Category: interesting people

Moving fearlessly forward…The story of Neo

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Today’s No Fear Just Faith piece is by my friend Neo, we became friends when I was the reporter charged with showing her (the intern) around. I think I annoyed her at first and she found me too chipper, I grew on her (I always do hahahaha) and now even though she moved away we make a point of keeping in touch… She has a very interesting way of looking at life, jump in with both feet, sort of thing, here is her story…





I have always been fascinated with words. Whether it was writing those (now) cringe envoking love poems in high school, reading until the early hours of the morning or listening to how and the way that people speak. So it is quite befitting that I was “saved” by words that I overheard (hey, I’m a journalist, I overhear everything) in a conversation between two of my ex colleagues at the coffee making station.
What I heard wasn’t mind blowing or the next best selling self-help book idea but its brilliance is in its simplicity.
The conversation went like this: “You should really try some low fat milk…it’s healthier to drink”. And my colleague responded: “Life is far too short for low fat milk my dear”. That conversation sparked an idea in my brain that has become the basis of how I choose to live my life. Let me explain. I live what I call the “Full cream milk, full cream cheese and the skin on the chicken please” life. This may sound like a disaster for my health but in actual fact, it has nothing to do with food.
You see, in the short 27 years of life that I have lived, I have survived countless sexual assaults and attempted rapes at the hands of men and boys who I knew and some of whom were trusted friends and relatives. I’ve also survived a few suicide attempts when I was a kid of hardly 13 years old. (No don’t “aww” yet, that’s not the best part of the story). But this is the best life – I think – God could have ever given me. Too much harder and I would not have survived and too much easier, and I would not have had the determination to make something of myself. I digress, however.
The Full Cream Life is mainly based on realising that fear as we know it, is nothing but a figment of the thoughts we have…it is not physically real (no really, think about it) and quite frankly, I refuse to be scared of something that does not pose a physical danger to me. Honestly, the feeling of fear annoys me because it cripples your mind from making sound rational decisions and prevents you from taking opportunities presented to you by God.
The Full Cream Life is fuelled by faith. Not mountains of faith but just enough…the size of a mustard seed even (see what I did there? Hehe). I have the greatest faith that God’s plan for my life – as messed up a start as it had – is the mirror of perfection. It truly is. When one realises that God will never see you as a failure or without use, there is NOTHING that can stop you from achieving your dreams.
I would love to say that despite everything that happened to me, I went on to become some big shot but no. My story is not a unique one. In fact, if you drive down to your local township right now, pick out a young girl and ask her to tell you her story, you’ll probably hear the same thing. I grew up in a four room house with about 11 other people. No, reread that. Not a four bedroom house, a four room house. It was cramped, there was no privacy, there was no time for one on one time with my breadwinner mommy and it was tough. But at the age 27, I can proudly say that I have had to reset my dreams because I have already achieved the old ones I had by having faith in my God given Full Cream Life.

Now, dear reader, what would you do if you had no fear?

A love stronger than diagnosis …. Tersia’s story

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Today’s NoFear JustFaith is a special one, it’s the story of one couple’s belief that they will have a child and the faith that made it happen despite what the Dr’s had to say…

Where do I start about my faith journey? It’s just a strange topic for me to think about as I truly do not think about having faith, I just do it. When El asked me to write a piece about faith I was stunned for a moment. 
Why me? I don’t see myself as somebody that is very religious. I grew up in church and I have been a child of God since I can remember, but I’m not the ‘Bible under the arm-type’. I’m more the – Let go and let God-type. 
I think my faith in God has really been part of me from a very early age. I remember as a little girl we once went through a very difficult period and money was just not available. I remember going on my knees with my mom and brother and praying for God to give us a way out. Half an hour later my brother comes running into the house with a brand new R50. My mom was so shocked, where did he find that? He said outside in front of his room window. The wind was howling outside, like it can only in Port Elizabeth. We went outside, in front of my mom’s room she found another R50. Not moving, brand new, not a mark on it. I went around to my room, in front of my window I found a R50. Not moving in the wind. From that day on I knew that God would never let me down. As long as what I am alive, He will take care of me. 
And yes sometimes it does not feel that way. When we were told that neither myself or my husband would be able to have children, I had lots of questions. But just as soon as the questions came, I would always here the same answer – God is in control. He’s got this. We prayed a lot and making a decision to adopt was a difficult one. Not because of us, but because of the strain it brought in my family. A white couple adopting a black child was just not what they had in mind. But God knew His plans for us and we knew in our hearts He will give us OUR child. No matter how and what colour she would be. We started the process and it was a long year. We had to stay in faith the whole time. 
Then we had to get police clearance. Then it was medical clearance, then again evaluations if we are mentally prepared to have a baby. All this while I have a full on war going on in my family about adopting this sweet little thing we now call our own. It was worth every tear and every prayer. 
And now 19 months after adopting her, I’m almost 7 months pregnant. When I found out I was pregnant I went into total shock. I had so many questions – why now? How am I going to cope with 2 children under 2? What was the plan. And I still don’t know, but I know that God has a plan with both our daughters. He gave me Abby’s name before I knew I was pregnant. I was busy working and I heard a very clear voice – “Joy is such a beautiful name for a girl”. Here I must just point out that I have a very personal relationship with God and yes I do answer Him back and yes I do argue. So my answer: “No it’s not.” It happened twice and when I found out I was pregnant I knew her name needed to be Joy, but I really don’t like the name Joy. So I started doing research and Abigail means Joy. 
So she will be Abigail Joy – in other words – Joy Joy. It has been a very difficult pregnancy up to here. I’ve been in hospital, we have used up all our medical aid on tests and tests and more tests. First the doctor told me that she won’t make it. I’m too old and my history just won’t allow me to carry this baby full term. We kept on saying: God’s will, not ours. Then they thought she had Down Syndrome. There was fear, I must admit. I don’t think I’m strong enough to handle it. But after crying my heart out before God I decided once again, not my will, His. So we went for more tests and started doing research on Down Syndrome. 
What the challenges would be and how we would deal with it. But the whole time we kept on saying – God is in control. He put this baby inside me by some miracle, so He will take care of her. It’s not our job… 
After lots of testing and the doctor telling me that I will have an option to abort, I told him no matter what, God gave us this baby, she will be kept safe and loved. And the final results seem that she is just perfect. He thought she had kidney issues. We prayed, her kidneys are just fine. On Monday we had another scare. I was walking in a shopping mall and all of a sudden I could hardly walk. I had such bad pain. To the doctor again – bladder infection that wants to induce labor.
 We prayed again and I’m starting to feel better. We believe with our whole hearts that both our little miracles are blessed and that God has put them in our care for a reason. We have no idea what, but we are just keeping the faith……….

Finding your purpose…Curtis’ story

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I met today’s guest poster on the train (I met the most amazing people on the train actually) I remember him with those giant architecture files and models, he seemed to like what he was doing but he truly lit up when he spoke about music. The end of one year he got off the train with a model of a building and the next got on with a saxaphone… months later I was at this event, I heard this amazing jazz music coming from the balcony I looked up and there was Curtis K, in his element and a true testament of “no fear, just faith”. Going against what people said, he has now shared a stage with musical greats like George Benson and Hugh Masekela and even toured abroad.
He launches his first CD this weekend so if you are in the area DO CHECK IT OUT!!! he will be releasing his Debut Album at AFM Church at 6pm on Sunday…


“There is no career in music.” This is one of the phrases I heard for most of my life. However, I always knew I wanted to do music.
I started playing piano at 8 years old and was ‘introduced’ to the saxophone when I was 10 (because I had no idea it even existed before I started playing it). I played the keyboard in church and later moved on to saxophone. While at school I attended saxophone lessons at the university and did my external exams to later study towards a music degree. Around the last 2 years of school when people started asking me what my plans were after school, I would boldly say: “I’m going to study music” which would result in this very unwelcome phrase being thrown at me.
I was young and naïve and believed everyone else knew better so I started the search for the next best thing that would hold a future for me, something that would ‘bring in money’. So in grade 11/12 I did renovations on my uncle’s property which sparked an architectural interest in me. My dad was a well-known draftsman for years which led me to believe that it must be in my blood. Despite the fact that I was studying electrical at the technical high school I was attending, I chose to study Architecture at university. I tried to convince myself that this was what I wanted to do.
In the architecture department there was a piano and I found myself playing it at least once a day, my friends and workers. I tried my best to succeed in my architectural venture, but deep down I knew I lacked the passion the career required. After completing my end of year portfolio, my design lecturer asked me a few questions about my designs and projects. Amongst them all, the one question that I clearly remember was: “Curtis, are you sure you want to do architecture?” Obviously wanting to give the correct answer I said “Yes, of course”. But that question laid heavily on my heart because I knew the real answer. Soon after that I read an article about a matriculant who also plays the saxophone, who was to do a music degree at UCT. While reading the article, I knew that I wouldn’t be able to do another year of architecture while knowing that music is my passion. I showed the article to my dad and told him that that was exactly what I wanted to do. With my parents’ support, I changed my course the following year.
God has opened so many doors for me since I took that leap of faith. With fellow musicians, I formed a local gospel jazz band, Company of Prophets and shared stages with various international artists such as George Benson, Ernie Smith, Hugh Masekela – a few of many. I’ve been lecturing saxophone students at NMMU for the last 4 years (something I never would’ve anticipated).
Last year, May 2014, I once again took a step into the unknown and traveled to Taiwan with my friend and fellow musician, Wesley Keet. We spent 6 months as part of an International Jazz Band whose members came from Spain, France and Italy.
This year I finally did something I feared doing for many years: I released my first gospel album, Hymns Volume 1, which showcases a collection of traditional hymns that I’ve played at different churches over the last 12 years. I was always afraid of not being ‘good enough’. But I realized that if I don’t take that leap of faith – if I’m going to wait until I’m ‘good enough’- I will never do anything. Even though we  are our biggest critics and are often fearful of taking risks,  we should remember that 2 Timothy 1:7 says “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” We need not fear that which is unknown because God is in control. Hebrews 11 tells us that faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. If our faith is in God who makes all things come into being, the last thing we should feel when it comes to our future is fear. Follow your heart and have faith in what it tells you to believe. Most of all, have faith in God because He knows the plans He has for you, plans that will not harm you but give you a future.
www.curtisk.co.za
www.facebook.com/curtiskproject

Living with passion….Pravina’s story

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How brave are you really? would you throw caution into the wind and follow your heart? Pravina Chetty did, at 20 she left her family and her country and ended up teaching English, dancing and DJing all around the world…this is the inspiring story of living by the beat of her own drum…

(People like this speak to my soul, experiences over expenses and passion over possessions)

I often forget how much I have done, seen or experienced until I look back, usually at a random facebook album or when I hear a song that triggers a memory.


The first real jump was when I dropped out of university to become a DJ. As a second year student, I day dreamed constantly about decks, vinyls and house tracks. It was more than a mere obsession. It took over my soul until I eventually dropped out and ended up moving to Taiwan. The motivation at that time was to teach English for a year and save up money for decks.


I got to Taiwan and year one had it’s fair share of ups and downs, being 20 at the time and moving to the other side of the world might not have been the smartest move to some people but to me it sounded great. Independence and the freedom to work on the dream. One year turned into three amazing years of teaching English, traveling South East Asia, dancing hip hop and yes of course, I got to fulfil my dj dream.  


After three years, I decided to jump again. This time I moved back home to Port Elizabeth and back in with my parents. Now anyone who has ever moved out and moved back in with their parents will understand the struggle, the constant echo of ‘how did I end up here” running through your mind. Though it was what I needed at the time, a good base while I finished my almost forgotten degree. This time I was that student who maxed out library cards at almost every library in the city. The drive to get this degree and go fix the world was so strong that staying up until 5am to write papers after I got home from work, became normal.


Fast Forward to the end of the Bachelor’s degree, my mind, heart and soul was set on traveling the world and dancing salsa. But where and how and of course, with what money! Then like magic, I ended up in Florida working as a waitress in a country club. That first six months had myself and my family wondering if I had become truly insane. About to graduate University with a degree to work as a waitress in a country club, not exactly the idea my parents had in mind for me. This worked out because after that six months, I got another job in Chicago where there was a salsa congress. My passion fueled my three years stint in the states, to basically work so that I could dance and travel. Some say madness, okay most people say madness. After a fantastic three year adventure and dancing with some of the best in the world, I did it again. In the middle of my visa process for that sort after H1 7 year visa. I decided to leave. I needed to be home for the Cape Town salsa congress. So I packed up and left. I came back to South Africa with the intention of staying for 6 months before moving to Mexico. Six months became a year and now I am on year two.

As of this moment I am on jump number …I am not sure what number anymore, but I just quit my job this month and am on a new adventure in Marketing and inspiration, with a massive passion for all things travel. If you had told me at 16 that this was the life I was going to live, I would have laughed in your face. I have learnt that I can plan my perfect life, but my plans never go as I plan them. However they seem always work out so much better than anything that I could ever imagined.

berlin salsa congress

dance lesson with 20 time world salsa champ Alien Ramirez 

on the decks

In South Korea

Part of Chicago Touch dance company

teaching in Taiwan


When white picket fences fall …Ruth’s story

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Today’s feature is on an amazing young woman,Ruth Abercrombie (we went from polite greetings on the train to crafting soulmates and cyber buddies,hehe) She blogs over HERE and recently shared about going from being a young mom and wife to a single woman fending for herself and daughter after her husband decided marriage was not for him… (note I didn’t say single mom, I don’t think her close knit family let’s anything be single when it comes to her gorgeous little girl)
“On the day I turned 25 years of age, I found myself back under my parents roof, (technically ontop, I live in a flat upstairs) I just started a new job a month earlier, at an Accounting firm where I knew nobody and my husband, whom I’v been with for 9 years, left me 4 months prior, in search of a better life, fame and riches. (I suppose, I still don’t know the real reason). So does this mean that I’m at a disadvantage? I don’t think so!”
This really spoke to me and I asked here to write about finding the strength to move on and up…

No Fear – Just Faith
To Fear or to have Faith is a choice. We choose daily, sometimes not even being aware that we have. We choose to feed our fears or our faith, and what you feed is what will grow.
I love animals and nature and feel there is much to learn from them. I recently watched something very interesting on Animal Planet, where wildlife experts did a study on the Power of a Lion’s Roar, how far the sound travels, the effects of the mighty roar on other animals etc.
Sometimes the lion just stalks its prey and attack when it’s close enough, other times he uses the power of fear. Allow me to explain… it is said when the lion roars, it paralyzes his prey, bringing about confusion. The lion could still be far away, enough for the poor thing to get away, run or hide, but the prey is too bewildered, uncertain and hesitant to make a move.
The Lion knows the physical effects that fear has on his prey, and uses it to his advantage. The human body also reacts negatively to fear it’s not just an emotional or spiritual thing.
1 Peter 5:8-9 “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, stand firm in the faith…”
When we are overcome by fear, we too, just as the lion’s prey, are bewildered and not self-controlled.  We are not alert and cannot make rational decisions or think realistically, we are controlled by our circumstances. Recently the Loud  Roar of me and my husband’s separation  had me bewildered, it happened  privately but too me it felt LOUD, my world was shaken, I was overcome by the fear of being a single mom, the fear of opinions, the fear of uncertainty and fear for the future, it totally paralyzed me.
I found comfort in Mark 5: 34 where Jesus said to the woman “Daughter, your Faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering”.  
Fear brings about suffering, It makes you sick… physically. Faith heals you and sets you free!
Faith is seeing light with your heart, when all your eyes see, is darkness. Faith is knowing that this (whatever you are dealing with) too, shall pass.
So feed your Faith and your fears will starve.
With love from a once fearful but now strong and very courageous young woman.

Ruth Abercrombie