Stephen Okuku

Stephen Okuku had spent most of his life sacrificing to the witchdoctors

Stephen was certain that charms and incantations would protect his family. He had grown up in a family that believed in the great power of the local witchdoctors and at school he had learned that witches would offer him protection.

“I was a person who thought that I could do what I wanted, so long as I kept the witches happy” Stephen says. “I attended nightclubs, had many girlfriends and indulged in sexual immorality.”

When he was just 17, Stephen made the decision to marry a 14 year old girl. This was not a love relationship and Stephen had many affairs while still living in the same house as his wife.

“My one ambition in life was to become a wealthy engineer,” he says.

“I knew this was impossible because my family were very poor and I was the only child left to my parents because my other siblings had all died in mysterious circumstances.”

In the year 2000, Stephen lost his job and even though he religiously sacrificed to his gods they were unable to help him.

“My gods had not helped me, so I decided to try the Bible and Jesus Christ,” Stephen says.

“I listened to the Christian pastor and in so doing I learned a little about the love of God.

“I came to the realisation that something was missing in my life, I had sacrificed countless animals to the witchdoctors but it seemed all in vain.”

With no job to occupy his time, Stephen began to attend weekly church services, on a casual basis at first, then more often as his interest grew.

“I listened to a pastor one day who shared from John chapter 3, verse 16, with me,” Stephen recalls. “This verse says, ‘For God so loved the world He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will not die but live forever.’

“As he shared this verse with me the love of God filled my heart and I knew that the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the Son of God was the only sacrifice needed to make me right with God.”

Stephen also realised that his cousin was one of the main reasons that he chose to become a follower of Christ. His cousin refused to worship the witchdoctors and was a humble person.

“When I became a follower of Jesus it was my desire to be like my cousin,” he says.

It was not very long before the change in Stephen was noticed by his family members and fellow villagers.

He was no longer having various affairs and seemed to truly love his wife and family.

Due to these dramatic proofs of the power of Jesus Christ the villages forsook the witchdoctors and chose to follow Jesus Christ instead.

“Since I have become a follower of Jesus, God has protected my family and I am no longer in bondage to the witchdoctors,” Stephen concludes.