From a teacher to a businesswoman
Four-year-old Grace was raised by her grandmother after her parents divorced. After she fi nished her matric, she studied for a three- year teacher’s diploma and later found a teaching job. However, things changed when she bought a house and all her salary went to pay her house bond. “I was broke all month. I didn’t get to enjoy my salary and I automatically lost the love for my job,” she said. In 1996 her grandmother, a member of the church invited her to the UCKG. She became a faithful and committed member of the church. In 2003 she left her teaching career and ventured into business.
“I became a property agent and three years later I bought a mini bus and went into the transport business,” she said. Her businesses grew quickly and she was able to buy two more mini buses. Then things started going wrong when she struggled to strike a balance between the hours she spent in her business and the time she gave to God. “That was the biggest mistake I ever made. From 2009 to 2011, I experienced a downturn in my business. All my clients cancelled their contracts. I was unable to pay my house bond and the instalments for my three cars,” she said. Grace moved out of her house and lived with her relatives. Her mini buses were repossessed by the bank and her house was also about to be repossessed. During her fi nancial diffi culties, the Campaign of Israel was introduced and Grace used it as an opportunity for her life to change. “I used my faith and made a vow to God, that I would never turn back to my old ways of life,” she said.
A month later, God open the doors for her and she sold eight properties. “I realised the power of obeying the voice of God and since then my life has never been the same,” she said. She was also able to stop her house being repossessed by the bank.
By: Roncha Mendel
My life was pitiful
Muomaife, a husband and a father, was unemployed for fi ve years. His wife, Constance, had a part time security job which did not pay enough to cover all their family’s needs. They sometimes went to sleep without eating. “At
some point my wife took our child to her parents because we had nothing in the house. We also struggled to pay rent for the back room we lived in and after three months our landlord threw us out. We lived with different friends. One day the friend who I had lived with decided not to return to his house and I had to sleep on the street for a couple of days,’ said Muomaife. Having no place to call home and his family living with different relatives made Muomaife’s life unhappy.
“I sold empty glass bottles of drink for R5 each and that was enough to buy bread for the day,” he said.A UCKG pastor invited him to the church and after praying he left and did not return to the church. That was when his circumstances worsened. “Three years, later, I remembered the prayer and words of faith that the man of God had offered. In 2012, I came back to the church and I learned that I also needed to do something to improve my life. I used my faith and approached a local welding school to train me and promised to pay them back on the completion of the course. I took part in the Campaign of Israel asking God to help me and make me independent. I found a job as a welder and worked on a contract. I was also able to pay the tuition fees I owed the school,” said Muomaife. “The company I worked for offered me a permanent position and promoted me to a senior position. I continued to use my faith and I obeyed the voice of God and He honoured me. I have my family back with me. I was able to buy an approved stand to build a family house. I also bought a car, a
Honda Civic,” he said. Muomaife started his own welding company which has now expanded to two branches in Johannesburg.
By: Nomsa Masengemu
I was determined to succeed
Growing up, Thuso wanted to become a professional and earn enough to take his family out of lives in poverty. His mother, a domestic worker, supported the family of four but when Thuso fi nished his matric his mother could not afford to pay for further studies. He told Universal News his parents fought constantly and his father later moved out of their family house. “I became stressed. All I wanted was to find a job so that I could help my mother,” said Thuso. At the age of 20 Thuso found a job distributing pamphlets on the streets.
In 2007 his aunt invited him to the UCKG where he attended services because he wanted God to perform a miracle in his life. He took part in the chains of prayer on Mondays for his finances. “I also took part in the chains of prayer on Thursdays for my family and asked God to bring peace to us. In the church, I learned the importance of being faithful and to trust in God. My life started to change when I found another job and worked as a data capturer,” said Thuso. When the Campaign of Israel was introduced, he used his faith and obeyed God’s voice.
“Two years later, one of the biggest companies in Johannesburg hired me as a technical operator and three months later I was promoted to the position of supervisor. I was able to extend my family house to eight rooms. Out of nowhere, my father came back and we are now a family. I thank God,” said Thuso. The Universal News spoke to Onicah, Thuso’s mother, about their lives. “The worst pain I felt was when Thuso could not further his studies. I felt like I had failed him. Things changed so fast when he started coming to the church. God blessed him with a good job and he is now taking care of us,” said Onicah.
By: Maggie Nyaunda