I went to Makerere for a degree, but God had a greater plan

By Miriam Matovu

Over a decade ago, I was a law student at Makerere University, carrying more than books, ambitions and the hope of earning a degree. I carried grief, childhood wounds, unanswered questions and a deep longing to find happiness, love, purpose and identity.

The unexpected death of my eight year old nephew Kieran Tadenda left me broken. In the middle of university life, I found myself asking questions about life, pain, God and my own place in the world.

Like many young people, I imagined that university would be where I found happiness, love, identity and fulfillment. I wanted to feel good. I wanted the pain to disappear, the wounds to heal and the questions within me to find answers.

We went to bars, attended parties, spent nights at clubs in town, visited friends and enjoyed the social life that came with being university students. From the outside, I appeared happy, enjoying life and moving forward. But inwardly, I was wrestling with questions and frustrations that those experiences could not resolve.

I was surrounded by people pursuing a degree and participating in the university experience, yet I still felt a void I could not explain. I began to realise that one could be outwardly happy yet inwardly hurting. One could have friends, ambitions and exciting experiences yet still be searching for something deeper.

I knew there had to be more to life than my degree, my family and everything I had always known. It was during my university years that I encountered Apostle Grace Lubega, whose ministry would profoundly shape my walk with God. I remember the Catch the Fire Conferences, but the Monday fellowships hold a particularly special place in my heart.

Interestingly, I did not initially attend those fellowships fully understanding what they would become to me. Perhaps I went because I was bored or simply had time. I admired the pastor. He was intelligent, eloquent and engaging. He also cared for us in practical ways, sometimes giving us money and buying us supper.

But as time passed, Monday became one of the days I looked forward to most. I began anticipating the Word of God, the wisdom, the direction and the understanding of life that came through those fellowships. I began to understand that God was interested in me, even in my brokenness. He was not waiting for me to become perfect before drawing me to Himself. He was inviting me into a relationship with Him, calling me to understand His ways and allowing His Word to transform my life.

Some days, I would tell God that I was going out to a club that night yet ask Him to help me, even as I continued with the very things I was asking Him to help me overcome. Some days, I told Him that I loved my dress code but loved Him too.

Then, gradually, things began to change; a time came when I realised that I was no longer going to the places I had once been drawn to. My transformation was not only outwardly, God was working inward too, changing my heart, my desires and my understanding of who I was.

Young adulthood comes with many questions. Who am I? What will my future look like? What relationships should I pursue? What is my purpose? How do I navigate disappointment, ambition, pain and the expectations of the world?

One of the things I remain deeply grateful for is that my university experience gave me more than an academic qualification. I pursued and earned a law degree, but along the way, I also discovered the richness of the salvation I had received in Christ I learnt about deliverance, preservation, rescue, safety, righteousness and purpose

Fifteen years later, I remain grateful for that season, for the Monday fellowships, for Apostle Grace Lubega and for the role Phaneroo played in my spiritual formation.

If you are a university student today, I want you to know that I understand the search. You may be looking for happiness, love, acceptance, identity, success or a sense of belonging. You may be pursuing a degree while carrying wounds that nobody knows about. You may be attending parties, spending time with friends or creating content for social media, posting pictures and making vlogs that show the world a happy life, while privately wrestling with emptiness.

I want to encourage you: do not neglect the life God wants to build in you while pursuing the future you want to create for yourself. Study hard, pursue excellence, develop your skills, build meaningful friendships and prepare for your future but do not leave God out of your university years.

Having met God during my university days and subsequently attended very edition of the Global Inter-University Conference (GIC), this is my parting shot to the students in universities and other institutions of higher learning: GIC is not the proverbial gathering of excited young people, it is a place where young people collide with God and have their destinies aligned, purposes defined, and mindset sharpened into aspiring to live beyond self, impact lives and write their names into the history books as men God helped and worked mightily through