Boontjies

Onbeskaamd ‘steel’ ek hierdie artikel uit Desember se Bybelgenootskap se ‘Saaier’.  As ek kopiereg oortree het, vra ek omverskoning, maar die storie het my hart geraak – en gedink dit kan gesrus deur ander ook gelees word.

For those of you who prefer English: This old lady walked for six hours to attend the release of the Bible in her native language in Kenya. Without the means to raise the cash to buy a copy, she swapped what she had: a bag of beans. What would the world be if more people felt this way?

Loose translation:

On the 16th of June 2012 the first Kimbu-Kimbere Bible was made available in Kenya. It had been a long and arduous task to do the translation and to make it available to the half-a-million speakers of this local language.

Present was one person who was very aware of this long and difficult road in more ways than one. The 82 year-old Hannah Marigu Muna walked for six hours to attend the occasion. Many of us can’t imagine our parents and grandparents walking considerable distances to attend a church service, but this is precisely what she had done. Not just a few street blocks, mind you, kilometres!

As she had no money to buy a copy of the Bible, she brought along a bag of beans, in the hope that she would somehow be able to swap it for a Bible.

Beans for a Bible. This was her dream, and due to her determination she was able to leave with a precious Book in her own language.

The Word changes many lives, none more so than the life of Hannah Marigu Muna and her people.

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