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By Andrew Kpakima Jr., SIERRA LEONE
I grew up without parents but with lots of family around—two brothers, many uncles and aunts and a faithful grandmother. Grandmother, a strong Muslim, had a large family and was well-known in our city of Kenema. She is the one who raised my brothers and me. We are thankful to God for her. Our parents left us when we were little to go to the United States to study. When they completed their studies they found work and remained in the U.S.A. Three more sons were born to them there.
We were supported by our uncles because Grandma was very old. They faithfully brought us food, money and whatever we needed.
Grandma took us to the mosque and insisted we fast during the month of Ramadam. She also brought us all kinds of jujus (charms). At that time I thought they were good for me.
Even in my early childhood as a Muslim, I loved Jesus. I heard about Him in my elementary mission school. At the end of the day we sang songs about Jesus Christ. That was my favorite part in school.
After secondary school, I transferred to Christ the King College in Bo where I lived with an aunt. Schooling in Bo was hard for me because I had to walk five miles back and forth to school. Often I would not have breakfast and no money for lunch. After eight to ten hours at school, I would walk back hungry. If my aunt hadn’t cooked, my cousin and I would have to go out to find something to eat. It was like that for two years.
When I first moved to Bo, I began attending a Roman Catholic Church. I had decided not to be a Muslim. A Jehovah Witness man talked to me one day. I didn’t receive all that he told me, but one verse from the Bible stuck with me. “Remember your creator in the days of your youth.” I was always thinking about those words and since the Catholic Church is very popular in my country, I decided to attend there.
One day a Christian man came to our house and said he wanted to talk to my friend and me about Jesus Christ. My friend left, but I was very interested. The man preached the gospel to me, telling me that God loved the world so much that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to earth to die for sinful man. He said that if I believed that Jesus is the Son of God and confessed Him as my Lord and Savior, then I would be saved. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”(John 3:16). “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom. 10:9).
I began to ask all kinds of questions and finally decided to invite Jesus Christ to be my personal Savior and Lord. The man told me to ask the Lord to forgive me and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness. I knelt down and started telling the Lord all the bad things I had done and asked Him to forgive me, cleanse me and to come into my life. My life has not been the same since. I thank God for that experience.
The following Sunday I went to that brother’s church at his invitation. I truly sensed the presence of the Lord there and began to grow spiritually. I immediately started telling people how God changed my life. Whenever I traveled by bus, I would ask the driver if I could tell the people about Jesus Christ. Some of the drivers gave me per, so I would stand up and preach the gospel to about 50 passengers.
After I finished secondary school, I did not have money to go to college. My uncles were tired of supporting my brothers and me. They said our parents in America should support us because they were making more money.
I had nothing to do, so I would go back and forth from Kenema to Bo to Freetown. I kept going to church and preaching the gospel. I started praying for a visa to come to the States to join my parents. But getting a visa is very, very difficult for us. Mother had come twice to take us back with her. She went to government officials who said they would help us get visas, but nothing came of it.
One day when I was reading in the book of Jeremiah, I came across this verse, “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for me?” (Jer. 32:27). I jumped up and started praising God. Even when doubts came I would confess, “Is there anything too hard for the Lord?” That’s how it was for three years.
I hadn’t said anything to my parents, I was just praying about the matter. Finally I asked my Dad to write me an invitation. I made an appointment for an interview at the American Embassy. I was fasting and praying. I said, “God, You said there is nothing too hard for you. You will make a way for me to go .” I began confessing His Word: “If you ask anything in my name, I will do it” ( Jn. 14:14). I went to the interview confident that I was going to get a visa, but I was rejected. I did not have enough documents for the Consul to give me a visa. I was so disappointed. Why did God let me down?
God spoke to my heart saying, “Go spend more time with me.” So I went to Bo to fast and pray. As I prayed and fasted, these words kept coming to me: “The fear of the Lord and obedience to His Word.”
After a time I returned to Freetown and tried to call my parents, but their phone was cut off. I had no way of communicating with them to tell them of my situation, but I felt I should make another appointment for an interview. This time I did not even see the Consul. His secretary just handed me my documents. I must have been there less than a minute. The visa was in my passport! I started praising God and rejoicing. My parents sent me a ticket and I finally joined them in the States. I thought I had everything then, especially after I began working and making money.
At first I was on fire for the Lord, but with all the pleasures and activities around, I backslid. I did attend church, but I really wasn’t getting the Word. Then through a brother’s teaching in the youth group, the Spirit of God began to move. I repented and God forgave me, a prodigal son.
One day I visited a different church. The speaker preached on the anointing of God and that message really changed my life. It was at this church that I met and married my wife, Amy, who is also from Sierra Leone. After we married, I went back to school to study computer technology.
When I first came to be with my parents, I tried to serve them. They just ignored me and continued to live worldly lives. I started fasting as well as praying for their salvation. Several years later my mother decided to start going to church. She gave her heart to the Lord and told my father to start going, too. He was not interested at first, but he also began going. A year or so later he gave his heart to the Lord.
When Mother went to visit a friend in the state of Florida, the Lord led her to Christian Retreat, a Christian conference center. She not only attended the services, she enrolled in their ten-week course, Institute of Ministry. When I came to see her, I intended to stay but a short while, but I ended up enrolling in the course as well. During one of their church services, the pastor preached a message on household salvation. I was deeply challenged. Since I heard that message God has given me a desire to go back to my homeland. I was not in Sierra Leone when the war started, I only saw on TV what happened. But I know a lot of people died heading for hell. In these last days God is going to pour out His Spirit and I want to be a part of it. I want the move of God in my country, too. It doesn’t matter what the U.S.A. is going to give me anymore. It doesn’t matter whether I get riches or not. I am going to go back to my country to preach the gospel.
Even though I was not raised by my parents, I thank God He provided for me through my extended family who loved me and cared for me. I also thank Him for the family of God through whom He feeds me spiritually.
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