to see how Christians did their singing and dancing.
When I arrived at the church, I saw a huge crowd. As the pastor preached, I felt he was talking about the very things that were happening in my life. He talked about Christ’s invitation to those who were carrying heavy burdens in their hearts to come to Him and find rest. He talked about God being able to create a way where there seems to be no way and that He turns around difficult circumstances.
“Come to Him, those who labour, and He will comfort you,” the preacher said. “Cast your burden unto Jesus, because He cares for you,” the pastor went on to beseech the gathering. He then added, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” He summed up by reading a Scripture that said, “I am the way and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). I felt the fire of salvation burning within me, and without hesitation I gave my life to Christ that day. I became a born-again Christian. I found a new bearing in life and a renewed hope in God. I was able to relax and allow God to take control of my life.
I went back home a very happy and relieved young man. I had been battling with so many needs, worrying about many things in life—poverty, a lack of education and a bleak future. The more I worried about them, the more difficult they became. I now resolved to allow God to take control of my life and carry my burden. I acquired a small New Testament Bible, which I carried with me in my pocket wherever I went. I mandated myself to read it at least once a day.
As I read the Bible and committed myself to God, I was impacted by 1 Peter 5:5–11:
You who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.
Yes, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” As a young person, I felt that this section of the Bible was directly addressing me. I chose to obey it fully. Prior to the Kangundo gospel event, I had become desperate. I had thought that taking my own life was the only way out. I saw nothing good in life. But this portion of Scripture reminded me that God cares for me.
At that moment, I was weak both physically and emotionally because I lacked most of the things I desired in life. Yet this verse revealed to me that the “God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong.”
***
One day, on a visit to my relatives in Kithimani, I received information that the government was recruiting soldiers for the Kenya Army. There were only two days to go before the exercise would take place in Machakos. I had been harbouring a desire to join the military because I thought I was strong and capable of serving in the disciplined forces. Whenever I encountered soldiers, I would look at them in awe and admiration. So now I had to move quickly in order to try my luck at getting enlisted.
Because of my lack of resources, I did not have even a shilling to board a vehicle to Machakos. My relatives in Kithimani could not help either. But this did not deter me from going to Machakos to attend the recruitment exercise. By faith, I decided to walk all the way from Kithimani to Machakos town through the expansive Yatta plateau. This would be a 50-kilometre journey. I left home very early and walked through thickets, rocks and grasslands under the scorching sun of Ukambani.
There was no specific road to follow. I got my bearings through natural geography as I walked towards Machakos to secure my goal of a military job. At times I would walk for over five kilometres without seeing a home or even meeting a single person. Whenever I met people on the road, I asked them for the directions. I was glad when their answers indicated I was heading in the right direction.
I was alone for most of the journey. I feared being attacked by wild animals, but that did not deter me from soldiering on. I only stopped occasionally to eat wild fruit and drink water from the river. During this journey I was convinced that “though I walk through the valley of death, I will fear no evil, because the Lord protects me.”
Between the towns of Kithimani and Machakos, I had to cross two major rivers, the Athi River and the Thwake River. I managed to cross the Athi River with the help of young men who had boats. Their work was to help people cross from one side to the other for a fee of 50 cents. I used my last coin to pay for their service.
Nightfall found me in Kabaa, and I slept in the corner of one of the shops. I resumed my journey early the following morning and walked straight into the Iveti hills; I did not go in the Makutano direction. Scaling these hills was not easy, but I managed to climb up and descend down the rocks.
When I came to the Thwake River, there was no bridge to cross over. But as a determined young man nothing was going to hinder me from reaching my desired destination. I waded through the waters and managed to cross the river by the use of sticks to measure the depth and employing the hop, step and jump style, also known as triple jump. I arrived in Machakos town just as the evening was approaching, very tired and very hungry.
I did not know anyone in Machakos town. I did not have any money for food or accommodation. Strangely, after such a long and difficult journey, I felt neither hungry nor tired. All I longed for was to join the army and get an opportunity to turn my life around. I spotted some young men talking by the roadside, and I humbly approached them, greeted them and told them that I had come all the way from Kithimani to attend a military recruitment exercise. I asked them to show me where the recruitment would take place so that I could go and stay there in readiness for the event. I had planned to sleep on the verandah or in the corridors of the recruitment venue.
One of the young men told me that he also had intentions of joining the military and was going to present himself for recruitment. “I’m aware of the army selections, and I will be going there to try my luck. I really want to be a soldier,” he said. I looked at his body frame, and in my assessment he was fit for the job. He warmed up to me, asked me about Kithimani, and even offered to host me in his home so that we could go together in the morning for the selections. He was a godsend. Those were the days when people were never scared of strangers. Those were the days when honesty, generosity, kindness and brotherhood, among other good virtues, were highly regarded. We knew that everybody meant well for one another. That evening I was able to eat and sleep well in a stranger’s house.
Through this experience, I gathered that God has His own way of preserving His people. He always sends someone ahead of you. He creates a road where there is none. He protects you from evil. And He provides for you.
The following day we left early in the morning and walked about five kilometres from my host’s home to the Machakos stadium. We were among the first to arrive. Our first test was a simple drill—the recruitment team wanted to assess our strength through a running exercise. We were told to run about 10 times around the stadium. I was a good athlete and managed to finish among the first group. Over 200 people had turned up for the exercise, but close to half were dismissed right away for either finishing late or not being able to complete the race. According to those recruiting, the good runners already had one foot in the military.
When one was told “go to the right,” he was moved on to the next level. Those who were told “go to the left” had failed the
