Mvuyie Majali

Meet Nomvuyiso (aka Mvuyie) Majali, a formidable woman who is passionate about her Creator and her faith. It is only an honour to be afforded the opportunity to feature her as our first ever phenomenal woman. It's only fitting that we do so since we are publishing this in August 2020, & August is Women's Month in South Africa; and she was born in August!

​ In June 2013, we were at a youth camp in East London and I had the privilege of having a moment with MaFaku, as I affectionately call her. She went into detail about her story on how she had to find a job and work for a few years in order to secure funds for University. Now it takes a certain level of strength, faith and discipline to come to that decision at such a young age, however what impressed me the most was how she didn't narrate the story with sadness and a "poor me" attitude but with cheer and gratitude towards the sustaining power of God. Hers is not only a story of utmost faith, but also of faithfulness and complete reliance on God as well as trusting Him to deliver on His promises. Please read her story below...

1. Who are you and what do you think your purpose on earth is? I am a child of God, rural girl who is now a “city” girl, but still cherish all the values that I was taught by my strict parents when I was growing up.  My main purpose on this earth is to serve Jesus, to make a positive impact on other people’s lives just like Jesus did when He was on this earth. 2. Please tell us about your journey and how you've reached the point you are at right now; spiritually, mentally, physically, economically, etc? Well, this is will be a long answer, but I will try to make it short.  I am a first child of 10 children. I grew up in a very poor family, growing up as a child was not very easy. We would sometimes sleep without food and not really knowing where the food will come from the next day. My parents though, especially my mother and my grandmother did all they could to ensure that we were fed. What I appreciate the most in all that, is the love and protection we received at home.  My parents managed to take me to school until Standard 7, which is now Grade 9. After that, my mother told me she had no means to take me to school as I was going to start my high school. But for some reason I don’t remember myself being worried about that, as part of me (in fact the whole of me) knew that was never gonna happen. I think this was because at that age I was already a Christian, as my mother converted to the Adventist church when we were still very young.  Therefore, I knew that God would not let me down and He never did, some good Samaritan came to my rescue, I did Grade 10-12 smoothly.  After Grade 12, the real struggle began, I was 18 years when I had to go find a job. The expectation was that I find a job to assist at home, however I had something else in mind; and that was to find a job so that I can go to the university in order to assist my family. Well, to cut the long story short, I worked in different jobs including working as a domestic worker. Finally, after 3 years of working, I was able to put together R5000 (I know) which was enough to take me to the university, with the help of some few people who God brought into my life. After university, I got a permanent government position, 3 months after my graduation. God was so good to me that even the way I got to be employed was miraculous (a story for another day).  To conclude this part, God has always been good to me and I always trusted Him to show me the way. The conversion of my mother to the Seventh-Day Adventist church made a huge impact in my spiritual growth, I was baptized at 15 years old and though I was not perfect, at that time I knew the right from the wrong in a Christian point of view. I was taught about many biblical principles at a young age and many other things, I grew up very grounded but far from being perfect. One of the most important things during my childhood was the genuine, nonbiased love that our parents gave to us. My mother loved each of her 10 children as though he/she was the only child, and that gave us confidence as well as the feeling of being valued, and that we matter to our mother and our family. Also, the support from the extended family members, made me to go out to the world secured, knowing that, no matter what happens I have a loving family to go back to. Our safety as children was very important to my family as it still is now. Though I grew up in poverty, I was emotionally well fed and that helped me to be mentally sound and responsible in the outside world. 3. What would you want to be remembered by? I want to be remembered as a person who loved Jesus with all her heart and touched people’s lives in a positive manner, then I would have left a legacy behind. 4. What daily motivations/ affirmations do you live by? My daily motivation is that my life is so valuable to Jesus, that I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength and that His grace is sufficient for me. 5. How would you advise your 13 year old self? That the sky is not the limit, dream big because if you dream it, you can have it and there's nothing you cannot attain if you put your mind to it and let God lead you according to His will. 6. What is your take on teenage challenges such as teenage pregnancies, suicide, and substance abuse? In this age teenagers are going through a lot, we cannot deny that. They come from broken homes, there is pressure at school and in every side of their lives. Knowing their value in Christ is their only strong bond as that will enable them to know who they are in Christ, that they are loved, they are appreciated and that they belong. In most cases they get into these challenges because they actually want some sort of validation, they feel empty in one way or another, but if they can be taught that Jesus can offer all this, maybe the situation would not be as bad as it is today.  7. What do you understand about education? The most influential and valuable education is done at home. I have also learnt and I believe that real education is not only about a certain course of study or preparation for the earthly future but as Ellen G. White put it, it has to do with the whole being, it is a harmonious development of the physical, the mental and the spiritual. 8. What are your talents and how are you using them to positively impact the next person? The prominent talent that I know is giving encouraging words to those who need them, and of course the talent of singing which I use to praise and glorify the Lord.

9. What would you like to achieve before you die/ before Jesus comes back? Before I die, I would like to get married, be a Clinical Psychologist and have a Support Centre for the abused and those suffering from substance addiction as well as have a Talk Show on Mental Health. However, the most important thing is to be ready for the second coming of Christ. 10. If a girl child would shadow you for a week, what would you make sure to teach them? That God values them more than anything, and that they should ensure that they put God first in everything they do and that they can achieve any greatest position available on planet earth. Also, that they should always respect themselves and others and never be afraid to express their views or keep silent when they are being abused in anyway.  11. What is your opinion on societal standards towards women concerning such topics as marriage, child bearing and leadership? • Currently the society embraces child bearing outside marriage and that increases the stress in women raising children alone and in most cases these children grow up lacking the other side of parenting.  • Marriage is not an achievement as society deems it to be, it is just another phase of life for women. • Women are good leaders and the society knows that. As women we were taught serving at a young age and as we all know, good leaders are those who know how to serve. I also think that as women, we should lead because we can, not because we are trying to prove a point and that we should know no matter how great we are in the work place, as married women at home we are led by our husbands not the other way round.  12. What is the greatest lesson that you've learnt about life in general? God will humble you before he puts you in any place and I have also learnt that patience pays. Also, being grateful and content in any situation brings peace of mind.  13. What does self-love mean to you? Self-love is not the same as being selfish, the bible say we should love our neighbors as we love ourselves. So, self-love to me is self-respect, if I don’t respect myself there is no way I will be able to respect my neighbor. 14. What do you reckon "women empowerment" involves? The word empowerment means giving power to someone else, helping the other person to be able to do something they are not able to do. Therefore, women empowerment involves giving women that which has been taken away from them, their dignity, their value and also helping them to be aware of their capabilities.

15. What are you most curious about? The human brain and child development from the day of conception. 16. What kind of books do you read and what is the one book or two, that have changed your life? I read spiritual books and currently I'm reading a book called “The Fruit of the Spirit” by George W. Brown and a devotional book called “Jesus, a Heart Full of Grace” by William G. Johnson and the Bible of course.  Powerful books! 17. What do you think you should be doing more of? More studying of the Bible and I think I should be giving more to the poor. 18. Who/ what has been your greatest inspiration? Well, I don’t remember having a specific person being my inspiration as I was growing up until now, except for Jesus, I’m not trying to be holy (LOL). But currently my inspiration is still Jesus, a lady called Priscilla Shier, such a powerful woman and some of my friends, it's quite a number of them, they actually inspire me on the parenting side (Ntsiki Ntaba, Portia Hlengisa, Nonhlanhla Ntuli and Siphelele Ntshongo).   19. What is the hardest thing you've had to do or go through, and what did you learn from it? Having to work first in order to further my studies just after Grade 12 at the age of 19 years. But in that I have learnt that determination pays, I have learnt patience, that God always has a way and what He has promised He is able to deliver.  20. What would you say to all the women and young girls across the world? I would say to all the women and girls out there, you are able, you are capable, you are smart, you are beautiful, never keep quiet during abuse of any kind. I like to say, you will always have value and that God is deeply in love with you! THE END.