My Testimony

Life Before Walking With Christ

I was born and raised in the West African country of Cameroon. There, I grew up in a home that practiced Catholicism. I went to church every week, went to confession at least once a month, and prayed the rosary almost every night. Despite my efforts to grow my faith, I never understood what it was like to have a personal relationship with Jesus or what it meant to actually live for Him.

My siblings and I moved to the United States in 2007. My mother was already here several years prior for breast cancer treatment. She was in the fourth stage of cancer, and she knew she was leaving this world soon. My mom prayed every night before bed and pleaded that God would keep her alive long enough to see her last baby graduate: me. 

I left the house the morning of my graduation and my mom was sleeping. When I got home, I remember my uncle telling me that she hadn't opened her eyes all day. I walked over to the living room where her bed was for the past several weeks. I looked down at her with my cap and gown still on to say, “Mommy, I did it!” At that moment, she managed to open one eye to see me in my cap and gown. Although she was no longer speaking, I knew she was happy to see me. The following day, May 27th at 3am, my beautiful, resilient, and compassionate mom went to be with the Lord. God’s faithfulness and provision were evident in her departure from this world. The timing of her passing is even more beautiful and significant now that I have a relationship with Jesus. Praise God for answering her prayer! 

After graduating from high school, I moved a couple hours from home to pursue a degree in healthcare. Unfortunately, I started drinking in college, and I would drink solely to get drunk. I participated in the weekly party scene, started smoking, and chose to dress for attention. I had a void that was not being filled by anything. I idolized my success in school, along with many other things. I may have appeared happy and bubbly on the outside, but I felt a deep emptiness and hopelessness on the inside. Now I realize I was seeking the world to satisfy what only God can satisfy in our souls. 

Encountering Christ

My wake up moment occurred in the summer of 2017. I felt the Lord pressing on my heart to seek Him. I felt led to look up Christian churches. Thank God for Google because I came across Northpoint.  For the first time in my life, I understood The Gospel. I understood Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sins. I realized I was a sinner and could never pay the price or be “good enough” to deserve eternity with God. I confidently believed in Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross. I realized faith wasn’t simply knowing about Jesus, going to church, saying and doing the right things, but faith was knowing God personally. 

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” Ephesians 2:8 

I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior and placed all of my faith in Him and His finished work on the cross. I got baptized in this church and was born again. 

My public confession of my faith, In the Lord Jesus Christ!

“This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:22-23 

Life After Christ

Those who follow God know that being born again does not mean we are free from difficult times. In fact, the Bible tells us that “those who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted...” 2 Timothy 3:12, 2 Corinthians 4:8-12

In my before Christ (BC) days, I was very prideful about how well I did in school. School became one of the biggest idols in my life. I felt like no matter how sad and depressed I was inside, if I had my education as my foundation, it would offer me security; it would even save me. I thought after I graduated I would get a job and life would magically get better. 

Understanding how I previously idolized school is a significant part of my testimony. In my third semester of nursing school, I failed a class. This meant I had to repeat the semester. I was absolutely devastated; I didn't graduate with the friends I started the program with and repeating this semester was not cheap. I was maxing out my student loans, because I had previously majored in a different concentration. 

This season was very sad and difficult. I felt like a failure. I felt like I failed myself, my family, and especially my mom. By the grace of God, He redeemed my shortcomings and worldly failure as an opportunity to truly know His word and trust and believe in Him.

Because I now had one class to attend, I had a significant amount of free time to study and learn the word of God. God allowed me to become a part time nursing student and full time student of The Word. I would sit in my room for hours studying scripture. The knowledge of our Lord from the Bible grew an even deeper desire to live for Him. During this time, I was challenged in a multitude of ways. God was revealing to me the idols in my life, all the things of this world I lived for and put my hope in instead of Him. The Lord dismantled them to reveal the truth that the purest form of joy is in Him alone.

Because of God’s grace, I look back on one of the most challenging seasons of life with joy and gratitude. My verse in that season of life was, “Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10

Our testimonies ultimately reveal what God has done in our lives so that we may proclaim His goodness, faithfulness, and character.