I grew up in a place where there was drinking and fighting as there was a bar at my granny’s house. So that’s where I started stealing money and alcohol from a very young age.
The demon of lust entered in my life when I was still very young. At the age of 8 I was already engaging in immoral behaviour with the opposite sex and I was bound to looking at pornography every day – feeding the lust in my heart and in my mind.
I started smoking cigarettes at the age of 9 years. At school I wanted to be popular, so I joined with bad friends and from then on began to use drugs including dagga and mandrax.
My life turned into the life of a dog. I did not have any income to feed my drug addiction, so I started stealing at home – things that my family did not notice were missing.
I started stealing elsewhere and breaking into people’s houses. After a while I was kicked out of the house because of my behavior.
Then I started breaking into my own home as I felt hatred towards my family. Because of this I was hiding from my own family, sleeping at my friend’s house. I knew what I was doing was wrong and I realized that I am going to die badly if I carry on in this way.
My mom sent me to a rehab. I spent a year and two months in that rehab but then after being clean from drugs for such a long time, one month later I went back to my old life. I had not made the choice yet to stop with my drugs.
I was worse than what I was before! I even sold my own clothing that I was wearing and the food that I had to eat. At that point I wanted to end my life.
But this time around I went back home and I pleaded with my mom asking her to help me, to do something, because I knew I was on my way to hell. Someone had told her about KwaSizabantu Mission during this time.
I really wanted help, so I was doing my best to stop with drugs, to show that I wanted to change. So for three weeks I was a good boy and my mom then agreed to take me to KwaSizabantu Mission.
When I arrived at KwaSizabantu Mission, I did not know where I was. I was told about the Lord Jesus Christ. But at first I was still not sure what they meant when they said that a person must give their life to God.
At first I had it on my heart that I did not come to KwaSizabantu Mission to be a Christian, I only wanted to stop with drugs. But I remember one day, the 8th of September after the morning service, God spoke to me using His child.
I wept because I saw how great a sinner I was. I started to bring my sins into the light of the cross, and the Lord had mercy on me. He forgave me my sins and I could feel a burden coming off of my shoulders.
From that day I chose to live for the Lord and he changed my life completely. Then I understood and believed the Word of God when it says Jesus Christ can save to the uttermost. He brought me out of darkness into His light and He changed my life. I went back home and reconciled with my family, with the community and even those whom I had been a bad example to at school.
I don’t have any diploma or a degree, but I have the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ who saved me from my sins. Today, I can tell my family about Jesus Christ and how He has changed my life completely and made everything new.
Currently I work at KwaSizabantu Mission, where I regularly have an opportunity to testify to visitors.
Lithelihle