 Good evening to you and thank you so much for sticking to Y254 TV. My name is Sherri Lee Blessing and you are watching The Part of Show. Now this evening we are having a different kind of conversation. We want to focus on one interesting individual whose life has had so many ups and downs but he has managed to come out of the other side and be so much better than the way he started. So this is an, he is a gospel minister. He's been an artist for some time since he was in high school and right now he's come to share his story. He's come to share how he has overcome so many hardships and he has managed to share the gospel and see the good in life through it all. So joining me live on set is Joffrey Hadrinz who is a gospel minister. Kareem Prasanna Joffrey. Thank you. Thank you. It's so lovely to have you this evening. It's a pleasure to be in Y254 and I'm so much humbled. Thank you. It's such a pleasure to have you here as well. And I'm looking forward to hearing more about your story because you've just given us just the tit-pits. You've told us that you were abandoned by your mom at a very young age. You were still a child and at some point you were even buried alive. So there are so many interesting things that have gone through your life and right now you're 24 and you're a gospel minister and you're still spreading the word of God through the hurdles that you've endured. So I want to get more on this. I know you've been captivated just by hearing that he was buried alive. Your curiosity is going to be satiated very shortly. So we're going to address this conversation. We're going to find out what exactly happened through Joffrey's life and how has he managed to get to the other end where he can proudly speak the word of God. Minister the word. So I want to hear from you as well as we continue with this conversation. You can share a testimony that you have, anything where you feel like you've experienced such hardships but you have managed to overcome them. I want to hear your story and you can do that by going on our social media platforms which is at Y254 that is on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. You can write me anything that you want to share. If you have a comment on the conversation, if you have a testimony, if you have a story that you feel like will really help someone else who's watching this show, please share that and we will sample that as we progress with the conversation. So I think I'm so fascinated by your story because of so many reasons, but mostly because you're here today and you're happy and you seem like life is good. So you know so many people are like dealing. Yeah, we term it as grace. Yeah, exactly. Soon as happy today is just by grace. It's by grace. And mercy is of God. So I want to understand how you have gotten to a point where you can acknowledge and say this is the grace of God. So maybe you can start by telling us just briefly or you can extensively. I don't want to be too powerful because we are so interested in finding out who Joffrey Hedrins is. Tell us about your early childhood because you have shared that your mom left you at a very young age. So share what that experience was, what happened that she left you there. Who did she leave you with? And how did you overcome that, especially as a child? Wow. Now Joffrey Hedrins. I know the Hedrins is a little bit complicated and calling it. But you know, we lose. We thank God for such big names. Yeah, Joffrey Hedrins is a young man, age 24, soon turning 25 by grace. Born in Kisumu County at a place known as Kano Plains. I imagine her to be a baby, but we thank God she is not a baby. You will survive for 24 years of your life. Yes, so being born early 2000, that is 11th January, like any other person can be born with a parent. My mom gave birth to me at a tender age, very tender age around 16 when she was sweet 16. And unfortunately, she didn't know the man. And due to pressure of the family, I guess, so she decided to abandon. I mean, leave the child. That is the one speaking to you here. And after three days in the hands of her mom, that's my grandmother. So luckily, my grandmother also had given birth, was about to give birth. So we were like twins. Me and my mom's younger sister, we were like twins. So she had no option, the grandmom, because they had searched for my mom, looked for her, but they couldn't hear where she was. But she just ran, leaving no notice. So she had to take the responsibility, the grandmom. She had to take care of me now. At some point, she could nurse me. We could fight for the breast milk with the aunt. And life was becoming horrible at some point. I knew her as my mom, because when I opened my eyes, she's the one I saw. So it was tough. My bigger aunts at some point were like, no, this is not your mom. This is your grandmother. But my grandmother, every time she could say, I am your mom. Yeah, I think she was trying to cover up things at least. I know of the stress of not having a mom at a tender age. So I grew up knowing her as my mom. So growing up, health complications began rising. And it was not so much easy for her to take. And she began visiting with me various hospitals for checkups and for medical lookups, so that they can see what can be done. And at some point, it could be fever. At some point, it could be headache. At some point, it could be rashes, my body turning pale. That is about around three years, two years, one year old. And she didn't find it easy, because the medics couldn't also realize or see what the problem or the cause of the diseases were. So they tried, went to Russia. There is a referral, Kisumu referral hospital. Went even to Kenyatta. They brought me to Nairobi, took me back. There was no any help. There was nothing noticeable. And you know, it's a bit sad, because first your mom was a teenager, essentially. She was very young. And this was 2000. Yeah, early 2000. That was Kitambo. And you know, back then, culture was still a bit strict. Yeah, true. About you as a woman, bringing a child as early. You know, my mom was also brought up in a family, religious family. So the reputation of the dad, she was trying also to keep it. So that may have, that is just some of the factors that contribute. Because she was afraid, like, oh, the dad is a pastor. He has a church. How will the fellow youth see me? How will the church people see? So those are the some of the reasons that I think arose in her head. And she decided to run. Though I didn't see it bad, because by God's hand, this far, and God held me. So I don't hold her anything. So it was not easy. And at four years old, now they decided to do the Hubble, the Hubble Medicine Staffs, where at some point I could be placed in a basin covered with a mattress. I don't know if there's a mattress. There's a mattress. And they're like a blanket. They're like a blanket, you know. Yeah, thank you. So they could cover me with that. And let me just quote this. I don't know exactly the tree, but in our local language, you call it ober. Ober, OK? So the leaves, they could use the leaves and they could cut the stems, you know, they boil it very well. And then the water, OK? The water, and this was happening frequently, because while you recommend it to someone, the herbalist recommended that. And you were three years old at this point, because you've been to hospital. They can't find anything. My body is turning pale yellow. I can't eat. I'm a very poor feeder. I mean, no appetite. There was loss of appetite. Actually, I'm very thin, even up to date. Yeah. Because I'm very poor. Oh, and that was particularly when you came here. Even now, I don't love food. Ah, it may affect your taste. I eat really. Because you know, I'm trying to figure out, you mentioned that your grandma was also expectant. Yeah. So this was your aunt or an uncle? I was also, I was also... No, my aunt. So it's an aunt. It's a girl who was born after. So we were sucking the same milk. And when you compare with her, your health was much worse than hers? Yes. Okay. She was totally perfect. She grew up very well. She didn't even have complications. And did your grandma ever tell you what drove her to your point here? Let me look for traditional means of healing this boy. That is automatically because the hospital can't provide a solution. So she couldn't leave me to die because day and night, I couldn't sleep. I couldn't sleep at night. I was sick. 24-7 days, I was sick. The sickness is worse. But the doctors can't tell the cause. So she had to go extra mile. That is now going to look for the herbalists. Now, the herbalists came with suggestions. Yeah, you know, in our local language, I'll just use the Lewis. There are some sickness known as Chiednade. Chiednade means, like, how, how? You make food and eat it. There's no explanation. Because you know, the curious thing, you've mentioned your grandparents were very religious. So for the fact that your grandma had to go an extra mile and seek something outside of God for her to find a solution, it must have been at a point of desperation. She must have been desperate to do it. Not even desperation. Apart from desperation, part of it is like, you know, they were fighting for life. They're praying, yes. But solution is not there. Things are tough. The condition is worsening day and night. I'm thin. They can see my bones. Oh no. You get the point. But that's so sad for a young child. Yes, and I was also, and I was the only one who's suffering in that manner. And I was the only child. My mom didn't have any other child. Yeah. Yes, the only child. Yes. Because she's not also there. They don't know how or about. They know if she's dead or she's alive. So they have at least to remain with a copy. Yes. So they have to fight for my health. Yeah. So it was not easy. At some point, when I was told about this, it pained me. That is after form four. It pained me when I finished form four and I went to a shop and this drunk had people. They love talking sense at some point when they are drunk. So one of them just decided, is this the grandson of Nerea? You mean he survived? He's big like this today. Surely God exists. And he was shocked by it. Yeah, until he quoted. This guy, we buried him, striving for his health, just for him to walk. I really took time to walk. This health issues interfere even with my body, my bones, my bones were weak. I couldn't walk. With the groves. Literally. You go back to now, when you were being washed and they were doing all these things to try. Did it work at that point? It never worked. So what was the next solution? The next solution was now being taken to Tanzania. Okay. Yes, I was now taken to Tanzania for a bigger herbalist. But I call her witch doctor. Now he's the one who brought the issue of being buried. Where I was a three quarter buried, I think up to my neck, from 10 p.m. in the night to 12, to four a.m. in the morning. And at what age were you? Around five years. And you were aware throughout the entire process? You were awakened a lot? Yes. I never slept. My eyes were, they stood still and they were white. So everybody reigned. I was only with my grandmother. Oh no. So my grandmother is the one who saw this and she felt pain. And Aleni Chimba, I can't talk for him. And she reigned with me to church. She cried the whole day, holding me, crying. Terai crying. It was very hectic and when she was, at some point she couldn't be happy when somebody could even try to beat me. She knew the struggle. Yes. I didn't even, because of that, I didn't even go to Nasari. Because they were busy taking you from one hospital to another, trying to figure out. And then she realized late around eight years that now I was becoming big. They have to learn. So she had now to begin carrying me to school. Can you imagine at eight years you're being carried? Because I couldn't still walk. It was crippled. Oh no. So I was being taken to school. And throughout from when you were born, you were growing, because I can imagine you're growing at the same rate with your, with my aunt. My aunt, your aunt is with you. Where were you born? So at, because children start walking at about, one of our kids, two years. At some point they could laugh at me. At some point you're being told, where do you live, where do you live? I don't know. But my grandmother was like, no, no, no, no. You'll, you'll die. Because you could see the weak bonds out there were behaving. So I couldn't, I couldn't, I couldn't be allowed even to work at some point. So I was like, I could, I could, I couldn't sit where I'm just seated at a bigger age. I was around seven years, six years. So my grandmother could take me to school, carry me back in the evening, few pills, laugh. And the funny thing is that, when I was born, I was a quick learner. At that point I could still be in top three. Which was amazing. Yes. Considering you've not gone through preschool and you've just joined class one at probably seven, eight years. At eight years. Actually until I repeated class one. Because my grandmother wanted, I repeated class one, yet I was, I was number three. Because why, where was the reason why? My grandmother wanted my aunt to be ahead of me. Yes. Because we were fighting. At this point she was, she was seven years old. Yeah, to look what in the same class. So she, we could fight. So my grandmother said, no. For respect to be here, I want, I want to be number three. Can you imagine that? Number three class one. Yeah. So I began working in December. Of that same year? Yes. What caused the change? The students, the pupils. Okay. And I said, yes, students because high school. The pupils, the pressure, the mockery. So one of my friends and one of my teachers just decided to hold me. When I was in the middle of the school, then one day a miracle happened and the school was like, what? Hadren's is working today. So that is when I began. I learned about, I couldn't walk long distance. Just kiddo go kiddo go. Yes, like I could walk from here to where you are. Then I sit down again. I walk from there. But there was some change. Yes, so from there like that. At class two, now I could walk from class to the latrine, come back. But my grandmom still didn't want. Because you feel of a protective and I'm still don't know. Yeah, she still didn't believe it. And through God's grace, I also decided to, some things are just God. I decided now to love God. And to focus what you're tensioned with God. To sing in school. And you can't just go close, so much close to God. But I never knew that my mom existed because I only knew my grandmother. You thought your grandma was your mother. Yes. I'm also curious to find, cause you were such a young child. And you're going through all of these things. You have literally seen. I was already your body is weak. It has taken a toll on you. I was, I matured early. And I could see. And understand what's going on. Cause I can imagine you've seen that. You've seen yourself being buried alive. It was so sharp. Yeah. And how was that? Was there an impact on your mental health? How were you as a child? Were you happy? Were you just sad? I was never happy. Actually I've grown a very moody guy. Nowadays people, when I post some pictures, people are like, I love your smile. But me deep down, I know, I never grew up a happy guy. Smiling and happy. I never grew up a happy person. Did you believe that you were paralyzed when you were growing up? Did you ever, at any point, did you think that you could walk? Yes, there was a day, there was a day I fell down at class three when I was going back to school in the afternoon. And I lost conscience for three hours. Oh no. Yes, and I was bedridden for three months. Oh no. Yes. And you know, what I'm noticing from your story, it may also be because of the lack of prenatal care that your mother didn't undergo. She was probably hiding the pregnancy and she couldn't go to the clinic, find the right supplements so that it can help you grow even more. I'm a person who never got even a good parental care. Yes, I was never, because my grandmother was trying it, but my aunts could fight it seriously. So they would, your aunts would fight it in what way? They could say, this is not your mom. She'll know that. And they would tell you? Yeah, even at class three, at class two. It's not a mom. At some point, I could be told, this is not your home. Oh no. Yeah, this is not your home. You should know that. And these are your older aunts? They were older than your mother? No, my mom was older than them. They were younger than your mother? Yeah. That's very funny. My mom is big. Yeah. They're younger than them. And how many aunts were there? I'm trying to find a situation. I'm trying to find a situation. My grandfather gave birth to, not to give birth, so my grandfather married three wives. Okay. So I have many aunts. Oh. Even from other grandmothers. Yeah, so most of them were still at home in the homestead while you were there. Some were in high school, some were in college. But my mom, unfortunately, didn't manage to complete class eight. Yeah. Yeah. So did you ever have that conversation with your grandmother as a child? Did you ever ask her where is my mom or who is my mom? When you're going through life, at some point you can't get the exact reason why you're going through. Yeah. But you can get it from people. Okay. People close to you. Their actions can speak it. Yes. You know, somebody, you know, I can know the reason why you are going through something and you can know through my action towards you how I behave whenever you are going through it. That's true. Yeah. Whenever you are going through something, I can behave likely to suggest and that can automatically tell you that I know what you are going through. And you know, that is, I can imagine as a child who has that much emotional intelligence, the mental trauma that you had to. I really faced, I really faced mental torture. I really faced a lot. Mental it was at some point. I'm a person who tried commuting in suicide three times. Oh no. Yes. Before I read class seven. Oh no. One, I was caught at class four when I already tied rope on my neck and I was almost now climbing the stool. Yeah. And that is when I was rescued by a stranger. The second, I wanted to do the rat and rat stuff. Yeah, you take the poison. Yeah, I wanted just to put it in the water and do it. I was just fed up. At class four I was fed up because the scary messages, the way people handled you, the way people treat you. My grandmother was a person working day time. So day time you are with your cousins and your relatives at home that you don't find peace. Yeah. You are being told this is not your home. You need to know that. When you are like, no, this is my home. This is my home. She is my mother. No, she is at some point and she is crying. She is crying. But you are a child and it is so sad because this just shows how... These people made me mature earlier. Yeah. But then it shows how bad this family can be in affecting the mental health of a child. Because as opposed to coming together and saying you are our child regardless, they want to make you feel like you are not part of this home and you are going through so much. My grandmother was really playing a bigger role in that. Yeah. She could fight for that. So that at least I may grow up knowing that she is my mom. Everybody there is my blood. I need to understand the fact that that is my home. I am part of them. She was fighting so that I may know that they are part of me. Yeah. Yes. Thank God for your grandmother. They really fought it. They really fought it until now the truth had to come out and they had to confess. My grandmother had to tell me that now I am your grandmother. This is your grandfather. We don't know where your mom is. But take heart, love God. We love you. You are our son. And that happened later on. There are around class, around class five after being born again. I actually got born again in class five. Oh. That is when I began singing. Okay. In church, in school. That's when you realize, they probably even realize that's when you have the gift of singing and being of course playing this stuff. That is when they realized, so my attention went to Christian work. Okay. Because that's why you had to channel. I could take time in church, school, church, school, church, school. I do house chores, then I'm in school, I'm in church. So I grew up knowing God more. So I got rooted in the kingdom assignment more than anything else. And we thank God for that, especially since it came at a very young age because you clearly needed some intervention. No, through those things, I had no option. Yeah. Life at some point can put you in a state where that is why I do say, if you see somebody getting pregnant early, don't blame that lady. Yeah. Don't think that that lady is stupid or don't think that that lady has no sense. Life can put that lady to beg a boy for money, even for pads. Yeah. You understand? Because I couldn't pay her. I may grow up in a family, maybe I'm stuck, they don't want to support her. But this boyfriend can afford to give her some little cash. Then automatically the boy will want something in return. And then they fall in bed and acquit pregnant. You can't blame her. If you want to check the course, you'll realize that there was something that led to that. To that. So when you begin judging, you'll be judging for no reason. And you know you're persecuting someone who you don't understand. Yeah, true. What they're enduring. And you are killing. That's a very interesting thing because I want us to stop that conversation just briefly there and then we'll take a break and we come back and progress with your life in school. So if you've gotten anything from the beginning of this conversation, it's that circumstances are not because of our doing. You find yourself in circumstances. So you shouldn't put yourself in a place where you're mocking or you're judging someone. So stay tuned to Y2-540-V. This is The Power Talk Show. And my name is Sherri Lee Blessing. Meanwhile, go on our social media platforms. Share any comments that you have. If you have a testimony, if you have a question that you'd like to ask us through the show, you can do that on our social media platforms. And as we come back, we will get back to that. So stay tuned to Y2-540-V.