I was born a Muslim. As a child, I would attend school in the mornings and also attend Islamic school in the afternoons, where I would learn from the Quran. This was my routine. It was how I grew up.
I then went to high school, joined the wrong friends, experimented with drugs and alcohol, but still managed to finish my matric with very good results that were capable of getting me into any university in the country. In the gap year that I took, which was to decide on a career path, I fell headlong into drug use on a daily basis.
I became a full blown drug addict in a matter of weeks. Now I was fully dependent on dagga to get me through the day. It was a lifestyle of cigarettes, dagga, alcohol, ecstasy tablets and eventually I ended up using “whoonga” (low grade heroine) as my drug of choice.
What followed was a horrific cycle of addiction that lasted for nearly ten years. This period of my life took me to the utter most depths of evilness that a human being can ever imagine. I tried different methods and ways to free myself, but to no avail.
My life was at the point where I was just ready to fall down at the side of the road and die. I had failed in life. I even failed at suicide, because twice I had placed a rope around my neck, but I could not even get that right.
Somehow I had staggered and stumbled my way to the gate of KwaSizabantu Mission in March 2015 and that was the turning point in my life. At the mission I signed in with CYPSA and attended regular church services where it was preached about Jesus Christ and forgiveness of sins.
At first I was not interested in this Jesus Christ. I thought that I was in another rehab. I thought I would spend my three weeks with CYPSA, look a little better and be on my way to live my life. A quick fix solution which had failed me so many times in the past, but I was so blind.
Little did I know the power in the name of Jesus Christ. As I attended the services and listened to the Word of God being preached in truth, I felt in my heart to speak to a co-worker who could pray with me. God had started working in my life.
I started to confess my sins and seek to cleanse my life. The burdens that I was carrying through life on my shoulders had started to roll away. Truly God had started working in me. It was not long after that I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour and gave my heart to Him.
An opportunity to stay longer at the mission presented itself and I could help in one of the departments. I was able to make restitution with those that I had hurt and sinned against in the past.
Since then I have continued striving to get to know more about this Jesus Christ and the true Living God from whom I have learnt that we should hate sin and love our enemies and pray for them, and not hate our enemies and kill them.
It has been an amazing time in my life. Something I really believe that I was searching for my whole life, in the utter most depths of my heart. I’m so glad and totally happy that I have found it and it is the Lord Jesus Christ.
Currently I am busy with my B.Ed degree in teaching with the University of North West via the Cedar College based on KwaSizabantu Mission. The Lord touched my heart and has called me to schools to become a missionary teacher, to share this amazing truth of Jesus Christ with the youth.
It has been the most amazing five years of my life and I’m thankful to the Lord Jesus for finding me and making me His child.
Raffiq Ismail