It is not enough to be a good person.

The attentive audience at our meeting at the Rainbow Theatre.

This week in our meeting we spoke about the difference between being a good person and a faithful person. Although initially, it may seem like the two are almost synonymous, as the meeting progressed we found that not to be the case.

Many people aim to be good people, but they are not faithful. They show themselves one thing at work, at church, in public, but when they are hidden from scrutiny, they are another person. Many spend the whole day portraying a very friendly person at work, smiling and being kind, but as soon as they cross their door at home, a different person comes out - one who screams, fights and is rude. What happens to that good person they were the whole day? Fact is, he or she was good, but not faithful.

Are you a two faced person?

Claudia Brito sharing her story.

A person who is two faced isn't faithful to her principles. Although she knows the difference between good and bad, she is not faithful to those beliefs. She will be good to avoid bad consequences for herself or to gain favours, but when she has an opportunity to show who she truly is, without any fear of consequences, her principles do not hold, because she is not faithful to them. 

To give a clear example of what being faithful to your principles and beliefs means, Claudia Brito told a story of when she went to pick up her young daughters at school one day and found one of them badly scratched in the face. Like any mother, she wanted to defend her daughter and punish the culprit. She immediately went to the Principal's office, to understand what had happened. She found out that a young girl got upset when she heard her younger daughter telling her older one that she loved her. Out of jealousy, the girl scratched her older daughter.

Claudia requested to speak to the child and after a lot of resistance, the Principal allowed the two to speak. When the child walked in, Claudia knelt down before her, looked her in the eye and told her she loved her. The scared little girl broke down in tears and the two hugged. The girl was so touched, she didn't want to let go of that hug. That was the beginning of a close relationship between the two. 

Claudia's beautiful daughters, Priscila and Patricia,
when they were young.

Faithfulness requires conviction

Claudia later found out that the girl's parents had recently divorced and she was living with a very difficult grandmother. Claudia was then able to bond with this little girl and help her through a tough time in her life. 

How was she able to put aside her anger as a mother and reach out to a girl she didn't even know? It was because she was faithful to what she believed - helping people. 

Faithfulness requires loyalty, integrity, trust, sacrifice, obedience and much more. It runs deep inside of you. It requires a conviction to your principles. This conviction causes you to put your principles and beliefs in practice, no matter the cost. You do not fear any consequences or measure any sacrifice.

When you are a faithful person, you join a league of a select people and your value as a person rises, as you attract and are attracted to others who are faithful. It's not enough to be a good person, be faithful to your beliefs and principles!

Join us for an unmissable meeting for parents and children.

Apollonia Hango and her lovely daughter, Taimmy Hango.

My name is Apollonia Hango. My daughter, Tammy, and I were always close to each other. Being the only girl that I have, she was always my precious, little girl. We did everything together. She would share everything with me - her joy, her fears and her worries. We were a close knit family. 

We worried about her future

Unfortunately things started changing when she turned 16. She began to distance herself from her dad and me. She became quieter and more secretive, and even her moods changed.

My daughter started joining bad company and this not only affected her relationship with us, but her education as well. We were summoned to her school, as her teachers also began to worry about her future.

She ran away from home

One day she decided to run away from home to go and stay with friends, strangers that we have never met. For weeks we had no idea where she was. This brought a lot of pain to the family. That's when I decided I'd had enough and I decided to put her life in God's hands. I could not stand by and watch my family breaking.

Beautiful Taimmy Hango on her graduation day.

Within weeks of faithful prayers, things started changing. She called us for a conversation and decided to come home. She apologised for the pain she had caused the family and that marked the beginning of her change. Her grades started improving, and when she sat her O level exam, she was one of the top students, scoring As and Bs. She enrolled in university and did well. She is now a graduate and working, and we are so proud of her!

As for our friendship, we are now best  friends. We enjoy our mother and daughter time, going out together for our lunches and shopping. 

The two of us would like to invite you to a special meeting, on the 20th of September, at 6pm, at the Rainbow Theatre, London, N4 3NX. Meetings like these help us to continue building and improving our relationship. This particular meeting will be for parents and children to learn how to consolidate their relationship. Don't miss it!

Did you know the best salt for you is pink?

With its pink colour, this is a salt that has been made for us women, right? The Himalayan salt, also called pink salt, is a sea salt found on the world's highest mountain range - the Himalayans. It is believed to be the purest salt to be found on earth. 

It is so valuable that thousands of years ago, it was used as a currency system and was prized more than gold. The salt has a number of benefits and today we would like to share some with you.

It contains 84 minerals

Taking the sea salt is like taking an injection of vital minerals which you do not find in other sea salts and table salt. 

It helps your body detoxify

It works hand in hand with the water in your body and allows your body to carry absorb toxins from your cells to your bloodstream and eventually ejects them out of your body. The pink salt is more efficient as a carrier than traditional salts, because it hasn't been refined and chemically stripped.

It lowers your blood pressure

Because it is absorbed into your bloodstream much more efficiently and more effectively than regular, processed salt, the pink version can be used in small doses to help lower your blood pressure drastically and stimulate better circulation.

It can help you sleep better

When your mind is at ease and your muscles are relaxed, sleep better and more regularly. By switching to pink salt, you’re going to be improving the condition of both your body and mind. Not only that, you’re also going to be giving yourself every substance you will need to replenish and restore your energy levels overnight during your sleep!

AAY 012 - The Power of Influence

Here is this week's All About You studio chat and today we are visited by a special guest, who shares her experience with a bad friendship, which influenced her negatively. Find out how she overcame this emotionally abusive friendship.

My journey through menopause - Part 2 - A tale by Talents Rathebe.

I found this picture on the Internet and couldn't help laughing when I saw it.  I think it pretty much explains some of the changes my body went through because of the imbalance or fluctuation of hormones. 

I have to admit that I'm very excited with this series of blogs, because I could see that many of you can relate to it. Generally, this is a taboo subject. Many women don't want to talk about it, let alone think about it. But, understanding what happens to our bodies can help us prepare for the future or even deal with the present. 

This is why I decided to share my story, so I wouldn't go on this journey alone. As I mentioned in last week's blog, a lot of the symptoms we go through can be alarming, so I chose to go into detail, so you may understand the symptoms and I can share with you how I deal with mine.

Mrs Sweaty...

Talents, aka Mrs Sweaty sharing her journey of menopause

Hot flushes are horrible, they can come at anytime of the day or night. I now know when they're coming, but I can’t stop them. It feels like a warm heat starting from my upper chest. Can you imagine wearing your favourite perfume, smelling so good, suddenly your body starts over heating, then you become completely covered in sweat, then the body cools down, the sweat becomes cold and you start shivering? 

You look around every body else looks just fine, then you go like, "Is it cold in here or it’s just me?" And friend, you find out, yes, it's just you! No one understands anything you are going through and the look in their faces says it all... oh my, it's hilarious!

Sometimes it’s not hot but cold flushes I suffer from. I will never forget last year, right at the end of winter, I decided to buy a heater, because I felt like the ones in the house were not hot enough. I wanted the portable one, so I could take it with me everywhere I went. I could go from one room to another without disturbing my wonderful hubby. One day, he walked in the house, while I was with friends and said, “ Be careful, my wife will cook you alive." We laughed so hard and until today, that memory always chases Mrs Grumpy away. These are but a very few examples.

My Treatment

Talents and her patient son, Romeo Rathebe.

The last thing on my mind is to torture people around me, but the flushes suffocate me and I end up gasping for air. But, thank God, there are things I can do to minimize these symptoms. My doctor prescribed me some hormone replacements and vitamins, and I watch my diet very carefully. It's very important to visit your GP so you can receive a proper diagnosis and treatment.

But, what I've been relying on the most is my faith. I know menopause is a normal process for women, but I never make excuses for they way I feel or behave. I refuse to use it as an excuse to manipulate others, be nasty or impolite to those around me, just because I'm going through menopause. 

It’s my problem and I have to find ways to deal with it. Sometimes, I need to excuse myself from people and situations. It’s better than making them feel uncomfortable and having to deal with the aftermath of an explosion. We are still in control of our minds and can make the right decisions...most of the time. Yes, some days are hard, but remember, these things don’t last forever. 

Blood is thicker than water

Frank Rathebe helps his wife by being patient and understanding

Your family can be a huge source of support. Once you doctor has diagnosed you, talk to your family and friends about what you are going through, so they may know how to help you. You will be amazed at how understanding they can be, especially in those days when you are not so on top of things. People can’t read your mind or feel what you are going through, so speak out and receive as much help as you can get. 

There is nothing to be ashamed of. As long as you still have breath in you, it means your Heavenly Father still needs you right here in this world, but you can’t do it alone, so cling to Him, make Him your best friend and you will never need to go through this alone. Never forget, how special you are, so value yourself by taking good care of yourself and your health. 

Till next time.....

Do you deserve to get your dreams fulfilled?

This week's meeting was the third session of the second Parts of Me series, in which we are learning how to bring to existence what doesn't exist. Having learned in the last session to differentiate between fantasies and real dreams, how do you then make sure that you will get the desired outcome? The answer is simple!

The law of nature

In life, we reap what we sow. When you plant an orange seed, you will reap an orange tree. This is the basic law of nature. An orange seed will never yield a banana tree. However, we see many women wanting to go against this basic law of nature.

Many are those who are very rude with their husbands, yet expect their husbands to treat them like queens, or those who yell disrespectfully at their children, but expect their children to respect their authority, or who lie to their bosses and expect a promotion. You will only get the dream you deserve. Although fair, this poses a challenge for many. How do you make sure that the seed you are planting will yield good fruit?

Water your land

There is no denying life can be challenging, often leading us to lose hope. Because of the hardships of life, many end up being consumed by negativity. But, negativity is like dry ground. It sucks the life out of your dream. It leads to working hard and reaping nothing out of that hard work. Do not be consumed by negative things such as bitterness, anger, grudges, malice. They are dream-killers. 

Begin watering your land with hope. Cleanse yourself from all the negative things of the past and begin to constantly feed yourself with positive words and positive thoughts. 

Remember, your words have power! They lead to action. When your words are positive, your actions will be positive. And, when your actions are positive, what you plant will be positive and so will what you reap! That is how dreams come true.

Join us at the Rainbow Theatre, N4 3NX, every Sunday at 5pm, for uplifting women to women seminars. For more information, call our 24H helpline on +44 (0)20 7686-6000.

Gaining the respect of your children.

In all relationships there is one thing that is indispensable... RESPECT! This key ingredient makes every relationship successful and cannot lack in the relationship between mothers and children. I believe every mother strives to have the respect of their child. How often have you told them to respect you? But, are you putting the same effort into gaining your child respect? 

Respect is earned not imposed

In order to gain your child's respect, you have to respect them first. Respect is earned not imposed. This does not mean you will agree with everything your child does. We've previously spoken about your important role as a mother of teaching your child the difference between right and wrong, but this needs to be carried out in a respectful way.

You cannot devalue their ideas and their personality. As a mother, you are responsible for raising them, but this does not make you superior over them. You cannot impose your views and opinions on your children.

Respect their differences

Your child is a different person from you, so it is inevitable that at some point, they will have a different opinion from you. Instead of oppressing them, listen to their opinion. Your child also deserves to be heard, just as you do. Weigh their opinions and give them merit. This is how you will model respect for them, teaching them to do the same with others, and you will certainly gain theirs. 

Join us every Sunday after the 10 am service. Let us keep growing together!