Elijah Karachi grew up in a polygamous family in which his father had five wives. “We never had much attention from our parents because there were so many of us,” Elijah recalled. “We went to church sometimes but we weren’t committed members. I remember hearing the message of Jesus but it never really mattered to me.”
At 22, Elijah married Purity and now 16 years later, they have three children. Shortly after his marriage, Elijah started a local pub and grain mill where he began brewing a strong alcohol similar to moonshine. “I was not only selling this brew,” Elijah told us, “I soon was addicted myself. My commitment to my family waned and life became difficult. I would open the bar in the morning, only to have a drink for myself. It was all I cared about.” In addition to alcohol, Elijah was consistently unfaithful to Purity. “At first I tried to hide it, but as time went on, I didn’t care” he said.
Soon, Elijah could not account for any money from his two businesses and Purity was forced to take the burden of providing for their family on her shoulders.
Purity became a Christian in 2010 and was a committed member of a local church. “I can’t recall a time I have seen my husband sober in the last 13 years” Purity said. “Our marriage had become unbearable and I was in constant prayer that God would change our situation. I even took out a loan from a local women’s group, bought some land and built a house for myself and our children in preparation for the worst.”
Eventually, Elijah came home to tell Purity that he intended to marry a second wife and that she would have to leave the home she bought and constructed with her own money. “I thought he was joking! How could he kick me out of my own house?” Purity said. But sure enough, he chased them out and they found refuge with a member of her prayer group for two weeks. Purity’s pastors came with her when she went home because she was terrified to go alone. Elijah was apologetic and promised to change, but he never did.
One afternoon a group of preachers came into Elijah’s pub. They were part of AE’s Meru Mission in Kenya during July of 2018. “I was so shocked to see preachers entering a pub! I’ve never seen that before,” he said. “They came right in and shared the word of God without fear and my heart became heavy with conviction. I knew I needed Christ in my life. That day, I became a Christian and the emptiness I had felt disappeared.”
Elijah rushed to his wife’s work to tell her what had happened. “I wanted her to be the first person to know that I had accepted Christ,” he said.
“When Elijah ran into the restaurant where I work and told me the news, I couldn’t hide my joy!” Purity said. “He also proclaimed it to all the customers there. It was amazing!”
The next Sunday, Elijah was the first up for church in the morning. “I couldn’t believe my eyes to see my husband carrying a Bible to church. He even wanted to attend both services!”
After his encounter with Jesus, Elijah immediately closed his pub. “I don’t want to ruin anyone else’s life or family with alcohol. I’ve had a real change in my heart and I can’t wait to tell more people about my faith in Jesus,” he said.