A beautiful testimony from our Pastor in training Kerry…

I am Kerry Paul also known as Kerisa Paul Mickey.

I am 20 years old. In my biography of the entire family and relatives, no one is educated even to the lower level of education not even tried it. But I give honor to God for His grace and love for me that from all of our relatives, I am the only one blessed to study. I never Knew I will be a blessing to our relatives as long as education is concerned.

I remember when I am young around 5 to 6 years or age, I happened to become too sick that I couldn’t eat or drink. I was taken to the areas hospitals to seek for medical attention but not cured. My mom used to carry me on her back to the hospitals on foot. Then later she brought me back to our village where my sickness worsened until I died. The next day was a mourning service around 9 am. Many of our relatives started to mourn and dug the grave because I was gone but because my mom loved me, she wanted to take some time carrying my dead body and admiring me before I am taken to the grave. She carried my dead body insisting for them to bury me fast while she was praying until around 1 pm lunch time. She then gave up and released me to be buried but as I was put inside the grave I coughed, and I came back to life PRAISE GOD”!

Later, I told my parents I want to study like other people’s children. They told me son, you know our entire family is poor, how will we manage to educate you really. I ended up crying, but they answered me by burning charcoal and selling it for my school fees money. So, I went to school and because my village was far, I walked great distances to school for 10km every day and operating as a day scholar. Then I reached primary grade 2.

A bad incident happened which I can’t forget in my life. As my parents were in the bush burning charcoal to sell for my school fees, they were killed by gun from the raiders who even burned down our grass houses we had. So, I was picked from school by some people to attend the funeral of my parents. In the burial, I remembered how my mom loved and my father. It was painful that I lost both of them in one day because they were working for my school fees. I cried deeply and started asking God questions why He created me to experience such a life. I became patient admiring my mom’s dead body and praying, thinking that God is going to answer me and bring them back to life again but unfortunately, they were gone forever until now.

Now my life started going bad because there was no one and nowhere to sleep, stay, eat, and other basic needs of life. So I decided to get work in people’s homes for food but sleep in the street until I met a person who accepted me to work for her and sleep in her home also. Then later the woman became happy for my hard work that she started giving me some money for my personal use. But I desired a permission from her to study and then after coming back from school to work for her.  She accepted me PRAISE GOD under condition of coming back and working for her thoroughly. So, I used the small support she could give me for buying simple requirements of the school like books, pens, etc. but could not attain to pay my school fees. Each time they demanded school fees from me, I had no answer but to cry so they denied me the report card for promotion to the next class so I decided to go to the next class by force until one teacher asked me the reason why I am not always paying the school fees. I told her and I was taken to the administration to explain and PRAISE GOD the administration accepted me to study freely because of my situation. But I could not give up praying to God until God opened up a way for me through Bill Behrmann 2018 to 2019 then Bill became sick, went back to America, and died. Oh so sorry, may His soul rest in peace with God in eternity.

I and other boys were left afraid at the mission, but we had to pray hard until God answered us through Rebekah and her family. I learned many lessons in my life journey. I got to know that God was planning all and everything happens for a reason. I desire to spend my entire life on earth in ministry of God as a kind of telling God thank you for His redemption. Although I admired to surprise my parents in my studies, they are not here with me but in heaven.

To you my sponsors, I have looked every direction to appreciate you for the love and the effort you have shown to my life but only to say THANK YOU! I know my thank you may not be enough but I desire to say it.

I can’t give up remembering your families in my prayers always.

THANK YOU!

If we cannot meet on earth then we will meet in heaven and rejoice together with my parents.

Be safe, protected, and blessed,

Kerisa Paul Mickey