I squandered my inheritance on drugs

Nelisiwe’s mother passed away when she was only a year old, but her father was absent from her life. Her aunt became her legal guardian. She grew up in a loving environment and was well taken care of. However, when she started high school, she fell in with the wrong crowd who  introduced her to smoking dagga and skipping classes. From that point on, everything went downhill. 

“In matric, I moved from my aunt's house to live with another relative. That was when things got very bad because in that area, I was introduced to “cat” and crystal meth. When I was high, I was under the illusion that everything was perfect, but when I was sober, I felt depressed. 

Surprisingly, I passed matric, but by then, I was completely dependent on drugs. When my family saw that my addiction was worsening, they held a family meeting and told me they were taking me to a rehabilitation centre. I was angry at them because I felt like they were turning their backs on me. I stayed in the rehabilitation centre for four weeks. However, after three months, I relapsed and things got worse. 

During that time, I received the inheritance that my mother had left for me. I was supposed to use that money for my studies but instead, I squandered it on drugs and alcohol. I hired transportation for my friends and me to travel to different towns to buy drugs and alcohol. I stopped sleeping at home and I only focused on feeding my addictions. In no time, my inheritance ran out. I became very stressed and fearful. One night, in a state of fear, I called my aunt who was a member of the Universal Church. She prayed for me and I felt relieved. That same night, I went to her house and told her I wanted to go to church the next day.

When I entered the church, I received a prayer and felt a sense of relief. I knew I would find help there. From that day on, I had the strength to overcome the addiction. I lost the desire to smoke or drink and could no longer stand the smell of drugs. I never craved drugs again. My life started to change. I started applying the teachings of the Word of God to my life. I engaged in chains of prayer for my complete deliverance.

I knew that for my life to fully transform, I had to build a relationship with God. I didn’t want to go back to my old ways. I completely surrendered my life to God and I got baptised in water.

Since then, my life has changed. My behaviour has changed and I have gained the trust of my family. I no longer feel depressed and I am at peace and very happy. God gave me a second chance at life and I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” said Nelisiwe.