Samba was a cow thief, and worse. In addition to theft, he was guilty of rape and even murder. He seemed to be beyond redemption.
“No one could stop me,” he said. “I did whatever I wanted, and what I wanted was for the world to know that no one was in control of me.”
Then one day, as he was going to the market to sell stolen livestock, a foreigner and his wife approached him, started talking with him and gave him a Bible. Samba had many questions. “What is this book?” he demanded of the strangers. “Why are you even talking to me?”
“God guided us to you,” they replied simply. Astonished, Samba thought to himself, If God has guided these men to speak to me, perhaps I had better listen! He took the Bible they offered and began reading it regularly. As time went on, Samba found that its message of hope and love was penetrating deep into his heart. He decided to reach out to some old friends, whom he knew were Christians, and rekindle those friendships. Those friends then taught him even more about Christ’s love for him and about how Jesus had died on the cross for his sins.
“I slowly began to understand just how much Jesus loved me,” he said. “And I realized that I no longer wanted to live a life of sin.”
Samba had many regrets; there were the animals he had stolen, the people he had killed, and the women he had violated. Humbly, he asked Jesus to forgive him, and looked for ways to somehow make amends. “I could not change the past,” he admitted, “but I decided to return anything I could from what I had stolen.” Others were astounded at the changes they saw in him.
“My old life has ended; I have found Christ,” he told them. “I was a cow thief, a rapist and a murderer, but I am those things no longer. Jesus holds my heart, and has turned my life around.”
Samba prays that his testimony will be a blessing to others and that his story will lead many to know Jesus as the Way, the Truth, and the Life. “If my life was not beyond redemption,” he said, “then anyone can find forgiveness and freedom under the Lordship of Christ. Even a cow thief, like me.”
