Missionary profile – Bongekile Nene

By Mercy Kambura

Bongekile Nene

Missionary from South Africa to Madagascar and South Africa

I’m serving with Youth with a Mission (YWAM) and Union Bible Institute, training and mobilising the African Church to be more involved in missions. I’m a pastor’s grandchild. I grew up in Kwa Zulu Natal, South Africa.

My maternal grandparents were pastors; all of my mom’s family were born-again Pentecostals. My dad wasn’t a Christian. My grandfather would pick us up and take us to church. Nevertheless, I didn’t accept Christ until I was about 20 years old.

I was now a new being – but there was one problem: I was eight months pregnant and pledged to be married to a non-believer! Painfully, I broke off the engagement. I gave birth to a son and prayed that he’d serve God all the days of his life.

I started ministering to the youth in my neighbourhood. God laid it in my heart to go to Bible college. My dad didn’t want me to go – he wanted me to get a job and a ‘better’ career. I prayed about it, applied, was accepted, and joined Union Bible Institute.

While there, missionaries would share about ‘the nations’ and unreached people. I had a heart for evangelism, but I didn’t know that some people had never heard the gospel.

As I was praying about what to do after college, a friend asked that I pray about joining YWAM. I went to Madagascar for my outreach for two months. I heard God again telling me that he wanted me to be a missionary. I went to my grandfather again, and he gave me his blessings.

I joined the mission staff in YWAM, training and exposing young people worldwide for missions. I want to see more Africans joining missions. Last year, I returned to the Bible College as a full-time member of the faculty.

My son is also a missionary with YWAM. Praise the Lord! I adopted an orphan girl and I now have a grandson that I’m bringing up. I got married at age 45 to a wonderful pastor.

I want the church in Africa to understand the Great Commission. Churches are focused on enriching themselves and on pastors having big cars. We may be evangelizing, but there’s a lot of work left to go to the nations. We need teams of pastors go to the unreached, to help open their minds. We need to challenge pastors to allow mission training among their congregations.

#Pray:

For my vision to build a community centre where the community’s children can learn the Word of God and missions.
For provision for this project. I have the land where I was planning to build my house, but I will now make one part of it a community centre.