I thank the Almighty God for sending me to eSwatini, and to African Christian College (ACC) in particular. My worldview has changed so much in the three years I have been at ACC. My eyes are open and have been trained to be a critical thinker. There are things that I used to accept without questioning or traditions that I would follow without knowing why and never bothered to find out why things were done that way. In many cases I would just go with the crowd. However, I am now an equipped critical and systems thinker who asks questions and not just take things for granted.
My religious perspective has also shifted greatly. I remember the day that I saw my name on the preaching schedule in 2017. I was very upset because I thought from my application form the college knew my denomination. I was not supposed to preach in front of men. I told my team leader that I am not going to preach or song-lead no matter what. I had been taught women should keep silent in church, that is what I believed in, and had verses to prove it. He said he was going to speak to the president and come back to me. I do not know if he ever did because he never came back to me with feedback. A few weeks later I went back to him and told him I would do it: I had studied New Testament survey and Hebrew Bible survey. My understanding of the Bible and how I read it altered significantly. I am so grateful to African Christian College for the courses and unbiased teachings that we receive.
Not only has ACC taught me how to read and understand the Bible, but I have also been equipped on how to survive in this harsh world. It is a pity that most African curricula teach students to have an employee mentality. We are rarely taught to be entrepreneurs. At ACC every lecturer, one way or another teaches us how to be self-sufficient. The opportunities we have to volunteer in different departments, equip us for life after college. When we leave and get stuck, it might be because of choices that we make, but we have sufficiently been equipped.
I am also grateful to the many people who encouraged me that age should not be a barrier to my dreams. Some of the things I learnt from the many seminars, conferences and leadership summit that ACC organised is that I must believe in myself. Again I was taught that a path to success is not a straight one, but I should have specific goals to guide me. This has helped me build confidence in myself, and how to plan my life.
Studying at African Christian College gave me a chance to meet and learn from many different people. I had an opportunity to interact with students, staff and lecturers from different countries, different cultures and traditions. Because of this, I am now armed to work with people from different cultures and different backgrounds. If God sends me to another country other than my home country, I will not find it hard to fit-in because ACC has prepared me.
My greatest joy and big thanks to African Christian College was to open doors for me for a programme I badly needed but did not think I would do it in the near future. Because of studying at ACC I had an opportunity to meet lecturers like Dr Rix who introduced me to Oklahoma Christian University. I never dreamt of studying for a Master’s degree before I even complete my bachelor’s programme. I will forever be indebted for being afforded this rare opportunity. Thank you ACC for giving me a chance to spread my wings and broaden my horizon, and for moulding me to be who I am now – a “barrier-breaker and a line-crosser.”