She narrates | I grew up in a great home, My mom and dad, they totally took care of us. I went to a Catholic school for the first 8 years of my life – I was a good girl following God and loving life.
One night, 15 years old, I was walking to my school for a sports game and decided to use a shortcut because I was running late. I walked through this parking with my [friend] at night and the next think I know – this van pulls up and the doors come flying open . About 5 guys jump out and kidnap my [friend] and I. They took us somewhere, I don’t have many memories of that evening – the next thing I recall was the doors come flying open. I was gang raped all night long. It was one after another ..over and over and over.
I remember laying on the ground of the van thinking; what is happening. Is this real? Where am I? This cannot be real; I remember trying to get up but, was tied down to the floor of the van. I couldn’t move.
As I said, I was a good girl. I had never had a boyfriend, a kiss or anything like that. That started the journey for me. A journey that changed my life for ever. My next memory, I’m laying in the field somewhere. I was just dumped the next day like a piece of trash left to die.
Facing the reality
A couple of days later, I woke up in the hospital and I remember hearing the doctors talk to my mom and dad. They said that I will never have children for I had been physically bitten and abused and on the inside, I was completely torn apart.
They took me home after about 10 days in intensive care. This started the process of; ok now what? what do I do with my life. where do I go? Who am I and what just happened? My parents had a really hard time – I was the oldest of their children, so there is a lot of responsibility that comes with that. They just went into denial.
My Dad started to say; you made this up, you must have been with some boy and it stared a journey of my dad and I clashing. They wouldn’t believe me. They didn’t get me to counselling or any help.
Building walls
I dropped out of school and I moved out of the house at the age of 15. I moved away… I had absolutely no body in my life. That is when the wall comes up; I don’t need you [God], I can do this on my own, so I walked away from God. I walked away from the Church. There was this loneliness, the hurt, guilt and shame .. labels started pilling on top of me.
Now, here I am at the age of 15, a victim, walking around with shame. I asked; what did I do that caused this? I felt dirty. I started using drugs. Because I didn’t have anybody in my life. What I was looking for was for someone to help explain what happened, come along side me, to love me. That did not happen.
For about 10 years, I just started doing drugs, drinking, moved from one relationship to another. And every boy I was dating, it was the same pattern over and over because I kept falling for the same thing because I didn’t know any better. I was physically, mentally abused. I was selling drugs or with the. I was selling my self. There was nothing left inside of me to give.
A child is born
I didn’t know who I was and I just kept doing more and more drugs. In the process,I did end up having a child. You would thing this would fulfill the emptiness, but it just kept growing stronger.
Here I was, a single mother at the age of 19. That was hard. I worked really hard and tried to take care of her. It wasn’t enough though. The addiction, pain, hurt, shame, emptiness and sorrow just kept growing stronger. I just kept falling deeper into a pit. I ended up loosing everything, my house, car, job. Everything I had ever worked for. My family never came around. They practiced ‘tough love’. They totally just said; no, you are not going to be part of our life. And then, they took my daughter away from me.
Jesus into the equation
I lived on the streets for about a year. I had no where to go. I lived with men who were selling drugs. There are a few people that started coming into my life. And they would talk to me about Jesus.
They started telling me about how He loves me and would take my pain away. That he would love me like no man has ever loved me. And I said; Jesus, where was Jesus men? Look at my life, what has happened, no thank you. Again that wall is up; I am strong, I can do everything on my own and don’t need anyone to help do this. And I sank deeper.
One day I was missing my daughter too much. And I know what I was doing was wrong. I didn’t want to be a drug addict. I didn’t want to be leaving on the streets, I didn’t want to be buttered and thrown away like a piece of trash but i didn’t know any better because that is the pattern in my life. that was the cycle I was stuck in . I didn’t have Jesus in my life.
Come into my life, Jesus
One day I woke up and said; I cannot do this anymore. I stood up in this room alone, Pointed out my fingers as I was talking to God and said; ok, if you are what they say you are, and If you love me like they say you do, the I need you to come now. I need you to take this addiction away. I need you to change my life.
I told Jesus; if you do, I will serve you all the days of my life. And the last thing I remember, As I way lying on the floor, I just passed out. I woke up the next day and I was never the same again.
New Creation
I became a new creation in Christ. I physically looked different. My entire countenance was different – his was like 25 years ago.
Not only that, I now had the mind of Christ. The thought of doing drugs again went off me. I was sick to my stomach when I thought of what I did. I never since that day had a desire, urge to do drugs again.
That is what Jesus did for me, He picked me up from the pit of hell. He saw me down here, picked me up, shook me off and breathed a fresh breath of life into me.
The shame, pain, guilt, as I continued to serve him, These things started fading away. He transforms us to be like Him. We are created in His Image. And today, I told you I dropped out of school, until this day, I never went to University, I don’t hold any degrees. But guess what, I’m an accountant. I’m married for 21 years.
We own our own construction company and we built hotels. It is a multi-million dollar company. God has opened up come mega doors. I’m serving on the board of eagles wings international. We are working in 20 countries right now.
The Lord put a calling upon my life that night, and He said you will be sent to the nations. We are just going around, giving the devil a headache. I am a new creation in Christ Jesus. If He did that for me, He can do that for you.
Ms Lisa Romesburg
[divider]
She shared this message as he ministered at the launch of Praise City Gathering at Hotel Triangle, Kampala on Saturday.
