My Real True Father
When my father forsook me, the Lord took me up.
Getting a father should have been a good thing. My biological father had never shown up, but now that Mom had married, I finally had a stepfather. Sadly, he turned out to be cruel. Whenever he got to drinking, our home grew violent. Mom had a new baby, and many times I feared for myself and my baby brother. I was glad when my aunt visited and offered to take me home with her to Lomé, the capital city.
In Lomé, I enrolled in high school and spent two happy years with my aunt. But during my third year, my aunt’s husband began to complain of the financial burden I was on him. He decided to quit paying my school fees, and since my aunt didn’t work, she couldn’t pay either. Instead, she took me back to my mother and stepfather in Sanda Afohou, hundreds of miles north.
Problems from the past resurfaced as soon as I returned. My stepfather had been glad for me to leave and did not welcome me home. Now in my third year of high school, I resumed my studies, and at school I met a teacher who took a special interest in me. The attention felt good, but I realized I had put myself in a predicament when I became pregnant by him. We ended up getting married, but then my husband got sent to another village to teach. I yearned to finish high school at least, so my husband paid my school fees and made an agreement with my stepfather for me to stay with my mother and him until I could finish school and join my husband.
After my husband left, my stepfather went back on his word and refused to pay my expenses. “You will have to stop studying to take care of this child,” he warned. The threats worsened after I gave birth. What was I to do?
In this quandary, I met an evangelist named Tchalla who was preaching in the center of the village. He handed me a pamphlet on prophecy, and something mysterious drew me. A glimmer of hope shown from the words on that pamphlet—words about Jesus, Whom alone, it said, could save us from all our problems. I decided to contact the pastor listed on the pamphlet.
The problem I wanted help with, of course, was being able to return to school and get my diploma. When I told the pastor my situation and asked how Jesus could help me, he immediately gave me money for school supplies and fees. My mother agreed to babysit, but my stepfather threatened her with retaliation, so the pastor and his wife decided to look after my daughter and serve me supper every day after school. Soon I was spending all my evenings at their house, and I gladly took the opportunity to study the Bible with them. The Bible filled my heart with hope. The thought of Jesus coming back to take us out of this world of suffering gave me the peace that I was longing for.
Through our studies, I learned that God wants me to worship on His holy day of rest, the Sabbath. God wants my worship so I can develop a relationship with Him and learn to trust Him as my real, true Father. When I started keeping the Sabbath, I found a kinship that I had missed for a long time. Fellowship with true friends is what my heart had been craving for a long time!
My true Father has turned my life around. I am in my last year of high school and doing well. Better yet, I am ready to receive baptism. I thank the Lord for His miracle!
Location
Togo
Author
Told by Rachel Essossolam to Agamah Balakibawi, a district pastor in the Kara region of Togo.
How You Can Help
Pray for Rachel to remain steadfast in her newfound faith. Pray that God will help her to grow in His grace.
Pray for the eight Bible workers in Togo as they seek out those who are searching for the truth.
Donate to the evangelistic work in Togo by sending your gift marked “Togo Evangelism” to:
Mission Projects International
PO Box 237
Kirksville, MO 63501
To give securely online, visit missionspro.org/donate
Thank you. Your gifts sustain eight full-time Bible workers and one full-time evangelist who are bringing God’s last warning to Togo. Thank you so much for your support of these workers!