WHILE still mourning the death of his father, Oleg Nkusi (20) of Berea chose to leave behind his grieving mother and two younger brothers to devote two years of voluntary service as a Christian missionary.
Since he was 14 years old he always knew he wanted to serve as a missionary for his church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. However, as Oleg prepared to leave, everything seemed to go wrong. On 25 September Oleg’s father unexpectedly died of heart failure, just a few short weeks before he was scheduled to depart. One week later his grandmother passed away. His now widowed mother was left alone to care for Oleg’s two younger brothers.
Aside from the family struggles, Oleg would also be forfeiting the chance to begin his university studies overseas by going on his mission. Oleg was presented with a very difficult decision to make – should he stay or should he go?
As he struggled to make the decision, the words of his father rang in his mind: “You will serve a mission no matter what.”
Oleg bravely took a leap of faith and decided he was still going to serve as a missionary. He knew, as one of his favourite scriptures says, “Seek first the Kingdom of God, all things will be added unto you.” He trusted that, while he devoted two years to helping others, his family would also be taken care of at home.
One may think his mother would tell him not to go under such circumstances. Not the case for Jane Birasa: “I told him not to worry about me. I know that a mission is where he should be. It will be fine for him as well as for me.”
Elder Nkusi, as he is now called, has been away from his home for two months and is currently stationed in Cape Town. He does not regret his decision one bit. “I know it was the right decision for me to serve a mission. It has been the best experience of my life, and I hope that my younger brothers follow in my footsteps,” he said.
Oleg is one of 88 000 missionaries currently serving The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The missionaries can be seen on the streets of hundreds of major cities in the world as well as in thousands of smaller communites. The missionary effort is based on the New Testament pattern of missionaries serving in pairs, teaching the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.
These young men and women (aged 18 to 26) serve from 18 to 24 months, leaving all other pursuits behind. This is at their own expense. Many others have made sacrifices similar to Oleg, including 150 missionaries serving in KZN.
The missionaries serving in the Berea area, Elder Childs and Elder Lewis, can be reached at 083 452 6591 or visited at the church (144 Silverton Road, Berea) for more information.
