My name is Abaho Yoweri and I am grateful to God for being here with you in order to help spread the Gospel of our Lord. I come from Kiguma Parish in Burunga Archdeaconry and I am born again because Christ saved me. On the 20th of December 2019, I accepted Jesus Christ and I began my journey of salvation when I was 19 years old. I have been in this journey of salvation for 2 years and 6 months. I repented of all my sins especially when I engaged into acts of witchcraft in search for wealth and I abandoned my parents. Before you get to that point, tell us how you grew up. I grew up in a home of the Awakened born-again Christians who knew about salvation. By the time I was born into this world, my parents were already born-again Christians. However, the devil is a liar. Whenever missioners came to our area, they used to sleep in our home. They would sing and praise and testify about the goodness of God. Were you always part of that mission or you were like some people who never care about matters of God.
I actually grew up loving God and salvation but whenever they came, I would just sit and listen to their sermons and testimonies. I grew up loving stories of their journeys of salvation and whenever they came, they used to give testimonies and we would join them in prayer. So I grew up loving salvation and the church. I never missed a single Sunday without going to church because of my admiration of saved people’s life style. One day, the Lord saved me and I became born again. I was blessed to grow up in a home where both my parents were born again. Once again, when did you become born again? I became born again on 20th December 2019. What kind of lifestyle were you living before you became born again? I was like someone from Egypt because a lot happened there. There was a lot of bad behaviour and suffering. I was suffering like those who were in Egypt. I believed Satan’s deception and I started getting involved in witchcraft. At such a young age? Yes, at the age of 19, I heard a certain witchdoctor on radio saying that he had the key to getting wealthy.
So I wrote down his contact number. Then I went and met him in Bushenyi. You travelled from Kiguma to Bushenyi? Yes. To meet a witchdoctor? I had never been to any witchdoctor before not even moved from home to any distant place not even Kazo where he was but the devil led me along to such a place. So when I reached there, he gave me a bag and told me that it had money in it. Was it in a sack form? No, it was a carrier bag. He told me that the bag contained a lot of money and I would be able to buy everything that I desired in life with the money. Did he tell you not to open it? He had locked it with a padlock. He told me that when I reached home, I would give him a call and he would tell me how to open it. So I believed him thinking the bag contained money. I rushed home very excited and I thank God that I was not knocked down by a car because of the anxiety. As you were rushing home carrying that bag, what ran in your mind? Did you visualize your life changing since you had got money? I saw myself as someone who had become rich instantly and I was going to buy plots of land like all other rich people did.
That was what I envisioned. Didn’t it occur to you that he could be a con? It never occurred to me because when the devil puts you up to something, you never think otherwise. You really succumbed to the devil’s devices. Yes indeed. The devil had blinded folded me to thinking that the bag was full of money which I would use to become rich. So, you reached home? Yes. Did you make that call? Yes, I made the call and the witchdoctor asked me to hold on a bit before opening the bag. However, he asked me to send him money. He asked you for more money? Yes, I sold my goats and I sent him 600,000/= Goodness! I had my 2 goats and I sold both of them and I was left with none knowing that I was going to grow rich with the money he had given me. The witchdoctor kept telling me that he was going to get back to me soon. I spent a whole week waiting without eating anything but drinking water; I was really desperate. When did you open the bag? I kept it under the bed and I never opened it. I was only communicating with the person who had given me the bag and he kept telling me to be patient. After some time, the Lord revealed to me that I was in trouble. I had been conned because the bag had been in the house for days and I started wondering when it was going to be opened? It had a padlock on it and I did not have the key to it.
I spent days and nights crying because I had sold my goats and did nothing with the money. I did not buy any nice clothes with the money and neither did I go out to have fun, all the money was wasted. I felt so sad that I had gone to a witchdoctor and got conned. How did you realize that you had been conned? I was sharing the same room with my big brother and he was the first one to find out that I had been conned. Did you tell him about it? Yes, since I was busy crying, day and night without eating a thing, my brother suggested that we tell our parents. I was scared to tell them such things. He said he was going to tell them and then they would open the bag and find out what exactly it contained. He went and told my father about it who requested that we take the bag to him. The bag was brand new and it had a new padlock on it. It was then taken to my father. My mother was not at home at the time so my father suggested that we wait for her to come back. We waited but my mother took long before coming back until my father decided that he is going to put the devil to shame so he called me, got a knife and opened the bag. When he opened the bag, I was shocked to what I saw.
My father set the bag ablaze. I became sadder. I recalled how I had sold my only 2 goats and sent the money to the witchdoctor which caused me to suffer. I decided that I should commit suicide since I had betrayed my parents as well as the entire community. I went to a well so that I could drown my self in water and as I was about to do it, the Lord stretched his arm and stopped me. The Lord changed my mind set and I left the well crying. On my way back home, I met an old man who had actually suspected that I wanted to cause harm to myself. He called me and as I was approaching him, I started feeling dizzy and my head was about to explode; I was not thinking straight. He took me to his room and prayed for me. He then told me that the only solution to my problem is to confess salvation and accept Christ. Unfortunately, I still listened to the devil since I had escaped death by not drowning into the river, I decided that I should go and do casual labour to earn money to replace my 2 goats. I had never done casual labour before except doing what my parents asked me to do.
So I ran away from home and started doing casual labour. All I had was 20,000/= which I had stolen from father but when I became born again, I repented of it as well. Someone gave me a job of milking and grazing his cows. After some time, my big brother came looking for me and he was directed to where I was. He asked me to go back home. I had the right to say no since I had already decided to leave home but the Lord spoke to me to go back home. When I listened to the Lord’s voice, I decided to go back home. I packed my clothes and sat on the motorbike then the Lord spoke to me once again not to make the same mistake of giving in to the devil. So, I invited Jesus in my life. It was a Friday and it was always on Fridays that the awakened born-again Christians used to converge at our home; I went home crying all the way from Kijuma where my big brother found me. I was crying all the way because of the Lord’s voice that had spoken to me. When we reached home, I was just in time for the fellowship meeting. But even then, the devil was still pursuing me not to give my life to Christ.
However, the Lord overpowered Satan so I pushed the door open and entered the house. 1 I found them praying and I sat on a chair as I continued crying. When they were done with the prayers, I fell on my knees as they surrounded me and I received Jesus Christ as my personal Saviour. I held tight my parents’ feet and asked for their forgiveness because I had let them down by resorting to witchcraft, I repented of stealing my father’s 20,000/=, I repented of lusting after women even though I did not engage in sexual acts. I also repented of being dishonest whenever I used to milk the cows because for every 50 litres that I milked, I would take off 10 litres secretly and sell it. I used to keep the book records of the collected milk and my father trusted me to do so. He had no idea that I was giving him less milk because he trusted me and knew that everything was in order. Whenever my parents went to bed to sleep, the workers and myself would go to the trading centres, sell the stolen milk then buy alcohol and spend the night drinking. So when I became born again, I repented of that as well, stealing my father’s milk and money.
They forgave me and that is how I began my journey of salvation. Praise God. In 2019, there was a conference going to take place at Kaaro High School so my parents and the brethren raised money so that I could go and attend the conference. After the sermon by Bishop Emeritus John Muhanguzi, he called upon those who were ready to surrender their lives to Christ and the Lord asked what I was waiting for, I had to go and testify. There were about 20,000 youths in attendance that day. I testified about engaging in acts of witchcraft, involving myself with bad company and making the wrong decisions but they all laughed at me. They all laughed at me even those who were born again but the Lord asked me to carry on with my testimony; I gained the courage to testify about everything. At the end of my testimony, they all realized how important it was for me to testify and many accepted the Lord. After my testimony, many girls and boys came to me wondering why I had to say all those things and I said to them that they also had to accept Christ so that their sins could be forgiven.
I began my journey of salvation but in 2020, the Lord reminded me about the sin of bestiality which I had not repented of. In 2020, while attending a convention at the diocese, the Lord spoke to me to repent of bestiality. I stood before a filled-up Cathedral and repented of it. And the Lord then blessed my journey of salvation and I thank Him for that. So I advise my fellow youth to accept Christ because it is only then that you can repent of all your sins like drinking alcohol, promiscuity, committing abortions, to mention but a few. When I accepted Christ, I shunned away from the devil’s acts. I now sit at the same table with my parents, we pray together before going to bed and have our daily morning devotion together as we all repent of our sins. Recently I have been having wet dreams and I repent of it as well. Cut out this clip I repented of all my sins to my parents and to God. I want to live a salvation life full of hope. I want to thank the Lord for saving me because when I became born again, I regained everything that I had lost to the witchdoctors. Bishop Emeritus John gave me a cow and my uncle’s wife also gave me another cow.
The Lord revived me because I became born again, I regained all that I had lost to the devil. The cow that the bishop gave me, gave birth to another and I have pure cows because of salvation. I want to tell the youth that all good things are in Christ Jesus and not with the witchdoctors. I was called to attend missions at Magondo and Burunga and I was amazed at how people were taking care of me because I was saved. Where would I get such care if it weren’t for receiving Christ?! I once again thank the Lord for the gift of salvation because I now fellowship with important people who have trust in me. Bishop John has helped a lot in guiding me on my salvation journey The only way one can remain focused on his salvation journey, is to get guidance from fellow brethren. When the brethren see the other fall, they help raise them up and guide them to the right path. I would like to thank God for Bishop Emeritus Muhanguzi’s spiritual support and guidance on this journey because it has really spurred me on. Praise God. Every after attending a fellowship, I go straight home and even when evil thoughts come to my mind, the Lord says no to it. I always share with my parents the gospel I have received because of salvation.
My parents always lay their hands on me and pray for me whenever I am going out to attend fellowships with brethren. I would also like to thank God for always forgiving our sins of fornication, drinking alcohol etc. and turning us into winners. We meet very many beautiful women and as our minds are about to think otherwise, the Lord tells us not to lose focus. There are situations that we encounter and we feel overpowered by them but then the Lord makes us winners and we end up overpowering them instead. Recently I was telling my fellow brethren that salvation and being in the presence of God has helped us a lot to overcome sin. I would also like to thank God for the youth of North Ankole who have maintained the right path of salvation. I also thank brother Robert Nabasa for always preaching to us the true gospel of Christ. He is a young man whom we all look up to in this journey of salvation. The youth should know that all sins should be repented of and can be forgiven.
Recently a young boy repented to his father for selling off one of his calves as he had taken the cows for grazing. He had lied to his father that the calf had died yet he had actually sold it off. His father forgave him. The Lord gave him the courage to repent since he is now a born-again Christian who would want to live a pure life of salvation. It is always good to be prepared because no one knows the day and the time of the return of Christ. All the born-again youths should always be prepared so that the return of Christ finds them pure and on the right path of salvation. All I ask of everyone out there is to accept the Lord as their personal Saviour because we are headed for difficult times. Praise be to God. We are about to wind up. I know that God uses His people in His own way despite the age. When I became born again, the person who used to encourage me a lot was my sister and yet I was much older than her so whenever she used to preach to me, I would wonder what she was thinking anyway.
I would like to thank God for salvation because it saved us a lot for those of us who are born again. Because we don’t only get saved from sin but its consequences which can be terrible. That is why we call upon all those who are not yet born again to please accept Christ. Some of us are lucky to have born again parents but even for those whose parents are not yet born again, it could be that the Lord wants it to begin with you. I am an example in my home area because I preach to the youth so that they can also become born again and many of them have indeed confessed salvation. I want to thank God once again because through salvation, I have been equipped with what to share with the young people. Some have accepted Jesus and made a turn around. I opened up to them about my life before and after receiving salvation. I told them about all the sins I had committed and I thanked the Lord for saving me. I advise all those who are not yet born again to please do so and receive Christ because all good things are found in Christ.
