God often allows us to go through hard times so that we may grow and, like a rock being tumbled and polished, become shiny and smooth. His goal is for us to become such a reflection of Him that He and others can see Himself in us.

Sports coach Dickens grew up in a slum on the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya. His parents separated when he was eight years old, leaving his mother to raise him and his siblings alone. Eventually, the pain and pressure of single motherhood was too much for her, so she took the children to their grandmother’s house in desperation.

Hardened by life on the streets

As his home life turned sour, Dickens decided that the streets were a better option for him. In just eight months, his environment turned him from a soft-spoken boy to a hardened thief.

Dickens soon progressed from a common thug to a deadly criminal. He was wanted by the police, and recalls horrific experiences running from the law. One particular run-in with a mob stands out in Dickens’ mind as especially traumatic.

“They were ready to lynch me — they had a rubber tyre filled with petrol ready to force over me and set on fire,” Dickens remembered. “I got bruises all over my body. Thanks to God, I was narrowly rescued by police who were attracted by the commotion.” This was his third time in the hands of a mob, and he had barely escaped death.

After Dickens appeared in court, he was remanded for a month and later put on probation because of his age, but he wasn’t yet ready to let go of his past life.

Hitting rock bottom

He joined a gang who used guns to terrorise residents. Before long, he was arrested and found his way again to the courtroom. This time, the judge could not excuse the behaviour with anything less than jail. He was sentenced to three years. When Dickens’ mother learned about her son’s situation, she suffered a heart attack and died.

Becoming a beacon of hope

Life in jail was Dickens’ turning point. From rock bottom, he surrendered his life to Christ and was never the same. As God began shaping him, his character changed. God showed him favour before the guards who witnessed the tremendous change of events in Dickens’ life, and he became a beacon of hope to fellow inmates. Sharing his faith in prison made others rethink their own lives, and some surrendered to Christ, as well.

Dickens left jail a changed man. He was given a visitor’s permit for prisons in Kenya to encourage, mentor, and counsel inmates. Then, through his local church, he had an opportunity to attend some sports ministry training offered through Sports Friends Kenya, where he was equipped to use sports to connect with and relate to young people in his neighbourhood — the same neighbourhood where he had once been a wanted criminal.

Spared for a purpose

Coach Dickens has also been reconciled with his father, who had been absent in his life for 18 years. He is optimistic that God holds a bright future for him and his family, and believes God spared him for a purpose – one much greater than he could ever imagine.

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Source: SIM