...Attempted suicide

“I attempted suicide 4 times but the most serious was on my birthday. I remember I was allowed out of hospital to celebrate, but when I was home I didn’t have my daughters with me. I woke up feeling lonely because they were not there. They were the only thing that gave me joy and hope.

“I couldn’t take it anymore. I wanted to end it all. I got a knife to stab myself in the stomach but I wasn’t able to pierce my skin. The voices started bombarding my mind telling me to go to the train station and kill myself there.”

Maureen stood on the Mile End station platform full of people, waited till a train was approaching and then jumped onto the tracks hoping to get electrocuted and die.

“I jumped determined to kill myself but nothing happened.”

As she stood there wondering why she was still alive, a man grabbed her and pulled her off the tracks. She was so determined to die that she fought to jump back onto the tracks.

“The man grabbed me tight until help arrived. If he did not hold me I’m sure I would have killed myself - I was on a mission to end my life that day.”

For the 15 years she suffered with these problems, it seemed help was nowhere to be found. Doctors gave her various medications to no avail while the church she attended advised her to simply cope and learn to live with her situation.

“They believed in God but did not pray for healing. If anything, they concentrated more on entertainment with the choir than actually helping people with real problems.”

Power of Enough

One day, a UCKG member approached her and gave her a leaflet for the Power of Enough event. “I didn’t even understand what it was about but I went along anyway.”

From the moment Maureen stepped into the building she already felt a change in her “I felt real peace for the first time in my life.”

The strong prayers and message of faith awoke a new faith in her as she learned that she didn’t have to suffer with her illness.

“The pastor told us that sometimes there are spiritual reasons behind our problems. He explained that it’s something we should fight against and this all made sense to me. From that day, I kept coming back.”

Seeing that the pastor was undaunted by the severity of her problems and that instead he was praying with faith for a solution, Maureen started to believe that a change was actually possible and was inspired to keep coming every Friday for the strong prayer. Sure enough, each time she came back, she felt better and better.

The journey to freedom

However, the voices were trying to tell her that she was wasting her time. “They were saying, ‘You keep saying you’re free but why are you still in hospital?” It was a fight but I was determined not to listen to that negativity and kept on moving forward.”

After a year of persevering in her chains of prayer, her life underwent a transformation. One by one, the problems left and today she is happily tells of the changes.

“Today, I no longer hear voices, I sleep well at night, I’m off the medication and got the all-clear from doctors. “I run my life normally, I’m planning a career and have my daughters back. I feel so happy and for the first time, I feel like I am in control of my life.

Maureen Obi