Today’s story is shared with us by Brian and Debbie Howden serving in Angola. They are involved in Bible teaching, evangelism, Emmaus work, printing and the running of Camundambala Primary School. One of the students from this school tells his testimony.
Horano says, ‘I started attending Camundambala Primary School in 2008; I was nine years old and could not read or write. At first, I was happy to go to school but I soon started getting bored and skipping lessons. My parents were continually called to the school to explain why I was missing lessons. My parents decided to take me to school each day but after an hour or so, I would run away. I spent my time fighting, stealing and doing many other bad things, whether I was in school or not. Sadly, I even fought with my teacher in school.
‘Thankfully, the school had teachers that were patient and loving, even with delinquents like me, and they never gave up trying to teach me. This caused me to think, “Why do they still want to teach me even when I’m so naughty?” So, I tried to make an effort and go to school but I kept making excuses and skipping lessons.
‘Before starting lessons, we read the Bible each day. This caused me to be curious and gave me a desire to learn the Word of God. I decided to attend Sunday school and from there I began to hear the gospel. I realised that God did not like my sin and that whoever did not believe in the Lord Jesus was lost forever. This began to affect me and I decided to no longer practise the things that dominated my life. In 2014, having completed 6th grade, I finally trusted Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. It was at Camundambala Primary School where I was loved, where I learnt to read and write, where I heard the Word of God and, where as a result, I believed the gospel and my life changed completely. I was 16 years old and I will forever give thanks to God for the privilege He gave me to learn His Word.’
I believed the gospel and my life changed completely
Brian and Debbie: ‘We started giving Horano odd jobs to do in the garden when he was 14 years old and still causing trouble at school, in an effort to draw near to him and help. Horano has become a tremendous help in the practical work needed around the school. He has learnt a lot from skilled tradesmen from the UK who have visited us over the years. Recently, he single-handedly installed electricity in 34 houses, supplying power each night for his community using a generator that we provided. He has also proved to be very capable at mechanics and is now responsible for maintaining the vehicles that we use day by day. He is now 21 years old and active in the local assembly. Pray for Horano, that he will continue to grow spiritually and be a witness to the grace of God changing lives.’
Pray for Angola:
- for teachers at Camundambala school, as they care for young people and share God’s Word with them
- for students like Horano, as they graduate from school, that they will continue to follow the Lord and grow in spiritual maturity and godly wisdom
- for communities in Angola, which suffer from poverty and trauma after years of civil war.
