Women’s Ministry Journey

My name is Tina-Marie Meyer, and here is my women’s ministry journey. I live in Pretoria, South Africa. Born in a small town called Swakopmund in Namibia, I am the oldest of three children. Raised as a Christian, I never really knew what it meant to be a Christian. My parents dropped us off at Sunday school on a Sunday morning, while they stayed at home. When I was about 10 or 11 years old, my father decided to go to a different denomination. He convinced my mother to try out a new church. It was quite an experience to go to a Pentecostal church.

Although my parents went to church more often after the change, it was still a struggle for me. I saw that my father was not living the same life at home that he was living at church. At church and in front of his friends, he was one person, but at home, things were very different. When I was 12 years old, I told my grandmother, who was living with us, that I had been sexually molested by my father. It was difficult times that followed. My father started treating me differently, and I became a different person. I rebelled against my father and did not want to be there anymore.

At the age of 13, I was diagnosed with cysts on my ovaries. After that, I went back to the hospital at least once a year for yet another operation. I ended up with severe endometriosis, which led to infertility. At age 19, I got married to escape my home environment. When I was 24, my husband had an affair, and we divorced.

God Showed Up

I always longed for love. When someone showed me something that looked like love, I grabbed it with both hands. Yet, I still did not have or know how to have a relationship with God, but my best friend did. She knew everything about me. After I got married the second time, she invited me to a gathering at their home with some friends from church. That evening, she prayed for me. She asked God, if it was His Will, that He would open my womb and that I would be able to have children.

After that day, God started working in my life. I worked on having a relationship with my Heavenly Father. Although it took years for me to understand and to grow in the Spirit, I saw all the miracles in my life. I knew that God was in charge. God blessed me with two miracle babies after I had a miscarriage first. By the time my second child was born, I had yet another divorce. I felt so guilty because I was trying to live according to God’s will and knew that divorce was not a part of that, but God showed me the way. I learned to depend on Him alone. With difficulty, I raised my children on my own. I had to be both mother and father, to provide for us, and to teach them the right way.

Challenges and Gifts

There were many times in the next few years that I had to go through facing my children’s father about issues. Enduring challenging times, having financial problems, praying for food on the table, losing jobs, finding new employment, and staying strong through all these hardships taught me that all these afflictions made me stronger in my faith and my walk with the Lord. I held on to Isaiah 28:23-29. I had to learn how to forgive and not be bitter, to use everything that happened to me as a testimony, and to let God use me for His purpose.

As I got healing in my life, I got more contentment in my life. I wasn’t looking for something or someone anymore. And when I least expected it, the Lord sent another miracle my way. I married the love of my life. Not only was he a man of God, but he came as a package with his little girl, who was six at the time, and I had another child to raise.

House Church and Women’s Ministry

Whenever I speak to other women that are going through difficult marriages, financial problems or having issues with their children, I find myself helping with advice. I pray with them because I can usually relate to them. We grow in our faith and understanding every day. Doing these ministry courses at Christian Leaders Institute is helping me to extend my knowledge and to be able to be there for other women in need. The ordination with Christian Leaders Alliance gives me greater credibility in women’s ministry and our house church ministry.

My husband and I work together as a team in our own business. God sends people on our path that need our help and support. Because a lot of these people are not attending a church, we started a house church. That is where some of our employees and clients are also attending every Sunday.

I am grateful that God did not let me be. He sent people on my way that made an impact on my life. I pray that He uses me, so I make that same impact on other people’s lives. I don’t want to be ordinary for God, I want to be extraordinary for God. My desire is to change every day of my life and to grow every day of my life. May I hear God say to me, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” Then, I will know that I did what pleased God.