Against all odds

“My grandmother was attending services in the Universal Church. She used to bring the Stop Suffering newspaper home. Reading the testimonies of people whose lives had been transformed inspired me to attend services in the church.

However, I was not committed to God and I made friends with the wrong crowd. I started drinking alcohol and this led to a decline in my academic performance, which resulted in the loss of my bursary. Realising my mistakes, I asked for God’s forgiveness and committed myself to making positive changes,” said Mpho.

Although Mpho was blessed with a good job and also got married, his marriage encountered great difficulties which led to a divorce. Feeling lost and confused, he stopped attending services in the church. It was after a deep introspection that he realised he could not live without God and decided to go back to the church.

“I attended the Wednesday services for my spiritual growth. I wanted to have a relationship with God. On the day that I received the Holy Spirit, I had told God that I could not live without Him. In that moment, I was filled with joy. The Campaign of Israel was introduced and despite financial struggles, I decided to participate and I honoured the vow that I had made to God.

Today, my life has changed. I forgave my father for the pain he put us through. I no longer drink alcohol. I am married to a great woman and we have a son. I am content in my marriage. We have a construction business that is thriving and we have employees. We also have two cars and a house. The transformation in my life would not have been possible without the Holy Spirit,” said Mpho.