"You know what God I’m not going to
take this."

I was born in Kenya and lived there up until I was 22. It wasn’t possible for me to get a visa to the UK so I used a Turkish visa to try and enter. Initially I was refused entry and was sent to Turkey, but under EU law, you have to stay in the place where you first landed so they sent me back to the UK.

When I arrived, I was interviewed by immigration officers who registered me as an asylum seeker. I was staying with my sister. We survived on vouchers and life was very hard.

To make ends meet, I got a job under my sister’s name as I did not have a work permit. I did this for two years. It was tough because I was constantly scared of getting caught. My mind was never at rest.

When I started attending the UCKG I learned about using my faith. I started a Chain of Prayer on Mondays and learned that I had to take action. I changed my application in the Home Office after I got married but they sent me a letter saying that I had to report to them every Tuesday until my case was resolved. After reporting for a few months, I was detained and remained in police custody. I was released and continued attending the UCKG faithfully. I would take part in campaigns of faith and make sacrifices but

I was detained again and then deported.

The embassy wanted to see a bank statement showing that my husband was capable of taking care of me - we didn’t have that. My husband applied for a loan but that didn’t come through.

I was determined to be back with my husband and kept on praying, asking God to make a way. My husband finally got a loan and I was able to provide a bank statement with a decent balance.

After 6 months I got an interview and it was nothing like I’d ever experienced before. I was interrogated for 2 hours! The man interviewing me was so harsh and he bombarded me with questions and was very rude. However, when I told him that my husband flew in all the way from England to bring some documents, his attitude completely changed saying that my case was the most genuine he’d ever seen. He then said, ‘Go in the afternoon and pick up your passport and go back to England’

God not only gave me my visa of settlement but He gave me a double blessing. Soon after settling back in the UK with my husband, I got pregnant - something I had been praying for, for a long time. I’d even started to wonder if I would ever have a child, but God answered my prayer.

Today I’m in the UK, I’m happily married, and I have a child. I have new goals and am working to achieve them. Now that I know sacrifice is the secret to success, I won’t hesitate to act my faith in that way.

Rosemary Kamatari,
Finsbury Park

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