Ivan T.i.T is a dynamic Ugandan gospel worship leader and songwriter with a deep passion for inspiring and transforming lives through authentic worship. His heart is to use music and ministry to point people toward God and encourage them in their faith journey.

Beyond music, Ivan is a mentor and a dedicated door-to-door and street preacher, sharing the message of Christ and connecting with people in his community. He is also the founder of Elpizo Family Children Care, an initiative dedicated to caring for and supporting children.

Through worship, mentorship, preaching, and service, Ivan continues to use his gifts and calling to make a meaningful impact in the lives of others.

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@ivant.i.tofficial?si=fk06cclHa64_oVKT

Hi, I'm Angel.

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Our prayer is that this listening space brings growth and transforms your life forever.

Praise God for you, Ivan T.I.T. It's a great pleasure to connect with you.

What part of the world are you in today?

I am in Uganda, Kampala.

How did you come to meet Jesus?

I went to school.

I had some issues while I was still young.

School fees were so, so hard for my mother.

But then we had a birthday for my grandmother, and then one of the guests connected me to a charity organization that was starting by then deep in the villages in Masaka.

So, they gave me a basari, a full basari to study, and that was like the gift that they brought on the birthday of my grandmother.

So, I went to study deep in the villages of Masaka, and when I reached there as a young boy at around seven years, eight years, the caretaker was a pastor, Pastor Kato and Pastor Betty, and then they told us the word, and that's how I came to meet Christ.

Did you have other siblings, brothers and sisters?

Yes, I have siblings.

I have three sisters.

I'm the eldest, and the twins, and then the young one, the last born, Annette.

So, were they born already when this happened at your grandmother's birthday, or were they just children?

Yes, the twins, they were already, yes, I was very young.

I think they were around four years by that time, five years, and then the last born was around, I think, one year or two.

Yes.

What do you believe is the reason you were chosen?

Is this a normal cultural thing that would happen, or was this a special situation that occurred because of who you were?

Because I was chosen?

Why was I the one chosen?

Yeah, at that time, is it because you were the eldest, or was it because they saw something in you?

I think I was the eldest, and I was a loved kid at home.

I was a happy boy, and then also, I think it came because my mother used to work at that place where the guests came from during those days, and they had a relationship.

They were friends with that lady that gave me the bursary.

That's an amazing gift.

So, tell me how that was important as a building block for your career.

Now, if that never happened, I remember very well because I had sat for almost a year without going to school, and I was just in junior.

I was supposed to join junior too, or we call it primary to this side, and I wasn't, but if that never happened, I think I don't know maybe other ways, but I don't know how I would meet Christ because when we went to the village, it was a very, very, it's a long story, by the way, because there was nothing where we went, but the school was starting.

The idea was there.

We were studying in the tree, and we had the grass, a grass kind of, they call it a grass, those grass, those houses, they are done with grass.

Yes, the grass roof house like that, and then, but the people, the caretakers were amazing.

They loved us.

They taught us how to do work, and they never pressed it on ourselves to give our lives to Christ or to receive him, but I remember the teachings, the way of living, how we saw them, and how they took good care of us.

We could read the Bible, and I remember I read it myself, and I accepted I received Christ as my Lord and Savior.

Later, when I was around in primary six, I think that's a few years after because I went in junior too, but in junior six or primary six, I received Christ to be my Lord and Savior, but it came from how they were teaching us, how they brought us up, because they were both pastors, and they had a church.

They had a church.

They were leading at the village, and we adopted.

Yes.

Where did the love, where did the love for singing occur?

Ah, now the love of singing also, the Pastor Kato, Pastor Kato had a group, local drums.

They used to do local drums group, and it was called Nankasa, so Nankasa was a group that used to play the drums, the local drums around those times of celebrations in the evening when we are doing praise and worship, and me, while I was still young, I could come around and look at them, but then they gave me the small drum.

The small drum is the one I first learned, and when I learned it, I started playing it, and you can't play the drums when you're in the village.

It is hard to find someone who plays the local drums without knowing how to sing, and I could learn the songs by default, the songs that they used to sing during those days.

They sounded like folk songs, if you know that word, folk songs, but they could make sure the songs are glorifying God, even if they were played in a traditional way.

They could just, it was just the local drums, but the songs would have to mean a meaningful conversation of Christ, and that's how I started learning.

I started learning, and then before I knew, because they could see I could do something, I ended up being in choir Sunday school, and the choir was for mature ladies, and I was the only small boy.

I remember I was around junior six when I'm a very little boy, but then I could sing with very big men and women.

Women could even be breastfeeding in rehearsals.

I remember those things, and then I was there singing.

Isn't it fascinating how God shows us from inception how he's going to broaden our ministry?

That's very amazing.

In your bio, you talk about being a street preacher, which is the equivalent of being someone who is beating the drum and singing loud, right?

And then the founder of, is it El Piso Family Children Care?

Am I pronouncing the name correctly?

Yes.

So then, but you had a similar experience, right, where you were part of a family, pastor, right?

Pastor Kato is what you said?

Pastor Kato?

Pastor, what did you call the pastor's name?

Pastor Kato, yeah.

So here you are being part of that, yeah, being part of Pastor Kato's ministry.

And today you're almost mirroring exactly what you experienced as a child.

It's fascinating, isn't it?

It is.

It is very fascinating.

Yes.

Even your music as well, and all the videos I saw on YouTube of you singing, there's always there's always focus on people that are accompanying you.

The choir, for example, or a group, there's always that.

Again, it's the same reality of David leading the sheep and then becoming a king.

Wow.

Amazing.

Amazing.

What is the biggest challenge with ministry?

Oh, that is very, that's a big one.

When you are young, you sometimes land in people's hands.

Sometimes you're invited in places that you don't know.

Sometimes you might even do things when you think you know what you're doing, basically, even when you have the calling.

Because to tell you the truth, from when I was young, I have seen myself do this service without complaining.

I've never requested for anything everywhere I've been.

I've never asked for nothing everywhere I've been to be on stage or to do something or to allow God to use me.

I allowed by default in my heart because I knew from when I was young, I received it as a gift from him.

But then you start realizing the more you read the word for yourself, the only difference is the times when I was young, when I met Pastor Kato.

Back then, it felt so original.

It felt like salvation was more than today.

I'm sorry to say, because I can say if it wasn't those days, I don't know how I would stand in these days full of temptations, days full of false people around you.

The days are very hard.

People come with the wrong intentions and you don't even know.

We always pray God to lead us, but somehow, sometimes we've failed to really, to really recognize the people that are in front of us, the people that are relevant.

They are very relevant in the nations and in the countries, but at the end of the day, you realize it's not it.

It's not it because something is missing.

I think that has been a very, very, very big challenge for me.

I've realized in some places when I've already submitted and I've done some things, but then I pull back and I tell God, God, what is happening?

Because what I'm seeing does not really connect with the way I used to know the way salvation was.

It was honored.

It was respected.

That is the way they used to see us as servants of God.

And something was so different then.

And to keep that, you need to be alert in the spirit because things are running on a very terrible speed and it has been a challenge to me.

And me, by the way, I could never look into things like, what are you doing?

What are they offering for me to do this?

I've never.

But I have seen transactions on altars.

I have seen I've seen men use us, the gifted people.

I've been through things and I've come to realize, God, if you give me this gift.

In fact, recently, two years back, I decided to chill any invitations.

I told God, I don't want to be invited again.

I don't understand people.

But if you ever take me somewhere, please direct my foot, direct my feet because I don't want to be in places and I be part of people who are misleading others.

It has been disturbing my mind and I thank God I reduced my movements.

I reduced my invitations.

I decided to let God direct and lead me.

What does the TIT stand for?

So TIT stands for trust in truth, as simple as that.

We were still young by then.

It was a dance crew because when I was growing up, as I told you, as a child, I started singing in the Sunday school, all that that I've said.

And before I knew it, I started gathering people and training them dancing.

And then I named the team TIT so we could happen in church and we could have slots most of the times because we were doing the dancing.

And before we knew the dancing started the singing and we were like four guys.

And but when we grew up together, when we grew up and some went to universities and what, there was a split up because of our responsibilities.

But me, I stayed singing as Ivan.

But every time I went to those places they used to call us, they could be like, that's Ivan, the one of TITs.

So they could.

So I decided to tag it with Ivan because everyone knew me with the dance troupe called the dance group called TIT.

So it remained on my name, Ivan TIT.

It's been a great honor, my friend, speaking with you in closing.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Thank God for this opportunity.

I don't know how you got to me.

I don't know how I got in this opportunity to share what I've shared.

But I wanted to let you know that I'm really very honored and I'm very humbled and I'm grateful for all this time.

I'm grateful for the minutes you have shared with me, you have allowed me to share to whoever will listen to this.

And I am available if there is any opportunity to do anything with you.

And I'm just a call away.

Thank you so much for this.

You're welcome.

Again, Ivan, a pleasure, a treasure.

Thank you for being on What Is Inspired by 12 Minute Convoys.