NOTANDO'S TESTIMONY - REJECTION, ABUSE AND RESTORATION

I am a Xhosa girl from Cape Province, South Africa. I am from the rural area where people are very poor. I decided to come to Durban to seek brighter, better things-AND MORE MONEY!!!!!!!!! . I believed that this would be for my good, but I was wrong, so very wrong

When I arrived in Durban I got a job and life was relatively easy. I was working and a boyfriend soon followed. I fell in love with him hook, line and sinker. He was my one true love and life seemed good.

Two months later I found out that he had a girlfriend/wife he was staying with. He had a child with this woman. I was merely an amusement-some plaything on the side. I was torn apart. How could a man I loved so deeply betray me so immensely? I fell into adeep depression and my life fell apart. I then lost my job. I now had no man and no job-and no money, no food and hunger in my belly. What now?

I met some girls in the Point, Durban who told me how to make money by selling my body. No qualifications needed. No tools to buy. No experience needed. Simply stand on the street corner and sell your body to interested clients!

They gave me hope. I only had to treat sex as though it was nothing, and get paid for it!

The life was disgusting and degrading, but I needed to eat. Also I had to send money to help my mother and my child survive at home. A little bit of meaninglessness, humiliating sex wouldn't hurt- right? WRONG!

Commercial sex work stripped me of my life and my soul, my dignity as a women, my pride as a young girl. My self esteem crashed. I felt as though I was worthless. .........But life was to soon change. ....................

I met House of life workers one lazy afternoon, standing with my friends in the sun in Fisher street, waiting for clients. I was approached and begged to go to a church meeting nearby to hear the Word of God. I hesitated, but since I was promised some free food and clothing at the end of the service, so I decided to go.

The church service was held in an unfinished, unpainted warehouse, but strangely, as I entered the church, I felt a warmth I had never felt before. It was as though someone had their hand on my shoulder. I felt a presence around me and felt compelled to give myself to Christ. I resisted for a while, but soon I submitted to the Holy Spirit and received jesus Christ into my heart. ..... and my salvation.

At the end of the service I asked to go to the HOUSE OF LIFE to be rehabilitated from the abuse I received, and the evils I was committing. I was interviewed and went to the HOUSE.

At the HOUSE OF LIFE I have first of all surrendered my life totally to Jesus. Then I received divine peace, understanding that all things work out for blessing in my life.

Part of the HOUSE OF LIFE program is training in skills, with excellence. I will soon be going to commercial college. At the end of this I will do an exam and receive a certificate. With this certificate I will get a job and start rebuildinging my financial and educational life. I will also be able to send clean money home to my mother and for my child. Halleluia! Thank you Jesus for you are so good to me.


Notando went to college, passed her certificate and returned home to where her parents and children are. It is beleived that she is working now, and providing for her children and bigger family.