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Monday, July 2, 2012

Olympian faith

4:26 p.m. Today's project was to give facials to two lovely women, one a 1996 Olympic silver medalist, the other a Certified Nurse Assistant I met when she cared for Steve during a pedicure party.

What do these women have in common besides our ethnic heritage, and randomly meeting me in the last two weeks? They are both believers in Jesus Christ, and outspoken about their faith! The resurrected Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 28: 18-19,

All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you... 

Fatimat is from Nigeria, where, in her words, "I was born in a small village in Nigeria, and was the sixth child of 9, one of six girls in a culture that values boys, and I was afraid to have the life of my sisters and mother. I wanted more. When a missionary in my village introduced me to sports at age 12, I saw the opportunity to break free and have been runing ever since.

"Through a lot of hard work and good mentors, I achieved great success. I became a two-time Olympic athlete and placed 6th in the 400-meter race in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, winning the silver medal with three other teammates in the relay. I also competed in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia." Fatimat now owns and trains others for lifetime fitness right here at Village Coach Fitness  in Riverside. She and I have had two opportuities so far to share the Lord with one another and fellowship! (I'll also have my first international customer as she'll soon be shipping a Botanical skincare line to her sister in Nigeria)!

My other new sister in the Lord I had the privilege of spending time with this morning at her facial. When we met, I showed her the Gospel Music Channel to keep on for Steve, and as I usually do, said, "It's a Christian channel, and that's all we watch." I always open up speedily about our faith to new caregivers, so I can ascertain whether we will enjoy some prayerful fellowship along with caring for Steve, or whether they are being sent here by God to get saved! Annie knows the Lord, most definitely!

.Annie didn't grow up in dire and primitive circumstances like Fatimat did.She grew up in Southern California with parents who raised her in "the nurture and admonition of the Lord" (Ephesians 6:4b).A quiet and calm spirit describes her, as she works and also attends school to improve herself. As I walked into her apartment, the sound of Kirk Franklin's cd made us instant friends! Addie is also a potential team member for me. as we discussed the opportunity, she said, "I want to be a Mary Kay lady!"

No matter where God leads this young woman, she will excel, becuase she looks to the Lord all day, every day, and is depending on Him for direction.She is an example of a single woman serving the Lord, as in I Corinthians 7:34:

The unmarried woman cares about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy in both body and spirit.  

Thank you, Lord, for bringing such quality women into my life!


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