I faced many difficult issues that were enough to destroy my whole life; is there any hope for a blind poor orphan in this life?! But, a unique meeting changed me, now I’m spreading the light in the hearts, which is more important than eyesight!!
Continuous Shocks:
My name is “Peter (Bara) Yopo Tenia Jabolmarungua”, I was born in the middle of the Sixties of the last century, and I started my study at “Wau” school for boys, but I studied there for only one year, and then my father moved to “Juba”, and there I continued my study at the primary and the preparatory school, and then I went to the secondary school in “Malakal”, and I took the Sudanese High School Certificate exam on April 1981.
On June 1982, my dear father passed away, and after three months, I got a disease in my eyes, at that time I was getting prepared for the university studies, I went to “Khartoum” to make some examinations on my eyes, and there the doctor told me that it was too late, but he’ll do his best to save my eyes. So, I went through a very accurate operation in one of my eyes, after I lost the other eye which was completely damaged!
Bad things didn’t come individually, as after my father’s death, and losing my eyesight, my elder brother died, and later on, my younger sister died too; I became very depressed and deeply grieved.
Hard Loneliness:
The only thing that was easing my sadness in this difficult period, when I was completely helpless because of my illness, were my friends who stayed with me most of the time, they were the merciful hand that helped and supported me.
Unfortunately, in 1992, In Sudan, the terrible starvation in Juba has taken place, which killed a lot of people. At the same year, the people’s army entered the city of Juba to liberate the Sudan, then the government of the “Rescue” was exposed to another coup, led by Colonel Ahmed Khalid, and because of the famine and war I lost many of my friends and relatives, and became very lonely without any friends.
Juba became like the town of ghosts, so my family and I, moved from the south to north, and there I was arrested by the security authorities. But they released me, after they advised me to stay away from politics, because as they claimed they don’t punish blind people.
I came back home with exhaustion, a broken soul, and an ill body, but suddenly I remembered an advise from an old gone friend; to join the church, and to try to get the point of GOD’s plan in my life.
Changing meeting:
I’ve already gone to the pastor of a church and told him about my sad life story. We prayed together, I decided to hand over my life to Jesus Christ. The pastor advised me to attend a Bible study in the Cathedral of “All Saints”.
In the beginning, I had a lot of questions for GOD, and I was complaining to him: “Why do you allow pain, and disasters? Are you happy with these things? Why did you allow me to lose my eyesight, my friends and most of my family? Why do you shut up, God? Don’t you care?!”
But, when I got deeper in studying the Holy Bible, I found the verse that says: “In the world you shall have tribulation, but trust: I have overcome the world” (John 16:33), I realized that all the horrible events surrounding us, whether blood, violence or destruction is not weird, but it’s normal, as long as we’re still in the world.
All we have to do is to pay attention to GOD; the only source of strength, condolence and encouragement, because “GOD is our refuge and strength. Help us in the tribulations and find great, so we do not fear if the earth moved, even if the mountains turned to the heart of the seas … The Lord of hosts with us. Our refuge is the GOD of Jacob” (Psalm 46: 1, 2, 11).
Boundary Breaking:
As I grew spiritually , and listened to the audible gospel regularly, my whole life changed; I forgot I was blind, and I became happier than the healthy ones, and I began to realize that life is just a journey and we are travelers in it, and I started encouraging people who have similar circumstances as mine, and make them more optimistic.
In 2008, I listened to GOD’s voice encouraging me to spread his words from a tribune, and to join the church conferences, so I started working in God’s service with the power of the Holy Spirit, although I was sick and blind, but GOD liberated me from my weakness, and He created a new vessel from, giving me the power to change.
Light of life:
I remembered Bartimaeus, the man who was born blind, he was looking for GOD desperately, and cried out so that he could hear, although he should’ve doubted the utility of his cry for JESUS, but the cry of Bartimaeus made JESUS stop, despite the great crowd that followed him, but just the cry of the poor blinded man was really appreciated by the Christ.
My dear… Don’t stay imprisoned in your thoughts, pain and circumstances, and don’t surrender to your despair, which prevents you from screaming to GOD, but go and break all these restrictions, what is stopping you? “JESUS Christ, Son of GOD, please have mercy on me,” Bartimaeus cried. You have to believe that the Lord JESUS Christ will stop for you, as he did with Bartimaeus and He will give you what you need; the light of life, not just the light of sight.
But if you have already accepted the Christ in your life, you must know that the world has already been placed in the wicked, and we are suffering here on Earth because of that. It is nice to remember, that God gives us enough help; He is The Mighty Master, who dominates all this universe, you need to remember that, our original home is not here on earth, but in the Heaven; there are no tears, no illness, no sin, and very soon we will be a meeting our groom, and He Himself is the end of any suffering in our lives.