By Rachel Balia, GlobalFingerprints Congo
Senemi is a sweet girl who has gone through difficult times in her life, losing both of her parents, then a pregnancy a few years ago by a man who left right away and never came back. She missed a lot of school – knew that she had made poor choices and sought forgiveness. We kept her in GlobalFingerprints, and 1 ½ years ago, she came to Elikya Center, a vocational training center in Congo. She was presented a Bible and songbook, but we discovered quickly that she didn’t yet know how to read. So, instead of studying sewing, she spent last year learning how to read her Bible. She asked if she could be baptized, and in July 2017, publicly declared in baptism that she is a follower of Jesus.
Learning to read and having her Bible has changed her life. Her name, Senami, means “Hate me” in Ngbaka, her tribal dialect. I don’t know why she was named that, but when I called her by her name “senemi” following baptism, she said, “No, I am a new person, loved by God. My name is now Koami “(which means Loved One).
Having God’s Word near her, in her hands, then her mind and now her heart, has given her new life and hope for her future. She will be graduating in July from Elikya Center, and has learned how to sew…but more important than her new sewing machine is her Bible. And she has come to realize how much she is loved by God her Father.