On a resent outreach to Khekenye in Botswana I met Gakenne Mokhobe, a 72 year old woman with the friendliest, open countenance that immediately got my attention. Her name means “I am not here to stay” because her father was a wonderer and her name was to keep her from more of the same. I would love to share her testimony with you.
A team from Rustenburg Methodist church recently went on an outreach to Botswana. During the time we spent in Khekhenye the team daily went on walk-abouts through the settlement to do house-to-house visits and to tell the residents about God. On our first day the group that I was part of met Gakenne and she told us her testimony in the local language, Sekgalagadi. With me was miss One, a Setswana speaking team member from Word to Africa, based in Lobatse. The miracle about this conversation happening in the local language was that One understood every word that was said without knowing Sekgalagadi! This already came as a surprise to the two of us.
As we approached Gakenne sitting next to her house, we immediately noticed the peaceful, joy-filled expression. She was very friendly and invited us to join her. As we started talking she told us her testimony:
“I do not have a testimony but if it wasn’t for Jesus, I would not be here today. The Bible says: Go with God and you will see life. I was very sick with asthma and often I felt as if I was dying because I could not breathe. During these asthma attacks I felt the presence of God and grew closer to Him through my suffering. God healed me completely and I no longer suffer from asthma attacks.
One day I went to a nearby settlement, Motokwe, where I met a pastor called Tshephe, who helped me to invite Jesus into my life. Soon after I got baptized and thereafter my life was different.
Going back to Khekhenye, pastor Tshephe introduced me to the local church here in Khekhenye. I found new life in the church and with God.
I have six sons, of which four is still living with me and the older two are living on their own in Khekhenye. My prayer is that all of them can find the new life and joy that I experience in Christ.”
Upon our second visit to the house of Gakenne she was joined by her friend, Mosadiwadikgosi Nxaletego, which means “speak and put away” because her great grandfather was too talkative. She is 70 years old. This woman was married to a traditional doctor. One day she and her family were busy working in a field when pastor Senase, the visiting minister from Lobatse, and a missionary from Pretoria came to speak to them.
On that day the oldest son refused prayer because he didn’t want his father to change because he believed the family needed his healing powers. The following day she and one of her children went to church and accepted God into their lives on that day. She decided to leave her husband to be able to follow her faith in God. She has never looked back.
Miss One remarked that Gakenne’s attitude was totally different to anyone else that we met in the settlement. She gladly welcomed us into her home, was so happy and at peace all the time and made us feel completely at ease while visiting her. God was shining through as she was talking and praising His name all the time.
Every day Gakenne came along to help making blankets which was one of the activities that we did to allow time to fellowship with the women from the community. These blankets brought great joy as they were taken home by the women.
During our second visit the women sang and danced, praising God in Sesarwa, their native language.
The lesson that we can learn from her is that we can be praising God in spite of any circumstances… Gakenne is the mother of six, with a disabled husband to take care of, having very little or any income at times, even though she is the only bread-winner for the whole family and yet finds the courage to smile all the time, thanking God for every bit that she has and praising His name with joy.
We should not only praise God for what we have but more so for Who He is.
Gakenne Mokhobe (Khekhenye, Botswana)
If and when this Testimony has spoken into your heart, please go to the Commitment page.