ccm Cross 0140
Saturday July 1, 2017
Church of God of the Congo
Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo
ccm Cross 0140
GPS/DMS 1°40’26.72″ S 29°13’42.42″ E
Additional pictures after testimony
4385 cdd Pick Pocket Preacher
Cyber Daily Devotion
Volume 18 Number 155
Today’s Author: Pastor Bill
Scripture: Leviticus 19:13
“You shall not cheat your neighbor, nor rob him. The wages of him who is hired shall not remain with you all night until morning” NKJV
Hello, my name is Uwbikiye Jean Pierre with the Church of God, Goma, Congo. I was born in a family of eight children. We were five boys and three girls. My father died while I was still young, I am the sixth in our family. So, we were left with my mother, life was difficult and challenging. I felt strangled by poverty so I ran away from home when I was fifteen and became a street boy. On the street, I was introduced to drugs, unclean living and stealing. This became my way of life for five years.
When I was twenty a preacher came to my home town of Goma with a Christian Crusade. The street gangs were excited. A large crowd was just what we needed to get drug money by picking pockets. We all gathered at the crusade and dispersed among the people. But for me this day would be different. This day I heard what the preacher was saying. He talked of the love of God and he said that love verses hate is a choice. My life was full of anger, bitterness and hate. I had never experienced love in my life.
For the first time, I was very attentive to every word the preacher said. It was as though he was talking only to me amid all the people. I knew I was there to pick pockets but I couldn’t do it. The more I heard the more love filled me until I was overflowing. The preacher reached the end of his talk and asked, “Does anyone want to live this kind of love with Jesus Christ? If so come forward.” I rushed forward and gave my life to Jesus.
Local pastors from all over the city were invited to the meeting. We were asked to find a pastor near where we lived. I didn’t know any of the pastors so I asked around and found one from my local Church of God. It was close by and I became committed to it.
At first it was not easy for me because my friends tried to pull me back to the street with drugs and stealing. But I was determined not to let go of the love of Jesus.
To make a long story short, my friends started calling me the church rat — meaning the church was everything to me and became my home. I started carrying instruments to different parts of city for crusades, I was helping and participating in every church activity that came along. The Pastor taught me the skill of carpentry — he really took me under his wing while mentoring me.
Time came I had to go back to my mother’s house. I had to share the love of Jesus with her and my family and ask for forgiveness. I walked in a changed man and the entire family received me and joined in loving Jesus. I met my wife and we were married. We started this church two years ago and Jesus has been faithful each step along the way.
Thank you, Pastor Bill and Pastor Cosmas, for this Cross. It is so necessary to show our people how much Jesus loved us that He died for us on the Cross.
Prayer: Father thank you for making ways and providing the finances to plant one Cross at a time for Your Glory. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!
Attaching Cross beams
