A Seed That Took Root

Some stories don’t start with fireworks – they begin quietly, in Sunday school classes and everyday routines, where God gently whispers His presence before we fully understand it. Cadet Mkhonto Lungile from Naas Corps in the Mpumalanga & eSwatini Division shares her testimony of growing up in a home of faith, wrestling with loss and questions, and encountering a God who not only listens but calls her by name. Her journey is both personal and powerful – a reminder that God can meet us in our questions and lead us into something far greater than we imagined.

Growing up in a Christian family played a huge role in my life. I was raised by a single woman who loved and feared the Lord deeply. From a young age, I learned about Christ in Sunday school every week. At the time, it felt like something I had to do, and I didn’t understand much about salvation or what it meant to give my life to God. I attended church because it was what my mother did. Little did I know, a seed was being planted in my heart during those early years.

At the age of 18, I started getting more involved in youth activities at church. That’s when I realized I needed a personal relationship with God and to commit my life fully to Him.

Ecclesiastes 12:1 says, “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, ‘I find no pleasure in them.’” I did that, and as a young person, I began to sense that I had a calling. But the pressure of seeing my peers going off to tertiary education or already working made me question that calling. I thought, Maybe this calling thing isn’t for me. I got a job and started working, but my life took a wrong turn when I began losing close family members. I was left with so many unanswered questions.

Then in 2020, during a 21-day fast held by the Mpumalanga and Eswatini Division, I cried out to God, asking, Why are these bad things happening in my life? One morning, during that time of fasting, I was taking a nap when I was woken by a voice calling my name. It said, Wake up and read John 15:16. The verse reads: “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.”

That verse gave me all the answers I needed. From that day forward, I never looked back. I realized that God truly had a better plan for my life. Today, I am a second-year Cadet, and every day I see God fulfilling His plan and purpose for me.