It hasn’t been easy to say the least. I have felt misunderstood, incompetent, alone, and overwhelmed. But it’s in the heat of the desert that God forges character. He is breaking me in just the right place, so that I may know what it means to be led by the spirit and to walk in the wisdom that only he provides. This time and season has been ordained by the very one who is chiseling off pride and bitterness. Who is smoothing out the rough edges and carving me into the image of his love. You can count on pain when God is doing something big in you, at least that’s what I have been experiencing. There has been more resistance than I would like to admit and I have definitely slammed on the brakes a couple times. Anyone who knows me well enough, knows that I can be stubborn and hard headed. It takes a while for me to change my mind but once I do I am normally all in. Even though I haven’t been walking it out well, I think I am finally to the point of being willing to listen and to grow.
So I would like to say thank you to the ones who have gone before me. You have spoken life and truth into me and has allowed me to be vulnerable enough to see the truth in the midst of chaos. There is beauty that radiates in the experiences of others. It’s called God’s glory. It is in those rays that lives are impacted and more stories unfold.
By embracing what God is doing in me, I have
had the privilege to lead tea time in Dwaleni and Embonisweni. Because of the
hard work and trust built by those before me, my team is able to speak into the
lives of these ladies. The women have learned to think, hope, and to DREAM in a land that had once held their future in chains.
In Dwaleni, the ladies are
hungry for God’s word and desire to learn what it means to work in unity as
they serve their own community.
In Embonisweni, the ladies are being taught how
to sew on a sewing machine by a lady named Gloria who lives on the back side of
their community. Gloria’s dream is to open her own boutique and to teach ladies
how to sew. The most joyful thing is watching dreams merge together by the
grace of God. The only thing I did was give Gloria a ride.
It’s crazy what can
happen when we decide to stop resisting God and partake in His Story.
So thank you to the one who taught Gloria how to sew.
Thank you to the ones who have spoken life and built trust with the women I now hold dear to my heart.
And thank you to those who have gone before me, who trusted in the sovereignty of God so that I may see the fruits of the spirit produced by the trials and tears from your stories.
