Hear from a TBT Alumni: Life After University
Meet Ziningi. We recently asked her some questions.
Ziningi, tell us about when and where you were a part of TBT.
(You’re basically asking me to reveal my age here😊). Officially, I was a part of TBT from 2004 to 2005, when I was a senior student. I was based at Howard College. Unofficially, after graduating and as a young professional, while also attending my new local church, I continued being a part of TBT until 2009 (they couldn’t get rid of me) when I left Durban.
What are some of your fondest memories of being on campus and a part of TBT?
Firstly, it’s the expository teaching, the explaining of the bible by what the text says while having the ability to also check it out for myself. One got armed with invaluable tools for learning how to read scripture for themselves. I remember so vividly those lecture venues where the bible talks and the sermons were held.
Secondly, it is the tangible care that I received beyond the sermons and bible talks, the fortifying prayers, the assistance, the counsel, and the encouragement I received when the Christian walk became too heavy to handle alone.
Finally, it is the relationships that were formed. It has been wholesome to maintain relations with godly brothers and sisters, and in certain cases to reconnect with those I had lost contact with, even in different parts of the country.
What advice would you give to any current TBT students about what awaits them as Christians after university? Things or expectations they should have in mind.
Students, please have this mindset:
“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your strength, for there is no work, planning, knowledge, or wisdom in the grave, where you are heading”
(Ecclesiastes. 9:10)
Your next phase may take an unexpected turn, and you may at times find yourselves forging forth with tears in your eyes. There may also be times when you experience sheer bliss and happiness and all of the jolly wonderful stuff. Whatever the season, rest assured, the Lord is at hand, and He is in control, always. Whatever the circumstance, resolve to serve Him in such a way that when He either returns or calls us home, we will be found to have been faithful servants and stewards of His gifts, talents and resources.
But whilst you are still at university and you are young and you are maybe “eating your youth”, keep in mind this: you are right now at a crucial life stage, where perhaps for the first time, you have more freedom than you know what to do with. Every decision you make now will have a profound impact on your future. Today’s decisions often affect and foreshadow tomorrow’s events. Also, they reflect yesterday’s choices. What you will face in the future will draw on insights from past foundations. I urge you to lean in and to press into God with everything you’ve got, to prioritize building a firm foundation with Him and to cultivate relationships with His people, as opposed to entertaining all that He would not have you do. His ways are so full of love. This will make better sense as you grow and your lives unfold. You will never regret it when you:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight”.
(Proverbs 3:5-6)
