An Exciting Journey of Faith!!!

High Shoals - Chattahoochee National Forest
Photo Credit: Sonia Crawley

Oh how I looked forward to Saturday the 7th day of February, 2015! It was the day that we would embark on a thrilling, freeing, challenging and somewhat scary Bible study that prompted each one of us, the Reformed Bad Girls (RBGs), to be 100% honest with God, ourselves and eventually the rest of the group. Before I go on with my story, I believe it would only be proper to share a brief of how the RBGs were formed.

Roughly two years ago, there was an announcement in the youth section of our morning church bulletin at Ridgeways Baptist Church, inviting all young ladies above the age of 18 to begin a study entitled 'The Bad Girls of The Bible'. The aim of the study was to get familiarized with the not-so-innocent female Bible characters and draw lessons from them to apply in our own lives. This sounded like an exciting study; unlike any of the others I had been a part of...so I joined! Fast forward to the present, and we now have a group of young ladies who I not only consider my friends, but also my sisters.

For the past year, the RBGs have been meeting regularly, for monthly fellowships which involve catching up and sharing each other's lives and experiences, loads of tasty food, hearty laughter and of course, great insights and encouragement from the 'leaders' of our group; Rev. Crawley and Rev. Pass. Before we all jump into conclusions about why I've put 'leaders' in quotes, allow me to explain: The Revs, as we call them, have been such a blessing to each one of the RBGs (my sisters can bear me witness). In as much as they are leading the group, spiritually and in terms of organizing our fellowships, we all consider them as our big sisters in Christ. Their servant leadership qualities have served as a wonderful example. We can now safely admit that we consider them as our friends, more than anything else, really. Fellowshipping with them, and watching them 'do life' continues to be an inspiration to those of us who have been fortunate enough to interact with the Revs. It has been and continues to be such a blessed experience to follow them as they follow Christ.

Now that we're up to speed on who the RBGs are, we can get back to my main story.

During our monthly fellowship in January 2015, Rev. Pass made an announcement that we would soon begin a study on sexual purity. The book we were all supposed to purchase and begin to read before our next meeting had a very captivating title; Every Young Woman's Battle. The aim of the book is to help young ladies all over the world to guard their minds, hearts and bodies in a sex-saturated world. The journalist in me was very curious to see what lay in the 'mystery' book, so as soon as I got my hands on my personal copy, I dove right into it! And boy was I excited to see the topics that we would cover; they are very real issues that constantly affect myself and my peers.

Now, despite all my excitement, a part of me was also a bit nervous about delving into this new study, seeing as total honesty was one of the requirements to successfully complete it. I wasn't too sure that I was ready to face my personal struggles, past and present alike. Furthermore, I was a bit concerned about how much the other ladies in the group would open up and reveal about their own lives. The last thing anyone would want to be in such a setup, is judged. You wouldn't believe my shock and amazement when we had our first meeting, that beautiful blue-skied sunny morning, and secrets were revealed, struggles were shared and a few tears were shed. Yes, the process of opening up and being honest is not easy, but by what I observed that morning, it is definitely, without a shudder of doubt, worth it. God is already using this study to transform lives within the group, restore broken hearts and heal open wounds. Honestly, I cannot wait to go through the entire study, to be delivered from all the bondages in my life that I may or may not be aware of, and in turn, help others who are struggling with the same. This is one very exhilarating journey that I cannot wait to share with my sisters in the faith! God is surely up to something, and I believe it is something AMAZING!

Olyvia Kahuthu - Jesus Lover by birth, Missionary by calling, Journalist by profession!
God Bless!