My name is Mapalo Filakati, aged 13. I’m in my ninth grade at Matero Secondary School. When I finish my Secondary school, I want to study Law and Civil Engineering.

I became a Christian in December 2009. This happened at one of Kabwata Baptist Church outreach programs for the youths and children at the SOS Children’s village. The preacher that day was talking about the attributes of God, how that God is love; that he is a God of forgiveness, a God of justice and that he is also a God of wrath. He also mentioned that God calls all people to himself that they might be saved. He does this because he loves them so much that he gave his only son to die for them on the cross. This made me think about my life, I asked myself why even after so many times of going to church and hearing the word of God I was not a Christian still. This thought really made me feel guilty of neglecting the word of God. That night before I went to sleep, I knelt down beside my bed and I pleaded with God that he might forgive me of my many sins and that he might come into my life and change my heart, since then I’ve been walking with Christ.

Attending church services and junior youth programs have helped me a lot in my life especially at school. There are situations when I hear something being preached or being taught at JYP and the next day at school I encounter the same situation and I already know how to handle it. I go to a school where impressing others is the order of the day but I have leant not to be blown away by every kind of lifestyle like chuff. One thing about being a young Christian is that people who are your peers try to influence you by any means to do things that are not right but if you love God, and have faith in Jesus Christ you will be steadfast in Christ and will not yield to those who entice you! Amen.