When Anastazia Joseph divorced her husband, she was left with four children to care for. She tried getting a job but no one would hire her. She was already 30 and had very few formal qualifications.
In desperation, she took up work as a prostitute.
“I was doing it only so that I should have something by the end of the day to feed myself and my children,” she said.
After a year of this work, she found a job as a security guard and spent long hours watching the properties of various companies. It was lonely, thankless work and she was sometimes treated unfairly.
“The last company I worked at would take deductions from my salary for mistakes that I didn’t even realise I was doing,” Anastazia said.
She had to keep going to provide for her children because she had no other options.
Then on 17th October, 2017, something happened that changed her life forever.
“My church had a crusade in one of big stadiums in Lilongwe and the preacher shared about eternal life and about what one needs in order to attain this everlasting life,” she said
Though she was a faithful church member, Anastazia had never thought about her own need for eternal life.
“At the end of the crusade, the preacher asked if anyone wanted to commit their lives to Jesus so that He could be their Master, so I raised my hand.”
She followed the pastor’s prayer, confessing her sin and giving her life to Christ.
Not long after this, Anastazia switched companies and started guarding the property of a group called African Enterprise Malawi. After a few months of work the team leader, who had noticed the long hours she was doing, told her about a sewing school for women that African Enterprise ran every year.
“He said this when he saw how challenging the job I was doing, especially as a lady on my own. I didn’t hesitate!”
She ran to the project organiser to apply and was accepted in the 2018 class of women.
“For me to come to this vocational centre is by God’s love which I saw through the National Team Leader of African Enterprise Malawi,” she testified.
“I am being reached with the Gospel every day and have already learnt how to run a sewing machine and make straight lines!”
Things are looking up for Anastazia. Not only is she learning a new skill with which to make money and start a business, but God has also answered her prayers and she is engaged to be married.
Christ, her Master, is providing for her needs through the help of African Enterprise.