God has placed a very special man in my life.  His name is Randall Oliphant and he is married to another good friend of mine, Clarrisa. Randall embodies the following verse for me:

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: if one falls down, his friend can help him up… (Ecclesiastes 4:9,10)

There is an old proverb that says “it takes a village to raise a child” and Randall and Clarrisa have been part of our village for the past fourteen years.

One of the village children!

Randall has also been a role model to me about what it is to be a child of God.  Recently he sent me the following email:

James 5:16… The earnest prayer of a righteous man prevaileth much…..

Driving down the road one day, pondering an upcoming change in my life, I found that I was afraid. It really wasn’t a major thing but it felt like it to me. God spoke to me that day and simply said, “Pray about everything. Fear nothing”. He showed me He couldn’t work through my fear, but if I would give Him my FAITH, He would HELP me in my situation. I NEEDED it that day for something seemingly minor, but I have used it MANY times since, for ALL TYPES of situations. Isn’t it GOOD to KNOW that God CARES about EVERYTHING that concerns us, even the little things we’re afraid of. Our part is to PRAY and have FAITH , and God’s part is to PROVIDE the POWER to MEET our need. What do you NEED TO PRAY about today? Have FAITH that whatever you may need, God WILL PROVIDE. He WILL meet you at the point of your NEED , not your wants, but your need. So my friends, PRAY ABOUT EVERYTHING. Enjoy a supernaturally blessed day as a citizen of Daddy’s Kingdom that will never be destroyed. Love you and God bless. Faith is a Doing word.

Randall has had an incredible journey!  He has struggled all his life with weight issues and in his  own words  “As an adult, having ultimately attained the official stage of Obesity, l could no longer find clothes to fit me. When l did find something that l could fit into, the fabric was always in bad check colour or for a much older person. This gave me a feeling of immense inferiority”. One day after being bed ridden for days he realised that  he had hit rock bottom and  death would be the ultimate price he would pay for his lifestyle if he didn’t take control of his life immediately.  He says the following about that time:

With the support of friends and family, both emotionally and financially, l joined up with the Bariatric Clinic at Kingsbury Hospital as well as a Support group. During my time there, l realized that so many other obese, super sized and out-sized people experienced the same trauma and emotion l experienced when having to purchase clothing. It was then that Big Man Clothing was ‘born’. I decided to explore the possibility of designing and producing clothing for bigger sized people. The clothes would be tailor made to the individual’s measurements using attractive and good quality material, whilst still being affordable.

And this is where my admiration for this man really began.  Instead of sinking into self-pity and disillusionment he claimed the following verse as his own:

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)  AND “Big Man Clothing” was born.

As Randall says “There is no-one better equipped to design clothing for supersized people than someone who has been obese for the majority of their life.”

Randall has used the negative in his life to encourage other folks with addictions and, in the process, also makes sure that they are beautifully and stylishly dressed.

http://www.bigmanclothing.co.za/