Pricked by the Word and Bleeding for Jesus

A young person suffers hardship for Christ’s sake.

“Do you realize that we could be in the wrong church?”

We had been faithful Christians under the umbrella of the Anglican church, and my neighbor also had been associated with the same faith. When she visited my family’s home one sunny day, Prosy went right to the point with her strange question.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“We act differently than what the Bible teaches,” she responded. “Today, I have discovered new truth that you should not miss, my friend.”

I pulled a bench over for us to sit down. “Share this Bible truth with me,” I said.

The elderly woman looked puzzled for a moment. “I can’t remember where the verses are. But I learned this truth from an Adventist pastor. Would you allow him to come and visit?”

My heart pounded in my chest as I processed the change this could mean for my family. “Yes, I would like him to visit.”

I fell into a slumber under a tree in the compound that afternoon. The day was hot and humid. A deep bass voice woke me out of sleep. To my surprise, a neatly dressed young man and my neighbor Prosy stood in front of me. We sat under the tree together, and the young man began to tell us the good news about Jesus. He also shared that there was a counterfeit Christ, and a counterfeit gospel. Referencing 2 Corinthians 11:4, he highlighted the danger of believing in the counterfeit in place of the genuine.

At this point, my parents emerged from the house nearby, also interested in what our visitor had to say. We all agreed to continue Bible studies, and everything went smoothly until the young pastor shared that the biblical Sabbath was not Sunday, but Saturday.

The truth pricked my heart, but my parents felt it was divisive. “Let him teach Jesus, but leave the Sunday topic alone,” they murmured. From that day forward, they left his presence and Bible studies permanently.

A Bible study class had begun at Prosy’s house at that time, and I decided to attend. I could not tame my passion and desire to know more.

I ultimately decided to be baptized, but not without facing resistance from my parents. I felt happiness because my heart was relieved from guilt, but I faced a battle. Their objections intensified as my desire to preach the gospel became impossible to hide. I solicited my peers to join the Bible study class, and their decisions to accept the truth and be baptized only worsened my situation at home.

I felt like my heart was bleeding when my relatives stopped paying my school fees. I had not yet finished my elementary education. My bright future seemed dim for a time, and I felt perplexed.

Eventually, I was expelled from my home, but I have found it so sweet to trust in Jesus. He will never forsake those who trust in Him. My home is the church now, and its members are my family.

I thank God, because I have been accepted into a new household, and have joined primary level 7, which is the last class in this level.

I feel peace when the Bible speaks to me. It heals my wounded heart and restores the brightness of my future. I feel obliged to spread this message to the rest of my peers in the village. I pray that they will hear God speaking to them through me.

Location
Uganda

Author
Pastor John Kaganzi is the leader in the Ruhandagazi Seventh-day Adventist District in Bushenyi, Eastern Uganda.

How You Can Help
Pray for the follow-up evangelistic work that Pastor John is doing to build up Christ’s kingdom. Pray for funds to build churches where the new believers can worship.

Donate. To donate to Pastor John’s work, please mark your donation, “Uganda Mission” and mail it to:

Mission Projects International
P.O. Box 151
Inchelium, WA 99138

To give online, visit:
www.missionspro.org/donate