by Evangelist Missy Andrea Mabry (Holiness Tabernacle COGIC)
On Saturday, March 24, Bishop Ted G. Thomas Sr., the visionary and prelate of the Historic First Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction of Virginia, sponsored the Ways & Means Banquet featuring Holiness Tabernacle COGIC daughter, Sis. Dei Ashilei Nikoi. The eve was young and expectations were high for the banquet’s first operatic concert held in the Marriott Richmond Ballroom. Who would have envisioned an opportunity for a member of the Jurisdiction to perform in the classical arts of opera, an art in which singers perform a dramatic work and music? Truly, Bishop Ted G. Thomas Sr. gave many a night to remember.
The evening began with an official welcome from Sis Kellie Seals of Reconciliation COGIC. Following, came the introduction of the soloist by Sis Yolinda McCown of Holiness Tabernacle. As the guests prepared themselves for the concert, one couldn’t help but wonder, what is man that God is so mindful that he shows the work of his hand through His innumerable gifts? Indeed, Sis Dei would show us that God knows what He has bestowed upon us. In her youth, Dei participated in the Sunshine Band and Youth choirs, singing in the alto section. She loved to sing anywhere and everywhere no one could hear her. Finally in high school, she decided to join a choir only to be transferred to the soprano section. From the voice that was in the shadow of the darkness only a few years prior, one would never have guessed the transformation occurring within. In 2007, Sis Dei received her first official voice lesson from Swiss baritone, Valentin Lanzrein, who discovered she had operatic potential. Given her desire to enter law school after graduation, this news definitely came as a surprise. – a surprise that she would one day embrace and give God the glory for her gift.. Post graduation, she rededicated her life to God, was filled with his precious Holy Ghost, and truly began seeking His direction.