Freedom 2026: Living Water for Our City

This is my testimony about our trip to Branson, and how it impacted me. Branson was such a beautiful place. Seeing the water, the mountains, and everything around us reminded me how much beauty God has created in the world that I do not always stop to notice.

But the best part of the trip was the friendship we built. Before Branson, not everyone was that close, and a lot of people stayed in their own groups. That changed on this trip, especially the night we shared what we have been through and what some of us are still going through. Hearing everyone open up really touched my heart and helped me understand them better.

Another special part of the trip was worshiping together. We got to praise God while Pastor Chase played guitar, and Roger read the Bible with us. We also compared different versions of Scripture, which helped me understand God's Word in a new way. I am also thankful for Pastor Jacove. He is patient, understanding, and always wants the best for us, and that says a lot about the kind of leader he is.

Our youth group has had some struggles, but we have already started to grow. I believe we will keep getting stronger. More than anything, I am just thankful I got to go and spend that time with my youth group. Overall, the trip was an amazing experience, and I am so thankful to be part of such a great church.

When I came on this trip, I expected fun. I never imagined how unexpectedly Jesus would move in my life. Before this, I was consumed by worldly things — lust, secular music, substances, and anything that offered the temporary high we as humans so often chase. I had never spoken about such a sensitive part of my life in front of other people before.

But on the second night, when we were invited to confront our past hurts and the things that weigh heavily on our hearts, I felt Jesus. In that moment, He gave me the strength to stand before everyone in the room and begin speaking. That night, the weight of sin lifted from my shoulders — not because I was speaking to people, but because I saw Jesus before me and gave Him all of it.

For the first time, I felt the ability to forgive, to apologize, to begin again. I placed my sin so deeply in that water that there was no room left for guilt. I am no longer ashamed of my past. I will tell this story to others because it has been cleansed by the blood of Jesus. I am no longer trapped in the guilt the enemy had engraved into my shackles, nor in the sin he once used to lock the door. I took the key from the Lord's hand, stepped out of that cell, and I am never looking back.

"My name is Catarina Macoreia, I'm 89 years old, but I'm not sure — I could be older, but not any younger than that. I want to thank God, the Church, and those who helped me in building this house for me. I truly have no words to express the joy I feel. I arrived here in Inhaminga almost at the end of the 16-year civil war.

"I remember when Josefa and Mae Elena (Rod & Ellen Hein) of Afrika Wa Yesu came to Ndoro several times by plane. They came to help people with food, clothes, and utensils — plates, bowls, and blankets — and above all, they preached the word of God to all of us.

"And today, as the days of my departure from this earth approach, they helped me build a good house to live in. To the donors who helped me build this house, thank you very much. When the day of my departure for heaven arrives, I will die with great joy. But while I live, I will enjoy this house that God gave me. Thank you again very much, this means a lot to me." — Catarina Macoreia