“Bongiwe Mosele-Magampa, what is your soul purpose?”

I have been asking myself this since I was a teenager in the 90’s.

I have found it… my “soul” purpose that is, or the Source of it, I should say. But it all started a few decades back. So let’s go… to the year 2000 while in matric my life changed forever.

I lost my dad.

The first man I ever loved

My father was a Reverend who also worked at SABC as a producer. He was a devoted dad who installed valuable core values in me, and raised me like a princess.

I watched his leadership style within his congregation in awe. He used to help everyone in need, and as a result, we had lots of people from either his home town or people who fell on hard times living with us. He just went above and beyond. I would see this in little everyday things, like – before it was a done thing, he would always tip petrol attendants! He was the most humble person who was unbelievably loved.

I was lost without him, and I guess in my depression I started questioning God a lot. I went through all stages of grieving, shock, denial, anger, bargaining, depression, testing and finally acceptance, in what felt like a lifetime.

Forged by strong women and by fire

I was also raised by my mom and aunt, who by the way, is not my biological aunt.

My aunt is a social worker by profession and my mother a teacher. These two Queens shaped me into the woman I am today.

While my aunt was a softy who was always understanding, my mom was the total opposite. She was the disciplinarian. She was so strict that all it took was her giving you one look, when I was out of line. That look was lethal! That look made you cry before you even got the hiding because that look meant a thousand words without saying a word.

At first, I struggled with her way of disciplining but honestly today as a parent I am so thankful that she raised me that way. I totally understand it now and appreciate the value of discipline. It is actually a very important form of love.

My aunt taught me about work ethic and saving. I started working when I was 13 as a model and after doing a few adverts and earning my first salary I bought myself a cellphone in 1997. I was in Grade 9.

Joy in service

I understood the importance of service and serving others, and have from an early age.

I come from a family of love, God’s love. As a result, loving, giving, and taking care of others comes naturally to me.

I always want to make sure that everyone is happy, fed and well taken care of.

Learning to fail forward

Emerging into young adulthood I still couldn’t quite figure out what my soul purpose was. Compound that floundering feeling with the constant longing for my father, I started understanding the hardships of life.

I entered and exited a few jobs and ideas along the way. In my early 20’s I dropped out of Fashion school while working for designers Marc and Michael. I experimented with my own fashion business, even created and sold a few designs, but it didn’t last long at all.

I relocated to Cape Town.

I got married and became Mrs Dr Magampa. We are high school sweethearts and have been together for 25 years and married 13 years. We have two beautiful children.

In my 30’s and working for Media24, I decided it was time to go out on my own again. So, I quit my job and Black Rose Concepts version 1 was born, an events business.

But, in spite of a great work ethic, a brilliant idea, and a solid motivation, my lack of experience and market research, and probably timing, meant the newborn business never got off the ground.

At that time, I took failure very harshly.

But I picked myself up and got back in the corporate retail saddle, and before long was managing a team in Marketing. I learned. A lot. All the time. My brain and heart were sponges ready to learn what NOT to do, to NOT fail going forward.

Being born. Again.

Now, as I’ve explained earlier, I come from a God-loving family. Check!

My father was a reverend. Check!

I married a doctor. Check!

We help, we love, we serve, we work hard. Check, check, check, check!

I prayed everyday and paid my taxes. Check, check!

However, even though I checked all the boxes, I was still lost. I was still without a purpose. My soul was barren.

During this time one of the people in my team, together with a friend whom I worked with at Media24, and my sister-in-law, started teaching me about the importance of having a relationship with God.

As a Christian I honestly didn’t even know there was a difference between being religious and having a relationship with God.

About being known by God, putting Him first, obeying His voice, and understanding God’s true character (which is so different to what the world says He is, by the way!).

To be honest, I had stopped talking to God a few years back already. I just prayed everyday as per my normal routine and upbringing. Little did I know that all these experiences were just shaping me for the next chapter of my life.

God speaks.

My heart was crying out to God. I was searching the Bible, praying, waiting on Him, building a two-way relationship with Him.

Someone once said, “If your God doesn’t talk to you, you’re worshipping an idol.”

So, I fully expect God to speak to me.

He did.

God spoke to me in many ways. Here’s how.

• A person. I was assisting in the sales department. The sales manager was scheduled to meet a gentleman that day but couldn’t, so he asked me to take the meeting instead because I knew that part of the business as well. After discussing work, this man simply asked me why am I still in the company I was working at. I was so confused by that question I explained that I had a business in events but had put it on hold because life happened. That man said, “What if people need your services but you’re too busy ignoring God?” He used Jonah as an example, and said that if I didn’t obey God, He could make things very uncomfortable for me until I listened… Well needless to say a few months later things got very uncomfortable at work.

• A book. Then, while reading a booked called Untamed by Glennon Doyle, I also learned about unlearning a lot of society’s conditions that had influenced a lot of my behaviours that were damaging to my well-being. Things like people pleasing, going over and above for people who didn’t reciprocate the same energy, and so on.

• A dream. One night I had a dream. In this dream I was having a conversation with God and we were talking about Black Rose Concepts. We were literally brainstorming the future of the business. The dream felt like hours. I woke up before 6am the following morning and told my husband that I needed to make boxes.

The awakening.

After the dream, I woke up.

I mean, really woke up.

I was nearing 40 and still questing for a more fulfilling and purposeful life but this time it was different. I could feel a very big shift was happening within me. I call it the awakening.

I started doing research on how to reinvent my events business to a personalised gifting service and bought the things I needed to start. The ground work had already been done and with some assistance along the way from some amazing individuals. I took a leap of faith, quit my job, and decided to let God lead the way. This time two years in, my little dream that is now my personalised gifting company is slowly growing.

Not only did God not forsake me but the Holy Spirit is working in me. There were so many ah-huh moments, like given the fact that I loved making people feel loved and supporting other businesses, gifting actually comes naturally to me, it all started to make sense.

This time not leaning on my own understanding. Rather, I’m leaning into what God has planned for me while I was still in my mother’s womb.

I cannot express to you how fulfilling it is to seek God and find out who you were born to be.

My advice:

1. Never stop asking yourself what your purpose is.
2. Embrace failure and disappointments. It’s part of the journey and a very important lesson for aspiring entrepreneurs.
3. Always have a positive attitude and have the mentality of a student.
4. Self-love is the most important thing because you can’t pour from an empty cup.
5. Passion, do everything from the heart.

The word that God brought to my heart right now is. Agape – Selfless Love, this is the highest form of love. Not only was this something I learned from my father and from my Queens it also is definitely what the world needs more of today. Another ah-huh moment🙌🏾

I recently had a good friend jokingly say I am her blesser. My response was if God has put me on this earth to be a blessing to others then so be it.

My name Bongiwe means thankful and I can not tell you how thankful I am that God chose me🙏🏾

I’m Bongiwe Mosele-Magampa and I’m the Founder of Black Rose Concepts!

Love,

B 🫶🏾