We all have a story to tell. Some are of epic proportions with lights and music, some dramatic and colourful, others simplistic and barefoot. But one thing is for sure - if you experience that burning desire that God places on your heart, you have to obey.
I am so privileged to share this testimony of a beautiful woman who is oozing professionalism and poise to me – I am truly blessed by her life and inspired by her story! Anke heads the interior design department of a Namibian architecture firm and here is her story:
“I completed my grade in Chemics and had various good positions in the trade – wonderful, well-paid positions with ample opportunity for growth. But after some time, I started experiencing a stir, an uncomfortable feeling that I could not pin down. Not knowing what it was, I handed it over to prayer, also fasting for as long as was healthy for my body, praying some more. I starting looking at various creative courses that the University offered – fashion design, textile design, fine arts, architecture and interior design... I was looking for answers and direction, but it was not until I attended a church camp by accident that things started to make sense.
The camp was actually for small group leaders, and I wrongly signed up for the camp, making me feel totally out of place, but there I was and not going anywhere. We did a lot of worshipping and prayer at the camp and after another such session of worship, we had a powerful prayer session one night. We had to stretch out our hands in front of us as a sign that we are open to receive from God, which I did. After a while, my palms and hands felt itchy and burning, not sore, but really uncomfortable. So much so that I opened my eyes and shrugged it off. I continued praying, the sensation remained. When only about 15 of the 80 people at the camp were left in the hall, I decided to also go out. In my passing by the pastor’s wife, she stopped me. She said she was drawn to my open hands during the session and she saw God putting flames of fire in both my hands, then leading me to a river stream and taking out a piece of washed away wood. He took the wood and put it into my hands, closing His hands over mine. After some shuffling of our hands going on, I opened my hand and inside was a pearl. Her explanation: “If you are obedient in your works, you will honour God’s name with what you achieve. It will glorify his name a thousand times,” she said to me. She didn’t know in which occupation I was, but she saw me working with structures and buildings – it gave me chills for it so resonated with what I was feeling.
That was the first time and the last time that I ever saw that pastor or his wife. But the image of that night stayed with me. I decided to pray about it and get confirmation from God as to what I have to do and what it means.
In the next month I received a needlework box from my grandmother with Deut 28:12 on the inside: “The Lord will open to you His good treasury, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hands.”
And in that same month I heard a sermon with the text Psalm 90:17 “Let the favour of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work our hands upon us, yes, establish the work of our hands!”
It wasn’t a direct instruction from God to resign from my job, but I realized that God allows us to make decisions and if we make them for God and with God’s help, it will be a blessing to Him and his kingdom. I realized that I could have a much more purposeful career in a creative field, instead of holding on to a big salary.
I decided to resign – it wasn’t easy and my parents didn’t approve of me doing so. They were unable to fund any further studies and I also didn’t expect them to. I used my pension payout for the first year of studies and I passed – with distinction, the highest mark in every subject. I had just enough money left to register for the second and thought I was going to have to give it all up when my brother phoned shortly before the start of the University. Someone wanted to pay for my studies... yet I told no one that I didn’t have the money. The Lord provided and I finished my second year – again as the top student and with distinction.
Just when I also didn’t know how I was going to pay for the third year, my grandmother came to the fore with a policy of my grandfather that was paying out in the Netherlands that nobody knew of. I could do my third year.
I entered into a National University design competition that all the third year Architecture and Interior Design students from all the South African universities were participating in – some 350 students. I went through to the semi-finals and was chosen as the overall winner of the competition. The prize was unfortunately not money to pay for a fourth year of studies, but a trip to Italy to one of the biggest design expos in the world.
I finished my third year as the top student and finished my grade with distinction as well.
I still wanted to do an Honnours and applied for scholarships and bursaries everywhere, but with no success. One of the companies that was part of the competition agreed to loan me a small amount. And then one day... when I was told to go the financial office of one of the bursary programmes that declined my application, I was given an envelope of N$43 000... the successful candidate declined the offer. I completed my fourth year, again top of the class.
After my studies, I came to Namibia to spend a few more months with my university flatmate (who was from Namibia) before I was going to do my Masters in the Netherlands, but it turned out I am still here... doing what I love, having been involved in the most wonderful projects, getting exposure in areas I never would, the head of the interior design department in the company I work for and living out my Christianity in my work.
I am truly blessed.”
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