Theopista Sostenes grew up knowing nothing about God. Her parents, unfortunately, did not raise her and the rest of her family in a godly way. All her family had ever known was selling and drinking alcohol. Theopista had no sense of purpose in her life. She lived her life how she pleased.

“One day, my father made my sister and I drink alcohol and we eventually became drunk. I remember my father said something that blew my mind. He said, ‘Why did I give my children alcohol? My children belong to God and not to the world. From today on, my children will never test alcohol again,’” says Theopista.

Theopista had a heart for God before she even encountered Jesus. "Whenever I could read a Christian book, tears would come out of my eyes and I did not know why I was crying. But I was certain that my heart loved the Lord and I badly wanted to know Him," says Theopista. 

In her journey to knowing God, Theopista met a man who told her about God and how Jesus took a stand on the cross and died for her sins. Her heart burned because of what she heard and she eventually gave her life to the Lord. Her heart was filled with joy as a result of giving her life to the Lord Jesus.

She became part of a church in her community where she continued to grow in her faith. As she was getting involved in the ministry, Theopista realized she had a calling to be a church planter and establish churches where there weren’t any. She heard about Multiplication Network Ministries (MNM) and its church planter training program.

Theopista joined a class in Katunguru, Sengerema, completing the training in December 2019. After graduating, she realized she had gained so much confidence in the Lord.

"This training has reminded me of my responsibility as a disciple of Jesus. I have an obligation to reach the lost with the gospel of Jesus Christ. At first, I did not have the confidence to approach people and tell them about Christ because of my own fear. But after training, I have the confidence to approach anybody. Not only have I gained confidence in reaching people with the gospel but I am also capable of planting a new church wherever God leads," says Theopista. 

Theopista is growing in her faith day after day. She is actively involved in evangelism and that is where her heart is. "Among all the training I have received, the session on evangelism was the one I loved the most because it is the burden God has put upon my heart," Theopista says.