Yesterday, I had the unique experience to preach to 600 girls during their boarding school’s church service. My team and I spent Saturday and Sunday with the girls from Nyaghose Girls School, in Isibania, Kenya. We were asked to share messages at their Saturday night Christian Union, as well as on Sunday morning, and do one on one counseling. The Lord had laid a message on all our hearts to tell these girls that they are worthy and that their past does not define them.
“A woman and an invalid man are the same thing.” ~Kenyan Proverb
Since being in Africa I’ve learned about many injustices toward women here and it has been heavy on my heart to tell as many girls as I can, that they are special, they are needed and they are loved. During my one on one counseling, one of the girls asked me, “Is it okay that I wish I was a boy, because girls face a lot of challenges that can ruin their lives?” That hit me like a sack of bricks. Another asked me if I thought her dark skin was beautiful. Another asked why my hair was different than theirs. The questions were endless and as vast as the sky is wide. I walked away from those counseling sessions knowing one thing, as a woman, we all are looking to be validated–sadly, many of us look for that validation in all the wrong places.
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So the message I delivered to these girls on Sunday morning was that each girl sitting in that room was beautiful. Song of Songs 4:7, “All beautiful you are my darling, there is NO FLAW in you.” I reminded them of Psalm 139:13-14, “You are fearfully and wonderfully made.” And in Colossians 3:12a, “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved…”
YOU ARE CHOSEN!
I yelled that to them! I reminded them that God used a teenage girl, much like themselves to bring us the Savior of this world. What would have happened if Mary said, “No God, I can’t.” Where would we be? And just like Mary, we each have a specific role in God’s Story. He has GREAT PLANS for us!
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Have you ever done something in your life that you didn’t know you were passionate about until you did it? Speaking truth into young women has become a passion for me. I want women, not just in Africa, but everywhere, to know that they are important, they are valued and they are needed.
Now here’s where I need to give a shout out to my Mom. I come from a long line of strong women. Starting with my grandmothers, to my aunts, to my mom and also my cousins. Each one of them strong in their own, unique way. They have always encouraged me and supported me. My mom especially has always reminded me of who God created me to be. And even if sometimes it wasn’t in the forefront of my mind–it was in my mind. Because of this truth spoken over my life, I was able to speak this truth over those young women.
I knew God was with me the whole time I spoke. I asked Him to allow me to speak in boldness, and He did. In fact, I wasn’t nervous at all, I was able to look into those girls’ eyes and deliver God’s message to them. My prayer now, is that my team of seven women could be an encouragement to those girls. I know that God wants to use them. And I pray that they know He wants to use them in a specific and mighty way! I pray that these women will one day change this world. One day they will walk in freedom, out of the darkness they have been subjected to and that they will know and believe in their own worth!
