*Says it’s shocking to find women having children for four – five men without care from them
Pastor (Mrs.) Roseline Livingstone is the founder of Faith Sisters International, an online prayer and counseling platform she started with four more similar Christian online forums to cater to the psychological, social and spiritual needs of vulnerable men and women, but with special focus on young sisters. In this interview with Segun Otokiti, she opens up on reason for her choice of that area of Christian ministry and on other topical, controversial issues of the Gospel of Christ. Excerpts:
Can you briefly introduce yourself to us?
My name is Roseline Livingstone. I run an online Christian outreach and minister to sisters through faith Christian International. But mine is a kind of online ministry and we do hold conferences in wherever our members are across the globe. If our members are concentrated in a particular place we then organize a conference there. We have members allover; in Kenya, Zambia, South Africa and all of that. We just finished one few weeks ago.
How did you start the ministry and why not go into the mainstream of Christian missionary by starting a church?
It all started after the Covid-19 pandemic following what I used to see on Facebook with regard to all that was happening around the word then. I started praying about those things seeking God’s intervention in the affairs of the world. Then afterwards, I received the inspiration to start something for the sisters, and I can remember it was on September 24, 2020. I then opened the praying forum for Sisters International, the Praying Generation International and all others. The Praying Sisters International happens to be the fastest growing among other groups I opened and it became so because of a unique miracle that happened in the life of a lady member, from is it Malawi or Zimbabwe, texted me that her husband died and she couldn’t make use of restroom for days and she was scared that she was about to die. I calmed her down, counseled her and asked her to get olive oil and a bottle of water. I then prayed for her and on those materials I requested her to get. About two days later she called and testified of having overcome the challenges. She posted the testimony on the group’s platform and it lifted the faith as they read the testimony. That was the diverse rounds of miracle that were later to follow. The funny and strange thing about the programme is that I’m in Nigeria but the real committed members are nationals of other countries like Namibia, South Africa, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Mauritius etc. They are very committed.
Why is it so, or what do you make out of such outcome?
I think it’s because of the way they relate to me; they give me updates. For example, there’s a lady from one of those countries that always call me, update me with even her movements, activities and spiritual progress. And there’s another one in Namibia that if she wants to go and see her boyfriend she will chat me up on it. That’s how confident they’ve become in the programme and my mentorship that hardly is there anything about their lives they don’t share with me.
Of all the many areas of the gospel why did you make care for sisters solely your brand of Christian ministry?
The reason is that I discovered that womenfolk, particularly the sisters, suffer a lot. Like I said, I started with posting prayers and soul-lifting messages online. And at a time I was shocked and surprised at responses to the prayers and counseling messages I posted, with stranger responses coming from sisters I South Africa. Some would call and thanked me for the prayers and messages and shared to me their experiences about their husbands that came to see them after abandoning them with the children. It’s from their responses and calls to me I got to know that women there would have children to about four or five husbands or men and it means nothing to them. Many a time, some of them will send thank you messages accompanied by cry emojis to me in appreciation of my prayers and counsels to them. Such position they were in really moved me a lot. They always open up on everything and tell me all about themselves. When I started with them, at times I would see like hundred messages just in a day, and I would try as much as possible to go through every message to ensure that none was unattended to. I became so touched, moved and bothered so much that I had to dedicate all my being to attending to in all capacity available to me. Outside that, a sister called and told me that all my activities and fellowships have been of immense benefit to many of them and as token of her appreciation she’s the one that made all my dresses for years. She told me she had a dream before the covid-19 palaver about the activities I was engaged in. I think what she told me and what God started doing then moved me to hold the fort. Mind you I didn’t open only the Faith Sisters International forum, I also opened about four or five others the same day and the same hour. But the Faith Sisters International Tiktok has remained the strongest and the most active of the platforms and we ran our first conference in 2021 at a Redeemed Church. We held another one last year at Ilorin. But we’re trusting God to go outside Nigeria for conferences because we receive almost on daily basis calls by members outside Nigeria saying pastor when are you coming to Namibia; we need you in Kenya; we need your conference in South Africa and so forth. We are just praying God to grant us the enablement to meet all those expectations because we have more committed members in all those countries. They are so much committed that they love to know how I’m faring. Any time I delay coming online, calls and messages will keep coming in to know what’s happening and why I’m late with my activities online. Such is their fervency with the programme that I can’t afford to miss out a minute on it and I’m also so encouraged.
With your experience about the project so far, what will you consider as challenge or challenges?
Well, I will say the challenge is mainly money. The way I cater to them, some of them think I have this big church, and they are asking that when they come to Nigeria where is my church in the country. Had it been I have that facility it would have been a different story entirely by now. But by the time I tell them I’m running an outreach ministry it like I’m pouring cold water on their faith and they become discouraged. However, we always relate and effectively so. Some of them chat more often with me, we talk more, we do video chats and all the kinds. But the main thing is having the facility. With availability of it, many more of them will readily identify with the group and become part of it. They are all inspired when I pray for them and counsel them. I have one sister member in Sierra Leone who gives updates all the time. If I prayer and she gets answer to the prayer she will call and start showering encomium on me. Out of ecstasy and appreciation of my activities she used to call my sister, friend, pastor, auntie etc and thanking me for the prayers. And this gives me joy. I think they keep me going and no matter how spiritual you are there are downsides there for you as a pastor. But by the time you’re trusting God for a miracle and you find someone sending prayer request I just get myself to share the reality and tell them God is God.
We know that given your experience so far, the next signal will be for you to start a church…. cuts in
Yes, but not really to start a church. It’s not really a church because I’m not ready for Sunday Sunday church kind of a thing. It’s something like a ministry that will have days of coming together and teachers doing their duty. I have a Praise Brother International group to care for the brothers so that they are not left out. I found out that they have other brothers and some of them will also tell their sisters about the group and by and large it continues to swell. So, it’s not church and I’m not ready for that line of spiritual calling for now.
But in any case you need a location for meeting…. Cuts in
Yes, we need location for meeting and other activities. That’s what we need now and not a church.
Given the acceptance and patronage you said your programme has enjoyed since you started it, has none of the members ever reached out to you to support you financially in getting a location and even assist in funding the online efforts?
Uhhh, no! I think it’s because I didn’t open up to them on the challenge. One thing is that people these days are something else. By the time you start to bring in the issue of money you may lose friends. I just come and tell them about the kingdom. They even think I have the money because they do send me messages to send them money (laughter). But the issue is the currency, I let them know I’m in Nigeria and that there’s no way I can send them money. But I’m trusting God for good fortune. There are some of them that are good and do send me money, in dollars and other denominations.
