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Maximillar Sagwa has her prayers answered

I'm 21 years of age and the first born in a family of 6 children; three girls and three boys. I joined a provincial high school, Tigoi Girls, in 1999 and sat for the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) in 2002. When my dad left his job in 2000, it became difficult to get my school fees paid since he was also educating two cousins of mine in secondary school. Up to now, I haven't received my certificate due to a fees balance that is yet to be paid. This problem of school fees led to failure in my exam.

That year 2000, I developed stomach ulcers which made me go home regularly for treatment and cost more time and money spent on bus fare. I had the ulcers from Form 2 (year 2000) till I finished my fourth form (2002) and later got healed in 2003. Coping with the situation was very hard. I took medication requiring a lot of money which was not available. I didn't get proper medication because my dad could not buy all the medicines prescribed. This became a burden on my parents. I surrendered everything to God because there is no other healer beside Him.

On my Christian walk, I have been facing many challenges. I got saved in May 1998 and being a young girl, many discouraged me from the step I had taken. I was the only born-again young girl in the whole village. All my friends despised me but I remained alone with Jesus. I joined a church that was a distance from our village though my parents did not like it. I thank God that I joined while I was in a boarding school where we had Christian Union. After secondary school, in November 2002, I went to Kisumu to stay with my aunt who needed me there.

Staying with my aunt was not easy. She wanted me to join her religion, something I could not accept. This was a source of misunderstanding. God did not leave me; He was surely on my side and delivered me in a way that I could not imagine. At that time of trials and temptations another aunt called on phone and asked me to meet her in Kisumu town. On meeting her she asked me to live with her and thus I escaped a problem.

I joined TEMAK in August 2003. On my first day at the centre, I found people in Morning Devotion worshipping God. My heart became calm and I wanted to join them immediately though I had not yet been invited. I was glad seeing this and it convinced me that its a place of God. Earlier, after school, it had been my prayer to join a God fearing college and I thanked God for this.

What I have liked most in TEMAK is Morning Devotion, since it builds me and encourages me so much. I'd rather miss my breakfast and rush for Morning Devotion since I know what it means for my Christianity. Morning Devotion makes me not think of being absent. Another thing that encourages/satisfies my heart is the girls who come back with positive feedback of the counseling I offer to them. In TEMAK, I have offered this service to girls who come to me. The good part is that two of them got saved and others who had different needs at least had a positive outcome.

TEMAK has been indeed a blessing to me. It has made me what I am now. I give God the glory because I have come very far. If I reflect on what I have written here, when I couldn't agree with my aunt, I knew I was going back home though I had left everything to Him. Since He has a purpose and a future for his children, He placed me in the hands of another aunt I had not thought of. When I see how far I have come, I thank Him. This makes me seek him diligently. If you trust in Him, he does abundantly beyond your expectations and through this I am convinced that He cares and makes a way.

I give God all the glory. TEMAK, being a centre that teaches young girls and women how to uplift themselves, has taught me a lot about being a woman. I have now learnt of what to be as a woman, how to take care of my family and many other teachings on young girls and women. I must say this is a privilege because you cannot get this free teaching outside there. I thank God for His care and protection that enabled me to complete this course because, on my own, I couldn't have made it.

GOD BLESS YOU.

A job that pays more than cash: A tutor at TEMAK writes about her experience.

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