Ivan Sunna, 23 years old, tells his story of how the Bible Way discipleship materials changed his life while in prison.
Friendship with gang groups who did drugs and robbery got me into prison. I loved life in the ghettos and the day I got arrested, I had no shillings in my pocket to bribe the police. They needed just 15,000 shillings for my release but I had nothing. By the way we were all just having good time smoking opium when the police stormed us. All this was at Mengo-Kisenye. I spent 1 week in jail at old Kampala police station and then I was taken court, of course I was guilty of the crime, so I served 5 months in remand at Luzira prison and that’s where I served my days of community service which started in 2007, August and am done with it now. I got to know about Bible way in April, 2008.
My bad got me into prison and I have no one to blame for that. I was so bad that I even got several girls who were born again to back slide and I took pride in doing so. Our prisons here can make worse than you were before, thanks be to God for Bible way to be here too. In prison here we have lots of people who come to you with the promise that they can help you come out of your mess, but instead they take advantage of you in your hardship. The Muslems are here and several prisoners have gotten Islamized. You see I could not be one of those because my brother had ever preached to me and his words came back to me when I was in solitary hours in prisons. I examined my life and I all I could see was nothing but a big mess! It was a wasted life! I needed transformation to happen! So I looked around me to if there were any fellow prisoners whose lives got changed for the better while at prison through the words my brother preached to me. That’s when I saw Nathan, even Stanley Sekyanzi got transformed and now he leads our fellowship here at prison. With all these lives to refer to, all I now wanted was mine too to be transformed! And that is when I got Nathan to get me registered into Bible way. My student number is 56586. When I studied the “Who Is Jesus” book, my eyes were opened about Jesus and I believed Him and received Him in my heart as Lord and Savior.
By the way I just finished studying “the responsible Christian” and now I know how to be a responsible Christian than ever before. You in the past I was baptized as a Catholic Christian but that did not help me to be responsible with the life God gave me. But now I am empowered, taught and encouraged to be a real disciple of Jesus.
During my prison days toward the end of my time there, I dreamt thought and promised my self, that I would live for Jesus all my life, now that I am saved. To minister in whatever ways to my peers so that they do not find themselves in prison, is now my deep heart’s desire. If it takes to open a fellowship in my house, or neighborhood so be it! I feel if there was a very close house church near my home or in my neighborhood may be I would have not ended up in jail or may be I would have been rebuked about my life. Many people did rebuke me but not in love. I never saw any one who cared enough, around us. All we could see every day were people reminding us of how useless we were and so some how, I we took that it was our permanent nature to be bad, useless and given over to drugs, I wish I knew what I know now! And that why I want you all to pray for me , so that we together can take the Good News to the ghettoes where I used to be, amongst my very friends who shared with their drugs…. So that I too can share with this Good News! They shared unreservedly with me their drugs and crimes that in the end got me into prison, I will share with them the Gospel, I know this will get them into eternal joy and life!
And that is why after I got freed on the 18th of August from Luzira prison, all I wanted was to find the office of Bible Way. So that I would continue with the discipleship and get connected with new brand new friends who are saved! So I asked for the directions and address on the envelope that they used to carry my lessons. I did not have money in my pocket, so I walked all the way from Mwanga 2 court where I was released from. And I found them, wow! What I joy to see them and to see them so busy grading the books! I then told them my story of how I got find them and they just rejoiced with me. I felt so accepted at the office by all the staff. I felt so loved and accepted. I also told them about my desire of wanting to recruit all my friends into Bible way discipleship…. And now I have one doing the book!
(Here is a picture of Ivan, center, with Joseph, Bible Way Ministry leader on left, and Nathan, a former prisoner who found Christ and begin Bible Way Ministry in Luzira prison on right.)
Thank you so much for sending the Bible way materials into prison, for that is how my life got transformed!! And please do remember to pray for those that are still in prisons so they too can experience the change of life I got when I got the materials!
I now know what true freedom is all about, I tested jail and now am out as a freed man! True freedom is having Jesus as lord and savior and living for Him!
Ivan
