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Few years ago, the senior pastor of This Present House Tony Rapu rescued an 11-Year-old boy who is a cultist and claimed to have been involved in violence leading to murder, off the streets.
The 11-year-old boy known as “Shanawole” is currently undergoing rehabilitation at the Freedom Foundation founded by Pastor Tony Rapu.
Shanowole recounts how he got into the underworld, The notorious cultist who also claimed to enjoy smoking Indian hemp, further explained that if anyone tries to fight them, he and his boys would hit on the person very hard, often times leaving them dead or maimed for life. He also said he robs.
Just like the story of many disillusioned young boys and girls on the streets out there, he was on the streets causing mayhem. However, his story changed after his encounter with Pastor Tony Rapu who has taken it as a mission to take people like Shanowole off the streets.
Revealing his life story, Shanawole who is now known as Micheal was a terror on the streets. Many described him as scary and the young man admitted to being a killer as part of the Eiye cult.
Asides being a trouble starter, at age 11, Michael was exposed to a habit of smoking and ingesting illegal substances. Michael who has various scars around his body birthed from several fights and clashes with other cult groups could be described as a victim of circumstance before he met the man of God who turned his life around.
Recall that Scooper News earlier shared the story of Lizzy who speaks eloquently but was into begging, drugs and prostitution.
Please check out the Story Here:
Meanwhile, Apart from being the senior pastor of This Present House, Pastor Tony Rapu is also a medical doctor. He once wrote a lengthy letter to Shanawole who he refers to as son on Father’s Day. The letter immediately went viral that year, bringing a lot of praises and encomiums from well-wishers and members of the public.
Read the letter below:
Dear Shanawole,
It’s another Father’s Day, but I know that until now this day has not held much meaning for you. For you, the concept of a father has been a fuzzy one, perhaps nothing more than a term used to describe an older man. You grew up on the streets, never knowing the warmth of a hug from a natural father, never experiencing that strong voice of protection and direction that a father brings into the life of his son. There have been no words of caution to steady you when the adrenaline is pumping through your veins, causing that strong temptation to do what you know is wrong.
When other children your age recount the joy of a dad teaching them a game, watching them play, and rejoicing or commiserating with them afterwards, to you their stories only exacerbate the painful void that exists within you. This is the same feeling that often tugs at the heart of the girl who never knew her dad. She feels a pang of pain perhaps when she imagines not having her father there to walk her down the aisle on her wedding day. Even some of our single mums live daily with the stigma and feeling of loss that comes from raising a ‘fatherless’ child.
My dear Shanawole, it’s easy to take the downward slide into drugs, violence and rebellion as you have done. It can be very tempting to revolt against a world that has been cold and unloving towards you. And that has been your journey. You have rebelled against society, you have until now counted yourself out of life’s best, imagining that a home, a loving family and valuable contributions to society are beyond your reach, something only a privileged few attain to.
I know the odds seem stacked against you; I know many have counted you out and spoken harsh words to you. I am aware that life often seems unfair. I know the pain you’ve encountered at the hands of those who should have protected you. The only words you may have heard are words of rejection and negativity. You have been told to your face that you will never amount to anything and that your life has little value. Yet, I want you to know that not everyone takes the downward spiral. Some with even seemingly worse circumstances have broken free from the cycle of failure.
Life is about choices. Nothing stays broken forever, unless you want it to — not a life, not a career, family, body, finance, nothing! You can escape, you can choose to leave the pain behind, you can fill that black hole left by someone’s abandonment. You can be the answer to someone’s prayers, you can find that love you need to move forward, you can change your family history forever.
