The best place to start a story isn't always at the beginning.

What if I told you about Fortune, a young man living up to his name's sake? What if I told you that Fortune has a deep appreciation for the life he now holds in his hands because there was once a time when he was ready to throw it all away?

Would you change your thoughts about him if I told you that he is a recovering drug addict? What if I told you that he fulfilled his mother's dying wish and is now living in the hope of a bright, significant future?

For those who have never entered into the dark whirlpool of drug addiction, it may be difficult to fully appreciate the reason for the grateful smile on Fortune's face. Born in Witbank, Johannesburg (South Africa), Fortune was one of five children raised by a single mother.

Life became a nightmare for him at a tender age when a family relative began to molest him. "Suffering sexual abuse when I was a young boy almost messed up my life," shares Fortune openly. "When I was 11 years old, I started doing drugs. I smoked dagga and mandrax to numb the pain of what was happening. I lost my identity and didn't know what else to do."

Fortune's teenage years spiraled into a lifestyle of drug addiction, while his devoted mother kept believing that God had a better plan for her son. His turning point came when she passed away in 1999. "While I was taking drugs one day I remember telling everyone that I was going to bible school."

He applied to a bible school in Johannesburg in 2000 and kept the money for school fees for a whole year. "Saving money is difficult for an addict, says Fortune, "and although I did spend some on drugs and alcohol, I knew that this was the only way to change my life." After an agonising wait, the letter of acceptance finally arrived in January 2001. Fortune knew the letter was an invitation to a lifetime transformation. 

Journey into the heart of God

Change wasn't easy and it was definitely not instant. Fortune was still chained to his drug addiction and struggled with the weight of feeling like he was living a double life. He eventually asked for help and was faced with the decision about whether to sign up for admission into a drug rehabilitation facility.

"I chose to check into rehab but didn't really want to know about God. Although I went willingly, I was really challenged in every area. I was so stubborn; I had a ‘see you later' attitude. At the time I hated God and the hard labour that we did wasn't helping my attitude.

Yet whenever Fortune would listen to the word of God, there was a deep conviction in his heart and he began to understand that Christ loves you the way you are. "It was a difficult time but I realised how important it was to let God change you. I also met Wim Fourie, who was a fellow bible school student. He was also a recovering addict and didn't push me away. Instead, he just embraced me as a friend."

Over the weeks and months of my rehab, I asked God: "Why did you bring me here?" I was fighting God, thinking that He was making me pay for my sins. Every day when I went out to do my chores, I was angry and disappointed; not knowing it was an appointment with Him. Yet God was doing something through my inner rage. I was not even thinking about becoming a leader but the pastors, Alan and Xana McCauley, was watching the way I was doing the work. They saw the passion through my pain."

Once his six months of service time was up, Fortune was called to serve and minister as a part of the management team. "I headed up a recovery group of 30 - 35 guys. During that time, I tapped into my divine purpose and got a glimpse into what God destined me to be. It was so incredible to see these men being changed through the work that God was doing through me. I worked there for three years and left in 2004."

A brand new beginning

Fortune founded the Vuthamlilo Youth Ministry, which is aimed at awakening young people to the possibilities of a new life. Vuthamlilo means ‘Consuming Fire' and is a metaphor of the recovery process that addicts have to endure. However painful the journey to restoration, one just has to look at the light of hope in Fortune's eyes to see that the rewards are definitely worth it.  

Although he has come a long way from where he used to be, he still remembers his friends in his hometown. "I know that my friends want to get out of the drug life. They dream of a safe place, they want to be reconnected to real life."

Fortune explains the pain of living a purposeless existence. "It's a state of mind that convinces you that if you are in the dump already, then you must be dirt. If you feel like nothing, you become nothing. You end up doing things that you wouldn't normally do. We always felt a need to escape the life we were living and drugs gave us a temporary state of happiness."

"When you lose who you are, when you lose your identity, you can search everywhere else for it but the truth of who you are can only be found in Christ. When you come into the family of God, you feel important, needed and loved. You don't need to be validated by other people's opinion of you anymore.

Fortune still marvels at the power of his mother's prayers. "She never gave up on her faith in God. Sometimes when I came home from being with my friends, I would hear her praying for me and I used to get so angry. Now I understand that her prayers saved my life."

Article by Cheryl Ramurath

Images by Kam Naidoo