Rutendo Dhliwayo is a faith-centered voice who speaks openly about trusting God through seasons of waiting. Originally from Zimbabwe and now living in the United States, she has learned that growth often happens in the quiet, unseen chapters of life. Rutendo is passionate about encouraging others to remain hopeful, rooted, and obedient while God works behind the scenes.

Welcome to 12 Minute Converse with Jesus Believers.

God chose first to have a conversation with us, his creation.

Our prayer is that this listening space brings growth and transforms your life forever.

Good evening Rotundo, praise God for you.

Good evening Angel, thank you for the invite.

It's my pleasure, so what part of the world are you in today?

In Maryland United States.

How long have you been across in the U.S.? Actually I'm born in Zimbabwe, that is in Africa, in the southern part of Africa, but I've been in the U.S. for two years now.

How's that been?

It's been an experience because it's a life change, the culture shock.

We do things so much different that side of Africa and the things that we experience the side.

It's a shift but it's a beautiful shift because you get to see the other side of the world and it's an experience because while you have an experience of another side and now you get to see another side which is quite amazing.

So you love to travel, do you?

I do.

Did you meet Jesus before coming to America or when you got to America?

I grew up in a Christian family and I loved going to church so much because my parents they loved going to church.

So I remember the first time that I gave my life to Jesus I was reading this Rhapsody of Realities and it just touched my heart and then I just gave my life to Christ.

I was in a boarding school and I was in Form 3, I think I was 15 years old.

But then I didn't really have that kind of relationship as well.

I just knew that you had to pray, you had to read your Bible but I didn't understand the relationship.

But then later on I got married.

I believe when I got married that's when my real journey started.

What specifically in marriage created the magnetism for your relationship with God?

I've always wanted to be a mother.

Unfortunately it didn't happen for me in that moment.

I remember I was going to church because I wanted God to give me a child.

The first year was okay but then the second year you start to see that something is wrong with you.

There are so many voices and the devil starts to whisper a whole lot of stuff and I started to go to church because I had heard that God can do it.

When I went looking for a child God made me meet him who he is.

That's when I started to understand who God was and I started to learn more about God.

That's where my real journey with God started.

That's where I started understanding who he is.

That he is my father.

Yes he can give me everything but sometimes he wants me to know him first.

He wants me to have that relationship with him.

So that's where my real journey started.

When you think about where you are on your journey is there a Bible character that aligns with where you are now and in so doing that character ministers to you right now?

Yes specifically most of the times I refer to Joseph because when you look at at his journey he had dreams from the onset God showing him he was gonna be great and all that stuff.

He went through real challenges.

He lived that life that God assured him and that's what I feel like I'm in that process for me.

That's the story that kind of like gives me that calmness as well to say in that in that season where Joseph was going through all those trials and tribulations God was forming his character.

He was making him to be prepared for the position that he was going to hold in future.

So now for me the challenges, the struggles, the tribulations that I've been going through they are making me to be fit for that position because being second in command to a king for a whole nation or for a whole region it looks nice and it looks so easy when we're looking it from our side but for the one who's sitting on that chair it's a different perspective.

There's a lot of responsibility.

You are carrying a whole lot of people's lives and a whole lot of things that happened to you in that chair.

That's what people don't get.

We love the glory but we don't see the cross that person is carrying.

So for me to be in that position you need to be prepared and that journey comes when God is with those trials and tribulations they are preparing you for that chair.

Well done, well done.

So what's on the horizon for you Rotando?

To be honest I'm just living in the moment.

I'm in that stage where things are not yet clear for me and I'm just working with God like I'm just taking it step by step because I've got it I had got into a point when I was starting to overthink a lot and questioning a lot and you know when you get into that stage the devil whispers a lot and once you get to that stage it's so harder to get out of it as well.

So in terms of my faith just allowing God to lead me and one thing that I've understood is that God will show you the destination but he will not give you the map because he will lead you there.

So I'm just learning to trust him each and every day as it comes along.

Rotando this has been a great pleasure.

In closing is there anything else you'd like to share?

I also have like a book that I'm writing.

I never saw myself to be an author but I'm hoping that it will be out maybe on Amazon in the next couple of weeks and it's about my journey of waiting and that even if I'm still waiting God has healed me in that journey.

Sometimes you think that when you're waiting for a child having the child is what will heal you but instead God shows you an amazing sight.

So I have a book that I'm writing and I'm so excited about it and I'm also so nervous as well that it is coming out because you know sharing the vulnerable part of my life is not easy but God wants me to do it so I'll do it.

Do you have a title for the book just yet?

Yes I do, I do.

Alright well I guess you won't, you're not letting the cat out of the bag yeah?

Not yet.

I want to release it first then yeah.

Hi Ruth Rando, again a pleasure, I treasure, thank you for being on What Is Inspired by 12 Minute Contours.