I am William Tengani a Graduate of the Southern Africa Bible College at Benoni Gauteng Province. I’m married to Beulah Tengani. The Lord has blessed us with three children. I Graduated in 2009. I was working for Clover SA at Port Elizabeth before I went to SABC for training.
All my life my desire was to study God’s word, because there was much need to save souls for Christ. In 2006 I resigned from my job, after being encouraged by a preacher and the Brethren at Port Elizabeth. We left with my family on the 12 January 2007 to attend the Bible School at Benoni It was not a good time because we did not even know Johannesburg, but through God’s grace we arrived safely on the 13 Jan 2007. I was a member of Kwakhele Church of Christ, and my prayer was to come back to my home congregation to work with them.
MY FIRST YEAR AT SABC
This was the year which made me humble, because we mostly left our own congregation full of pride thinking that we knew so much, but for me it didn’t work. In my first year the studies were amazing because I never knew that there was a course in Greek and Hebrew – it blew my mind. My focus changed to be closer to God in prayer and to live the life that pleases our Master. My pride was changed to Humbleness. My favorite scripture that built me up at SABC, was Matt. 6:33 “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God” my prayer was to look up to Lord, and he guided me through.
MY SECOND YEAR
Brethren, it was tough adapting to study after so many years of secular work – it was not so easy and many difficulties moved us to thinking of quitting and moving back home. But today I can see why GOD wanted me to endure the hardship and overcome. My Life changed more during this year. I started to realize that my being at SABC was a part of my growth to maturity as Christian. I started to understand that SABC is a place that taught me to love to preach the Gospel. My great encouragement at this time was the THEME of SABC, “2Tim. 2:2”.
THE THIRD YEAR
During the third year my focus changed: now my zeal was to pray to God to fulfill my new plan: to start a new work back home. My zeal was burning within me. My wife asked, as we moved back home, what is going to happen, I knew exactly what she meant. “What are we going to eat, children’s schooling, how are we going to survive?” My only answer was if God wants me back home He will see that we have all our needs taken care of. Thanks be to God who gives us so much encouragement to focus to him. I finished SABC in 2009 .
BACK HOME AT PORT ELIZABETH
We visited all the Churches at Port Elizabeth to see what we must do to build good relationships with them. On the 07 February 2010 we began a church in our house. We gave our neighbors letters of invitation to join us for services. The first day of worship one soul was baptized into Christ after that we never looked back. In the same year in March we organized a Gospel meeting. That week four more souls were added to the Church. From that day until 29 January 2011 we won 18 souls for Christ, we are grateful for three families who are worshiping with us and today we have 32 people who worship in the house.
WHAT I LEARNED FROM SABC
Brothers for me to graduate from Southern Africa Bible College was a blessing, My gratitude goes to all the lecturers of that wonderful college, beginning with the President of the college, the Director, the lecturers and the staff. Brethren you have made me proud, thanks for teaching me and guiding me to be a servant in God’s vineyard. You are God’s servants. I will always try to make you proud and continue to preach the Gospel of Christ to the lost world, which is what you taught me. I am taking some time now at the Eastern Cape to recruit more students for the SABC.
YOURS IN CHRIST SERVICE – WILLIAM TENGANI