From check out girl to global company

I was fighting for my naturalisation as a British citizen as I was born in Nigeria.
I submitted my application form, wrote many letters, called the immigration helpline everyday but got no answers. The same thing was happening with my finances. I had a degree but was unable to find a job in the industry I studied in.
I felt unsuccessful and undervalued.

My life was so frustrating. I had bills to pay and no money to pay them! I had to borrow money all the time. I even had to count pennies to make sure I had enough money to travel to and from my part time job at the supermarket. Once I had to walk part of the way to work because I could not afford the bus fare. I felt trapped, angry and frustrated in that job. I was weak, vulnerable and bitter at the state of my life. I just didn’t feel like living anymore; what was the point? I was always crying and spent a lot of time asking myself, ‘Why am I here?’ This thought played over and over in my mind.

I started attending the Monday meetings every week and was inspired to go out and look for my dream job. I went to the company that I really wanted to work for and asked the manager for a job. I was given a job as a receptionist in that company. It wasn’t my ultimate goal but it was a stepping stone for things to come.

I gave my best in my job. Despite being the lowest paid in the office, I started coming in early and staying late to help others out in the office. Four months later, I went to the director asking for a review and promotion. I felt strong and confident about it.

I was a dedicated worker and once I finished telling him about my skills and how they could contribute to the company, he made me a project manager, with a £6,000 salary increase.

Getting that promotion was a blessing but I knew God had even bigger plans for me. My dream was to work in advertising for a reputable global company and so I left my job in search of my dream job. I didn’t have a huge amount of advertising experience, but I was determined to be a success and so applied to three of the best global marketing companies with offices in the UK.

I got to the final stage of the interviews with all three companies who were so impressed that all three offered me a job. They tried to win me over by offering a higher salary. These companies knew that I didn’t have a lot of experience but they were desperate to employ me. I even made stipulations in my contract and they accepted!

Today I have a further £10,000 increase to my annual salary and I’m working for one of the best advertising companies in the UK. As for my immigration problem it was one of the first changes that happened when I started attending the Monday services. I learned that prayer alone would not get me what I wanted. I needed to act out my faith and show God that I was ready to receive my naturalisation and British passport.

I did this by going to the Home Office in Croydon to determine my victory. Soon after, I got a letter from the Home Office granting me my naturalisation as a British citizen. After this I applied for my British passport and got that too!

What I’ve experienced has really helped me to grow in faith and to depend on God for everything. I’ve also learned that I must always act out my faith. Without a doubt, prayer plus action equals blessing!

Mary Ogunbunmi,
Finsbury Park

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