Conversion of a Persecutor

Conversion of a Persecutor

A Ugandan husband is enraged and perplexed by his wife’s faith.

My stomach churned in anger. “That woman despises me,” I muttered. “She is contrary to our Ankole ways.” In our culture, a woman has no right to her own personal faith – she is expected to adhere to the faith of the husband.

My wife was a very compliant woman in every aspect of life – until she changed her faith without my consent. It happened when I was away on a business trip in Kampala. An enthusiastic Adventist deacon by the name of Aggrey Edinard talked both my wife and my mother into baptism.

“Our family has always evaded Adventists,” my father fumed over the phone to me. “I am going to banish my wife and your wife from the home. I cannot tolerate these arrogant women any longer!”

I rushed home, only to find chaos and disharmony. I ruled against the banishment. I sat with my wife and counseled her to change her mind, but all to no avail. When she dressed up and left the house, I secretly followed her to see if she was visiting the Adventists. Sure enough, she entered an Adventist church! “What kind of bribe have the Adventists given my wife?” I wondered. My heart felt heavy, but also ready to explode with anger.

People stared as I entered the building, fuming and dressed in rags. I reached for my wife and pulled her away, lashing out at her in anger all the way home. My father praised me, planning to “punish” my mother similarly. 

I doubted that my wife would ever return to the Adventist church again. But to my surprise, she returned the following Saturday.

I was enraged. I decided to punish her whenever she went to church, and did so routinely. This continued for six months, but my wife would not be deterred. She neither fought back, nor quarreled with me. She only prayed. 

“What is her secret?” I began to wonder. “Maybe I should go to the Adventist church with her and see.” When I did so, I felt my interest in Adventism grow and secretly began reading my wife’s books. The truth captured my heart, and I decided to be baptized. 

I live happily with my wife now, and I have decided to cling to this truth for as long as life shall last. Together with my mother, we are the only Adventists in the Nkamwesiga family, and are doing our best to take the gospel message to the rest of our relatives. Please pray for us as we strive to carry on God’s mission, surrounded by concrete cultural beliefs that seek to destroy genuine faith.  


Location
Uganda

Author
Pastor John Kaganzi is the district leader in the Ruhandagazi area in Uganda.

How You Can Help

Pray for all the various ministries in Uganda and that all the workers will stay faithful to the truth.

Pray that God will keep this couple faithful to the truth and be willing to share it with others! 

Donate
The work in Uganda is growing rapidly and needs your help! If you feel impressed by the Holy Spirit to contribute to spreading the ‘Three Angels Messages,’ mark your donations “Uganda,” and send to:

Mission Projects International
PO Box 151
Inchelium, WA 99138

To give online, visit:
www.missionspro.org/donate