A chance to start over

“I was raised in a family of six. My father passed on and my mother was unemployed. She struggled to put food on the table. In an attempt to forget the problems at home, I started drinking alcohol with my friends. I drank every weekend and became addicted.

This negatively affected my relationship with my family. I fought a lot with my older siblings. I did not want to listen to anyone. I started performing badly at school because I was not concentrating.

My mother started attending services in the Universal Church and she used to invite me to attend, but I refused.  She once came home with a Stop Suffering newspaper which I read. I found a testimony of someone who overcame the same problem that I had and that prompted me to go to the church. I attended the services every day after school.

In the church, the pastor spoke about taking a decision to abandon our sins. He also told us that when a person receives the Holy Spirit, they receive peace and happiness, and that is what I was yearning for. I decided to stop drinking and I was baptised in water because I wanted to seal my decision of abandoning my bad habits.

I attended a night vigil in the church and during the prayer, I asked God to forgive me for everything I had done wrong. I sought His presence because I understood that I could no longer live without Him. From that day on, my mindset and attitude changed.

We are no longer struggling at home. I started my own business in the beauty industry. I am no longer addicted to alcohol and I have a good relationship with my family. I recently got married to a wonderful man. Prioritising the Holy Spirit was the best decision I made,” said Bulelwa.