Tea With The King

There’s a gentleness about Shumi Sonia Muinde that fills a room before she even speaks. Her smile is kind, her eyes bright with the sort of peace that doesn’t come from this world.

Sitting across from her feels like sitting across from a friend you’ve known your whole life — the kind of friend who listens with her whole heart and carries heaven’s calm wherever she goes.

Born into a loving family of East Indian heritage, Shumi grew up surrounded by the color, rhythm, and reverence of Hindu tradition. “I experiencd the images of countless gods and goddesses over the years,” she remembered. “To my young heart, they felt distant. I never felt a connection to any of them.”

Her home was joyful, filled with affection and laughter. “My parents and siblings were truly wonderful and my father was the epitome of love,” she said, her voice softening. “He gave me a glimpse of what the Heavenly Father’s love would one day feel like.” Still, she sensed something more — a quiet longing she couldn’t name. “I believe the Lord was cocooning me,” she reflected. “Even then, He was setting me apart because I was destined to be His ambassador.”

A Heavenly Interruption

At sixteen, everything changed. One ordinary day, as sunlight poured across the schoolyard, she heard something she had never heard before — the gospel of Jesus Christ. “That day,” she said, “I encountered the living, loving Lord. My heart, which had been so still, suddenly came alive. I didn’t understand everything, but I knew I had met Truth Himself.”

She returned home with a fire burning inside her, but her newfound faith came with a quiet tension. “In Indian culture, honoring your parents is vital,” she said. “I didn’t want to hurt them by defying their beliefs or attending church openly. So I prayed, ‘Lord, I love my family. Please open a door so I can worship You freely without dishonoring them.’”

Not long after, that prayer was answered in a way that could only be described as divine orchestration.

“I was at my swimming club one day,” she said with a laugh that still carries wonder. “I’d just climbed out of the pool and was walking up to get a soda when I overheard a man say, ‘There’s a scholarship to study in the United States.’ I turned and said, ‘Excuse me, sir — did you say scholarship?’ Before I knew it, I had applied, been accepted, and was headed to Pennsylvania.”

She smiled, remembering. “The Lord is so precise in His timing. That moment by the pool changed the trajectory of my life. Nothing ever just occurs to God—He already knows the beginning and the end. All we have to do is say yes when He moves.”

The Making of a Messenger

At college, Shumi earned a bachelor’s degree in English literature with a certificate in history. Later, she completed a master’s in communications. Her professional path led her into higher education— first in international relations and recruitment and later in global branding for universities.

But as her career advanced, she began to recognize that God had been weaving something much larger than success. “Literature taught me to look beneath the words — to find meaning beyond what the eye can see,” she said. “That’s how I read Scripture now — deeply, searching for layers. History reminds me that the past informs our future. And communications? That’s the language of love. All along, the Lord was equipping me for ministry without me even realizing it.”

She laughed softly, shaking her head. “I thought I was headed for law school at one point. But God had other plans. He was teaching me to speak, write, and listen — not for a courtroom, but for His Kingdom.”

My Way, My Truth, My Life

As she began to walk more closely with the Lord, one truth anchored her life. “Jesus said, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life.’ But I like to say, He’s my way, my truth, my life. When I say it like that, it becomes personal — it’s my identity.”

That understanding of identity — who she is and whose she is — changed everything. “When you know who is living inside you, it changes how you wake up in the morning,” she said. “Fear loses its grip. The trajectory of your life changes when you understand the One who’s walking beside you.”

Her words carried weight — not just theology, but lived experience. “The God I walk with is the God of mighty wonders,” she said. “He delights in showing His children that He is near, that He knows them, and that He is love itself.”

When Love Pours the Tea

For years, Shumi has ministered through a most unexpected medium — Afternoon Tea. “I love Afternoon Tea,” she said with a smile. “It’s warm, it’s inviting, and it allows people to open their hearts. It’s not rushed like dinner. It’s fellowship in its gentlest form.”

Her gatherings began simply, but over time they became sacred. “I started asking each guest to bring a teacup that meant something to them — maybe their grandmother’s china or one passed down through the family. The story behind the cup would always open the door to the heart.”

At one of her first teas, an eight-year-old girl came dressed in her best dress. “We practiced etiquette and talked about what it means to be a princess of the Lord,” Shumi said. “Years later, when she was eighteen, she told me, ‘One of my best memories was that tea we had together.’”

Another day, an elderly woman sat at her table and began to weep as decades of pain surfaced. “We knelt right there and prayed,” Shumi said quietly. “It became a place of healing.”

She calls these gatherings the Lord’s Table. “He said if we open our hearts, He and the Father will come and dine with us. So I always set a place for Him. There’s always an extra cup at the table for Jesus.”

The Prince Every Woman Longs For

As she described her walk with God, her face lit with affection. “He’s the Prince every woman longs for,” she said. “He delights me in every way. When I speak with Him, He’ll say things like, ‘Here I am, darling. I’ve done it all for you. Just trust Me.’ That’s how He talks to me — intimately, tenderly, full of love.”

She smiled, her eyes bright. “Christianity isn’t a religion; it’s a relationship. He didn’t tell me to stop eating Indian food or change who I am — He just made me His. I still wear Indian clothes, I still speak my language. He created me this way on purpose. He meets me right in the middle of my heritage, and that’s so beautiful to me.”

Truth Renders the Lie Useless

In every conversation, Shumi returns to the theme of truth — not the harsh kind, but the liberating kind. “The truth always renders the lie useless,” she said. “It’s one of my favorite quotes because once truth enters a room, the enemy has no power there. Darkness can’t stand where the light of truth shines.”

That conviction drives her ministry. “When we embody Jesus — His love, His truth, His humility — we become His ambassadors,” she said. “It’s not about performing or pretending to be perfect. It’s about reflecting Him. We don’t represent ourselves; we carry the message of the King.”

Writing with God

In this season, Shumi has found herself more in awe of God’s creativity than ever before. “He’s the God of mighty wonders,” she said. “Look at creation — thousands of flowers, endless colors. Writing with Him feels like watching those details bloom on paper.”

Through writing, she says she’s come to know the heart of the Father in a new way. “I feel His love for His children. I sense Him saying, Tell them how much I love them. That’s all He wants — for His children to know how loved they are.”

A Word for Those Waiting

Before our conversation ended, I asked her what she would say to someone who feels called but afraid to begin. She didn’t hesitate.

“Trust the Lord,” she said. “He will never put you to shame. You don’t have to be qualified or perfect. He equips those He calls. Just start. Just trust Him.”

Then she added with a soft smile, “He'll say,‘My beloved daughter, I will guide and guard you according to my purpose for you. My dreams for you are bigger than you can ask or imagine.’ It’s so intimate, and it reminds me that His love is deeply personal.”

The Fragrance of His Presence

When you leave Shumi’s presence, you somehow feel lighter —like you’ve stepped out of the Lord’s garden. Whether through a cup of chai, a kind word, or the pages of her upcoming books, she carries the fragrance of heaven into every space she enters.

Her life is a living invitation to slow down, pour a cup, and remember who’s sitting at the table with you. Because when you truly know who’s beside you, fear loses its power — and love becomes the language of your life.

Shumi Sonia Muinde is a writer, intercessor, and ambassador of the King whose life reflects a deep devotion to Jesus and a passion to share His love with the world.