Page 16 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 4

FAITH STORIES FAITH STORIES

Tell us about yourself "I've done EXACTLY what you asked for."
and what you do. Then I heard, "So that you know that life
My name is Jean Wanja
Mwongela. I am 35 going on and death is in My hands, let go."
36. I go about every day doing
what God needs me to do. My
space is media and events; I'm
a storyteller. I am a daughter, a
mother, a mother who has un-
sense. I went to high school broken. I was in a top high school but I
dergone child loss, I am a wife.
didn’t like it and did everything possible to leave it. At that time, I think
I'm a woman who has been to- I was looking for my dad's attention, I ran away from school, unin-
tally broken and is piecing it to-
tentionally. We had gone for a school outing and I went for mazururo
gether every single day.
(walkabout) and the bus left without me. I panicked and went to my
boyfriend's house to hide and he made me turn myself in the next
What can you share with day. My parents' reaction surprised me. I thought they would be an-
us about the journey? gry but they were actually relieved to see me, they thought I had died.
My sister and I grew up in a fam- I went back to school and the Christian Union (CU), of which I was a
ily where our mother made sure member, and who were the very people that I thought would support
she took us to church, so I guess me, said I was misrepresenting them, and kicked me out.
that's the first point of contact At some point I tried to commit suicide, it was an awful experience I
with God. I got baptized and would never wish on anyone but, worse than that it didn’t even get
chose the name Jean at the age me the reaction I was looking for from my father. But my parents
of 12. I was exposed to alcohol took me seriously and moved me to a new school where my mom
and violence at a young age. I claims that the 'evil Jean' was removed and a holy one was put in.
remember watching my parents’ My grades went up in a term, I think that's when I started healing and
first fight when I was in Class 6. praying a bit more. I got out with a B- but my dad expected better and
I had always suspected that my wasn't too pleased, so the wound came again that I didn't measure
mom had been hurt, but it just up to his standard. Also, the guy I had been dating left for the UK
hit me that it was my dad who when I was in Form Four and I felt I had been left by another man that
did that! It totally broke my idea I had left my heart with.
of fatherhood and I didn't like I ended up at university studying communication. I thank God I went
him much after that. My grades to that university, I had always thought I wanted to be a lawyer, but
went down immediately and my my dad pushed me towards communication; there must have been
mom kept visiting me in board- something he saw in me. Around that time my mom had found a new
ing school to keep encouraging home and we were settling into that and she told me that she and
me. Somehow I managed to my sister had found God. I don't know how that happened, but they
pass my Class 8 exams, among would pray for me for God to just be with me.
the top students in my school. Later on I joined a new mainstream media television station, which
Shortly after that, my mom left launched during the 2007-8 elections which were a very painful expe-
home, having had held on long rience. We saw more death than was even highlighted in the media.
enough to make sure that there I saw things live that I had only seen in footage for Rwanda. I saw
was some form of stability. God’s protection even when covering areas where I was in jeopardy.
During that period I started ask- If we survived that, God loves Kenya. After that I started doing more
ing, "Is there a God? Why do humanitarian stories. That experience birthed a human interest show
we call You Father? I don't get which was submitted for a CNN award by someone other than me
it." I couldn't understand the fa- and actually won and the station didn’t do anything about it. I couldn't
ther on earth nor connect him report the same way anymore because I was bitter and angry, but
with this other Father in Heav- later I realized it had nothing to do with the lady who submitted our
en, because if He's good, these work as a solo entry, it was God who wanted to get my attention, to
things didn't seem like they were ask me, "Why do you think you're in media? Do you think it's just to
good, because they didn't make pay the bills? To be seen on TV?"

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