“Nothing hurt me as a mother more than my inability to safeguard the lives of my children. The fact that their lives were unstable was enough reason to depress me…” Apostle John Kimani William in partnership with his mother – Sarah Wangui, wrote a wonderful book bringing to the reader’s attention the encounters of his mother. We read, about the experiences that the apostle’s mother – Sarah Wangui has been through. By extension, we also get to see a glimpse of the apostle’s past. The Book is titled “The Story of My Mum – The Ugly Process of God’s Making”. Apostle John Kimani William is the visionary Servant of God behind Kingdom Seekers Fellowship, The Missions To the Body of Christ International (MBCI), and the Fountain Gate Prayer Mountain, among many other ministerial assignments that the Lord has been able to endow him with.
In ‘The Story of My Mum’, the subject of the story narrates it in her own words and blends it with the son’s own words. This ends up in a well-articulated story of pain, hatred, rejection, hardship, prayers, faith, favor, miracles, and inspiration in 126 pages of greatness. The book gives us the story of Sarah Wangui’s life thus far, with a background of pain, a rough marriage, and her encounters with the Lord. Sarah is the main character with various mentions of the rest of her family. Apostle Kimani the son features prominently in the story as well. The story gives us a painful start to Sarah’s marriage and family life, a rough upbringing of their children, and the intervention of the Lord who in the background was turning around every hardship for His glory. Where there is pain and sorrow, the reader feels it to the marrow. The joys and the miracles are as glorious as they come. They did a good job telling this story. She lives a prayerful life even amidst all forms of resistance from those around her. She shares the miracles she witnessed in her life and that of her son.
I loved the narration. It comes in simple English which is easy to understand. It is a single seating read if you are a fast reader like I am, but I took it in two because I started it in the evening after putting the boys to sleep and finished it over breakfast the following day. It is too interesting to put down. The font size used is comfortable for the eyes and makes it a very friendly read. It comes with a cool 22 pages of colored pictures that bring the entire story to life with a vividness to behold. The story itself is a relatable story for many families. I however felt like there would have been some more vividness and clarity in calling out some of the gender vices in the society. In my opinion, some of the encounters in the book would have been called out for what they were so that any reader who was reading the same book and had encountered similar issues would be in a better position to heal. This would also bring awareness of the issues of women perpetrated by evil men. A case in point is this excerpt.
… to my astonishment, she left us alone almost immediately, locking the door from outside. The man drew closer to me, took full advantage of the situation and that same day, I conceived a baby against my wish, and without any prior warning or psychological preparation.”
The Story of My Mum: The Ugly Process of God’s Making
Honestly, that was the only weak point I found in the narration. The book has further opened my eyes to the realities of marriages of previous generations. Women had no say, they were taken to be objects and not respected at all. It is a painful thought to bear. This particular part angered me. The thought that a woman would set up another to be raped is as evil as satan himself. I also feel like tagging the act of “rape” as “being taken advantage of” dilutes the vice and tries to make it sound like a small issue. Many in society are going through this and healing wounds of trauma related to gender-based violence of such extremes. From similar encounters, I could tell that women of the past generation had no right over their lives, bodies, or anything. They were taken as part of a man’s property and this meant that even marriage would not be executed according to the Lord-ordained pattern. This explains the issues with marriages and the common term lately of “Marriage is perseverance”. Ask any of our parents, and they will tell us to persevere, even if one is being beaten day in and day out. Thank God, with exposure and God’s guidance, marriages are getting better and women are being treated more respectfully.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who feels like their life is a mess. I am confident that women in rough marriages, or whose marriages did not work out would feel encouraged by the outcomes of the story. I would also recommend this to anyone in ministry. I feel like the authors brought the point home that the rough tides of life we are going through are to prepare us for greater works. It also encourages us that life can get worse but the Lord still has great plans for his servants. God heals, and God Redeems. I highly suspect that feminists would not love this book. Because of the reason I mentioned above. Also, anyone who has a bad attitude against men of God will not enjoy this read because chances are the judgemental attitude that comes from seeing them in their highest moment will blind them from seeing the ugly process of God’s making.
The Story of My Mum: The Ugly Process of God’s Making is an intriguing read. It starts off painfully and it ends up with tears of Joy, having seen what the Lord can do with people who are seemingly broken yet heroes in the spirit and in His kingdom. Surely the Lord has a great plan for us all, even when humans don’t. He knows better.
Did my book review resonate with you? Whether you agree or disagree with my review, your perspective is valuable. Kindly share your thoughts, insights, and any books you’d recommend for fellow readers.