ABOUT THE FATHER'S BUSINESS --- Townsend has been actively involved in ministry for nearly two decades --- 18-plus years to be exact. Like virtually all men and women whom God has strategically called to preach and spread the Gospel, the DIVAS 4 Christ Ministries Founder undoubtedly has witnessed seasons in which she has endured her share of sufferings and persecutions and turmoil and fiery trials. But God...
GREENVILLE, South Carolina — Yolanda Townsend has been actively involved in ministry for nearly two decades — 18-plus years to be exact.
Like virtually all men and women whom God has strategically called to preach and spread the Gospel, the DIVAS 4 Christ Ministries Founder undoubtedly has witnessed seasons in which she has endured her share of sufferings and persecutions and turmoil and fiery trials.
Take, for instance, how Townsend and her husband, Christopher Townsend, Sr., collectively were left to process the disheartening developments surrounding the death of their oldest son, Christopher Lamont Townsend Jr., who died at birth.
As if that wasn’t enough to place on trial the faith of a couple whose reputation is such that they are on fire for God, take, for instance, the tumultuous, potentially-fatal rash of events that, as Yolanda Townsend explained during a recent interview with Making Headline News, practically sums up why her Seventh Annual Pink Pajama Party that is scheduled for February 25 at the Empowerment Worship Center (at 31 Calhoun Avenue in Greenville, South Carolina) will unfold accompanied by the appropriate theme, “Polished Diamond For His Glory.”
WHAT ABOUT THE PINK PAJAMA PARTY? https://www.eventbrite.com/e/7th-annual-pink-pajama-party-2017-tickets-31376389626?aff=eandprexshre&ref=eandprexshre.
But God…
“I woke up in a room full of smoke upstairs,” Yolanda Townsend explained. “There was so much smoke that I could not see what was immediately around me. I stepped out in the hallway calling out for our children. As I stumbled back into my bedroom I grabbed my home phone to call 911.”
At approximately 7:30 on the morning of September 22, 2016, the Townsends’ Greenville-area home went up in flames and nearly cost the family of four their lives.
But God…
“I woke up in a room full of smoke upstairs,” Yolanda Townsend explained. “There was so much smoke that I could not see what was immediately around me. I stepped out in the hallway calling out for our children. As I stumbled back into my bedroom I grabbed my home phone to call 911.”
Consequently, the enemy, as we are reminded specifically through God’s manual, had come in like a flood. In other words, the weapon had been formed, considering the phone wasn’t working once Yolanda Townsend had finally found her way to it.
But God…
“At that moment I had to remind myself that I have the ability to speak to my situation,” Yolanda Townsend said. “I went from both phones — home and cell — to now a phone call coming in. I answered shouting, ‘My house is on fire! Please call 911!’ Once I rebuked the devour, I then had an open line on the home phone.”
Still, satan, it seemed, was infringing upon the Townsends’ household much like he had done with Job.
“But the enemy wasn’t done with me,” Yolanda explained. “As I was now on the line with 911, I didn’t realize I was standing so close to my stairs.”
So close was she to the stairs that she had slipped and fell, tumbling down what she recalled was “all 15 (cases.)
In essence, what was a real life, potentially fatal sequence of events in the Townsends’ residence seemed much like a docudrama, made-for-television movie.
That’s because God saved a family so that a family could bless a family.
“Had my head hit the foyer, I would have more than likely fallen unconscious and never recovered,” Yolanda said.
But God…
Even after three failed 911 call attempts, this seasoned minister had sensed all along that although she had a close encounter with the massive blaze of fire that destroyed a large portion of her home, she also had a worship encounter, one that was reminiscent to, say, the three Hebrew boys in the fiery furnace.
In a nutshell, God had spared the lives of the Townsends in the midst of a home that was suddenly consumed by fire, thus blanketed by heavy, smothering smoke.
MORE ABOUT YOLANDA TOWNSEND:
www.Divas4ChristMinistries.org.
While repairs and renovations were in the works, the Townsends had spent approximately four months in a nearby hotel, a development that, by all accounts, provided them with a renewed sense of enthusiasm, not to mention a newfound disposition on life.
Among the reasons is that even during their brief, but seemingly uncomfortable season of downsizing, there was God, sustaining them. There was God, providing all of their needs, according to His riches and glory through Christ Jesus.
As only He could.
Like virtually all men and women whom God has strategically called to preach and spread the Gospel, the DIVAS 4 Christ Ministries Founder undoubtedly has witnessed seasons in which she has endured her share of sufferings and persecutions and turmoil and fiery trials.
But God…
“I am so grateful for life,” Yolanda, an Anderson, South Carolina native said while displaying her customary smile. “Even though we spent four months in a cramped two bedroom hotel suite, I was alive. We celebrated our daughter’s birthday inside the hotel in October, and our son’s birthday which is on Christmas day. During our stay ministry still continues. As many families and friends near and far sowed seeds and donations into our lives, so did we.”
During their stay at the hotel, the Townsends even recalled having crossed paths with a family of six that had been displaced amid the death of a loved one.
Having collectively taking inventory over their lives, the Townsends knew full well that God had strategically downsized them temporarily just so they could help upsize another family — possibly for on a permanent basis.
“This family of six was in a strange place because of a (family) death at Christmas,” Yolanda said.
But God…
“So we went out and got presents for the two younger children, gave money in a card to the two older children and their parents,” she said. “They were so full of joy for something we saw as so small. It reminded me that God honors the sincere giving heart. Not only were we able to bless the family, but we gained a family of friends for life.”
All of which practically sums up why the upcoming five-hour Pink Pajamas Party will undoubtedly hold a rather, more compelling and emotionally-significant meaning this time around.
That’s because God spared the lives of a family so that family could be a blessing to another family — you know, bear the infirmities of the weak.
Which, of course, means that all of these life-changing, spiritually gut-checking testimonies could very well give way to a number of ladies breaking out in a collective Holy dance — all while wearing pink pajamas, all while partaking in free food and door prizes, all while getting facials and manicures and massage treatments as well as other forms of entertainment.
Just like God.
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Andre Johnson is Founder and Publisher for Making Headline News. A 2000 graduate of the University of Memphis School of Journalism and a former staff reporter the Memphis Commercial Appeal newspaper, Johnson covers the NBA Southwest Division from Dallas, Texas. To reach Johnson, send an email to memphisgraduate@yahoo.com. Also, follow him on Twitter @AJ_Journalist.
Such an awe-inspiring display that could be on the screen! Thank you Bro. Andre Johnson for capturing the finest of details!