bring a soul to Christ.

We arrived in Bungoma late at night, and I asked her to stay at my place as it was closer than where she was going. She stayed with us for a few days, and my wife and I shared more about the grace of God. I believe that she is now safe where she is living. Help me to keep praying for her. I gave her a set of the 68 lessons as I had to photocopy them from my own copy. Praise God for another soul added to the kingdom.”

Rev Brian Kadege ADC Bungoma

A brother in Christ is using the chronological booklets in Somalia. As you may know, the Somalis are “very Muslim,” and have been fighting for many years. Because of the fighting, there has been no real government in Somalia for some twenty plus years.

“Somalia has struggled to reestablish a functioning state following the collapse of an authoritarian regime in 1991. No direct national elections have been held to date, and political affairs remain dominated by clan divisions. Amid ongoing insecurity, impunity for human rights abuses by both state and nonstate actors is the norm” (from Freedom House).

This brother in Christ has given out the booklets which are in the Somali language, and the booklets were well received. The people are so happy to read the stories.

He fears for his life, however, as the Muslims are not happy with the Good News in the booklets. A son of an Imam has been reading the booklets. His father saw one of the booklets, and when he confronted his son, his son refused to hand the booklet to his father. The son continued to read the booklets, and when he had finished some of them, he confronted his father (Imam or Muslim religious leader) with questions.

One of his questions was asking whether there was a savior in Islam. This annoyed the father because he didn’t have the answers, yet the answers were in the booklets. The father took one of the booklets, and started to read as well.

We pray for the father and others who will be reading the booklets.

A man who is now a church elder had many problems that have lasted a long time. The family was full of chaos, bitterness, anger, and unforgiveness. No one in the family wanted to admit that they were part of the problem.

He was fighting with his daughter-in-law. He became bitter and would not eat food. His wife had a stroke, and had to travel to Uganda to seek medical attention. The sons and daughters were also full of problems, copying what was taking place in their father’s house.

The man shared his testimony:

“When we were forced to move because of the war, my wife and I went to a camp. There were no rebel activities in the camp, and our children were already grown up. Our three sons and four daughters already had families of their own.

When we arrived, my oldest son married and that is when the anger and the hate started. I was fighting with my daughter-in-law, especially when her husband was absent. My wife would try to help, but it only made matters worse. I would fight so much that no one could stop me.

When my wife had a stroke, she left to find medical care in Uganda. Before she left, she said this: ‘You’ve accused me many times of being a bad woman and a
bad mother!’

While she was in Uganda, the war intensified. For most of the time, I was not able to eat any food. I did not even want to live in my own home. For three months, I ate little food.

People told me that I was killing my own children. My cousin told me that I had lost my faith. Instead of peace, my family had become chaotic.

Since I started learning about family and marriage in the class, my heart has become so open. We prayed for my wife, and she returned two weeks later.
I want to walk in life knowing what a true family is. I want to love my family. I want my family to live in peace .”

Later on, his wife said this:

“When I found my husband carrying a Bible, walking around with a Bible, I thought he was losing his mind. Little did I know that the Bible and its teachings were changing him.”

Let us continue praying that the Lord will continue to bring healing and reconciliation to this family. We have started a fellowship which is called “Love and Respect.” Thank you so much for sharing with me the important tools that are so helpful for us to understand not only the Word of God, but also to build up our families.

“Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:22 & 26).

From a camp in South Sudan:

“Muslim leaders have closed down two of our fellowships in the camp.

For the people of the Shatt tribe, the Word of God was beginning to reach them with miracles happening. Most of the young people were very interested in learning about the Word of God. A man was healed who had trouble walking. A woman who initially was not able to breast feed her own baby was healed, and many others.

One of the women shared her testimony about her and her husband who was a Muslim leader, but was also the chief of all of the witch doctors. She had surrendered her life to Christ and told us this:

‘My husband says he is being tormented and that he can no longer look at my eyes without feeling a burning in his heart. He asked me where I always go when I leave, and when I answered that I go to prayers, he became very upset and stayed in his room for many hours. Two days later, he called all of the chiefs together, and they talked for twelve hours, closing the fellowship meetings. I will, however, continue to pray for my family and the Shatt tribe.’

This has led to the closure of two of the fellowships which were having nearly sixty new believers each, meeting separately.

Pray with us that the Lord will intervene for us. Pray with us for more boldness to confront such with love and wisdom.”

Matthew 16:19: “And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

A former Muslim living in the camp shared his testimony:

“I was born again in Christ in the year 2017. My parents chased me out of our home because I had brought shame on my family. A witchdoctor decided that I was to be beheaded. To escape, I sold all of the animals I owned, and hid in a military vehicle which was going to Juba, the capital of South Sudan.

Reaching Juba, I used the money I had to illegally enter Uganda, and ended up at a refugee camp in northern Uganda. There I stayed, learning the Word of God, praying for my family, and wondering if they would ever forgive me. I never returned home because I was afraid of being beheaded.

Thinking of returning home, I spoke with the pastor of the church who had been discipling me all of this time. He prayed with me, and gave me the money to return home.

Arriving once again in Juba, I found my uncle who welcomed me into his home, but warned me never to say anything about my new faith to any of my family members. Otherwise, he said that he would kill me personally with his own sword.

A week later, he gave me money for transport to get to the camp, and thereafter, back to my own people. Little did I know that he had been in communication with my family, and upon reaching the camp, I was received by my brother.

My two brothers came down from the Nuba mountains, and after we were all sitting down together, they asked me if I was willing to go back to ‘our’ religion.

‘You have brought shame to our family,’ they said. ‘You deserve death alone!’ I told them that I was a Christian and that I would not change. One of my brothers was very angry, but the other one said that he would love to know why I became the way I now am.

Over time, I have been sharing Bible stories with one of my brothers in order to help him to understand God’s message. Although I am planning to meet the rest of my family, I do not know what awaits me. I need prayer.

Pray that the Lord would give me the boldness to preach His word to my own family and to love them even though they hate me.”

Romans 1:16: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (KJV).

A 16-year old girl from Sudan had this to say:

“My mother quit coming to church because she felt that no one was paying attention to the messages. She felt that everyone was full of pride and that everyone thought that they were wonderful. They church became a no-go zone for my mother.

I kept praying for my mom, and attended the chronological classes to learn more. I would return home, and share the lessons with my mother. At first, my mom wasn’t interested, but later, she wanted to hear more. From the lessons, my mother’s attitude about God has changed. These days, she loves to attend church, being in love with the teachings since the church is now teaching the Word of God.”