She has the friendliest of faces. Her smile lights up the world and her messages of hope and prosperity carry many through trials and tribulations of life. But for Pastor Linda Moses life was not always easy.
Born in Worcester on 23 March 1961, she grew fond of the community she was raised in. She always had a sense that her purpose would exceed her dreams, but had no inkling of just how many people she would touch.
Moses, who hails from Zwelethemba and is well-known in the community, was ordained pastor in 1995. She began serving the community through prayer and by spreading the word of God wherever she went.
“My calling and my purpose is to help others. I travelled the world far and wide to spread love and a message of hope. I am truly happy today because I get to live my dreams, and my dreams remain my purpose in life, which is to help others.”
But Moses’ journey to this point was all but smooth, for she had deal with much hardship in her teenage years.
“I left school after my father died from cancer,”she related. “I got involved in mischievous activities and fell pregnant twice. No man wanted to claim paternity and I opted for an abortion. After going through that ordeal twice (as if that wasn’t enough) I was diagnosed with breast cancer in the ’90s.”
She explained she felt “broken, sad, afraid and tired” to the point where she felt she had nothing left. She went on her knees, prayed and said: “If there is a God out there, heal me of cancer.
“I was 30 years old when I was diagnosed. Today I am cancer-free and I am 61 years old.”
During those turbulent years Moses met her husband and they opened a shebeen.
“We sold alcohol and later sold drugs too. I always knew I had a bigger purpose, and something told me to turn to God. I went back to school and finished my matric. I then went to college to study education in Cape Town. I left the alcohol and drugs and focused on my studies and my relationship with God. And I was healed.”
She returned from Cape Town and began working as a teacher at a primary school in Zwelethemba, but she knew her purpose was bigger and got involved in her community, all the while balancing these with her responsibilities of wife and mother too.
Now Moses preaches and runs the Living Waters Church in Zwelethemba and is one busy lady. She is mother, friend, sister, daughter, pastor, businesswoman and someone who believes in the power that lies within all women.
“My message this year to women is to wear their crown of beauty, not one of ashes. When a girl child is born she is born into a world she has to fight in, where she has to fight to be heard. As a girl and a woman one has to prove one’s worth and not how it should be. One should wear one’s crown with pride, and not let hardship and the approval of others define one. So you can do anything you set your mind to.”
She said she hoped to inspire a future generation of young women to know their worth and claim their space.
Moses is a force to be reckoned with, with many describing her as fearless. She has a huge following locally and even internationally.
She has also recently established a business that focuses on recycling and repurposing.
“Eco bricks are ones made from durable, recycled plastic. They can withstand heat and water and are built to be strong and sturdy. This solves so many problems, such as littering and housing shortages, and especially the costs involved in building durable houses.”
These bricks are quite strong and are made by burning plastic bottles in extreme heat. It is then compressed and moulded to take the shape of a brick. A few hours later a firm, usable brick is ready.
Moses also assists greatly with the creche that is situated at the church.
“I am so thankful for the staff there,” she said. “The kids are always happy and they just love it there. We try our best to accommodate as many children as possible and teach them valuable lessons of life.”
