The piece of ground looked suitable for a garden. But for years, no one was able to make it yield anything worth the toils, until one woman arrived with a formula. So successful was she, the community couldn’t wait to uncover the amazing secret and offer her a special thank you.

“No, you can’t just hand the garden over to the hospital kitchen that way. You have undertaken a big project, and the management needs to hear about it,” colleagues at the village hospital told Tshepo Mokoti.

A laboratory technician at Bobonong, in the Bobirwa district of Botswana, Tshepo decided to spend her after-office hours and weekends at the hospital garden on which “people had tried to plant for several years to no avail.” She cleared the field and planted cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes and lettuce. Whenever she couldn’t visit the garden, she had her younger sisters keep the plants watered and happy.

Barely two months after, Tshepo’s harvest baskets were full! The crops had flourished so well, even WITHOUT MANURE!

“News of how I handled the project finally reached the management. I was called upon to explain my motive. They regarded it as an extraordinary thing, given that I am a laboratory technician by profession. I was asked to give a speech. They really wanted me to explain why I did it,” she said.

It was time for the miracle gardener to explain her inspiration. “Naturally, I am shy to stand in front of people and speak. But on the day of the handing over, I never had to prepare a speech. Words just flowed freely, boldly and with calmness from my heart. I explained to them the June 12 Message on the birthday of my Prophet T.B. Joshua. God gave me the grace to obey the words; discovering and using my strength to help those who need what I have. I told them that giving is not all about money, as the Man of God had said, and that our strength is what God would use to bless others.”

Pleased with the green initiative, the management of the hospital submitted Tshepo’s name to the health ministry, so she could be recognised as Employee Of The Month (August 2016) Bobriwa District. What happened next surprised her. “When the ministry received the request, it changed it to Employee Of The Month (August 2016) Entire Country!”

“Thank you Jesus Christ! Thank you Prophet T.B. Joshua!” said a delighted Tshepo, adding: “The best is yet to come.”