Parables, Books, and Games!

Raila Odinga passed away this week. His picture is up on a billboard as you enter G-town.
"Raila Odinga was born on January 7th, 1945- and Died on October 15th, 2025. He was a Kenyan politician who served as the Prime Minister from 2008-2013. He was the member of Parliament for Langata Constituency from 1992-2013 and was the leader of Opposition in Kenya from 2013 on." (Wikipedia) Raila's life had a huge impact on Kenya and there has been no other news updates on TV and radio except for information on the viewing of his body and mourners honoring his legacy, since his passing.

This past week Sarah Canady hosted a "game night" in her home. It was so fun to have Kenyans and Americans gather together to laugh and compete to win. I don't want to take for granted how accessible games were for me to play while growing up in America. There was such a variety at an affordable price and there was a quality in that games wouldn't immediately break after some wear and tear. Each time someone offers to send us a care package or when we go to America I try to invest in a new board game or card game. This most recent time, when we went to drop Righteous at college,  we brought back the games: Operation, Skyjo, and Mousetrap. Before I get ready to choose/purchase a game I often consider if it will be easy enough to teach without using words to explain in Swahili or Somali, because I am not fluent. I like to bring games to play with children who come to clinic days at the farm or when we go visit neighbors who have kids. Out in the village many have never seen games before because that's more of a luxury than a necessity part of life. I have seen how games can bring joy to young and old.

Operation is really a funny game when I think about explaining the details of it. 

Playing spoons. In the past I have witnessed this game getting pretty intense, we managed to be calm and collected.

Here is how "Pin the tail on the donkey" is translated into Swahili.

Those who attended game night at Sarah's -posing Kenya style. 

Jason is cleaning out goat poop from the suction part of the pump.

We have begun to think about the Christmas Outreach that will happen at the farm. The plan is to give each farm worker several goats, just like last Christmas. The hope is that their goats will be fruitful and multiply in order to bring either extra income or feed their families in the future. In order to do this one has to be patient because this only happens in time. We have heard that some farm workers have already sold all their goats from last year. Jason took this as an opportunity to call a meeting and read the Bible out loud sharing the Parable of talents from Mathew 25. In these scriptures some were wise to invest their talents and received a larger amount in doing so. One man buried his talent. He was rebuked for doing so. Jason explained that everyone will receive more goats this year but if they are not able to be a good steward of their gift, next year they will not be getting more goats. Everyone fully understood this message. 

I (Bekah) have been going to the farm on Saturdays when we don't have school to do. I have been bringing homeschool school books for the ladies to look at and try to read during their lunch break. A favorite has been Aesop's Fables that are usually about animals and always have a moral of the story at the end. I have started to inquire if I could get books in the farmworkers mother tongue, which is a difficult task because it isn't a written language. The New Testament has been translated in their language so there is literature that helped to get this accomplished in the beginning stages. Even if I get some books most of the ladies don't know how to read, so that will be the next challenge to tackle.

Please pray with us that we will continue to be faithful in taking every opportunity to share and show the Gospel. May we strive to be worthy vessels that will continue to carry the life changing Message of Jesus!

Jason has been adding pipes down the bore hole at the farm to try and get water.

I read the Aesop's Fables in English and the lady next to my right shoulder translated in her Mother tongue for the lady in orange to understand. 

Nevaeh walking around holding baby Simeon. 

The ladies at the farm are often harder workers than the men. This lady has never gone to school but has shown an interest in learning to read.

Marissa and Simeon spent a Saturday at the farm and all the farmworkers were delighted in seeing them.

 

This lady was meeting Simeon for her first time and was all smiles.