00:47 I welcome you to our program of testimonies “Shield of Faith” here on Rite TV. 00:55 This your favourite TV station that is here to make people’s lives better be it the groups, everybody young and old. 01:09 The aim of all our programs is to change and make everybody’s life better. 01:19 Our guest today is a young man but let me say this before I introduce him to you. 01:31 Everyone in the world has thirst not necessarily for water or any other drink but thirst for many other things that could be demands caused by our desires. 02:04 Jesus told us in the gospel from the book of John chapter 7 verse 37 that “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them. 02:26 Our guest today is going to tell us about his kind of thirst. 02:37 People get thirsty in many ways but with Jesus, all your thirst will be quenched. 03:01 Our guest today is Mark Magara who decided to serve the Lord. 03:20 You are welcome to the Shield of Faith program here on Rite TV, the whole world is watching you. Praise God. 03:30 They are ready to listen to your testimony which I believe will give hope and also change many people’s lives, knowing that nothing is impossible with God. 03:43 Who is Mark? Praise God. Praise Him indeed. I am honoured. 03:52 Before I introduce myself, I normally stand by the scripture from the book of Zacharia chapter 3 which says that Joshua was a dead burning stick that The Lord removed from fire. 04:06 So, I am also blessed to be here to testify before The Lord. 04:11 I am Mark Magara and I come from Sanga. 04:16 I am a born-again Christian by God’s Grace and He is the provider. 04:22 My pastor is called Tandeka Christopher from Out of Bondage Church in Entebbe and he is also pastored by Apostle Michael Kimuli who is also pastored by Apostle John Mulinde who is the in charge of Prayer Mountain. 04:37 I am a born-again Christian from Rivers of Life Ministry. 04:40 Both my parents are still alive. My father is called Tayebwa Johnson and my mother Kellen Tayebwa We are glad to host you, Mark. Praise God. 04:54 We thank God for the gift of life and thank you for serving Him. 04:57 When were you born and how was your life like when growing up? Praise God. 04:09 We are a big family from a simple home. 05:15 I was born on 18th August 1996. 05:23 I was born in a very poor family. 05:27 My mother suffered two miscarriages. 05:33 The first miscarriage happened right before I was born and the other right after I was born. 05:42 I am alive by the Grace of God. 05:48 Amidst all that, before we received Christ in our home, my father was a soldier who used to drink a lot of alcohol. 05:59 There was no Christ in our home so my father brought in a second wife. 06:12 There was a lot of suffering in our home caused by my step mother. 06:28 I recall whenever my step mother would buy bread for her Daughter, she would spread my piece of bread with soap. 06:38 I used to eat the bread but not knowing why she used to do so. 06:43 My big sister Dora used to come and find me miserable, she would feel sad and cry a lot because of the way my step mother used to mistreat me. 06:54 I went through that kind of suffering for a very long time since my biological mother was not in the home. 07:00 I went to Kibuuza primary school, but later we shifted to a place called Nshara where I joined another school called Rwemikunyu primary school. 07:13 My siblings and I used to walk a very long distance to the school but by the grace of God, I made it. 07:23 From Rwemikunyu primary school, we joined a nearby school called Kikatsi and that way, we were able to help our parents with house chores before going to school although the school had a low standard. 07:41 When I reached P.5, I was taken back to Rwemikunyu primary school because of its high standard until I completed P.7. 07:46 There was a rich man in the neighbourhood who promised my father that he would take me to a school of my choice in secondary if I performed well in P.7. 08:00 I had very high hopes in that person. 08:03 I did not know much about God so I put all my hope in that person. 08:07 I performed well in my .7 and was looking forward to going to good schools like Ntare Boys or Kings College Budo. 08:18 Unfortunately that person left the neighbourhood at a time when my P.7 results were just out. 08:28 So I was unable to join good schools like Ntare Boys or Kings College Budo and I ended up in Sanga Secondary School. 08:32 I lost hope but God was with me. 08:39 I remember when filling application forms to join Sanga secondary school there came a team from Bushenyi that offered us half bursary to join Shuku vocational school in Shema district. 08:58 I forgot to tell you that when I was in S.2, I developed an eye Infection and my eyes turned red and unfortunately, we were unable to treat them. 09:09 I had difficulty in reading when lights were on. 09:22 It was always rainy and cold in Shema district and we used to be taken to school by a lorry so I would sit down and those standing would shield me from the wind since I had eye problems. 09:47 When I reached S.3, my parents’ income reduced so I was taken back to Sanga Secondary school but after 1 term, I was again brought back to Shema because it had a better standard. 10:32 During that time, my father was sent on a mission to Somalia. 10:38 So the care reduced since my father was away and my mother’s financial income was also so low. 10:47 We used to have a huge fees debt at school but my father was able to clear it while he was Somalia. 11:04 The problem with my eyes intensified and I was given an ointment called Probeta and it had an effect on me because I over used it. 11:27 In S.4, my eye problems persisted and I was only able to attend school for just half a year. 11:39 But God had mercy on me because I attained a first grade in my S.4 final exams despite the hardships. 11:54 While sitting our final exams, I was beaten and asked to go back home and collect the school fees balance but there was no way of contacting my father who was in Somalia at the time. 12:13 Your headmaster was wrong; how could he beat a student who was about to sit for his exams?! 12:24 He beat me because he alleged that I didn’t put in much effort to demand for the money from my parents. 12:29 But with God’s Grace, I was able to get a first grade. 12:33 I was able to sit for my S.4 final exams much as I had school fees balance. 12:43 I sat for the exams in the same year with my elder brother and we joined S.5 together. 12:51 We both joined Measure land school in Nansana where we studied for only 1 term but since it had a low standard, we were moved to Good Shepherd High school Nansana. 13:00 I had very good grades and I was performing well in the school. 13:10 I was nominated to stand for the post of head prefect and I was unopposed. 13:24 When your mother left your father, did she ever come back? 13:38 Yes, she came back after a long time and after a short period of time, my step mother decided to leave the home. Is your step mother a born again Christian? No, she is not. 13:55 So your biological mother is the one in the home right now? Yes indeed. Praise God. Praise Him. 14:01 So you later joined high school and became the head prefect? 14:05 I went through unopposed. 14:13 I was a head prefect to students who were much older than me. So, I had to act and behave like an adult and by God’s Grace, I managed to lead the students well. 14:32 During my tenure as the head prefect, I faced a lot of challenges because I was leading people of different characters and behaviours. 14:53 I used to take students to attend scripture union in different schools and I loved doing it though I still desired to possess worldly things. 15:13 While I was the head prefect, I put my elder brother on the students’ leaders’ council and unfortunately, he made a senior three student pregnant. 15:36 At first it was kept as a secret but during holidays, the student’s family members found out and planned to come and arrest the boy responsible for her pregnancy. Your elder brother? Yes. 15:48 They couldn’t do anything at school without my knowledge as the head prefect. 15:54 So they had to inform me about it though they didn’t know that the boy responsible for the pregnancy was actually my elder brother. 16:04 I was told to lead the team of those who were going to make sure he was arrested. 16:10 I had to put school matters aside and find ways of protecting my brother. 16:22 I helped him escape by jumping over the fence and as I was passing on his bag to him, my deputy caught me red handed aiding a culprit to escape. 16:35 So he reported me to the administration and I had to go through a very hard time because they wanted to demote me from being a head prefect. 16:55 But since I didn’t have any previous bad record on my file, they decided to give me another chance and I had to apologise for it, though life became a bit tough for me. 17:08 I faced a lot of internal forces from school, from the girl and and from her relatives because I had helped a culprit escape. 17:14 I lost favour from the teachers and respect from the students. 17:24 Amidst all that, I took the students to attend fellowships in a school called Cream Land in Wakiso; the preaching made me feel that if I had Christ in me, I would be a happy man. 17:27 So one day, I went crawling up to the front and everyone wondered what had happened to the head prefect but I didn’t care. 17:47 I felt as if they were preaching about my life and that of my Family. I knew that if I had given my life to Christ, He would have given me the wisdom to deal with the issue. 18:00 The preacher requested to hear what I had to say since he had noticed that I was sobbing. 18:12 They gave me the microphone and I told them that I had decided to give my life to Christ. 18:17 The whole congregation clapped for me, many students received salvation that day even before the fellowship had ended. 18:31 I started my salvation journey though when we went back to school, I continued with school life. 18:31 Believers from pastor Bugebme’s church used to join us on Sundays but unfortunately, as a school we didn’t have anyone to guide us spiritually. 18:40 Life went on like that until I completed S.5 though not being nurtured. 18:42 The standard of the school wasn’t good so my performance in S.6 dropped. 18:54 I agreed with my parents to be taken back to my former school in Bushenyi where our eldest brother was. 19:02 My other brother who had impregnated a girl was transferred to a school in Namungoona and I was taken back to Bushenyi in a school called St. Charles Lwanga. 19:22 After completing my S.6, I went back home for vacation and that is when I got the courage to go back to church and engage in serious prayer. 19:41 They had organised a conference in Katsi where I found a man of God called Muhumuza, he is the one who prayed for me and I got deliverance. 19:48 I forgot to tell you one thing, before I became born again I had been attacked by bad spirits that wouldn’t allow me to eat meat. 19:55 During the festive season, I neither used to eat the meat nor drink milk. 20:02 I had also developed a whitish clot in my eye which was caused by the Probeta ointment that I used to apply in my eyes. So, I used to see with only one eye. 20:15 I also recall seeing that clot. 2018 I even took a photo of my eye with the clot in it so that one day I could testify about it. 20:31 You said something was stopping you from eating beef, what was it? 20:39 I think they were just bad spirits causing it because I realised that people in my family used to practise a lot of witchcraft. 20:48 Every time someone fell sick, they would take them to a witch doctor so, I believe it was the same evil spirits causing it. 20:54 Every time I went to a place where they had cooked meat, I would feel a lot of heat in my body. Basically, I would fall sick. 21:00 So, I prayed with that man of God on the first day and he told me to go back home, eat and drink everything I never used to. 21:08 I went back home and had everything prepared and the moment I tasted the meat that had been served, I lost consciousness, I fell down and started vomiting. I was finally delivered and my eyes closed. 21:22 There was a voice speaking to me and directing me to every place in the house where they had hidden herbs from witch doctors, I collected all of them. 21:38 I removed everything that was not godly. 21:48 We burnt all of them and immediately after burning them, my body became weak. 21:55 They laid me down on the bed. 21:57 No one in my family was born again at the time so they didn’t know what to do with me. 22:03 They started praying for me though they were gambling here and there because they were not prayerful people. 22:09 So a voice spoke to me and asked “If I set you free from that captivity, what will you do for me?’ 22:13 I tried answering back but I couldn’t and the voice asked me again., “If I set you free from that captivity, what will you do for me?” 22:19 The voice said “I will send you to serve nations of diverse people and tribes.” 22:24 Immediately after that, I felt delivered, relieved and peaceful. 22:30 After sometime I woke up and I felt life return to my body. 22:34 I started eating meat as well as all milk products. Since then and until now, I enjoy eating them. 22:40 What used to hurt me most is, on Christmas day they used to serve meat to everybody else and they would serve me with egg plants and black tea. 22:52 Others would have fun during the festive season while you are missing out? 22:58 I never used to sit with the rest of the family, I would sit at the back of the house because of the problem, I had with meat. Praise God. Praise Him. 23:05 Praise be to God for delivering you from that background where you grew up. 23:15 Did you continue with studies after completing S.6, how was life then? 23:25 Let us take a short break and when we come back, you will tell us about your life after completing S.6. 23:42 You are still watching the program Shield of Faith here on Rite TV. 23:46 I am Nuwamanya Godfrey your host. 23:49 On the program we host different people who tell us about their lives, but mostly their new life after salvation. 24:04 The bible says that “Those who are in Christ, their lives are renewed and their past is put behind them.” 24:20 Everything in ones life is renewed like you’ve all heard from Mark. 24:28 I believe that this testimony is going to change many people’s lives especially those who are facing a number of challenges. 24:35 More especially you our dear viewers who still believe in consulting witch doctors. 24:48 Follows us on our all our social media platforms to watch this and many other testimonies on the program. 25:11 You will find detailed testimonies on the Rite TV YouTube channel and on the website. 25:19 Let us go for a break we will be right back.
