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Pacific islander who beat his alcohol habit inspires South African students
On first meeting Pacific islander Makenti Bonto you would not imagine he naturally commands an audience. Quiet, and quick to laugh at himself he does not find making new acquaintances easy. But when he stood up in front of a crowd of students at the South African Table View High School to tell them how he came to give his life to God he definitely made an impact.
Bonto grew up in Kiribati, in a large church-going family that took part in congregation activities. But when he was a teenager, his parents died, and he became depressed and fell into a vice familiar to young South Africans - drinking.
He was also smoking and stealing. And he refused to go to church, instead going out with his friends. He achieved the Pacific Senior Secondary Certificate (PSSC) at school and on leaving, he got a job in the government, but was sacked for drinking during work hours.
It was on a day when he missed going out with his friends that he was persuaded to attend a service. At the church, the minister called all the youth to remain behind to meet with the youth minister. Bonto went too, and on that day his life changed.
"I talked with the minister and he asked me what I had done before because it was the first time he saw me in church so I told him: I went out with my friends. He asked me if I want to be a member of the church and join some church activities and if I wanted to change my life, and I said yes."
He asked Bonto to take him to his house. There, the minister symbolically took his pillow and asked him to stay at the church. "I said yes because with the minister there was something different," he said. "It was really magical and very powerful."
At 20-years-old Bonto began living in the church, praying morning and evening with the minister, who asked God to give him strength and courage to change his life. He began to attend church regularly, he gave up drink and even became chairperson of the youth, organising fundraising events and evangelism to the church members that had lapsed in attending church. The youth group would break into groups and do Bible reading and listen to sermons before making pre-arranged visits to the church members homes. Afterwards the non-churchgoing people would return to church, Bonto said.
In 2004 Bonto applied to go on CWM's Training in Mission programme for youth, which takes place in South Africa and India over 10 months. To his surprise, he was accepted. Bonto said: "I asked myself, 'is it true?' and I looked up to the sky. 'Why me Lord?' There's a lot of youth in Kiribati who filled out this form. They always go to church, they never drink alcohol, they never go against your commandments. Why did you choose me, Lord?"
Since going on the TIM course he has understood the Bible better, and is more able to get something from reading it. He has also learned to work with others better - to overcome his nervousness and open up to others in order to build relationships.
It was during the TIM programme phase in South Africa in 2005 that he came to speak to the students at Table View High School about how he overcame his drinking habit.
"If it wasn't for God I wouldn't be here today to stand here," Bonto told them. "I would have become an alcoholic, troublemaker, or living on the street, having no directon in my life. Since God entered my life things have changed for me and I'm thankful for that."
Warm applause greeted him as he finished his story. "I realised I had spent a lot of time fooling around, that's why I only achieved a PSSC," Bonto said. "I realised that time is running and can't wait for anyone. So after this programme is finished I will be studying at the theological college to be a minister, in order to respond to God by choosing me to join this programme."
Bonto begins the second phase of the TIM programme in India in June.
