From Bondage to Freedom

Chapter 1 Hidden Truth I fought God’s direction for me to write this book. It took me five years to realize that I could not do it on my own. I was afraid to share my story with people because of the fear of rejection. I was afraid that people would see me differently after they read what happened to me: how I survived genocide and how I was mistreated and abused in my teenage years. I felt that my story was too painful to share. I never liked being a victim and certainly did not want my story to portray me as one. I thought exposing my scars would bring more pain to me, so I chose to keep my story to myself, my close friends, and my family. Throughout five years of denying my purpose, God still blessed and sustained me in all my works even though it was not His plan for me while I was walking a path that He had not created me to walk on. I was a people pleaser and needed to be validated by others. I wanted to be acknowledged, and I worked hard to be the best in all my endeavors so that I could have the praise of people instead of God. The more I ran toward my personal goals, the emptier I felt. I always wanted to show the people who hurt me how I could succeed without their help in my life. I was grateful that God delivered me from the house of oppression (where my innocence was taken) as He promised, and I was determined to work hard so I could be independent and do the work of God on my own terms. I wanted to serve God with my life, but I was not ready to surrender my life fully and give Him my career and my dreams. I was praying and serving God in my work, but I did not realize that God had more in store for me. I was reaching out of my comfort zone by giving to His church and to people in need, but I had not given my heart fully to God. I always told myself that I went to church, tithed, and shared the good news of the Gospel wherever I went, I was doing what God wanted from me, but I was wrong! I was pursuing my own dreams. I would share the good news and pray for people around me without sharing my story because I thought it was only for me and my family to know about. “The secrets must remain hidden” was the lie the enemy made me believe. I knew God and loved Him with all my heart because He had shown me His face and His goodness when He delivered me from the house of oppression. I knew God had saved me for a reason, and I was determined to never forget Him in all my works. I knew His presence was with me, and I vowed to follow Him all the days of my life. I never prayed to God to ask Him my purpose because I was convinced that His purpose for me was in my dreams and my personal goals. I was focused on myself and fulfilling my dreams. It was only in 2016 that I began to ask God if my dreams were His plan for my life. A part of me did not ask God about His dream for my life because I did not want to hear anything in opposition to my ideas. My dream job was to be a hydrogeologist. Hydrogeology studies the occurrence, distribution, and effect of groundwater and the geological aspects of surface water. My goal was to provide clean water to remote places in Africa where people must walk many miles to get clean water for their families. I had this dream since I was a teenager. When I was sixteen years old, I started having dreams of rivers and streams flowing with treasures underneath. It made me a lover of nature and water from a young age. To me, nature was a representation of the glorious power of our God. When I was finally given the chance to pursue my dreams, I gave my all because I believed my dreams were God’s. I was given a chance to study geology and hydrogeology eventually when I was out of the abuse. My passion for water and rocks was the best opportunity to pursue what I had always dreamed about. My vision was to help people who could not help themselves by pursuing a career that makes a difference in communities; however, I did not realize that God’s plans for me were not as obvious as I thought. Jesus says in John 4:13 14, that He is the living water, and whoever drinks of Him will never thirst again. I did not realize that as I drank of His living water, and as I experienced His power, Jesus wanted me to share His goodness with the world just as the Samaritan woman did in John 4:39. The Samaritan woman did not keep to herself what happened to her at the well. She chose to share her testimony with the entire town and with the people she was hiding from when she came to the well at noon. She shared the good news with the people who would mock her because of her lifestyle. The Bible says that she went to the well at noon so she would not be disturbed (John 4:6). Her life was not the best example in her community, and she was not a normal woman like other Samaritan women. She had had five husbands and was with another man when she encountered Jesus (John 4:17-18).