I was dressed for burial, ready to be laid to rest, when Jesus gave me a mission to proclaim His name. It’s a story that still feels surreal—one of death interrupted by life, despair overwhelmed by hope, and darkness shattered by divine light.
A Life Bound by Chains
I grew up in a fractured home, torn by civil war and ethnic conflict in Rwanda. My father, a Hutu and one of the first Muslim sheikhs in Western Rwanda, had high hopes for me as a future Muslim leader. My mother, a Tutsi and a witch, practiced native African traditions. Together, they merged folk Islam with animism, a cocktail of devotion to Allah and reliance on witchcraft.
Despite their sacrifices and prayers, our family crumbled under the weight of division and poverty. I was left to fend for myself on the streets at just nine years old. By my teenage years, I had turned to drugs—first as an escape, then as a means of power and profit. I became a dealer, manipulating others into addiction and using Islam as leverage for control.
I excelled in Islamic studies, memorizing the Quran and rising to become an imam. My reputation as a Muslim apologist grew, and I felt I was fulfilling the destiny my father had proclaimed over me. But my soul was restless, my life a tempest of addiction, spiritual torment, and unresolved pain.
The Beginning of the End
During my final year of school, my body and mind began to collapse. A sudden, overwhelming terror gripped me during a basketball game, plunging me into a storm of sounds and visions. Diagnoses ranged from drug-induced psychosis to spiritual oppression. Desperate for relief, my family turned to both witchcraft and Western medicine, but nothing worked.
A Christian friend of my mother finally suggested, “Why not try Jesus?” The idea seemed absurd, but we were out of options. A local pastor and his church prayed and fasted for me. On the seventh night of their intercession, I felt as though I were being pulled out of deep water. The name of Jesus echoed in my spirit, and for the first time, I felt peace. Yet I struggled to fully surrender.
The Day of My Funeral
Months later, my health deteriorated again. I collapsed in excruciating pain, foaming at the mouth, my body completely paralyzed. Doctors could find no cause. By the time my heart stopped beating, I was beyond hope. My family washed my body, wrapped me in a burial cloth, and prepared my grave.
But while my body lay still, my soul was taken to a place of unspeakable torment. Four demonic figures mocked and tortured me, binding me in chains. I was powerless to resist their evil. Just as I faced annihilation, a presence entered the darkness—a presence I knew instantly was Jesus.
With holes in His hands, He lifted them, and the demons fled. His voice carried unimaginable power and love:
“You are among those I died for, so do not deny it anymore. You must tell others. Reveal it.”
Resurrection and Mission
I awoke to chaos. My burial cloth fell away as I stood, alive, before a stunned crowd. Screams filled the air as people fled, believing they had seen a ghost. Confused but resolute, I walked straight to a church, proclaiming Jesus as Lord.
That day marked the beginning of a new life. I left Islam, my drug trade, and everything I once knew. Though my father and the Muslim community initially tried to kill me, God preserved me. Over time, both my parents, my siblings, and many others in my community found Jesus.
Today, I am an Anglican pastor, preaching across Africa and sharing the gospel with Muslims, animists, and Christians alike. The scars I bear are reminders of close calls with death, but they are also marks of a life transformed by grace.
A Message for You
Jesus met me on the morning of my funeral—not just to bring me back to life but to give me a purpose that transcends anything this world could offer. His love shattered the chains of fear, addiction, and spiritual darkness that bound me.
Wherever you are, whatever storm you’re facing, know this: Jesus is stronger than your pain, greater than your shame, and able to redeem even the darkest moments of your life. He is calling you to Himself, just as He called me.
Will you answer His call?
SOURCE: PHILFREE NEWSROOM
