My speech may be ‘lame’ but I am whole
MY name is Timothy Kibirige. I am the senior pastor of Entebbe Pentecostal Church and have served in that position for the last 17 years and have stammered for the last 43 years. <br>
MY name is Timothy Kibirige. I am the senior pastor of Entebbe Pentecostal Church and have served in that position for the last 17 years and have stammered for the last 43 years.
During my younger days, my stuttering was severe and caused me great discomfort and low self-esteem.
When I joined P.1, it became more evident to me whenever I related with my peers that something was amiss with my ability to speak fluently.
I struggled and fought to pronounce words in order to construct a sentence for others to understand what I was saying.
The situation often got worse whenever I spoke to people I was not used to or when answering questions in class or during discussions. In the heat of the moment, the way I battled with expressing myself always turned out to be very funny. My friends mocked and laughed at me.
The more people made fun of me, I increasingly got angry. I fought whoever laughed at me and imitated the way I spoke.
A few of my teachers understood my situation and were very supportive. However, as you would expect, the students continued to make fun of me and called me names.
My parents were very supportive and encouraging. They understood the gravity of the challenge and did their best to help me cope.
My condition could have been hereditary because my late uncle, who was a chaplain at Kings College Budo, was the greatest stammerer I have known.
Today, I have learnt to cope with the condition and the degree of stammering has lessened significantly.
Over the years, I have learnt to be more confident in myself. I have learnt that my self-esteem is not derived from other people’s opinions about how I speak and many people with the condition have made it through life and have been successful. I know that Jesus Christ has made me complete.
Though my speech may be “lameâ€, I know I am not less of a human being.
Today, I am able to pastor and communicate effectively, speak at workshops, seminars and conferences among others.
During my younger days, my stuttering was severe and caused me great discomfort and low self-esteem.
When I joined P.1, it became more evident to me whenever I related with my peers that something was amiss with my ability to speak fluently.
I struggled and fought to pronounce words in order to construct a sentence for others to understand what I was saying.
The situation often got worse whenever I spoke to people I was not used to or when answering questions in class or during discussions. In the heat of the moment, the way I battled with expressing myself always turned out to be very funny. My friends mocked and laughed at me.
The more people made fun of me, I increasingly got angry. I fought whoever laughed at me and imitated the way I spoke.
A few of my teachers understood my situation and were very supportive. However, as you would expect, the students continued to make fun of me and called me names.
My parents were very supportive and encouraging. They understood the gravity of the challenge and did their best to help me cope.
My condition could have been hereditary because my late uncle, who was a chaplain at Kings College Budo, was the greatest stammerer I have known.
Today, I have learnt to cope with the condition and the degree of stammering has lessened significantly.
Over the years, I have learnt to be more confident in myself. I have learnt that my self-esteem is not derived from other people’s opinions about how I speak and many people with the condition have made it through life and have been successful. I know that Jesus Christ has made me complete.
Though my speech may be “lameâ€, I know I am not less of a human being.
Today, I am able to pastor and communicate effectively, speak at workshops, seminars and conferences among others.