August 2014 is Woman's Month in South Africa so I decided that I will give tribute to women I know closely, my beautiful and blessed friends and sisters.
Tumie Mapena is one of those women I am blessed to have as friends. She is not just beautiful facially but her beauty exudes from within because of her love for God. I knew Tumie since 1999 when we went to the same tertiary institution, Technikon Witwatersrand. I have always loved the peace that surrounded her. And seemingly I was not the only one drawn to that peace as her apartment which she shared with her equally-loving friend Salvation (I adored these two ladies), always had visitors.
Tumie was not a typical technikon student who loved partying, hanging out at the canteen or in the streets or having too many boyfriends. She was cool, calm, reserved and always in her room listening to music and singing along with her favourite songs if she was not studying.
Fast-forward post tertiary days
This young woman who hails from Kuruman made an effort to come all the way from the nothern Johannesburg to come ans support me and be an MC for one of my fashion shows in 2003. Without sounding like I am complaining, my friends who lived nearby could not make it. She also came to see me after I had survived a deadly car accident. I even acquired another friend Masego through her who has been one of my closest friends until today. I will write about Masego soon.
Thanks to Facebook my friendship with Tumie was maintained and it is on Facebook where I got to learn her true heart.I do not know if it is times that have changed or it is the both of us who have grown to know and love God deeper. I say this because in our tertiary days we never got to hear anyone declare their faith or love for God. We all just sort of knew most people go to church. Now that we have social stages where people speak their minds and heart I got to learn about Tumie's love of her life who is God.
Tumie is loved by many and quite an inspiration to young women as well. I see that love on her Facebook profile. Whatever my friend posts on her wall creates a conversation and other people's display of their love for her. I also enoy the Setswana revision for me from their posts as Setswana is my father's language. She a role model and motivational speaker. She is also a sister who comes from a loving family of brothers and a younger sister. A God-dependant mother of three and godly wife.
It is just so funny how God works in people's lives. Tumie and I have our separate odd experiences in relationships and it is in the Lord and through the Lord we both coincedentally met God's own princes almost around the same time. This illustrates what I always tell my single friends and sisters (taken from Woman Thou Art Loosed: "Serve God as you would your husband so that He can trust you to have one of His own princes to marry you." Tumie was not looking but was found by a loving and God-fearing man. Her love story is the kind you would read about from the Bible not a fairytale book. I am not the one to tell her story though. We once again God-incedentally fell pregnant at the same time so we became spiritual doulas, aunts and advisers. We prayed for each other during pregnancy, delivery and till today. I thank God for her willingness to chat to me as and when we both get time.
This is one of the women I thank God for. She is a blessing beyond beauty and her brains. The kind of woman praised in Proverbs 31. Whoever knows her or connected to her is blessed. As the end of Proverbs 31 says: "Charm is deceptive, beauty is fleetin, but a woman who fears the Lord must be praised." I praise Tumie Mapena. I love her for who she is and not what she is. What does she do for a living? She prays, serves and loves the Lord and loves people. For me a friend who prays for me is much more a blessing than a friend I meet up with for coffee every week. I have grown to learn that friendship is more than that. Amos 3:3 says: "How can two walk together if they are not in agreement?" We walk closer and deeper in prayer than in seeing each other regularly. Thanks to God for social media as it has helped rekindle and cement necessary friendships for His glory. I highly appreciate the moments we meet again and share the wisdom we have acquired from the experiences we go through.
This is indeed a woman of valour. Blessed is her husband because through her prayers he is strengthened. Blessed are her children because she not only raises her with educated knowledge or experience but through the power of God. Blessed are her siblings because they are immediate receivers of her God-given outpouring. Blessed is her mom whose womb was blessed to bring forth such fruit. And blessed are her friends because they are touched by her love, supported by her prayers and inspired by her.
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| Tumie and Salvation |
Fast-forward post tertiary days
This young woman who hails from Kuruman made an effort to come all the way from the nothern Johannesburg to come ans support me and be an MC for one of my fashion shows in 2003. Without sounding like I am complaining, my friends who lived nearby could not make it. She also came to see me after I had survived a deadly car accident. I even acquired another friend Masego through her who has been one of my closest friends until today. I will write about Masego soon.
Thanks to Facebook my friendship with Tumie was maintained and it is on Facebook where I got to learn her true heart.I do not know if it is times that have changed or it is the both of us who have grown to know and love God deeper. I say this because in our tertiary days we never got to hear anyone declare their faith or love for God. We all just sort of knew most people go to church. Now that we have social stages where people speak their minds and heart I got to learn about Tumie's love of her life who is God.Tumie is loved by many and quite an inspiration to young women as well. I see that love on her Facebook profile. Whatever my friend posts on her wall creates a conversation and other people's display of their love for her. I also enoy the Setswana revision for me from their posts as Setswana is my father's language. She a role model and motivational speaker. She is also a sister who comes from a loving family of brothers and a younger sister. A God-dependant mother of three and godly wife.
 |
| Tumie and younger sister Lebo |
This is one of the women I thank God for. She is a blessing beyond beauty and her brains. The kind of woman praised in Proverbs 31. Whoever knows her or connected to her is blessed. As the end of Proverbs 31 says: "Charm is deceptive, beauty is fleetin, but a woman who fears the Lord must be praised." I praise Tumie Mapena. I love her for who she is and not what she is. What does she do for a living? She prays, serves and loves the Lord and loves people. For me a friend who prays for me is much more a blessing than a friend I meet up with for coffee every week. I have grown to learn that friendship is more than that. Amos 3:3 says: "How can two walk together if they are not in agreement?" We walk closer and deeper in prayer than in seeing each other regularly. Thanks to God for social media as it has helped rekindle and cement necessary friendships for His glory. I highly appreciate the moments we meet again and share the wisdom we have acquired from the experiences we go through.This is indeed a woman of valour. Blessed is her husband because through her prayers he is strengthened. Blessed are her children because she not only raises her with educated knowledge or experience but through the power of God. Blessed are her siblings because they are immediate receivers of her God-given outpouring. Blessed is her mom whose womb was blessed to bring forth such fruit. And blessed are her friends because they are touched by her love, supported by her prayers and inspired by her.
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