I first met Tinashe
about 10 years ago. He was a teenager
that had come to know the Lord through another teen in our church and was
invited to become a part of a discipleship group I was leading.
(Tinashe is the one on the front left.)
When he first came he was a bit shy, and the answers he gave
to questions concerning the Bible and spiritual things were not always on
target. . . BUT something happened. He
read and studied His Bible, he spent time in prayer and time fellowshipping
with other Christian youth. He began to
grow.
An event was held whereby the young men in the discipleship
group led a rugby sport day with local high school boys.
My husband Gregg and our sons helped coach the boys.
Then the guys in the discipleship group, including Tinashe,
led small groups of the high school boys in an evangelistic Bible study.
This was an exciting day as the young men began to put into
practice the things they had been learning. Over time he also became part of a group of young men that
chose to spend some of their free weekends going into rural areas to do
evangelism, disciple the youth, and encourage the rural churches.
A few years later I had another opportunity to teach Tinashe
and other young people a Bible Study series.
This time I realized that Tinashe had truly grown much in the Lord. His answers were deeply spiritual and well
thought out. I was truly amazed at the
spiritual maturity I saw in this young man.
When he finished high school, I was concerned that without
help he might not receive further education.
We asked him what he was thinking about and he said he was thinking
about becoming a carpenter, so we went with him to a local training school to
enquire. When we left I reminded him
that we would be leaving for the states soon, and that if he chose to do this
and needed some financial help he would need to let me know before we left. . .
Time passed and I didn’t hear from him so I let it go.
Six months later we returned from our time in the
states. The first Sunday we attended
church the first person out the door to greet me with a big smile was
Tinashe. I asked him immediately if he
had been able to get started in carpentry. . . He bowed his head as if ashamed
and said quietly, “No, Amai Fort, I did not. . .” Then he looked me straight in the face and
said, “I decided to go to seminary instead!”
Wow, I could hardly contain myself!
We had a time of celebration right there!
(Tinashe, just to right of me in red shirt, along with the other seminary students.)
This past Sunday, it was a joyful time as I listened to my
student preach God’s Word to me!
Pray for Tinashe
as he completes his final year of Seminary that God would open doors for
productive ministry in which he would also be able to support himself. Pray that he would continue to walk with God
as a man of integrity. That he would be a man who seeks
first doing the things of the kingdom of God.
