The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and whoever captures souls is wise (Proverbs 11:30).

Christianity arrived in South Africa as early as 1652. Almost 200 years later, the London Missionary Society sent David Livingstone there, where he became one of the first European missionaries to travel the continent sharing the Gospel. About 170 years after Livingstone reached South Africa, Haggai leader and regional representative in southern Africa, Lucky Shabangu, ministers there in his native land. Much like his Christian predecessors, he lives to be wise in God’s eyes.

At the very young age of five, his mother says Lucky was summarizing the Scriptures as an adult would. She knew God had a plan for her son to minister for Him.

“At the age of 13, I started visiting local hospitals and police stations, as well as stood on the street corners,” Shabangu says, “As long as I saw a small group of people standing, I went and preached to them. Cars and minibus-taxis would stop at the crossroads and listen to my sermons and many people responded to the call of salvation.

“I witnessed Jesus healing people,” he continues. “One time I preached at a local clinic before the doctors saw the patients. After I prayed, everyone stood up and left except those there for regular check-ups. When asked by security why they were leaving without seeing the doctors, they testified that they were all healed and did not suffer any pain. All glory and honor be to Jesus Christ.”

Lucky says, “I can share a thousand testimonies, but my life has been centered on souls. I realized that after I became an official pastor of Jesus Reigns Ministries International, I relaxed on evangelism and gave my focus to building the church. However, the Lord has restored me through the Haggai Leader Experience and I am truly grateful to Him. I believe the greatest call any believer can ever have is to leave everything behind and pursue preaching the Gospel, especially to the unreached. I, therefore, desire to live my calling and reach the unreached, equip and inspire others to do so, and raise resources to send more people out as modern-day missionaries.”

Written by Valerie Dyke