Dear Precious Ladies
Grace upon grace to you as we march on with this month of March. We have already completed the first week! Praise the Lord!
How was February? I am sure I will get more than a thousand answers ranging from okay-ish, great, bad, very bad, amazing, wonderful and so goes the list... It does not matter which adjective you used to describe February, the fact remains that it's gone.
My sisters, sometimes life does not turn out how we expect. Often times our faith gets tested and shaken by situations we did not factor in when we penned down how we wanted our month to be. My February turned out to be the opposite of what I expected. In our church the word that God gave us for the year is that it's our year of good tidings. We received this word with faith and joy. January was full of good tidings all round.
We started the month of February in an all-night prayer meeting. Committing all our month to the Lord and praying against any bad news that would spoil our good tidings. We bound all that could be bound and loosed all that could be loosed. Come Valentine's day, the church organised an amazing dinner for couples. From there my husband and I were going on a mini holiday for a week to relax and consolidate our marriage. On the way back, we were planning on going to fetch my mum in law from Eastbourne, another area of the UK where she had visited our nephew.
But on Valentines Day, late night, we received a phone call that my sister in law who had been ill had a stroke that day and one side was paralysed, but there was hope of recovery. I prayed that the Lord would heal her, however, the next day, Saturday the 15^th of February, she passed away!!!I could not believe it. That was not in our plans!!! It was the end of a 56 year old mother of 3. As you can imagine we had to drop everything and go to be with my mum-in-law. When we got to Eastbourne I saw a very moving picture of mother and son crying helplessly. That was my husband and his mum. Gogo threw herself on me wishing she was dead in place of her daughter. I could only join in the weeping. It was very bad.
We had to arrange for her travel back to Africa speedily. My husband then followed her. Up to now he is still in there. Many other setbacks affected us but what shall we then say to these things? God remains good whether in good times or bad. Nothing shall separate us from the Love of God. This is still our year of good tidings in the midst of death and all sorts, we refuse to be moved.
I want to encourage anyone who had a tough month that this is your year of good tidings. Circumstances don’t change our convictions. We are blessed and that cannot be reversed. Let's march on with joy for the Lord our God is with us.
On a much lighter note I would like to invite you all to our annual Celebrating womanhood conference 2014 themed BLESSED based on Luke 1:48 that says '...from now on everyone will call me blessed...' Invite family and friends to attend. Those overseas you can still join us or pray for us.
Pastor Fatima Sibanda
