Testimony of

Werner Hamukoto

Pastor in Namibia

Werner Hamukoto is now a pastoral intern at Eastside Baptist Church, Namibia.

Testimony of Conversion

I grew up like every Namibian boy, religious and thinking I am well with God. My parents come from an Anglican tradition; however, I was not really into church and only went to the Anglican Church on special times like Christmas and weddings. During my high school times, my rebelliousness manifested much and led me to be involved in illegal things, like drugs. But despite my recklessness, I really thank God because the drugs did not mess me up. I still loved school, and after passing grade 12, I was able to move from that town (Otjiwarongo) to Windhoek in search of tertiary education. 

It was during my first year and first semester (2011) on the University of Namibia campus the Lord saved me. There was a young lady I knew from Otjiwarongo that I was interested in who attended Campus Crusade for Christ on campus. With the aim of getting her, I went where ever she was and accepted her every invitation to whatever event. So, she invited me to a Campus Crusade for Christ event called ‘prime time’ where the gospel was preached on a weekly basis. 

I still remember vividly today, that the sermon was on John 3:16. It was not the first time to hear such a verse, but from the teaching, I was personally touched by the extent of the love of God in sending his Son to die for me. From that point onward, the Lord began working in my heart and applied the gospel to my life. The same young lady also invited me to church the next Sunday (this is the same church that I am pastoring today). After several weeks of church attendance and Campus Crusade prime time, I could confidently say I have believed in Christ because of the gospel, who He is and what He has done, and I am a new person in Christ. 

Call to Ministry

I became a Christian during my first year of university through the ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. This ministry was very vital in my life during my campus years. From the first year, it helped me to be devoted to God and grow spiritually. Since I was doing a degree in Microbiology, this ministry introduced me to a good apologetic book that gave me a biblical worldview, and consequently, my mind was not polluted by the evolution theory worldview. 

In the second year, I was invited to me one of the leaders of Campus Crusade, leading the ‘prime time’ department which was responsible for organizing the teaching events. This ministry exposed me to missions. And during most holidays, instead of going home, I usually went for mission trips around the country. This increased my love for the gospel, lost souls, and missions. On campus I was also burdened to share the gospel, being influenced by many apologetic books I read. One of those book was, ‘More than a Carpenter’ by Josh McDowell. 

When I was in my third year of studying, with clear conviction I knew I wanted to be in ministry and not simply work in a laboratory. It was not an easy conviction, and I tried to fight it and comfort myself with the money I will get from working. But the sure conviction kept coming back. I loved missions and in doing that I was wholeheartedly content until Christ comes. Being selected to several leadership positions in Campus Crusade for Christ was helpful confirmation from other believers. 

I become a member of Monte Christo Baptist Church in 2012 after being with them for a year. In 2013 (my third year of study), I was selected to be one of the men to lead the program of the church service. The following year, I was selected to teach the junior youths of the church (age 12-16). Monte Christo helped me to understand the role of the local church in the believers life, and its role in mission. This balanced the understanding I got from Campus Crusade, which was not local church-centered, and with that I was able to have a biblical understanding and view to missions. So, now I have a love for the church. 

At the beginning of 2014, I decided that I will accept the call to ministry. This brought great joy and I could not wait to finish school and begin with ministry. However, I did not know what ministry I wanted to do; all I knew was that it is the ministry of preaching, teaching, and discipling others that I wanted. I initially thought that I might join Campus Crusade for Christ and become a local missionary. Not knowing what to do, I went to my pastor. I shared with him my desire of going into the ministry. In short, he shared with me his long awaited prayer for God to bring up young men in the church. His desire was for men to be thoroughly equipped if they are to endure in the ministry. Thus, he advised me to go first for theological training in Zambia at Central Africa Baptist University, and I took his advice. 

That was how the conviction to do full-time ministry began, and the Lord’s providing and guiding always brought confirmation. After my studies in Zambia, the church called me to pastor them, as Pastor Laban was retiring.

In the present day, I am now a pastoral intern at Eastside Baptist Church in Namibia.