Women of Reverence welcomes Shaheeda Aufe as a guest blogger.
Shaheeda is single and content!
A Speech Language Therapist and Audiologist, and completed her degree at University of Witwatersrand (Wits). She is currently working in Zimbabwe. She has been an entrepreneur for a year now. I started my own private practice last year. It’s been a fun and challenging year of learning to run a business.
I'm also a Sunday school teacher at our church; and part of the young adults ministry. I'm passionate about communication development and children's development. I'm always challenged by the scripture that says “and there rose a generation that did not know the Lord”. We must teach our kids, raise our children to know Jesus! I'm not a mother yet but this scripture challenges me to pray for the next generation.
I enjoy a cup of coffee and deep conversations. A little bit of travel and reading!
I'm also starting a campaign on raising awareness on Communication Disorders, Speech and Hearing Therapy in Zimbabwe.
Learn more about my business and campaign me on Facebook @SASH THERAPY and Instagram @sash_therapy
Website coming soon!
Have you ever prayed that God would send you, like ‘Lord, send me and I will go’ ? Well, for many of us who are a part of apostolic evangelical churches, this prayer is not uncommon when you get saved, get to know Christ and understand your mandate as a believer. This mandate is to know Jesus and make Him known. Mathew 28:18-19: Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
I remember the days I held this verse so dear to my heart and earnestly prayed to God that He would send me, and He did. In my own selfish ways, I really hoped God would send me to Europe/America – not Africa and certainly not Zimbabwe. I am Zimbabwean; I lived here for the first 19 years of my life and it wasn’t easy. When I thought of Zimbabwe, I just remembered despair, a lot of pain, abuse, hunger and many unpleasant emotions. I honestly prayed that God would change His mind or reconsider. Even on my way to Zimbabwe, I prayed that He would say, “No, my girl, we are going to France…” or somewhere else. However, I did travel to Zimbabwe in December 2016 and by January 2017, I found a job within a week but had to wait for 3 months until my official graduation in March. I went to Botswana for two months, hoping God would change His mind, but He remained faithful to His word.
There is such a high rate of unemployment in Zimbabwe that graduates are staying at home or selling things to make ends meet. Getting a job straight out of university and in your area of studies/expertise is quite rare but I got that. When l left South Africa, God gave me this verse - Isaiah 43:1-6, which, summarised, is that God encourages me to not fear because He calls me by name and I am His. He says in verse 2, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned.”
I wasn’t happy about moving to Zimbabwe; I was grumpy for a while, a long while, but even in my grumpiness, God continued to show up in my life. He provided shelter, food and even luxury, and placed me in a church family, walking with me every single day. I was employed and earning an above-average salary, gaining experience straight out of university. I got a chance to travel to some countries I never thought I would. These were all paid-for expenses – all I had to do was pack my bag, get my passport and show up.
However, even when things were going well, I was still unhappy in Zimbabwe. The unstable economic situation was such a constant worry that after my first year in Zimbabwe, I prayed and asked God to move me, you know, seasons come and go and I tell you, God said, “No.” Have you ever had diplomatic conversations with God which end up in cliché scriptural references you already know like, “Seek first My kingdom and all these will be added to you…” ? I definitely had them in amplitude. In spite of a crazy economy, God provides for me. I lack no basic necessities and the cream on the cake is how God has opened doors for me – I even have my own business! What an awesome God we serve! I am amazed by the way God sustains me, trampling over the wondering and worrying about how I will get by, because I know (without a shadow of a doubt) that God has carried me and sustains me every single day.
LET YOUR HEART BE AT PEACE COZ OUR GOD WILL SUSTAIN YOU!
Much Love
Shaheeda