When Your Student Becomes Your Teacher

 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.  Pray that he will also be able to use his musical talents for God's glory.