Latest / Topeka Bible Church Audio Archive / November 8, 2016 | Expresso - Rinda Wech

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November 8, 2016 | Expresso - Rinda Wech · Topeka Bible Church Audio Archive

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Well, hello.
• 0:01
  SPEAKER_00: Let me start by telling you that when Connie first approached me about sharing my testimony here at Espresso, I told her that I really didn't have a very good story.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_00: My life's been kind of easy.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: And then she expressed to me that everyone has such a different story and to just share mine.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: She also told me that once I started to write it down, I may be surprised.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: So here I am.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks so much for all the prayers because I have really needed them in writing this.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_00: Again, my name is Rinda Way, and as Connie mentioned, I've been married to Chris for 17 and a half years.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: And we have two kids.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_00: Zane is 12 and Nadia is nine.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: This year I celebrated my 25th anniversary in the beauty business doing nails.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_00: I started when I was 12.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_00: Not really, but funny thing is, when I um met with Connie, I think she may have really believed me.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_00: I also just celebrated 20 years with Mary Kay Cosmetics, and I have been blessed beyond measures by both of them.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_00: Here's my story.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: I'll start with this.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_00: I grew up Catholic, so I've always been a believer.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: Church in our house was not an option.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: As long as you lived under my parents' roof, you were expected to go.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: And that was the rule then, and this is certainly the rule now.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: I have to say again that I've lived a very best blessed life, kind of cushy, some might say.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: So as I started to reflect on my journey and visited with some of my longtime clients who are now my friends, um, who most of them are also fellow sisters in Christ, um I could see where my belief in God really turned to a faith and trust in God.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_00: Let me take you way back to when I was 21.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_00: And yes, I still live with my parents because they loved having me there.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_00: Um my dad worked for Santa Fe and got transferred to California.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: Yay! I was so excited because Topeka really didn't have the best dance club life.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but after only short six months of living in California, my folks decided they couldn't do it anymore.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: They hated it.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_00: So my dad took an early retirement from Santa Fe and decided to move back here.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_00: I begged them, no, anywhere but Topeka.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and since living on my own at 21 seemed like not only a terrible idea, but a terribly expensive idea, I moved back with them.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_00: My dad had been in management for several years with the railroad, so coming back to Topeka, he found it really hard because he was overqualified for many jobs.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: I think it was at this point in my life that my trust in the Lord really sprouted because I watched my dad's trust in the Lord sprout.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_00: You see, my mom had always been a stay-at-home mom.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: So my dad was the sole provider.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_00: For about three to four months, he only worked odd jobs until he finally landed a good job at the city with personnel and then later moved over to the state.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_00: But I don't remember my dad ever being too stressed about not finding a great job or making the money he had been used to.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_00: But what I do remember though is him saying, the Lord will provide.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: So I watched it all work out.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: God had provided.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_00: What a blessing that was for me to see my dad live his faith, and what a gift that was going forward.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_00: So, not long after moving back to Topeka, I decided to go to nail school by some persuasion from my good friend Kat, who was my previous nail lady.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: She used to tell me that I had a great eye for doing nails because I was always asking her to like file this or fix that.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_00: And since going to California, I'd been doing my own nails.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_00: My parents couldn't believe it.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_00: First of all, I hated art.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_00: My mom is incredibly crafty.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_00: She can do anything.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: Her creativity is off the charts.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_00: But me, not so much.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_00: Ask my friends back there that I do their nails.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: Um, as a matter of fact, she used to ask me to help her do crafty things, and I dreaded it.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: But I was good at doing nails, and it just so happened that a lady was getting ready to move away who'd been in the business nine years.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_00: It was perfect timing for me.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_00: My friend Kat owned the nail salon, and I could possibly walk into a fairly great business.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_00: How could I pass that up?
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_00: My dad thought it was a bad idea and said it was just a fad.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: So, see, sometimes I think it pays not to listen to your parents.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I'm gonna stay here for a minute to tell you how this fad has blessed me.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_00: God has placed so many fabulous women in my life over the past 25 years.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_00: Some godly and some not so much.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_00: Whether they were in my chair or working with me in the salon, I am so lucky to get to do what I love.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_00: The relationships, oh, the relationships.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_00: So many of these women have impacted my life and spiritual life in ways that they'll never know.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_00: Incredibly enough, to this day, I still have a lot of those same women from 25 years ago in my books.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_00: 25 years of holding hands, one hour uninterrupted every two weeks.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_00: One hour face-to-face time.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_00: Right now, I don't think there's a lady in my books who hasn't been there at least 10 years.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_00: Can you imagine 10 years holding hands?
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_00: One hour, face to face, every two weeks uninterrupted.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_00: That's more face-to-face and one-on-one time than some of us even get with our own husbands.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_00: I have learned a ton over the years, and although I don't get much girl time out of the salon, I know that I could count on many of these women to be there for me for prayer or whatever.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_00: And I'd like to think, well, actually, I probably know, that I've shared God with all of them, whether they wanted it or not.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_00: Plus, I also get to work with some great Christian ladies, some of my friends back there that I work with, um, or used to work with.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but God has truly been good surrounding me with godly women.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_00: Then on to my godly man.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_00: Although it's not my not the ideal place to meet in a bar, that's where I met Chris.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_00: He was one of the nicest, most polite, gentlemanly guys I'd ever met.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_00: I'm an old school kind of girl, and I love to have the door open for me, and I want to go first.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_00: Of course, this is the way I'd seen my dad do things, so I expected nothing less.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_00: And Chris was that guy, and now Zayn is learning to be that guy too.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_00: When Chris isn't around, Zayn is quick to hold the door open for me or for anyone.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_00: He helps carry heavy things for me because I don't really carry anything.
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_00: And it's heartwarming that he is learning that from watching his dad.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_00: I love that God has blessed me with Chris.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_00: So, fast forward a few years, my Nell business is great.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_00: Chris and I are still dating, and I finally move out of my parents' house.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_00: No, I did not overstay my welcome either.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I'm telling you that they really loved having me there.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_00: Ask my dad.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_00: He goes to this church.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_00: But my grandparents gave all their grandkids a small chunk of money, and it allowed me to put a down payment on a house.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_00: How crazy was that from never living on my own to owning my own home.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_00: Huge step.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_00: So, next huge step step was marriage.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_00: In 1999, Chris and I got married, right before we all thought the world was gonna crash or come to an end.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_00: Somewhere during that time, I joined Mary Kay.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_00: This is so significant because I had no idea what it was really going to mean for my life and my spiritual growth.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_00: I thought I was joining to play in makeup and help ladies with skincare and have some great girl time.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_00: But I had no idea it would be so much more.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_00: You see, although I grew up in church, I hardly knew anything of scripture or scripture or even a personal relationship with the Lord.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_00: I prayed, but not like these women prayed.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_00: These women knew the word, they could quote scripture, they loved him, they talked of his blessings.
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_00: That company is God first, and they were living it.
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_00: And not to name drop, but Angie Bowles, great Mary Kay lady back there, and her mother-in-law, Jesse Logan, was huge influences for me.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_00: So all of a sudden, I'm feeling so blessed by all this, but at the same time, I kind of feel like I'm missing out.
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_00: I was missing out on really knowing the Lord.
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_00: I think it was the Holy Spirit like nudging me to grow.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_00: Not that you can't grow as a Catholic, but I needed more.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_00: So Chris and I started church shopping.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_00: And TBC is where we landed.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_00: Right now, where I know the Lord wants us.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_00: And just to throw this out there, my parents also attend here, and my dad is very involved and loves it.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_00: He loves watching his grandkids grow up here in this church and have a real relationship with the Lord.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_00: As for me, I no longer feel that church is something I have to do on Sundays, but it's something that I look forward to doing.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_00: So we're buzzing right along in life, and it's good.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_00: Our plan is going as planned because we all get to plan our life, right?
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_00: And it's the perfect time for us to start our family.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_00: Months go by without conceiving.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_00: We're trusting in the Lord, but we're not getting any younger.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_00: By coincidence, we find out the problem, we seek a little medical attention, have a little procedure, and we're back on our pregnancy path.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_00: But let me back up here for a minute.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_00: About six months before we got married, I was diagnosed with lupus.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_00: For those who are not familiar with lupus, it is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system attacks healthy tissue in many parts of the body.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_00: Symptoms can range from swollen joints, joint pain, hair loss, fever, fatigue.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_00: You can have an increased risk in stroke, and in some cases, worst cases, it can even attack your organs and cause them to shut down.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_00: And although that seems like a terrible diagnosis, especially at the age of 28, I think it's been a good thing.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_00: You see, my mom suffered for years with symptoms, as many people do before they get diagnosed.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_00: So when I started to have similar symptoms, I was able to get right in with my mom's doctor.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_00: And although I'm healthy, I still see my doctors every three to six months.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_00: My doctors know me well, and so do the nurses.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_00: So if there's ever a problem, they see me right away.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_00: I've never looked at it as a bad thing, but more as an opportunity to know my body and take care of it the best that I can.
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_00: And because you're also considered high risk with lupus, I was watched very closely during my pregnancies, which meant lots of sonograms.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_00: September 2001, three days after 9-11, I found out that I'm pregnant for the first time.
• 10:53
  SPEAKER_00: Wow, talk about mixed emotions.
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_00: So many people just lost their life, and I'm getting to give life.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_00: I remember being so emotional about that, and yet still excited.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_00: Again, because I'm high risk, we go to the doctor right away.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_00: Our first appointment, things look good, our numbers are a little low, but everything should be fine.
• 11:15
  SPEAKER_00: We return in a few weeks for our first sonogram, and they can't find a heartbeat.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_00: Wow, we weren't expecting that.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I'd already told like 70 people because that's how many clients I have.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_00: And I didn't realize that one in four pregnancies terminate naturally.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_00: One in four.
• 11:32
  SPEAKER_00: So now I have to relive telling that about 70 times to my clients.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_00: Was I sad?
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, I was so let down, but I wasn't devastated because all along God had shown me that He is good.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_00: And our timing is not always God's timing, and He has a plan.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_00: I was okay with that, and Chris was too.
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_00: We were going to trust His plan.
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_00: Fast forward some months, and yay, we're pregnant again.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, maybe this is God's plan for us.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_00: Now, mind you, Chris and I were traveling and having a lot of fun with our life.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_00: By this time, we had already discussed the what-ifs, and again, we were okay with whatever his plan was.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_00: This time, as excited as I was, I waited till all of my clients and friends, but told some family.
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_00: My doctor was watching me very closely, giving me meds to help me keep my pregnancy, and actually got to see the heartbeat at like five or six weeks, which is pretty amazing.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_00: Again, all is well until we show up for about our third sonogram at nine weeks.
• 12:35
  SPEAKER_00: And again, there's no heartbeat.
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_00: Were there tears?
• 12:39
  SPEAKER_00: Oh yeah, we were sad.
• 12:41
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe this wasn't God's plan.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_00: I sure thought it was, though.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_00: Nonetheless, I do feel God's peace.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_00: Again, Chris and I know that God has a reason, and maybe kids weren't part of our plan.
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_00: And as sad as that was for us, we were going to trust that he knew better than us.
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_00: After this miscarriage, I learned that I had a large fibroid tumor in my uterine wall.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_00: I was told by my doctors here in Topeka that it was too risky to take it out, and it may result in losing my uterus, which definitely meant no kids.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_00: He told me that we should try one more time before exploring the removal options.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_00: Well, Chris and I were no spring chickens, and we felt like one more time was just not a good option for us.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_00: So at the same time, a friend of mine had recently lost her child.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_00: He had been born with a multitude of health problems and lived only a few months in the hospital.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_00: She spoke with several of the specialists she had gotten to know during this time, and they recommended that I see a specialist at KUMED.
• 13:41
  SPEAKER_00: He was fabulous.
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_00: He told us that there was no way I could have ever carried a baby with that large fibroid tumor and suggested that I remove it right away.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_00: He assured us that this was no big deal.
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_00: He did it all the time, and I could get pregnant in a year.
• 13:56
  SPEAKER_00: So surgery it was.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_00: I have to say, up to this point, I went to church on Sundays, but had not really gotten into Bible studies yet.
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_00: I do feel blessed that somehow, whether it was from all the years of church combined with all the conversations of God and his goodness, I knew that in life there were hard times for everyone, and I was no exception.
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_00: I had watched women of faith go through difficult times and suffering, through cancer or whatever.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_00: And I'll tell you, the struggle for the believer is a lot different than the struggle for the non-believer or the not sure believer.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_00: I think it made it easier for me to get through all this, knowing that God said there would be difficult times.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_00: A verse I always think of is Philippians 4, 6 through 7.
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_00: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God.
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_00: And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your heart and your minds in Christ Jesus.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_00: And Philippians 4.11.
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_00: I have learned to be content, whatever the circumstance.
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_00: Well, finally in 2004, Zane was born, then Nadia in 2007.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_00: And on a side note, my best friend since the seventh grade and I had boys on the very same day.
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_00: It was kind of exciting because I was a scheduled C-section and she just happened to go into labor that afternoon.
• 15:22
  SPEAKER_00: And also, because of being high risk, we got to do lots of sonograms, the 3D ones.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_00: And I really felt like I knew what my kids were going to look like before they ever came out.
• 15:33
  SPEAKER_00: Now they know my story, and they know that one day they will get to meet their siblings in heaven.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_00: And they kind of think that's cool, you know.
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_00: I think one of the most amazing things about this journey is because my faith grew so much, my kids get to see how wonderful God is.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_00: Already they know without a shadow of a doubt that He is in control working all things out.
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_00: They've seen some good, some bad, and some ugly, but they know the power of prayer.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_00: Several years ago, Zane had seen me in tears and prayer when my brother finally hit rock bottom and then watched as God changed that whole situation around and saved my brother's life.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_00: He came back to the Lord and has been sober seven years.
• 16:17
  SPEAKER_00: What a gift that is to pass on to my kids.
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_00: A gift that my dad passed on to me.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_00: What a blessing to know that my kids know the Lord.
• 16:27
  SPEAKER_00: They know his beauty in the skies, and they know his power in the storms, and they know his love.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_00: They know their blessings, and I think they know his peace in this crazy world.
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_00: Last Thursday, my uncle passed away from cancer.
• 16:41
  SPEAKER_00: He had been diagnosed about five years ago and was given six to eighteen months to live, depending on the whether he did treatment or not.
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_00: Over the years, we have prayed for my Uncle Bill and many others through their journeys.
• 16:54
  SPEAKER_00: I had talked with my kids about him meeting with hospice and what that meant, and that we no longer need to pray for God to heal his cancer, that shortly Uncle Bill would be going home to the Lord.
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_00: We had discussed that he would no longer be in pain and that God was going to fully restore him, and he was going to meet Jesus face to face.
• 17:15
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, isn't that what we all eventually want to do?
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_00: His time was short after meeting with hospice, and I reinforced that what a blessing that was, that our God is so good and kind to not let Bill suffer anymore, nor my aunt.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_00: There are worse things than death.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_00: My son's a softie, so he has shed many tears over this.
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_00: But my daughter is a very matter-of-fact kind of girl, and she was quick to tell everyone how great it must be to be in heaven with God.
• 17:44
  SPEAKER_00: Don't we want that for our kids?
• 17:46
  SPEAKER_00: The assurance of God's promises, so glad that I can pass that on.
• 17:52
  SPEAKER_00: Allowing the Lord to have a hand over raising our kids is the greatest.
• 17:56
  SPEAKER_00: The joy we as parents get to feel about our kids, watching them grow into God-loving, kind-hearted kids about leaves me speechless and my heart overflowing.
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_00: So, in closing, I say, trust in the Lord.
• 18:09
  SPEAKER_00: Know that our timing is not always God's timing.
• 18:13
  SPEAKER_00: He loves us, he wants us to see his miracles in all the little things in life and to pass it on.
• 18:21
  SPEAKER_00: Pass it on, people, to your kids.
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_00: Pass your faith on.
• 18:25
  SPEAKER_00: Let them know at the earliest age possible that God is in everything.
• 18:29
  SPEAKER_00: Point it out in his beauty.
• 18:33
  SPEAKER_00: And I one thing I always love to tell my kids is only God.
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_00: Because so many things could only be God.
• 18:39
  SPEAKER_00: And God is so good.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_00: God is good.
• 18:42
  SPEAKER_00: And finally, relationships matter, ladies.
• 18:47
  SPEAKER_00: If you don't have at least one sister in Christ, get one or be one.
• 18:54
  SPEAKER_00: I think I.
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_00: And that's it.
• 18:59
  SPEAKER_00: So thank you.