Mzo

Mzubanzi Bayeni, better known as Mzo, is a powerful example of God’s ability to save a life. Three years ago Mzo was a lost young man, drinking and fighting his way down a dead-end road. Then his Uncle Philip showed up and asked Mzo’s parents if he could take his nephew to Cape Town, where he served as pastor for Masiphumelele Baptist Church.

After much resistance, Mzo relented. Less than two weeks after his arrival in Cape Town, he had realized his need for God and committed his life to Jesus Christ. But the very next day, tragedy struck – Pastor Philip was gunned down in the church by the boyfriend of a young woman he had been counseling. Mzo cried out to God, “Why have you brought me here to see my uncle die?”

He wanted to return to his home in the Eastern Cape (about a day’s drive away), but Philip’s widow convinced him to stay, reasoning that he was the new head of her household. Later that year Mzo began volunteering with Living Hope, which eventually turned into a full-time job as a Life Skill Educator (LSE) in Red Hill. Today Mzo is the LSE team leader in Red Hill, as well as an influential leader in a startup church in Masi.

Working alongside Mzo in Red Hill, I am constantly inspired by his commitment and compassion. He so loves the people of this rural mountainside community that he is preparing to move there. Not content with just spending a couple of hours teaching kids each afternoon, he wants to be there full-time to share God’s love with all the residents. I’m amazed by this sacrifice – he is moving from a proper house with running water to an aluminum shack miles from town – but he doesn’t see it that way. To him it’s simply a means for him to tell people about this Jesus who has completely transformed his life.