What is in your hand? (Exodus 4: 2)
~ Mrs Ningkhanching
The seminar began with a prayer by Mrs Biakmawi followed by songs of praises led by Praise & Worship team. Tualsung Baptist Dorcas Fellowship (TBDF) Secretary Mrs Roui read out the proceedings for the seminar and also briefly introduced the educational background of the resource person, Nu Ningkhanching, telling the gathering that the speaker completed her B. Th. (Bachelor of Theology) from Calcutta Bible College, Bachelor of Arts from Lamka College and M.Th. (Master of Theology) from Asia Biblical Theological Seminary, Manila, taught at Ebenezer Academy, and has also been on EBC Missions Field. Rev Dr Ginnei Thang Ngaihte, husband of Mrs Ching, serves as Mobilising and Training Consultant, Serving in Mission (SIM).
After the brief introduction, the speaker was called to start the seminar. The speaker spoke about her personal background, telling the gathering that she is the daughter of Rev Kamkhogin and the 8th child out of 11 children; she was born in Songtal, Manipur. The speaker divided the seminar into 3 parts:
- Who Am I?
- What is my role as a wife, a mother
- How can I serve God?
Who am I?
This question was raised by the speaker. The gathering answered with the following: A woman/ a wife/ Helper/ Daughter-in-law/ Friend/ Widow/ Single (Unmarried).
Another question posed by the speaker, "what are the issues that bother women" was responded to by the gathering as follows:
- Upbringing of children
- Physical feature
- Household issues
The speaker emphasized that if we bother too much about the above issues, we will not be able to serve God with all our hearts.
(i) My role as a Mother/ Wife:-
For this part, the speaker divided the gathering into groups of married women, widows and single women. She then asked the groups to discuss and share the easiest and most difficult moments as a married woman, single women and being a widow.
Discussion on "Difficulties faced"
- Married women: Taking care of children, husbands; when husbands don’t agree to what the wife thinks is good.
- Single Married Women: Always being asked when they will be married and being told that there must be something wrong with them
- Widows: No partner to share ups and downs of life with, no father for children to turn to.
Discussion on "Happiest role of being"
- Married Women: Having husbands to consult and turn to for making good decisions at the need for decision making.
- Single Unmarried women: Freedom to do what they want and like.
- Widows: Doing everything on their own.
After the interaction, the speaker shared her ideas on how one can bring up children by:
- Asking them what they like.
- Delhi culture is different so to give children orientation when one has to go to hometown as the culture there is different.
- To be an example for children in whatever we do.
- What food, music they like should be discussed with children.
- Not to discourage but encourage them.
- As our children are growing up in a multicultural society, like Delhi, we should prepare ourselves to accept if our children choose men, women from other cultures to be their life partners.
- To talk to them about our faith and how it is different from other faiths like Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism.
(ii) How to make use of what is in my hands:-
The speaker discussed about 4 exemplary Christian women from the Bible.
- Priscilla, wife of Aquila (Acts 18:1-26): Priscilla made use of herself by welcoming disciples of Christ to her home, feeding them, using her talent of tent-making with her husband for income.
- Mary of Bethany (Mark 14:3): While Jesus was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon, the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on His head. Mary of Bethany was a devout Christian, sitting at the foot of Jesus and listening attentively to His sermon and giving the best she had, like the expensive perfume, to Jesus.
- Abigail, wife of Nabal (1 Samuel: 25): Abigail was the wife of Nabal, an evil man. She was very beautiful and wise and she saved her husband from being killed by David after consulting him with her kind words. Abigail was also very brave. She approached David and, with great diplomacy, humbly offered him a “peace offering”. She gave David and his men plenty of food. Her quick actions saved her household from disaster and kept David and his men from unnecessary bloodshed.
- Hannah (1 Samuel 1): Hannah was a woman of prayer; she was a devout Christian who put all her faith in God. After being barren for a long time God gave her a son, Samuel. Hannah’s son grew up to be a great man of God – the final/ last Judge and the Prophet who anointed the first two kings of Israel.
How can we serve God?
- By helping the poor and needy.
- By building good relationships with our neighbors.
- Talk to non-believers about God whenever the opportunity arises.
- Distributing Gospel tracks to non-believers.
- Praying for our children.
- Praying for leaders at both National and local level, school teachers, principals.
- Giving thanks to God.
- Praying for our husbands, relatives
- Praying for THUMB-
T- Tribals
H- Hindus
U- Unreligious
M- Muslims
B- Buddhists
So that their eyes and heart are open for receiving God. We should build our life around Christ Jesus and in whatever capacity we can serve Him.
The seminar concluded with Nu Chingngaihlian giving the Vote of Thanks and the saying of the Lord’s Prayer by the gathering.
