A SISTER in prayer and in pain.
This is the best way to describe the remarkable Keletso Yende, also known as Sister K.
An academic, certified personal development coach, pastor, and author, she embodies both strength and vulnerability, touching on the struggles and pain many women encounter, especially in marriage.
She touches on the struggles and pain of conceiving, a reality many women, especially those in marriages, face.
Born and raised in the Free State, she now lives in the Western Cape. About six years ago, after years of yearning and planning, the 39-year-old and her husband were thrilled to discover they were expecting their first child.
However, their joy was shattered in 2018 when, at 36 weeks, she gave birth to a stillborn baby.
The world of motherhood she had dreamt of turned upside down, forcing her to navigate the harsh reality of grieving the loss of a child.
"She was going to be our first baby in our marriage, and I was so excited. So, when we lost her out, worlds fell apart. We were broken," she said.
Instead of questioning why her motherhood was cut short, Keletso said she turned her pain into purpose, allowing the loss of her baby to inspire her to publish her first book, titled I Never Saw Her Eyes: Gaining from the Pain of Loss.
"The idea was really God-inspired. I called it I never saw her eyes because I gave birth to a stillborn whose eyes were closed, and I never got to hear her smile, let alone laugh," Keletso said.
Detailing her experience in writing, she said she published the book four months after the loss because throughout, she had been journaling.
"I was journaling from the time I fell pregnant, capturing my experiences of pregnancy. I had no intention of publishing it until I lost my baby. While I was in pain and hurt, I continued to write. I wrote about my journey to going to the mortuary to wash a body, something I never managed doing, let alone that of my child," she said.
Keletso said as she journaled, even after her loss, she found healing in the writing, and she knew that the book would also be a guide to other women going through the same pain.
"There are women out there who have miscarried and don't know how to navigate their feelings. I wanted them to know that they were not alone and that other women were going through the same thing. Because sometimes women feel invaluable when they cannot give birth as it is something society expects them to do.
"They feel like they failed, but I wanted them to feel otherwise, to find comfort in my words but also have hope. There is a chapter in the book where I share conversations with my husband and how he dealt with the loss," she said.
Keletso's pain didn't end with the first loss. In the years that followed, she and her husband tried to conceive again but suffered three miscarriages, never carrying a baby to full term.
Amid all this, she found herself changing her career.
After 13 years in corporate South Africa's financial service industry, Keletso left to focus on her ministry and spearheaded her publishing journey.
But it wasn't until 24 January 2023 that she finally gave birth to her rainbow baby.
This birth inspired her second book, Blessed with Laughter: Journey to Seeing Her Eyes.
She wrote it as a testimony to her rainbow baby, whom she now holds in her arms.
"The book was to inspire mothers and couples to enjoy their pregnancy, despite the challenges, past experiences of losing a child and anxiety that comes after."
Keletso said everything came full circle upon moving into ministry.
She's now an account manager at Jesse Creations, a strategic and creative agency she co-founded with her husband, Jesse Yende.
She also serves on the board and is an ambassador of the South Africanist Non-Profit Company, a movement campaigning for positive community impact, which she co-founded with Jesse.
"I'm aligned with the purpose God has for me. I'm using my experiences to help the next couple or women in pain. I'm speaking to young girls, offering them advice. I'm preaching at church, giving wisdom. I'm living in my purpose."
Keletso hopes that in the next five years, she will have created more "Keletso's" in ministry, publishing, and writing.
She wants more young girls to find their voice and share their stories, inspiring the next generation.
