Wednesday 21 May 2014

THE INFLUENCE A MOTHER CAN HAVE


Mothers do influence their sons and daughters! One of life`s greatest blessings is to have a godly mother. And, thus the greatest gift you can give to your children is to be a godly mother. You cannot impart what you do not possess. If your kids seldom see you seeking God through His word, they won’t catch it for themselves. If they do not see you changing through your growing understanding and obedience to the word, they won’t be motivated to be in the word themselves.
Being born and raised up in the slums and shanties of Kibera is the best thing that has ever happened in my life. It has helped me appreciate all the mothers in the world because of the struggles they go through to raise their children. The strength of a woman is way beyond my comprehension.
I am a third born in a family of six girls. Bringing up a girl child in the slums is one of the most difficult tasks any mother can face. My father being jobless at that point and my mother a housewife wasn’t easy. Mum had to look for a way to feed her children by doing all types of jobs from washing people’s clothes, fetching water for people living in the nearby estates and even hawking bananas at least to put some food on our table. I look back at where I have come from and I celebrate my mother. I would have been married by now with a family of three or four children if my own mother didn’t stand by me and taught my siblings and me the principles we were to abide by.
Merab
Almost all the children sponsored by Afri-lift come from Kibera slums and some of them are being raised by single mothers. Am always amazed at how these mothers sacrifice a lot for their survival.Merab one of our sponsored children is being brought up by a single mother who works as a cleaner during the day and still looks for something else to do in the evening to make sure that her three children will not lack the basic needs. These reflect in her kids who perform so well in class because they are following in her footsteps.
Nancy with her siblings
Nancy, one of the girls in our programme would like to do catering as a career because of what she sees in her mother. Her mum sells French fries in the slums to help cater for their family needs. Mothers are priceless gifts from God and I wonder how the world would have been without mums.
I have nothing against the fathers but through my experience in the slums, I have come to know that women are mostly the bread-winners in their families. They wake up early when men are still in bed, do cleaning, cook, prepare the kids for school and go in search of jobs leaving the men sleeping. Most men wake up at 10am and laze around while some go to “alcohol dens” and take cheap brew while gossiping about nothing. Families that have both hardworking parents have a reason to celebrate.
Children tend to do as parents do, so the mother has the greatest influence on the children. We celebrate all the mothers in the world.”A foolish woman destroys her house with her own hands while a virtuous woman makes things work”.
A wife of noble character
A wife of noble character who can find?
She makes linen garments and sells them
She is clothed with strength and dignity;
She can laugh at the days to come.
She speaks with dignity and faithful instruction is on her tongue
She watches over the affairs of her household
And does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children arise and call her blessed:
Many women do noble things
But she surpasses them all.
WE CELEBRATE YOU OUR MOTHERS.
WE LOVE YOU OUR MOTHERS..