– “In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.” – Proverbs 3:6 (ESV)
By Min. Joel Lee and Min. Shevone Corbin
Happy International Women’s Day (IWD) 2024 to everyone across our social media platforms. As we celebrate the theme Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress, our fellowship would like to unveil the journey of a woman who has braved unchartered waters in her family, ministry, and professional life. Dr Yvonne Osman has an exciting resume, which includes pioneering a radio programme, serving as an educator for over sixty years, marrying a classical music aficionado, mothering a jazz musician-poet, and earning a doctoral degree at age seventy-nine. She needs her own hashtags #Invested #Inspired #SpiritLed, which would never quite sum up the life of this wife, mother, grandmother, sister, educator, entrepreneur, pastoral advisor, and minister of the Gospel. This is just a snippet of the many hats she has worn with dignity, but what do we know of her?
Phenomenal Woman
A tap at her gate, an approving smile, and a hand gesture of invitation to come up to her home belied the encounter with our own Dr Osman. The conversation flowed, revealing a tapestry of courage, love, faith, and desire for adventure. Not surprising if you reflect on her knowing smile of wisdom and experience that is on offer for those who pause to notice. On the surface, she may be characterised as quiet and humble, with the diction of an English professor and a passion for educating youths everywhere about the love of God. However, we could not help but recall a quote credited to Quintus Rufus Curtius in his work Alexander the Great, “altissima quaeque flumina minimo sono labi,” which translates to “the deepest rivers flow with the least sound.” This is the measure of this phenomenal woman, Reverend Dr Yvonne Osman.
Early years from Aruba to Guyana
Speaking of deep rivers, did you know Dr Osman was born on the Dutch island of Aruba in 1942 and journeyed to Guyana over seven days by boat at age twelve? She was accompanied by her pregnant mother with her youngest brother in vitro, grandmother, and two younger siblings. An apparent trigger for the adventurous spirit that fashioned her journey as a young woman. Her mother, Beryl Alexander, was Guyanese, while her father, Hance Zebeda, was Surinamese.
When asked about her mother, she recalls a woman with a loving and firm hand with her children, forever sacrificing for her family. Her mother instilled strong values of hard work and an entrepreneurial spirit that has influenced her drive and determination and remained with young Yvonne. The mother of Dr Osman owned a beauty salon in Aruba but carried the legacy of dressmaking when resettling on the shores of Guyana. Young Yvonne was taught the skills for finishing the dresses, and we can see how that has influenced her sense of style to this day. She recalled her mom being meticulous and having a finesse to the way she completed her masterpieces.
Her education in then-British Guiana required adapting to a new language following her primary education in Aruba. She also recalls learning to ride a bicycle and caring for her younger siblings to support her mom in their single-parent household. Their roots grew in Bent Street in the city, as her industrious mother was encouraged by her own mother as an example of mentorship in families.
Dr Osman attended Cambridge Academy on a partial scholarship since the best schools were privately owned. She has fond memories of celebrating the Queen’s birthday celebration, Ghana Day and attending meetings to listen to young politicians like the late LFS Burnham and Dr Cheddi Jagan. She also has fond memories of Maypole plaiting at YWCA May Fairs and cultivating her own entrepreneurial skills by giving piano lessons in her home to subsidize her high school attendance on a partial scholarship.
God’s Pathway to Becoming a Life-long Educator
All was well with the young Yvonne Zebeda for the most part, but she had a life-changing encounter at Cambridge Academy that would place her on a new path. The school had a vibrant Bible Club and exposed her to the Pentecostal movement that was taking shape in Guyana. She also became involved in ministry and leadership through Youth for Christ and School Inter-Varsity Fellowship (IVF), which set her apart and created a foundation for her life committed to education. This was around 1955. She met young people who were on fire for Jesus at the Sunbeam Hall – the precursor to First Assembly – where missionaries such as Reverend Maurice were stewarding the Pentecostal movement. She followed prayer meetings at St. George’s Cathedral and St. Thomas Church in North Cummingsburg and even congregated at City Hall on Friday. This naturally led to her giving her heart to Jesus, yet water baptism was delayed by three years as her mom was uncomfortable with the ‘clap hand’ movement. Once her mom acquiesced, young Yvonne blazed a trail in ministry as a Sunday school teacher, co-founded the Christ Ambassadors Ministry, commonly known as CA’s, at First Assembly and served on the National Christ Ambassadors Executive Body, where she contributed to a thriving ministry known today as Youth Ministries. She even pioneered the first Christian radio programme for children, which was a precursor to what we now know as Kingdom Kids under the pastoral leadership of Pastor Frederick Benjamin.
As her Christian ministry grew, she was recommended for a three-month stint as a student teacher at Providence Primary School while she was still in her final year at Cambridge Academy. This experience birthed her ministry as an educator. We tagged it ministry, as it is clear that Dr Osman has dedicated her life’s purpose to education in both spiritual and secular work. This passion has been nurtured for the past fifty years and is one she still pursues today as owner and director of Nehemiah Comprehensive Private School. Night college classes in the old NCERD building near Pegasus Hotel were part of a sacrificial journey that later led to her service and ministry in the hinterland region of Guyana.
Navigating Societal Pressure as Young Women Leaders
We wondered when Raschid came into the frame, and she retorted that it took some time for him to enter the picture. She was having her fill of ministry, already in leadership roles, and interested suitors were not far behind. She uses this moment to reflect on young men’s high moral standards and conduct in those days, which our society has seemingly lost today.
Her sage advice to young women today is to be mindful that societal pressure to get married or to have sex is all distractions from the devil, and no foothold should be given. Her own experiences testify to the value of investing in a relationship with God and your spiritual mentors (such as your Pastor). Dr Osman recalls a moment of frustration when suicidal thoughts popped up, but her reliance on God’s Word kept her – “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, That I might not sin against thee.” She echoed that there must be an understanding that purity is not out of fashion and remains of value in the sight of God and men. Dr Osman also praised female mentors in her life, among others, crediting Agatha Shepherd and Alma Fraser as two women who helped her grow in ministry and leadership.
The Blessing of Waiting for a Family
We finally heard of her first encounter with Raschid, but not before reflecting on the frustrations women in leadership face finding an appropriate life partner, much less one who is spirit-filled. She was the young resident organist at her local church, had already worked in the mission field (to Akawini), and returned to Georgetown. Raschid attended a crusade that the lovely Yvonne had also attended and gave his heart to the Lord. It was fortuitous that he later visited Sunbeam Hall (FAOG) and saw her playing the organ. This encounter led to his pursuit of the lovely organist and an eventual period of courtship. Pastor Benjamin’s blessing assured her that their proposed union was God-ordained and was evident as the newlyweds embarked on their family journey.
Her marriage to Raschid Osman lasted forty-one years until his death and reflected a journey of devotion, undergirded by love and climbing hurdles together. Their union produced one daughter, Ruth, who has combined the passions of her parents and fused a niche for herself as a poet and jazz singer in the twin island republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Raschid was well known as Chief Editor of our premier newspaper, the Guyana Chronicle, and encouraged his wife in ministry. This led to her eventual application for credentials with the Assemblies of God in Guyana and ordination as a Reverend in 2000. He remained her rock as she later pursued entrepreneurship and ownership of a private school, Nehemiah Comprehensive, after yet another journey.
Moving Beyond Your Comfort Zone
Travelling from Aruba to Guyana on a boat must have set the pace for the level of adventure that seemingly pursued Dr Osman. From her pursuit of youth leadership training in ministry to becoming a student teacher who responded to a call to minister through education in Guyana’s hinterland – a level of bravery and faith collide. Travelling to become the first trained Head Teacher in the Akawini region was unusual. She responded, “It is a God-thing!” She ministered for three years, and the whispers of the Rupununi Uprising triggered her departure. A timely warning caused her to reiterate that “most of the experiences in my life have been a God-thing.”
Fast forward to when her family had become three – Raschid, Ruth, and Yvonne – and she was on the move again. This time, it was to Dominica, and yet another hand of God moment, when she gave up a Jamaican scholarship opportunity to keep her family bonded in the place where Raschid had found a job. Her daughter Ruth was already pursuing secondary education at the prestigious Queen’s College. She was called into prayer and fasting with her mom to discern the next step on their family journey. Dominica, it was! Dr Osman later accepted a leadership role on the island as the Christian Education Director, a post that she was ready to accept because of the preparation God had allowed in her ministerial and educational pursuits back in Guyana. The Osmans spent nine years on the island of Dominica as another adventure in the family journey.
Her family’s return to Guyana saw her teaching at one of the best private schools in Guyana. Another hand of God moment came when the school closed the section for children with learning challenges. This was the moment Nehemiah Comprehensive was born. Dr Osman recalls the level of faith it required to launch out into renting a building and pivoting yet again after just resettling in Guyana.
Invest in Women and the ‘Girl Child’
The resume of Dr Osman includes a Doctorate in Transformational Leadership (DTL) from Bakke Graduate University, a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Guyana with certification as a Professional Counselor, as well as being a Cyril Potter College of Education qualified teacher. Her service in leadership capacities within CAs, Youth Ministry, Missionettes, the Young Women’s Auxiliary group (Y’s), and Children’s Church ministry should encourage a new cohort of ministers to the mission field. Her doctoral thesis is available for reading on the Bakke website: The Relationship between English Language Competence, Skills Acquisition and Self-Esteem for Grade Seven.
As we celebrate IWD 2024, Dr. Osman’s journey should inspire us to invest in the proverbial ‘girl child.’ She lives on your street, sleeps in your home, visits your church, or smiles forlornly in a place you frequent. You must find her and engage her! God has set women apart (Genesis 2:18, Psalm 46:5, Proverbs 31:10-31), but we must understand the power of allowing God to order our steps. We must be spirit-led in choosing a husband or mentor, and even when we mentor others. The journey of Rev. Dr Yvonne Osman is clearly one of accelerated progress in family, ministry, and profession. There is evidence of an all-encompassing purpose in her life and her steps being ordered by God as declared in Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Happy IWD!
