Lucky Abanim FAITH, LEADERSHIP & PURPOSE Lucky Abanim is a passionate servant of God whose journey of faith began at an early age. Having given his life to Christ at just 10 years old, he stepped into ministry at 16 as a Sunday school teacher, laying the foundation for a lifelong commitment to serving God and His people.

Over the years, Lucky has grown into a dedicated shepherd and gifted teacher of God's Word. He currently serves as a regional youth coordinator for World Mission Agency, providing spiritual leadership and oversight to the youth fellowship across South Africa, Lesotho, and Namibia. His ministry is marked by a deep passion for raising purposedriven leaders and equipping young people to live transformed lives through the power of God's Word.

Beyond ministry, Lucky is a devoted husband and a proud father of two. He is passionate about transformation, purpose, and leadership, and his life stands as a testimony to the unwavering faithfulness of God. Through his teaching and leadership, he continues to inspire others to pursue God's purpose with conviction, excellence, and unwavering faith.

Hi, I'm Angel.

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I'm a missionary, so the nature of my work involves moving from place to place, from time to time.

So yeah.

How did you meet Jesus?

How did you meet Jesus, Lucky?

I met Jesus when I was 10.

I was in a crusade that was held around my neighborhood.

And it began with a visual, like, you know, having a visual of Christ laid out on a screen, you know, that the way they do most of those tele-crusades and evangelism.

So yeah, it was a group of missionaries from across many nations put together.

So while that is being played out, yeah, it got really got strong conviction.

And then before the word section came up, I'd already made up my mind that I was going that way.

So from then, yeah, it really has been from glory to glory.

And I could say that's one of the biggest advantage I've ever enjoyed in my journey.

Because from then, you know, with the relationship, it just keeps making things a lot, lot, lot, lot, lot easier for me as well.

From 10 years old, you're serving God.

What does teenage life look like for someone who's chosen Jesus at that time in life?

I could say it was, it really helped me to define my focus.

Because straight from then, I was just wrapping up my primary school, correct, and getting into high school then.

So I'm being as young as I was at high school we had.

I was practically the youngest in my class, you know.

And so most of the time, challenges could come in terms of having to flow along with people.

But among the advantages, the Holy Spirit helped me cultivate early.

He was able to help me understand and, you know, get to know temperaments and how to be able to walk with the people and then how to be able to know how to flow.

But that also helped me to be able to overlook.

Because then, I mean, there was a little bit of those domineering, those, you know, a bit older than you in the same class, they feel that, oh, this person is a lot more younger.

So we can easily take advantage of him and that.

But it just helped me see it in a different light completely.

And also, yeah, peer pressure, having to make decisions, and a lot of temptations that could easily sweep everyone off my feet as I did.

By those footings and those groundings, I was able to navigate.

Where do you think you got that awareness that it seems as though you have, even back then as a 10-year-old coming through secondary school?

Well, the awareness.

Remember, right after then, of course, I have always been going with my parents to church, of course, born into a Christian home.

But the relationship grew on a deeper level, right?

Such that even if after school, when I will have a bit of free time, leisure time, so to so to play, but it became something different for me.

I would rather want to, you know, study the word or to read a Christian literature or, you know, most of those things, because my mind now became curious, wanting to know more about this God that I just met.

And also, a bunch of what helped my faith was, of course, the church.

They gave us quite some work to do, aside from Sunday schools and all that.

We had to take some assignment back home to do, to discover some things for ourselves.

And then also, then I remember getting to know most of these books on Bible story that had Christian pictures in them.

And then some other magazine that could help teenage children to be able to full study of what we could.

So, yeah, those basically helped me to navigate, yeah, those early seasons of my work with God.

When did you meet your wife?

I met my wife eight years ago and we were in a relationship.

I was away in a mission work, I think Swaziland, yeah.

And then we got married, that would be six years ago, 2020.

So, yeah, we were blessed with two beautiful girls that has been faithful.

Ministry is the reason you took as long as you did to get married?

Ministry and, okay, school, because as soon as I wrapped up with school, I really had some time to get into a number of skills building, which I felt that I really, really needed.

Because aside from ministry, the marketplace could not really give you so much voice, especially to represent the kingdom, if you really had nothing to bring to the table.

So, yeah, I took most of those early years as developmental years for me, building muscles, aside from spiritually, having to sharpen up quite a number of skills, which I knew God had deposited.

So, most of those actually took a bit of my time.

It sounds as though you're having fun doing the work of God.

Incredibly, I am, really.

There wouldn't have been any better thing for me, to be honest.

I feel it's a noble call.

And the fact that it gives me the opportunity to point to people, to make impact, to be able to add my quota and shaping the cultures for the sake of the kingdom, I think that's much more fulfilling, irrespective of any other motivation.

But, yeah, basically that.

And ultimately, to know that you are really in the will of God, it's just so soothing.

Five years from today, you're listening to this conversation.

You'd have heard the evolution of the 10-year-old lucky to the teenager, getting married, of course, remaining in ministry, while walking the educational path.

What's a message you'd leave for future you?

The message I'll leave for my future, me, is to evolve and never be tired of getting hungry.

Growth is one part that there's never an arriver apart.

And I also believe that success has no...

it has no bus stop.

It is an improvement.

The more we know God, actually, is the more we should crave to know Him.

And just like the sayings of Paul, I do not count myself to have apprehended this one thing I do.

This was this time true for me, the years to come.

Forgetting the things which are behind and seeking forth.

So, which means, the more territories are conquered, the more that needs to be conquered.

The more we learn, the more we should be able to learn.

The more we know God, the more we should crave to know Him.

So, this remains a mission that I would be glad to still look forward to in the years to come and say, yes, it was worth it.

At the time of this recording, how old are your children?

Currently, the first one is four years, and the second one came in exactly a month ago.

Wow, congratulations.

Amazing.

Very much.

Now that they have arrived, and of course, the trajectory has been impacted, I would imagine, in your mind as to how you do missions.

What do you envision is going to be next for you?

Well, aside from the mission and doing the work, recently, I've been having quite a lot of conventional raising, mentoring a number of leaders across.

And that I've been doing through my youth network.

My major concern, basically, is the youth, of course, since it was quite an advantage in my work with God.

So, yeah, I've been having quite a bit of passion in trying to help them navigate the paths of growing up and finding God early, holding on to the same Biblical ways of getting life going.

And then, ultimately, to live a life that places God in all things, whether at the ministry, or at the workplace, or at the marketplace.

Yeah, basically.

So, raising the next generation has really, really been a passion for me across.

It's been an honor having a conversation with you, Lucky.

In closing, is there anything else you'd like to share?

It's also an amazing opportunity for me.

Thank you so much for having me on the 12 Minutes Convo with Jesus.

I see that as a great privilege.

And please keep this great work going.

And more grace to you and the entire team.

Thank you so very much.

You're welcome.

Lucky, I'm with him.

Master, Lucky, I'm with him.

A pleasure, a treasure.

Thank you for being on what has inspired the 12 Minute Convo.