Case study of Benjamin, a 3D graduate in Uganda
Benjamin is one of the 26 youths who graduated in December 2018 at the Presbyterian Church of Uganda. Before participating in 3D Benjamin had fears of starting a business. He says, “before attending the 3D training, I had made a business plan that needed 9 million shillings to start, which money I did not have. After attending the 3D training especially teaching on business plan that emphasised on starting small with the little that you have, I was able to save 500,000/= and bought a second hand motor cycle for business, I now earn Shs. 7000/= per day from the business. I have been motivated to save to buy another new motor cycle to expand the business. Since then, I have improved the discipline of savings, investing and giving. I learnt the difference between tithing and offering which I thought I could not participate in with my little resources. I am now happy to give in my church which makes me feel part of what God is doing in the Church. “I now earn more, save more and give more to Church ministry and my aim is to do business for mission.
One of the Young people, Benjamin who participated in the 3D from Uganda shares his story of transformation as a result of Discover series. Am Ugandan by descent, born and raised in a Christian family. However, as time went on with hearing of God’s word, I came to know that being born and raised in a Christian family was not reason enough for me to go into heaven when I die. At primary four I was convicted and confessed Christ as lord and Savior of my life. My education journey was not a straight one, I was in and out of school because of lack of school fees, at one point I spent a full year out of school cause of fees. But all in all God did what He is best at and I was able to rejoin school. In school I faced challenges like being a practical person found challenges in some subjects that put me in a position where class leaders called us ‘’Disabled’’[stupid]. Knowing what all that meant, l lost hope in school since teachers and leaders always looked at a disadvantage I had, they never knew the advantage I had over them. With all that I moved on with art as one of my principal subjects till senior six. At that point after senior six things never tuned out the way I thought they would, never got enough points to enroll for government sponsorship yet no one was able to pay for me on private sponsorship through university. At that moment in time I lost hope it all, since I have wanted to do Veterinary Medicine at University. I felt like I did not have a purpose in life and whatever thing I could do was doing just for the sake of that person who has posted me on it. During that period, I got a chance to attend the CMS-Africa delivered VISION Conference this was a bit of an eye opener but still something was lacking. After that some month went by then the very friend who recommended me for vision conference told me about the 3D Programme. It sounded pretty nice when he was explaining it all to me but when I got there it was like a class. Seat read answer questions that was not good for me. But as God is to use you or push you to another level there a number of challenge that come your way. Some are self-inflected and other are by factors beyond you. After the training I got back home not changed to say. Then came a time of sleepless nights that prompted me to reading books. When I got the fast module of 3Dz Discover it took me one night and few hours of the day to read through and make notes of my own. Knowing myself, who am I, and what was I created to do, what are my abilities, Knowing my scope. This was the turning point in my life; I started believing in myself knowing that if I avail myself, God can use me for the better. Memories of my abilities came back ‘I am a practical person.’ A friend of mine wanted a special set of seats in his house but he told me it was expensive for him to buy. I remember him showing me the picture of the seat and without thinking first I told him to buy the material needed. My late father used to be a carpenter and I used to just watch him while I was young. Honestly speaking I had never made any thing of that kind before. I made the set of seats after we accounted for it. He had been told it costed 1.6million Ugandan shillings (About $400). I made the exact set at seven hundred thousand shillings (about $180) with a difference of nine hundred thousand Ugandan shillings. What came to my mind then was serving God is not only in church on Sunday, ministering at the pulpit being an Asher, helping in the children ministry or any other ministry but it also entails the business we do out of church. God can still be seen in our acts of business in this way. When I made this friend a set of seats he had wanted for so long, he was happy and I too was. Why and how? I helped him save nine hundred Uganda shillings not for getting that on the seven hundred thousand shillings I got my portion as a pay for the job I did. This bought about the smile on our lips and God was glorified in this act. I never cheated him money for the work, he paid for my time and energy glory to God. This is all part of our study in the first 3D module (Discover) ‘work as God intended it’ three parties benefiting. This was really good and a turning point in my life. I now do furniture as part of my work aside the other work I do. I also help training youth through the material. My humble pray is that God may help many through the 3Dz to discover who they are, I also pray that God may help me get the money to go and acquire more skills in the carpentry filed as well as providing money set up a workshop. Great thanks first to God who gave the writer wisdom and finances to print out 3D material series, to CMS- Africa to Presbyterian Church of Uganda Youth leaders that identified me , the 3D trainers and my fellow participants.
One of the Young people, Benjamin who participated in the 3D from Uganda shares his story of transformation as a result of Discover series. Am Ugandan by descent, born and raised in a Christian family. However, as time went on with hearing of God’s word, I came to know that being born and raised in a Christian family was not reason enough for me to go into heaven when I die. At primary four I was convicted and confessed Christ as lord and Savior of my life. My education journey was not a straight one, I was in and out of school because of lack of school fees, at one point I spent a full year out of school cause of fees. But all in all God did what He is best at and I was able to rejoin school. In school I faced challenges like being a practical person found challenges in some subjects that put me in a position where class leaders called us ‘’Disabled’’[stupid]. Knowing what all that meant, l lost hope in school since teachers and leaders always looked at a disadvantage I had, they never knew the advantage I had over them. With all that I moved on with art as one of my principal subjects till senior six. At that point after senior six things never tuned out the way I thought they would, never got enough points to enroll for government sponsorship yet no one was able to pay for me on private sponsorship through university. At that moment in time I lost hope it all, since I have wanted to do Veterinary Medicine at University. I felt like I did not have a purpose in life and whatever thing I could do was doing just for the sake of that person who has posted me on it. During that period, I got a chance to attend the CMS-Africa delivered VISION Conference this was a bit of an eye opener but still something was lacking. After that some month went by then the very friend who recommended me for vision conference told me about the 3D Programme. It sounded pretty nice when he was explaining it all to me but when I got there it was like a class. Seat read answer questions that was not good for me. But as God is to use you or push you to another level there a number of challenge that come your way. Some are self-inflected and other are by factors beyond you. After the training I got back home not changed to say. Then came a time of sleepless nights that prompted me to reading books. When I got the fast module of 3Dz Discover it took me one night and few hours of the day to read through and make notes of my own. Knowing myself, who am I, and what was I created to do, what are my abilities, Knowing my scope. This was the turning point in my life; I started believing in myself knowing that if I avail myself, God can use me for the better. Memories of my abilities came back ‘I am a practical person.’ A friend of mine wanted a special set of seats in his house but he told me it was expensive for him to buy. I remember him showing me the picture of the seat and without thinking first I told him to buy the material needed. My late father used to be a carpenter and I used to just watch him while I was young. Honestly speaking I had never made any thing of that kind before. I made the set of seats after we accounted for it. He had been told it costed 1.6million Ugandan shillings (About $400). I made the exact set at seven hundred thousand shillings (about $180) with a difference of nine hundred thousand Ugandan shillings. What came to my mind then was serving God is not only in church on Sunday, ministering at the pulpit being an Asher, helping in the children ministry or any other ministry but it also entails the business we do out of church. God can still be seen in our acts of business in this way. When I made this friend a set of seats he had wanted for so long, he was happy and I too was. Why and how? I helped him save nine hundred Uganda shillings not for getting that on the seven hundred thousand shillings I got my portion as a pay for the job I did. This bought about the smile on our lips and God was glorified in this act. I never cheated him money for the work, he paid for my time and energy glory to God. This is all part of our study in the first 3D module (Discover) ‘work as God intended it’ three parties benefiting. This was really good and a turning point in my life. I now do furniture as part of my work aside the other work I do. I also help training youth through the material. My humble pray is that God may help many through the 3Dz to discover who they are, I also pray that God may help me get the money to go and acquire more skills in the carpentry filed as well as providing money set up a workshop. Great thanks first to God who gave the writer wisdom and finances to print out 3D material series, to CMS- Africa to Presbyterian Church of Uganda Youth leaders that identified me , the 3D trainers and my fellow participants.