It was a beautiful Saturday morning and we were all looking forward to this big day. Passover (Easter weekend) Saturday service was the best because that’s when we had lots of fun giving offering, with one church branch being the winner. It was more like a competition, even though we were in the same church; it was a way of making offering fun.

Everyone always made sure that they look stunning and that’s what scared most people and kept them from going to this church. Everyone I invited always said “No way, in your church you have to have beautiful clothes and heels,” which was just not true at all. I had been wearing the same clothes for years but never heard anyone saying anything about me.

To me, Church is really not about fashion, we all go to praise God and allow Him to polish us. You can wear your old things and still look more stunning than the person who is wearing new clothes.

The girls and I woke up very, early. Well, we didn’t sleep because when we’re camping we just talk through the night and make fun of each other. We avoid sleeping on the floor, with a small blanket, so we just sit in a circle until it’s 4 a.m. so that we can get to bath first. The taps have cold water because we camp in school classes where there is no place to bath, besides the toilet sinks. There is no privacy, all women make a line in the toilets to use the sinks. They stand naked, different bodies, shapes, sizes, skin colours and everyone minding their own business.

“Girls, no one needs to iron anything?” I asked.

“No,” said everyone while dressing. Some were putting on makeup and everyone looked really good, including myself.

We went outside and took pictures before going to the morning session which started at 8:30. The worshippers had already started worshipping but that didn’t stop us from what we were doing. While taking pictures next to a group of other girls who were taking pictures too, three guys showed up and asked to take pictures with us.

Small responded with her loud voice.

“Yeah sure, why not,”

They just smiled and continued walking, we didn’t pay much attention to them too. After taking pictures we went to the sports grounds where the tent was. The morning session started and everything went well.

On our way out we met the three guys again who had earlier talked to us. Small and I were the most talkative ones in the group so we walked towards the classroom with these guys while others just walked on, leaving us behind. We continued with the conversations without even looking at the running time or even asking their names, or telling them ours. The way we were talking, it was like we had known each other for years.

One of them finally asked us our names.

We spoke until it was time to go back to church. We didn’t even go to eat, we exchanged numbers and plans to chill later after the afternoon session. Everything went well in the second session. My church we won, as we always did.

So after the afternoon session we chilled with the guys from Kwamashu. I got the feeling that the guys were making it clear that they respected us and only wanted to be friends. I was just so amazed and happy because all my male friends first asked me out, but ended up in the friend-zone. So this was my first time to have plutonic male friends. It was even great because they were God-fearing guys.

Time flew and on Sunday after the morning service, which was the last service, we all said our goodbyes.

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Tell us: Do you think it’s possible for boy and girls to just be plutonic friends?