This is a story about the defining moment of my life as an international student in Istanbul Turkey, when a racist joke broke my spirit, and forever changed my life.
“Your color —should not suppress the potential in you.” choose to overcome fear, and give God a chance to create your fate rather than succumb to the pressures of this world. Here is the story of my life.
About 8 years ago, I flew to Istanbul to study for a bachelor’s degree in Engineering in Industrial Mechanics. One year into my studies. I can remember vividly the recess bell ranging and students resentfully feeling in line to go back to class. Could I follow suit not at all. Taking the opposite direction, I dashed to my one-room apartment. The racist jokes from one of my Turkish classmates had finally got to me. I had gotten very frustrated and lonely. Drowned Movies – I stayed in Istanbul feeling lost and empty.
It was at this point that I received a call from Teddy, a friend I had met a month earlier. She invited me to a meeting at her church that weekend, which I reluctantly agreed to attend. The preacher, Pastor Godwill, spoke as if he had been watching my life unfold, and his words resonated with me deeply. I felt a hunger for love and acceptance that drove me to the altar, where I recited the sinner’s prayer And kept saying yes, yes, yes for every question asked. I ended up enrolling in the Bible school.
I served with the church leadership team for three years, and soon got along well with the Turkish students at the university. Upon completing my studies, I returned to Uganda and was shocked by the state of my community. Poverty, lack of jobs, corruption, and poor healthcare. Although I wanted to ignore these issues and return to Turkey, the visionary attitude I had learned while serving at River Istanbul church under Apostle Corey compelled me to take action. I began to see a future for my community, where every member could reach their potential. I carried a follow-up form to capture bio data for each person that is where I meet Benon and the Legacy Footfalls mission