TRANSCRIPT

NATHAN JONES

This month, I had the privilege to speak with Judith Tavagwisa from Botswana in Southern Africa. Judith shares fascinating stories of how she is stewarding her position within the local church for Kingdom impact among leaders and children.

I'm your host, Nathan Jones, and I want to thank you for joining me on this episode of the Inspiring Stewards podcast.

Judith, thank you for the time. I've been looking forward to this to get to know your story a bit and how God has been at work in your life. So, let’s get started. Give us a little bit of background, where you're from, where you grew up, that sort of thing. 

JUDITH TAVAGWISA

Thank you so much. I am Judith Tavagwisa. Originally, I am from Zimbabwe, but I am residing in Botswana, in the capital city, Gaborone, with my husband. Our children are back in Zimbabwe.

I am a former civil servant. I once worked for my government back home in Zimbabwe. I have worked in the administration department and human resources department. I also worked part-time in accounts department, and also examinations department when we were conducting examinations for the country. But by then, I was already in the Lord.

I got to know the Lord at really a young age. I grew up in the hands of my grandmother. She's now late, but I really appreciate some of the things that I learned from her. It's like we were not sitting down then she tells me, “You're supposed to do this. You're supposed to do that.” I was just watching her do things.  

I don't know if people believe in impartation. It's like she was imparting some things on me. I just knew that she was taking us to church every Sunday. She was taking us for programs for Sunday school.

And also, I knew that she was a prayer person. By then, I remember I was in the village. Usually, what used to happen is when we wake up late in the night, when we want to relieve ourselves, I would find my grandmother she would be sitting and praying. So, it's like I was just admiring.

Sometimes, she was praying, it's like calling people's names. Then, I was just saying, “But this woman, what is she doing?” I just like it. I was just talking to myself. Around 1986, I think by then, I was in standard five, six, thereabout. That is when I moved from the village to the city where my mother was staying.

So, I went to join my mother, but she like, didn't impact me much like what my grandmother did. So, I remember there were some neighbors my age. So, they came to my mother and asked that they take me to their church. So, my mother agreed.

Then, we were going to their church. It was a Baptist church. Then, that is when the issue of salvation was explained to me, the issue of John 3:16, how God so love the world.

I was now connecting the dots from where my grandmother left and the preachings now I was getting from this church. So, that is when I now decided on my own, now I understood. That is when now I committed myself to the Lord. 

NATHAN

That's wonderful. You mentioned a little bit about your professional work, but let's jump to today. Share with us: what does the Lord have you involved in now?

JUDITH

So, what happened is like, my husband is the one who came to Botswana first because of economic hardships in our country. By then, we were married from 1995. Then, around 2006, that is when my husband came to Botswana because he was also a civil servant, but he was in the teaching profession.

Me, I was in the area, they call it non-teaching staff, but we were in the same department. It was a Department of Education and Child Welfare. So, me, I remained behind with our children. We were blessed with two children, one boy and a girl. They are of age now. The boy is around 28 and the girl is around 24.

So, when my husband now came to Botswana for greener pastures. When we got married, we were given a lot of responsibilities in the church that we used to go. I was so zealous about things of God, also my husband.

So, when my husband came to Botswana, I later joined, I think it was after three years. Around 2009, that is when I came to Botswana with our children. They were young by then.

When I came also, I tried to look for employment. But it wasn't very easy because of my profession. It wasn't on demand. So, that is when I decided to put more effort on ministry, because now I was having a lot of time on my side than my husband because my husband was fully employed.

So, when I was in Botswana, that is when I started to realize that there is so much to do in the house of God. Then, I started to concentrate on ministry. That is when I started to appreciate that there's so much that one can do in the house of God.

I also appreciated the issue of my service in the government. When I was still a civil servant, it's like, I was not really appreciating myself. But when I left, that is when I started to think that I was really impacting my government. I was saving my people.

So, I then decided to say, “Now that I will take much time for the Lord,” then I said, “I want to use the experience that I got from government, since I have the background of administration and human resources. Then, let me use those now in the house of the Lord.”

So, at the church that we were going, I started volunteering in one of the department that we call communications, where I'm doing follow-up and communicating with the visitors and with the people who are sick and the people who are depressed. So, it's like, now I was finding joy, like I'm counseling people. I'm praying with people. 

It's like I was now starting to see that impartation of prayer. I started to just love prayer. If people they come, they want to be prayed for. Even at the church that I'm going, people now they knew that if I'm around, if just somebody comes, they are stressed, they are depressed, they will just say, “No, go to Judith.” Then, we go to the prayer room. I pray with them. I counsel them. Then, I was really finding joy.

And also, the other area that I found myself loving, it was children's ministry. Then, I also found myself volunteering. Then, later on, in the church that I was going, it's like, they were not much into evangelism and soul winning. They were not having, like, such programs.

So, I ended up partnering with a certain friend who was going to another church. So, we were having, like, our own programs that we go around the city. Sometimes at malls, sometimes we're knocking at people's doors, sometimes in the streets, just doing evangelism on our own. It was just our own program. Then, we were just ministering to people.

So, sometimes we refer them to the churches that were closer to them. Then, we would just advise them that at least the church must be a Bible-believing church. They believe in the Trinity. They believe that Jesus is Lord. So, we were just comfortable with that. 

We were accountable to somebody. We were having our own records. We record the person that we meet. Then, we’re following up on those people, but it was just our program. So, it's like, I just found myself liking those programs.

And as time was going, I found myself having the love for, like, missions. At one time, I remember I went to a certain mission organization here in Botswana. It was, it's like, I was just having, like they say, fire in the belly. It's like, I was feeling like somebody's just saying, “Go! Just go. Go with the Word. Go with salvation. Go and minister.”

So, now I went to this mission organization. Then, I talked to them. Then, it's like, they told me that the conditions for one to be a missionary. It was a whole lot of stuff that you have to go somewhere and get training. And some of those conditions I couldn't meet because it's like, for them, they were in partnership with a certain organization in Kenya.

Then, they were saying, “You go there for one year or two years,” I can't remember. Then, I was saying, “But I don't think that condition is okay with me because I'm a marriage person. So, I want to do ministry near my family, around my family. But I need to be trained, but I can't see myself now going all the way to Kenya just for training.”

So, later on, it’s like, we started working with these people because they were also having, like, programs. Sometimes we'd have, like, prayer days, just praying for different prayer requests across the globe. So, it was really interesting. It's like putting your time knowing that I'm praying for somebody maybe who is in China. I'm praying for somebody maybe who is in South Korea. So, it was really interesting to me.

So, I think after when I worked with these people about a year, that is when one of the leaders was saying, “I think sometimes we put too much conditions on people.” And that is when he said, “Do you know that you can be a missionary but not going to Kenya and get trained? It's like, the services that you are offering, you can be a missionary like locally here and you can also still even get local training. But still, if you feel you are being called for that, you can still be fine and remain locally.”

Then, I was comfortable with that. Then, we continued to work with that organization. I'm still in touch with them.

NATHAN

This is a wonderful encouragement for people to recognize that there is ministry right where they are and what God has given them is sufficient.

So, let's shift to the question about stewardship. This is the Inspiring Stewards podcast. How has the role and principle of stewardship played a role in your life. 

JUDITH

I have realized that when I'm in the house of the Lord, it's like I don't work in isolation. I have to be accountable, even to my family. My family is supposed to be aware of what I'm doing.

And also, one other thing that I've realized is that above all, I'm also accountable even to God. When we are doing ministry, God knows the heart and also the motive. So, whatever we are doing, it's like we are focusing in the field, we are focusing on God. It's like we are not doing anything for, like, show-off or so that people they know me, but everything is like we are just focusing on God. 

When I say sometimes we used to have even programs with my friend. These were not church programs, but they are biblical. It's like we are given a Great Commission that we are supposed to go out and preach the gospel. So, we knew that we are supposed to be doing that.

And even if where we are going at church, there are no setup programs, but we know that's the program for God, then, we have to do it.

NATHAN

So, Judith, as you think about seeing God at work, how are you seeing God specifically at work, either in the world at large or in your local area, specifically at this time in history?

JUDITH

Where I am right now is like, I feel that I have got an assignment. I am part of the body of Christ. I am part of the church of God. But as an individual, I just feel that God also has given me an assignment that I feel that if I neglect it, it's like I'm not doing myself a service.

It's like sometimes I feel like God is just trusting that there are people there. Each one is going to work on your part. So, it's like I have realized that when I was working with children, I volunteered to an organization that is called AWANA. It's a children's ministry. It is an international organization. So, I am a training coordinator here in Botswana.

There are other children's ministries that I was also involved with, the one they call OCC or Samaritan's Purse. So, usually with AWANA and OCC, we usually train Sunday school teachers so that they become better teachers to work with children. They get educated to work with children.

Then, later on, I realized that sometimes when we are concentrating on Sunday school teachers, we have encountered some problems. Because sometimes you train Sunday school teachers. Then, when they go back to their churches, sometimes they don't have the chance to practice what they have learned. Because some of them, they come maybe without even the approval of their leaders because they just love children. Then, they found themselves in AWANA, then, they get training.

But for them now to implement what they've gained from AWANA, we have realized that some, they have problems. So, I shifted my attention. I realized that it is now important to target the church leaders so that at least, them, then they catch the vision. So that when it's time for the Sunday school teachers to be trained, they are in agreement. And also, those Sunday school teachers have a chance to go and teach whatever they would have learned from AWANA or any other organization.

Also, when I joined GTP, I learned a lot about issues of accountability, issues of faith and finances, how other leaders conduct their affairs in the house of God. Mainly, also sometimes, it depends on where we are. But here in Africa where I am, the issue of stewardship and accountability, it's really a big deal.

Most people, they just do things anyhow. Most people, they conduct themselves not in a professional way. So, it's like I found myself trying to shift to say, “I think I need to target the leaders.” How I'm working right now, it's like I was saying, “Now for me to be concentrating on Sunday school teachers, I am concentrating on leaders. Now to be concentrating maybe on the church treasurer. I'm concentrating on the pastors, the one that is above that one.” So, that is like if the top leaders, they catch the vision, then it's easy to implement.

So, I would really appreciate those. When I started to group myself with so many leaders, I took their contacts. I created a WhatsApp group. So, I just introduced that this group is just for connecting. If I get information that I feel the ministers or church leaders or pastors, prophets or whatever they call themselves, if I feel that this information is for you, then I will bring this information. Then, I will try to explain to my best knowledge. Whatever I am not sure of, then I would direct those people to the organizations that are specializing in those areas.

NATHAN

Well, as we are wrapping up today, Judith, any thoughts, anything you'd like to leave those listening with today?

JUDITH

The peace that I have, I really want to appreciate the time that we are living. I'm appreciating the fact that we are coming together as the body of Christ. We are breaking boundaries. Because it has been like a cry. It's like there were so many fingers that used to point at us as Christians.

So many people, they used to say, “Ah, you Christians, you are not united. You Christians don't do things together.” But as I am serving in the house of God, I'm really appreciating the fact that we are as the body of Christ.

I appreciate the Holy Spirit is helping us to come together. Because for all these organizations that I'm talking about, it's like we are not targeting this church or this denomination. We are just coming together as the body of Christ and we are working towards one goal. So, that is one thing that I see we are going positive also as the body of Christ.

NATHAN

Judith, thank you for your story. Thank you for sharing and thank you for your time today. This has been wonderful.