On 19 April 1907, Enoch Mgijima had an experience that transformed his life. He had gained a reputation in his region first as a lay preacher and then as an independent evangelist or someone who actively spread the Christian faith around his area. One day he had been hunting small game when the spirit of God touched him and he had a vision in which an angel revealed many things:

The angel next took him across the sky and asked him, ‘Do you hear the rumbling sound in the distance?’

Mgijima replied, ‘Yes.’

But when the angel asked, ‘Do you know the cause of this sound?’ he had to admit he did not. The angel explained: ‘There are rumours of war in the north. Look to the east instead. That war will not come from the north, but from the east.’ When the final cataclysm came, the angel related, nothing would be spared – the birds in the air, the fish in the sea, not even the meerkats (mongoose) in their holes. Only those who worshipped God faithfully would be saved.

After experiencing his vision, Mgijima did not know what to do. He tried to think of ways of avoiding God's call. But finally he accepted his calling and began to preach in his home area. He was a powerful speaker, and he attracted a large following as an evangelist.