By the time he was 19, Sam Bishop had been bounced from home to home, gotten hooked on drugs, and also been kicked out of the Army. More than anything, he wanted control of his spiraling life.
That’s when Sam gave his soul in exchange for the power of Satan.
“It was this sense inside of me like I’d finally, completely dedicated myself to Satan,” he recalls. “When I began to experiment with witchcraft, I began to feel this control. I began to feel like I can manipulate the world around me. I can manipulate the people around me. I’m tired of being stepped on. I’m tired of not being accepted and loved by everybody so I am going to force it to happen.”
Control – something Samuel Bishop had searched for his entire life. His father was a violent alcoholic who was in and out of prison. His mom was a drug addict raising Sam and his siblings in a rundown trailer.
“Some of my earliest memories, were of roaches crawling on me while I was sleeping. It was just terrible. There was always this feeling of chaos all throughout the household,” he says.
In the midst of the chaos there was something else missing in his life. Love and acceptance. Starting at four-years-old, he’d spend two years in foster care, bouncing from home to home, separated from his family.
“I said, ‘Well if nobody wants to accept me maybe there’s nothing worth accepting in me. If my parents can’t love me, even if they’re messed up and they still don’t love me, what am I really worth?'” he wondered.
By the time Sam was 15, he was living with his dad, using drugs, drinking, and battling depression.
“There was always this crushing feeling that I was always going to have to deal with this stuff and life wasn’t even worth living,” he recalls. “I constantly felt this suicidal pressure, ‘Why do I even try?’ As my depression got worse and worse, I was starting to use these things regularly because I couldn’t stand it when I was sober.”
After high school, he enlisted in the Army trying to find his way in life but was discharged after only two months.
Sam says, “I was really lashing out at people. I got in fights with people. They said, ‘You’re not mentally fit to be a soldier because of your substance abuse problems, because your depression and your anxiety are so serious.'”
Samuel moved in with his dad and started working as a janitor in a high school. He added meth and heroin to his daily cocktail of drugs. He also started getting involved in toxic relationships with women where drugs and violence were the norm. By 19-years-old, he thought he was beyond hope. He even believed lies about God.
He recalls thinking, “God loves you only while you’re doing well, only while you’re doing good. The minute that you step out of line God wants to strike you down and destroy you. So, I figured it’s so hard to try that I don’t even want to bother trying because God’s expectations are too high for me.”
It was then he met a woman who was a Wiccan high priestess who introduced him to the occult and new age practices. Through Satanism, he thought he’d found the control and self-worth he always wanted.
“There’d be manifestations, like stuff would move around. I’d do a spell or a ritual or something and I’d see something happen as a result of it and I thought, ‘Man, I’m in control.’ I loved that feeling of, ‘I have power. I have the ability to do something,'” Samuel says.
In early December 2018, he made a blood covenant, dedicating himself to Satan. At once he knew it was a mistake.
Samuel remembers, “I felt in that moment a complete emptiness, a complete hole, like there’s nothing in me at all. I felt like, ‘Okay, there’s no more forgiveness. You’re going to hell now.'”
The next morning, Samuel decided he would take his life at the end of the day. Then, while he was on his way to work, something supernatural happened.
Samuel says, “I had this mental image. It was the craziest thing in the world: It was Jesus. I began to feel like, ‘Maybe He’ll forgive me and I’ll somehow find forgiveness and just be really low, just be like dirt to God.’ I’ll be like, ‘That’s better than where I’m headed.'”
Later, as soon as he got home, he searched the internet for Bible verses to help renounce Satan.
Samuel shares, “I began to speak these verses like, ‘God will cause you to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy.’ I took all my tarot cards, all my incense, my books on witchcraft, I took them outside and I threw them away. And I fell on my face outside and I said, ‘God I know that I don’t deserve to be forgiven.’ I said, ‘But if you want to forgive me, I’m asking for it God. I need help. I need a new life.’ When I walked inside I felt the new presence in the room. And I’m like, ‘This is so different. It’s not heavy in here. There’s no depression, I feel alive, I feel excited, and I feel like I have this hope to look forward to. I feel like I had this future I’m looking forward to.'”
Samuel said he was instantly delivered from his addictions and healed of mental illness.
“The minute that I came to the Lord, all that lifted off and I knew I was forgiven, I knew I was clean. I knew God had given me a new life,” he says.
And for the first time…
“I felt this love and this joy from God. I received that acceptance, and it was unlike anything I’ve ever had in my entire life. It was so fulfilling; it was just so wonderful, and I knew I was a new person,” he says.
Today, Samuel is married to Samantha and is an ordained youth pastor. He manages the men’s sober living home run by his church. He’s also involved in evangelistic outreach and counseling.
“I just thank God for everything that He’s done in my life and it’s a blessing to be able to reach out to people,” he explains. “It doesn’t matter how far away from God you are, how far you’ve gone with the devil, how much you’ve surrendered to him, you can always come back to Jesus. If I can get saved and God can forgive me, anybody can be forgiven.”
Uganda’s First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Janet Museveni, has shared a deeply personal testimony on how faith, pain, and compassion led to the founding of one of Uganda’s earliest faith-inspired orphan care initiatives, the Uganda Women’s Effort to Serve Orphans (UWESO).
Speaking during a recent gathering, Maama Janet reflected on the turbulent years following the National Resistance Movement’s assumption of power in 1986, a period she described as one where “hardly a ray of hope” had begun to shine for the nation after prolonged conflict and displacement.
Just as Uganda was beginning to stabilize, she noted, a new and devastating enemy emerged, HIV and AIDS, spreading rapidly and indiscriminately across communities, claiming the lives of the young and old alike. The epidemic left behind a trail of broken families, with countless orphans, widows, and child-headed households struggling to survive.
President Yoweri Museveni and First Lady Maama Janet Museveni with students of Migyera UWESO Secondary School, Nakasongola District during celebrations to mark her 77th birthday in June2025
The First Lady revealed that witnessing this suffering stirred memories of her own years in exile as a refugee, when she wandered with her four children, uncertain of the future but sustained by faith. Moved to tears, she recounted making a solemn promise to God that she would not remain comfortable while children orphaned by war and disease cried out for care and love.
That spiritual awakening, she said, became the foundation for action.
Guided by prayer and a sense of divine calling, Maama Janet joined hands with other like-minded women, many of whom were themselves returning from exile with limited means, to form UWESO. At a time when resources were scarce and the nation was rebuilding, these women chose sacrificial service over despair.
From its humble beginnings, UWESO grew into a beacon of hope, rescuing, rehabilitating, and providing holistic care to hundreds of vulnerable children. Beyond direct support, the organization went on to establish schools and partner with other institutions to ensure that orphans across the country could access education, stability, and a future rooted in dignity.
For the Christian community, her testimony stands as a reminder that faith expressed through action can transform national tragedy into lasting hope, and that God often uses personal pain as the seed for redemptive service.
FULL TRANSCRIPT — First Lady Maama Janet Museveni on the Inception of UWESO
“Then hardly a ray of hope started to shine on our nation following the establishment of a new administration for the state under the leadership of my husband in 1986.
A new enemy emerged amongst our people in the form of HIV and AIDS.
This enemy spread like wildfire in the dry land.
In the late 1980s and 90s, our country found itself faced with an unseen enemy that was decimating the young and old, the vulnerable and resourceful amongst our people, leaving behind a swathed burden of orphans, widows and child-headed households.
That is the time when my memory took me back to my own years of wandering as a refugee with our four children always in my heart.
With tears running down my face, I promised God at that time that I would not just sit at home and feed my children while the children whose parents had died in war cried for help and care.
It was God waking me up to that memory that helped me to start an organization that would care for orphans.
We call that organization the Uganda Women’s Effort to Serve Orphans.
I say we called it because I did not start that organization alone.
God brought to me other like-minded women with whom we had to hold hands and start to whistle in a very difficult time.
People were just coming back from exile. They had been refugees. They did not have much even for their own families, but they were all determined to do something about those of our people who were suffering.
Today, this organization is proud to have rescued, rehabilitated and provided holistic care to hundreds of orphans.
We did not only work alone by starting a school, but also helped many schools to educate orphans who found wings of shelter and wings of hope under what God was doing through this organization.”
The long-awaited launch of Watoto Church Gayaza–Nakwero has stirred a wave of joy, gratitude, and renewed faith across the community. From leaders to first-time congregants, testimonies poured in as many described the new campus as a divine answer to years of prayer.
For Lydia Gloria Dhamuzungu, Regional Leader for the new campus, the celebration is deeply personal.
“We were encouraged to create micro-sites of 100 people meeting in a home, but we had stubborn faith,” she recalled. “We told Pastor Eddie that we wanted a church. We prayed and believed God for it. Where we are standing now was once full of anthills and shrubs, but today it is a beautiful place of worship. This shows that God does not despise our faith. No matter how big our prayer is, He can answer.”
Members across Gayaza–Nakwero described the new church as a blessing, a homecoming, and a fresh spiritual beginning.
Daniel Tuli shared, “Having the church come closer to us is a blessing. It’s convenient, and I’m excited to spread the Word of God in our community through cell groups. Church is all about celebrating community.”
For Brenda Nalugya, the new campus is a long-desired convenience. “I used to attend Watoto Church Downtown, but now this is nearer – I’m really happy!”
Echoing the excitement, Collin Ssemakula expressed relief at the reduced travel time: “It took me only 10 minutes to get here from Manyanja! Instead of the two hours I used to plan for when driving to Ntinda!”
Couple Brian and Rose Ssebagala said the new location is both closer and more spacious, while Daphine Ataliba praised the impressive turnout: “More people will be reached and discipled. Families are going to be united. This is a big shift in God’s Kingdom.”
The sense of expectation was evident. “I look forward to seeing this church change the community because it will change lives,” said Jesse Mwandara.
For others, the launch fulfilled a long prayer. “What we waited for has finally come,” said Doreen Eleazar. “Those of us who have been attending online now have a home, a church!”
The joy was shared by many, including Jonathan Muwanguzi, who said the day presented “an opportunity to serve the Lord,” and Jennifer Nsubuga, who celebrated no longer needing to travel to Downtown.
Youth ministry leaders were equally energized. “We are excited that God has given us another opportunity to expand our mission as History Makers,” said Jerome Ssenyonjo. “Our goal remains to disciple a bold generation of godly, transformational leaders.”
Adding to the celebration, Sandra Kasoma highlighted the significance of the new campus: “This is our 18th campus. It shows we are growing and expanding as a family. There is so much work ahead – touching those around us with the love of Jesus.”
And for Sam Okalang, the launch was a powerful moment of worship. “It was such a joy to see people sing their hearts out to the Lord through music and dance. We thank God for a campus that has come closer to our community.”
As the doors of Watoto Church Gayaza–Nakwero open, so do new opportunities for ministry, discipleship, and community transformation. For many, the message is clear: God has answered prayer.
It’s been 23 years of walking, living & believing, in Christ Jesus.
It’s been a journey of turbulence & joy, learning, unlearning & relearning. I wouldn’t exchange it for anything. I fall, I get up.
Lately, I have been reminiscing on the day that I surrendered my life to the loving arms of God through His begotten son Jesus Christ by believing in my heart & confessing with my mouth Jesus as the Lord and Savior of my life.
It all started with the lady in this picture, she’s called Pastor Betty. Commonly known in church circles as the woman whom God healed of HIV/AIDS. I bet some of you are going to stop reading at this point, but I suggest you hang in there.
I completed university in 2000 & gave birth to my son the same year. I was living quite a good life. I owned a car, had a business & I was living in a good house in a great neighbourhood courtesy of a generous man. However, my life was empty, there was a void that no amount of money or a seemingly great life could fill & I was becoming anxious to the point that I couldn’t sleep & I didn’t know why.
Pastor Betty
So one day I was driving from Makindye through Nsambya & I saw her. But I was in disbelief because I expected her to be dead. I looked at her from the side mirror, slowed down, and reversed. It wasn’t until I called her name Auntie Bettie & she responded that I realized that indeed she was alive. I met her when I was in senior six & I haven’t seen her since.
Lived with her for a year & in her, I saw the most agonizing pain a human being could go through. She was suffering from HIV, the Herpes Zoster had eaten her back, & she groaned due to the fire she felt in her skin. Her entire body was in pain, she needed to be massaged to ease the pain.
I later joined the university & I never saw her for the next three years, but I heard that she had been taken to the hospital. It was that day at Nsambya Hospital that I was seeing her again. I invited her into the car we drove & parked at the Total fuel station adjacent to Nsambya Hospital & she narrated her journey to recovery.
After a while everyone got tired of her & she damped into Nsambya Hospital. She had no one to take care of her as people gave up on her due to her deteriorating health. It was Born Again Christians, an evangelism group that would go to the hospital weekly to pray for the sick they had mercy on her & took her to Mutundwe Christian Fellowship a ministry led by Pastor Tom Mugerwa.
Ms Susan
The church became her home, she lay in the church as they believed & prayed for her healing & for over a year the church didn’t give up on her. They fed her, clothed her, nursed her, & rehabilitated her. Soon she started making progress. ( She has documentation of her diagnosis in case you’re wondering) She told me about her interactions with the mighty hand of God, the visitation of the Holy Spirit, & the various encounters too wonderful to utter, that left me in awe of this God.
As she narrated I felt this presence & power that shook me to the core of my being. Listening to her endeared me entrance into a world too beautiful for comprehension. When I asked her why she was coming from the hospital, she said God had instructed her to extend the same love of the gospel of Jesus Christ’s healing grace to a dying world where medicine has its limitations. As we parted I couldn’t contain myself.
For days I failed to sleep, I was already anxious, but this time it was different. On the third day, I called her & I said to her that I wanted to meet the Jesus that healed her. She said I needed to give my life to Christ Jesus as the first step & I did at Mutundwe.
For the first time in a long time, I slept like a baby, and I will never cease to glorify the God of Aunty Betty. God has placed Angels along your path, to play a role in your destiny. Jesus is real, salvation is a relationship with Him. Don’t let naysayers fool you.
Make JESUS the choice TODAY! Happy 2024. Cheers.
Susan is the head of communications at the ministry of works and transport
