We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Estella Bangura a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Estella, thanks for joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

I have had the pleasure and honor of writing my first book: “The Awakening: My Journey from Darkness to Light”. This book chronicles my experiences and transition from a place of great darkness, of mental and spiritual depravity, from harm and potential death, into a place and a plateau of peace and fulfilment, and the satisfaction and manifestation of personal destiny; becoming a positive influence in others’ lives and a light for those in similar dark circumstances to follow.

I hadn’t thought to be a book author or to teach and instruct people in a church or other public setting. But the extraordinary experiences of my life during a critical period forced this realization and need upon me. Through pain, and in a sense a certain kind of death, the creative juices of literary composition fermented within me and distilled the mesh of testimonies and lessons that form the basis of this book.

When you, quite literally, undress and lay down the fabrics of a certain kind of life to which you have become accustomed over time, and change perceptions that have formed the bedrock of your nativity; your formative and ingrained psyche, with respect to monolithic traditions and customs that have held a people captive for generations –when you receive that eureka realization and moment where you see the light and, again, remove all of that garb from your frame and in its place wear, as in adopt and imbibe, a new disposition and outlook more in keeping with God’s divine plan of personal salvation and self-actualization –it is like stepping into a new heavens and a new earth. Everything around you is new. The way you see and experience and perceive people around you is new, is refreshingly new and revelatory. This has been my overall experience through the writing of my first book, which has led to the writing and publishing of three additional books –each going a step further than the one previously, and all of them, going further than the first.

Becoming a reference point for others in similar situations, or just folks seeking spiritual guidance, is one of the many transformative outcomes of the writing of that book. People look up to you… people seek your advice, your counsel, and your spiritual support. The calling upon one’s life becomes more of an evidentiary reality versus a notion, and that compels a certain humility and discipline that is appropriate to your vocation and pathway.

And so, having gone through the experience of publishing that first book, I have become a new person with a new life and new horizons beckoning me. My life has not been the same and is still constantly evolving.

The best is still to come.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers?

I am a Pastor at Spoken Word Faith Ministries in Garland Texas, under the leadership of Apostle Kevin Etta.

The background of my tribal identity and nativity is one that staunchly espouses and promotes syncretism, which is the attempt to blend the practices and beliefs from different religions, customs, and schools of thought. It is into this system and culture I was born, grew up and was married. However, after having lived within this system for years, I broke rank eight years ago and made the decision to pursue my faith the right way. Despite hot opposition I persevered and I am now fully entrenched in the work of ministry and spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ unapologetically and unabashedly.

The Gospel of Jesus is renewal and rebirth. It is transition from one kind of humanity to a totally different kind. It is an adventure into the space, expanse and collective of a different commonwealth and kingdom than we have ever known. It is an awakening: the opening of a door and of doors of spiritual experience that may never be closed so long as we press on in worship with singleness of heart and mind.

We introduce our adherents to open heaven experiences where we are visited by Heavenly messengers and receive divine messages of Truth with infillings and manifestations of the Holy Spirit.

Everyone that attends our assembly is encouraged to experience God in this way, not just the Apostle or other leaders, and this is what sets us apart from other churches. It makes us unique. We actively teach that the elevated experiences of the Spirit of God are not the reserve of the leader or leaders but are for everyone to have and benefit from their experience. There is no fear or sense of being threatened by anybody’s growth or development –since all are encouraged to grow to the extent of their ability and aptitudes. This is a very unique church that creates a very unique atmosphere and environment for spiritual and worshipful discourse and devotion.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan gives a compelling story of a young man who heard a voice and heeded the warning that he received. It depicts the struggles of a Believer who is trying to save his soul from destruction. I see myself in this narrative as well as friends and family members. As the story unfolds, I began to see how far I had traveled, so to speak, in my quest for salvation and to maintain a good relationship with God. This book encouraged me and inspired me to stand firm in my belief and faith in the One true God, because anything else leads to destruction. I will suggest this book to everyone because it’s a relatable narrative with relevance to our world today, and that demonstrates how as Christian pilgrims we must remain focused, dedicated, and determined.

Bunyan’s book will have you examining your life and your own spiritual journey, which is what the author intended. As followers of Christ, it is important to do a self-check periodically to get realigned if we see evidence of veering off the right path. I see the character Christian realigning himself on numerous occasions during his journey.

In the first chapter of the story Christian, the main character, happens upon a swamp called the Swamp of Despair. After reading the character’s struggles in that muddy swamp and how he prevailed l began to relate his struggles to mine. We all go through one trial or another but it is our attitude and how we comport ourselves that will lead us closer to our prize. Christian was with another fellow when they both fell into the swamp, but it was only Christian who made it out with the same intensity and determination he had before he fell in. He didn’t allow the setback to derail him or kill his desire. The other fellow however, allowed doubt and fear to overtake his mind and settled for returning and going back to ‘destruction’.

There was a question asked by Christian to the one who eventually helped him out, and it was why the swamp couldn’t be fixed. The response that Christian received revealed the hidden layer of man’s sinfulness and pride. And this is what I see affecting so many who profess faith in Christ.

We receive salvation, but at the onset of difficulty or trails and temptation we want to throw in the towel. Which means that we go back to our sinfulness because it is convenient, it is familiar. Fear and doubt cannot be ultimately resolved by anyone except the individual concerned. We have been given the tools to assist in our journey. It is up to us to discover and use them.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

As a young child, I used to walk home from school with a crowd of other students. We lived further out than the students I walked with so, I was always the only one left on the road leading up to our house. There was a rumor around school that there was something that had been tossed by the side of the road wrapped in white (and this was the path that I walked alone). For weeks I would be drenched in sweat as I approached that stretch of narrow road leading up to our house. As a young child of nine or ten years, I couldn’t find peace because I thought it very uncanny and unusual to see a bundle wrapped in white on the side of the road. And the story concocted by the imagination of the other students did not help my predicament. I knew of no other way to get home. I dare not talk about all the stories I was hearing to my grandaunt and grandmother because I knew they would make fun of me.

I resolved to changing the side of the road I walked on and staring straight ahead to the approaching view of our house. This gave me peace and helped me make that walk home every day.

This perhaps unremarkable and silly narrative foreshadows the pattern of my psychological and spiritual development through my adolescent and later my adult years: in any situation where I felt threatened, I’ve felt insecure, I overcame this and passed through that road or stretch of spiritual and emotional challenges by steeling myself and fixing my gaze straight forward upon an intended target and goal… This, again, has informed my ability to scale through challenges I’ve faced in my recent and not-so-recent past…

As I reflect now, I see this mirroring our walk with the Lord and how useful it is in instruction, teaching and guidance. We all have our own journey to make. The same road but our experiences will vary and diverge in different places. The only difference being that we are all trying to get to the same destination. And one sure way to get there is keeping our focus and ignoring the distractions.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.facebook.com/estella2015.praise
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LTPestella
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCa0SCkp5AsEhrgFCuxk7B4Q?sub_confirmation=1
• Other: https://www.amazon.com/ESTELLA-BANGURA/e/B07ZS138RH?ref_=dbs_p_pbk_r00_abau_000000 https://www.facebook.com/estellabangura.praise