The Story of Pastor Julienne Kabanda





I wasn’t always the woman people see preaching and testifying today. There was a time I was completely lost living a life that, if you had told me I’d one day stand in a church as a pastor, I would’ve laughed or maybe cried. Back then, my life was broken. I was searching for love in all the wrong places, caught in cycles of pain, shame, and sin. I didn’t know my worth. I didn’t think I mattered.

I remember one Sunday morning clearly. I wasn’t planning to go to church not really. I had just come from a hard night, and I was wearing a short trouser, not even thinking much about it. People stared at me when I walked in, and some whispered. I could feel their judgment, but something stronger kept me in my seat. Deep down, I needed something I didn’t even understand.




Then the pastor started preaching. He spoke about the woman caught in adultery the one Jesus didn’t condemn, but forgave. I felt like he was talking directly to me. My heart broke. I cried. I didn’t care who was watching. That day, something changed. I didn’t just meet religion  I met Jesus.

That church didn’t throw me out. They welcomed me. They saw me. They gave me a Bible, prayed with me, and walked with me. I began to learn what grace means. I began to heal. I left the streets, I left the lifestyle, and little by little, God started rebuilding my life from the inside out.

Years later, here I am Pastor Julienne. Not because I was perfect. Not because I deserved it. But because Jesus picked me up from the pit and gave me a new name. A new story. A new mission.

Now, I preach the gospel that saved me. I speak to girls who feel like I used to dirty, rejected, forgotten and I remind them, “God still wants you. He hasn’t given up on you.”

Don’t let anyone tell you it’s too late. I was a prostitute. I was laughed at. I was judged. But look at me now standing on stages, holding a mic, and pointing people to the same God who rescued me.

And if He can do it for me, He can do it for you too.

Written by:Aline Niyigena 

Full story: https://youtu.be/xX7sC6DmgME?si=wMYijaQzvSSWhj5F

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