My name is Kyakunzire Naomi Karongo. My husband is called George Karongo. We stay in a place called Mugore and luckily enough, it is the same area where I was born and raised. It is also where I got married and had my children as well as grandchildren. My parents are also from Mugore; basically all my life I have lived in Mugore. I thank God because I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and saviour while I was in Mugore. By the time I was born, my mother and father were not living together. My mother was once married to her first man who unfortunately passed on when they had just had their first child together; so, she went back to her parents’ home. While at her parents’ home, she got into a relationship with a man who became my father. Unfortunately, he did not marry her. So I found myself with no siblings that I shared the same father and mother with; that was a challenge for me as a child. But I was blessed because my stepmother was a very good woman. She was not born again but was a good woman because she never mistreated me.
I was the problem because I had deep-seated self-pity because I was the only odd kid since the other children had their mother in the home. But I grew up anyway. I went to school but I did not study much because our parents were cattle keepers who did not know the value of educating a child. I dropped out of school and got married. I was blessed to get married in a family of born-again Christians. My father is called Yosam Mpandagana and my mother is called Violet Kekishaka. I went and lived at the home where my mother had her first child. When my step mother Merina died, she left me with my half brothers and sisters and whatever evil thoughts that the devil had brought into me for being born alone of the same mother and father were overcome when I became born again. Unfortunately, I always felt alleviated from the rest of the family. It was uncalled for because I was never segregated or treated differently; it just came from my fallen nature. I was only able to overcome the bad feeling when I accepted the Lord. Whenever I saw my step sisters and brothers together, I would envy them because of not having a sibling that I shared the same mother and father with. As God would have it, that particular time, I got involved in an accident and was admitted at Rushere hospital; that was 2017.
While there, my half-brother called Mujuzi and his wife came to see me and they found me lying next to someone who was in a very critical condition. I felt like that person was in more pain than myself. My brother and his wife took me to a better room. I was convicted by the holy spirit because of the bitterness in me since they were not of the same mother and father with me. God showed me how unfairly I used to judge my sisters and brothers A few days later, my other step brother called Rwanyabushosi also came and moved me to another place where the doctors could pay close attention to my hurting leg. Even then, I became so guilty because he is the one who picked from hospital when I was discharged. I was visited by so many people some of whom were not even my relatives and I used some of the money they gave me to pay hospital bills for other patients whom I was involved with in the accident. It was an opportunity for me to pay for their bills. I heard Christ’s voice telling me to become born again. When I got back home from hospital, I repented of it because the devil put dirty thoughts in me to think that my siblings were just steps and I was born alone.
There and then I confessed salvation and I believe that that accident happened for a reason so that I could follow Christ and since then the tool of bitterness was completely washed clean by the blood of Jesus never to surface again. As soon as I got out of hospital, I felt convicted of my attitude towards my step sisters and brothers and how I had self-inflicted alleviation really because my attitude wasn’t based on any maltreatment I had had on their hands. Praise God. That is how I became born again. No, they are not. I was born in a home of pagans. My father only glorified God on Christmas day. He would tell us not to milk the cows on Christmas day so that they would also enjoy Christmas. He would then tell us to inform the Reverend or lay leader who preached on Christmas day that he had given him a bull as a Christmas present. He would then tell us to proceed to church. So we would go to church with no spiritual purpose. we also liked going there to see what used to happen there, to also meet with boys and basically have fun. We had no spiritual motive or benefit.
And the night of Christmas Eve, we would have taken alcohol as a celebration for the festivity. Our father would offer us alcohol to drink, it was crazy. We grew up in such a lifestyle. Our mother and guests would all be drinking alcohol in calabashes. We basically grew up in a non-Christian setting. But since I spent most of my childhood at my mother’s place so I used to respect salvation because much as the people in the home had not confessed salvation, they were Christians anyway. They never insulted each other or used obscene words. I could never stand someone cursing at me. So my behaviours were different from the rest of the people at my father’s place. I never insulted or cursed another but I was pagan because I used to drink alcohol. Personally I had a weakness for peer pressure and I had so much desire for worldly things to the extent of thinking they were the most important things in life. That much? Yes, so much and it was so evident. That was my kind of lifestyle as a youth and a teenager. Was it only alcohol that you used to take? I also engaged in acts of fornication and I was a spoilt girl because I was not born again yet I grew up loving salvation. You didn’t see it as important? True much as I would speak about matters of salvation, I was not born again. I failed to confess salvation. So when did you finally become born again and what prompted you to do so?
The Lord revealed Himself to me because He is not disgusted by sinners since they are the reason He came on Earth. There is nothing as bad as living with guilt for not accepting Christ yet you know about the goodness of God. My journey of salvation began when I met some old lady called Kyamushura when I went to her church. Our aim of going to church was basically to mock and laugh at the ways of the born again in church. While in church on that particular day, I was spiritually touched because of the sermon. Which year was that? It was 1984. The sermon preached was how Saul converted to Paul by the strong hand of God. I did not know from which scripture it was got but I was spiritually touched. That is when I began my journey of salvation. We had spent 2 nights at a dam in Kizibwa Kyakibumba performing a traditional ritual for girls. We were there until midnight after the ritual had ended. While at home, I decided that I had to confess salvation there and then otherwise I would end up being wasted and not following Christ. The Lord had led me to a home of believers in Mugore and I debated within me whether I would be able to get converted to being a Paul, if I heeded God’s word. Though I thought I could never let go of the worldly things because I did not have the courage to do so since I had so much desire for them. I decided that I had to repent to the Lord so that I could gain peace.
When I repented of all my sins to God, I felt a heavy burden lifted off my shoulders. I felt relieved of the burden of sin and I gained peace in my life. Very true. I felt peaceful and I recalled a song that we used to sing when we were young. “The rain could go ahead and fall because after all, I had shelter over my head since our home is nearby.” So, when I accepted Christ as my Lord and saviour, I got shelter. Praise the Lord. But the devil did not hesitate to come after me in my new shelter. Then came a man who met me when I was a young born again girl, fell in love with me and married me. I was about to get married to a man who was not born again but that old lady Kyamushura who was so spiritual, said no, I could never get married to a pagan. Christ had embraced into salvation so I had to get married to a man who was born again and my marriage began on a good note. The old lady came to our home and rejected the marriage of a non-born again that I was about to get into and instead brought in a man who was born again. That was 1989. The devil found its way into my marriage yet my husband and his entire family were all born again; they treated me so well and Jesus Christ was exalted in Mugore. I was a believer and used to attend church at Full Gospel which was led by the old lady Kyamushura.
When she left, bishop Kwefuga took over and he was also my brother-in-law. He led us so well and followed the right path of salvation while preaching the true gospel of Christ. When he also left, his elder brother Rev. Yoram Tumuhairwe took on the church leadership. They all preached the true gospel of Christ and remember they were all family. They preached the true gospel which condemned sin but I was too weak to stand by God’s word and that is how the devil took advantage of me because I had not fully accepted Christ. What was stopping you from fully accepting Christ? It was because of the peer pressure that I told you about earlier and so much desire for worldly things. Really? It took a toll on me because my desire for worldly things was at another level. I had actually stopped taking alcohol, I did that when I was still at my father’s home. But I loved being in the company of girls and boys, moving in groups. That is how I enjoyed spending most of my time. The devil took advantage of my weaknesses and so I could not stand strong in salvation. In 2005, the Lord revealed Himself to me once again. I read a scripture from the book of Matthew. He did once again. He never gives up on us. I read that scripture while I was alone. I never wanted to be a failure in life.
I was so much loved by the brethren and I also had a leadership position as the church warden. I was obedient but I had guilt within me. You felt you were not complete. I was not pure because I did not have Christ in me and I was not sure where I would go after I died. I was not confident enough to stand before fellow Christians. But the creator of heaven and earth revealed Himself to me. Yes, and I read it. Matthew 9:27, kindly read it out. Matthew is about Jesus healing the sick and the blind. It reads; “When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, “Son of David, have mercy on us!” Praise be to God. As I was going through my bible, I came across that scripture and brother Yosam had requested all of us to come to church on that particular Wednesday. After reading that scripture, I covered my bible and brother Yosam said that for those blind men, they were actually referring to us. To me, I could clearly see but to God, I was blind because I was into fornication, still desired worldly things and I never glorified or loved Him therefore, I was blind. Although physically I could see, I was spiritually blind since I got involved in acts of adultery and I never glorified or loved God. I then realized that I was actually blind like the two blind men in the scripture.
I was forced to read the scripture again. I called upon the Son of David to have mercy on me and may His Will be done on me and help me stop desiring worldly things. The bible says that if you have love things of the world, the love of God is not in you. Very true. That scripture was referring to me. Praise God. Read verse 28. Matthew 9:28 reads; “When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, do you believe that I am able to do this? Yes, Lord, they replied.” Exactly. Praise God. Yes, it is possible to let go of worldly desires and love God instead. Yes, I believed it Jesus was able to do this; to help me let go of worldly things. And yes it was possible for me as well because I could also stand before the brethren and preach. It was possible because I confessed salvation and repented of all my unrighteousness. When I became born again, I settled in my matrimonial home and found peace. I had children with only one man, my husband. If it weren’t for salvation, I would have had children with other men. Jesus put a stop and so I never had children with my brother-in-law whom I used to sleep with. God put a stop to all that and I only had children with my lawful husband, George. The world is so evil. Praise God.
I thank the Lord for loving and saving me because yes, it is possible. The Son of David had mercy on me. Indeed. It was possible because I became born again. It was possible because I became officially wedded in church to my husband Mr. Karongo. It was possible indeed because the brethren and my in laws in church chose me to become the assistant pastor of our church. So. it is possible indeed for anyone who believes in Him. I would be invited to talk to fellow women about marriage. Can you believe I would do all that?! But it was possible. Indeed. Praise God. Read the next verse. Matthew 9:29 reads; “Then He touched their eyes, saying, “Let it be done for you according to your faith!” Praise God. That year, the Lord touched my eyes and I saw true salvation. When I read that scripture, I knew it was referring to me and yes it all became possible. Thanks be to Christ. Being hosted on this show is because it is possible. Indeed. Praise our Lord.
Matthew 9: 29 That scripture is a true testimony to salvation. We go through different stages in life. When I was a young girl, I used to lie around and even when I married, I still went on lying around and having extra marital relationships. But I was blessed to be married to a man who was born again because no man would stand an adulterous woman. We did not have much property as a couple but Christ helped us to work together and develop. We have educated our children as a result of working together. We built our home together. Two of our sons have completed senior 6 and we believe that is good enough much as we would like them to attain much higher education levels. They tried working in Mbarara to earn some money but it did not work out as expected. One time I was at my cousin brother’s function that took place in Mbarara. I asked him if he could help my sons to go and work in Iraq. He said life in Iraq was not a mere walkover. He advised us to educate them until they each attained a bachelor’s degree. I told him that we were financially constrained. He asked me to tell him the truth about our business income. I told him that we had limited land area to grow our cattle business. So, he said he had an idea of us taking our sons for further studies and it required Ugx 10millions.
I agreed to it and he asked me to talk to my husband about it. He then suggested that we sell 10 calves and give him Ugx 10millions which he could use to take our two sons to India for further studies. I asked myself whether that would be possible because those few cows were all that my husband had to sustain us as a family. They meant everything to him but I agreed to discuss it with him. I got into a car and to find my husband who was in church at the time. I took him out so that we could discuss about it.
