Months of prayer, preparation and perspiration culminated on Sunday October 26th with the Nairobi church's women's day, the annual highlight of the women's ministry, which was held at the prestigious Kenyatta International Conference Centre Plenary Hall in downtown Nairobi, with 3 298 in attendance.

The sisters were excited to welcome Sarah Alawaye as the keynote speaker. Sarah, who leads the women's ministry in the Nigerian churches, is Kenyan, was baptized in Nairobi, and led the Nairobi women's ministry prior to relocating to Lagos. The MC for the day was Georgeanne Rayola and moving personal sharing came from Jennifer Omollo, Diana Uwineza, Malinda Wheeler and Florence Ahenda, interspersed with inspiring performances from the choir, from Eunice Muthoka and from the youth ministry dancers. There was such vigour and cheer that even the most timid of women couldn't help but feel relaxed and at home. Any tensions melted away as speaker after speaker moved the deepest of emotions in the women's hearts.

Jennifer, speaking on the topic of "Forever Beautiful," shared candidly about how her first husband left her because she was not bearing any children. It was a painful time, a time that made her feel useless and worthless. She thought she must be so ugly that nobody would ever look at her twice. But she later met her current husband, who, as Jennifer says, "loved me the way I was." He encouraged her to go back to a doctor, and within months of doing so she conceived. While trials seem to take forever, Jennifer shares, "Time is short when you look at things through heaven's eyes. I have learned to be patient and to persevere. I have been privileged to know the pain of not having children and the joy of having them and also the joy of having true friends around me who have helped me, and continue to help me, through the challenges of life."


Diana is in the campus ministry and is a Rwandan refugee. Speaking on "Stepping Out," shared how in 1994, together with her mother and sisters, she fled the Rwandan capital of Kigali as human slaughter unfolded in the city. They eventually were part of a dense human exodus that sought refuge in the neighbouring Congo and had to live in a teeming, squalid, cholera-infested refugee camp before finally getting to Nairobi.

There were few dry eyes in the crowd as Diana narrated how life as a refugee has been challenging, with constant insecurity, uncertainty and poverty. Diana became a disciple in Nairobi while in high school, and now, having just finished college, faces the challenge of not being able to secure employment because of her refugee status. People offer to falsify papers for her so that she can get work. "Sometimes I ask, 'If I refuse these offers, then how will I live tomorrow?' But then I learn to see, through heaven's eyes, that God has a plan for us and has open doors for us that we may not yet have seen."

Malinda , an American, is a nurse practitioner, having obtained advanced degrees from some of America's most prestigious universities. She is director of East African operations for the HOPE worldwide benevolent organization. She works in Nairobi with HIV infected and affected children, singles and parents and previously worked with destitute children in Somaliland, which are a fulfillment of her long-held dream of setting up and running a clinic in a Third World country.

Under the title of "Strength of a Woman," Malinda shared lessons that she has learned from a life of rebellion as a teenager, getting married, becoming a disciple, her husband leaving her because of her refusal to compromise on her Christian convictions, and the loneliness of being single at this stage in her life. "I have learned that time and circumstance happen to all of us and there comes a time when we have to make choices - to serve God and obey as he wants us to, or go off on our own and suffer the consequences." "I stand here today," she concluded, "because of friends in my life who have been the wind beneath my wings when my wings were broken and who have focussed on my strengths when I focussed on my weaknesses."

Sharing to the congregation on the theme of "Circle of Friends" after Jennifer, Diana and Malinda had spoken, Florence Ahenda emphasized the need that we all have for a circle of friends to help us to be our best. Sharing how she learned from disciples around her not to be the loner that she had previously been, Florence explained that a true friend is one who helps you in personal areas that others might easily notice but not help by saying something.

Before Sarah took to the platform, a dance troupe from the Nairobi church's youth ministry moved the crowd with a routine performed to the song "Through Heaven's Eyes" from the movie "The Prince of Egypt."

Sarah delivered a powerful, inspirational and challenging sermon. She highlighted the importance of knowing the nature of God. Speaking from Scripture and personal experience, Sarah helped the audience to see that God's perspective is very different from ours. We must learn not to look down on ourselves but to look at our lives through heaven's eyes. "Our worth as women was determined 2000 years ago at the foot of the cross," said Sarah. She emphasized that Satan is a great deceiver, seeking to make us lose our dreams and settle for less. Sarah's impassioned plea was for the women to return to an awesome God and not listen any more to the devil, a fallen angel.

Sarah's message was eloquently introduced and wrapped up by Carol Mukenya and Anne Irungu respectively, the two co-leaders of women's ministry in the Nairobi church, after which Eunice Muthoka sang a moving solo, "You'll Never Thirst" to illustrate the lasting impact in our lives of looking through heaven's eyes.

Many of the visitors had enthusiastic responses to the women's day. One of the ladies said, "It has helped me see that God does not let anything happen that he doesn't wish to happen, and that these experiences should only empower us to go out and reach out to do something positive as Christian women for the world." Another said, "The openness of the women who shared really inspired me to open up about my life." "I got challenged that I should not only know about God but should know him in person," shared one of the participants, "and from today I want to associate myself with friends and not keep to myself. " One lady, a prominent politician, said, "This women's day has been an oasis away from the political environment. I was profoundly touched by the numbers and the oneness here today."

While the massive turn-out on the day was cause for celebration, what is even more meaningful is that every single one of the women in attendance has the opportunity to be forever changed by looking at herself and her life through heaven's eyes.