Fusi Mokoena (Dubai) tells the story of how God brought him from a small, rural town in South Africa to be leading a church in the great city of Dubai.

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Fusi was born in Clarens, a small town in South Africa. He grew up with his family of nine in a two-bed house. The family had to build a shed outside so there was a room for the male siblings. His parents were subsistence farmers, keeping cows and chickens.

Growing up, Fusi had the ambition to do be in a different environment and to do something great with his life but, he didn’t feel like he was surrounded by others with similar ambitions. He had a desire to “get rich or die trying” and was adamant he didn’t want to become a policeman, a teacher or a pastor.

By 16, Fusi was mostly financially independent, working part-time to support his family. By 18, he was entirely independent. He paid his own way through university, working in a restaurant in the holidays while his friends relaxed. He had dreams of becoming many different things: a pilot, an astronaut or a lawyer but he didn’t know anyone who was emulating his dreams and he found his environment incredibly limiting.

While working in a restaurant, he met a man who was a pastor in the local church his mother attended. The pastor told him that he had a prophetic dream and a word for him, telling Fusi that God said he was going to be a leader in the church one day. This was before Fusi was a believer himself, so he was gobsmacked as he’d never known anyone talk to him about God in such a way.

A year later, his mother led him to the Lord, and he met Jesus. A few years later, Fusi found himself serving in the church alongside that pastor and he went to Lesotho to be a part of a church plant. For the 18 months he lived there, he had very poor living conditions: living in a garage with a rat in the ceiling. But, it was in Lesotho that his heart for the kingdom of God grew.

Fusi returned to Clarens and served as an elder in a local church. God led him from there to the UK, where spent a few years. He grew in his leadership gifting and leadership confidence and God opened up a whole new world for him, travelling around the world, raising leaders and being involved in church planting. He found himself becoming what he thought he’d never be: a pastor!

Fusi now lives in Dubai, having moved from the UK a number of years ago. He now leads a vibrant church called City Hill. God has done amazing things, He was able to take him from his humble beginnings to the great city of Dubai to be used for His purpose.