STIGMATIZED AND OSTRACIZED

I faced stigma from my family, community and the church. I could not testify or sing in church without people commenting about a divorced lady trying to pretend as though all was well with her. It was very difficult for me to perform duties at family gatherings or church gatherings due to stigmatization and discrimination. I was now excluded from most of our church programs and people were pointing fingers at me directly and indirectly. I was only in a praise and worship choir and was rarely asked to sing. My true friends during that period were my daughters and my Pastor they were my support system and source of comfort. I had almost lost my faith because I didn’t know where I was coming from and going to, I was walking in the shadows, yet God was there.

CALLING AND PURPOSE

It was not until 2012 when my pastor and his wife recommended me to be a lay preacher after seeing how each time I preached in our cell group there was a great and mighty move of the Holy Spirit. I thank God because, in 2016, I was then licensed pastor but to be honest the church family did not accept me as a woman clergy. By God’s grace, I went to India in December 2013 to preach for 3 weeks and I did not look down on myself. Sometimes, I would cry myself to sleep but would get up again and be there for my children and do the ministry work. During those days, I had faith and knew I only needed one yes from God and it does not matter if the whole world was against me.