Being a care giver is not just a job, it’s a calling for 28- year-old Nothobile who offers love and a ready ear to little ones. “I have always loved children and I never wanted to see them living the same life I lived. My grandmother’s unconditional love encouraged me to follow my dream,” said Nothobile. Growing up in a poverty stricken family in Daveyton, Johannesburg, where the whole family depended on her grandmother’s pension, she developed an unconditional love for children.
“My grandmother’s pension was so little that it did not cover all our basic needs such as food and clothing. My mother was unemployed and she drank alcohol,” said Nothobile. Their family circumstances worsened when her grandmother fell ill and passed away in 2001. “I dropped out of school in grade seven because I had nobody to pay my school fees,” she said. She stayed with her stepfather but life was not kind to her. “I became sick at the age of 26. Nothing settled in my stomach and I vomited every time I ate. My whole body had pains and my feet were swollen. The pain kept me awake day and night. I went to different traditional healers and doctors but none of them was able to diagnose my sickness,” said Nothobile.
She told Universal News that she accepted her situation and believed that she was born to suffer. She could not fi nd a job because of her ill health. “I felt hopeless and life was just too much for me,” she said. An assistant at the UCKG invited her to the church in May 2011. “I was desperate for help and I did not think twice. In the church, I learnt that all things are possible with God,” she said. She took part in the chain of prayers on Tuesdays for her healing. “Three months later God restored my health. I also found a job as a care giver at a day care centre. That for me was a dream come true. I work, play and spend most of my time with children. Ever since the day I stepped into the UCKG, my life has never been the same. I live a very peaceful and fulfi lled life today,” she concluded.
Disclaimer: The Universal Church does not claim to heal anyone, but believes that through the power of faith in the name of Jesus, a person can receive healing. Those under medical treatment are advised to continue taking prescribed medication and following their doctors’ instructions.