28 Feb 2021

The loss of a loved one can be the lowest point in life, but for one Rebaone Gola, the death of his mother a few years ago, has proven to be a blessing in disguise for him and many other young people.

Through the book, The Game Changer, the Mambo-born writer shares his personal experiences from being a typical wayward boy and how dealing with the death of his mother landed him in a place of hope.

In an interview, he explained that he started writing the book about a decade ago, but had to thoroughly proof-read it several times to ensure it was a true reflection of what he wanted to share with the world.

He also noted that he struggled to find professional editors since he was funding the book from his pocket, hence published December last year.

“The book is basically a testimony about what I experienced and how my life changed the moment I encountered God in my life. I found it as an opportunity to give people hope that irrespective of a difficult situation, there is another life in God,” he explained.

Currently a practicing public relations officer with one of the local parastatal organisations, Gola revealed that his initial intention was to print a few copies to share message of hope with the youth, but due to high demand he has since embarked on a fund-raising mission to print 1 000 copies to distribute for free amongst targeted audiences in prisons, schools and to underprivileged homes, among others.

He currently uses his social media pages to sell the book to various people across the country, who he says are continuously giving him positive reviews.

However, the long-term plan was to make it readily available countrywide and ultimately put it on Amazon.

In the meantime, Gola has devoted part of his time to conducting public speaking and motivational talks especially to young people who find themselves in unfortunate situations.

He used his personal experiences from his past life to the present to give them hope that they too can turn their lives around.

“I have found peace in God and all the questions in my life have since been answered and now this is the right moment to re-live my experiences and share with others who might be in similar situations,” he noted.

However, he acknowledged that people have different beliefs and therefore he would not impose Christianity on people he interacts with.

“As human beings we need spiritual guidance because if we don’t deal with our spirit man, the issues we are trying to address will highly come back causing a relapse in our lives. However, I interact with people from walks of life and i respect everybody’s beliefs, that’s why I refer some of them for various interventions such as psychological counselling and others,” he said.

Based on feedback he received daily, he hinted that the book was likely to undergo review by the end of this year, to include three more chapters in order to cover areas that were initially left out. ENDS