Raised by Prayer: The Quiet Power of My Father’s Faith.
When the morning sun crawls gently over the hills of Ojunge Village in Homa Bay County, it finds a quiet homestead that carries the story of our family.
Years ago, that story began in a small two room mud house.
The walls were simple.
The roof sometimes leaked when it rained.
And the beans in the cooking pot were not always enough.
But inside that house lived something stronger than poverty.
FAITH.
And at the center of that faith stood one man, Elder James Mboya.
Long before the village woke each morning, he was already awake.
His voice rises in prayer steady and persistent, like rain falling on iron sheets. As children, my siblings and I often wake up to those prayers. At that time, we never fully understood them.
But we felt their power.
Those prayers carried hope into a home that had very little, yet believed for much more.
And in the middle of those humble days, he often reminded us of something simple but powerful:
“Situation is not destiny.”
At that time we were children.
Today, we understand what he meant.
A Father Rooted in Faith.
For more than two decades, he serves faithfully as a church elder in our local congregation.
To the church community, he is a shepherd.
To the village, he is a voice of wisdom.
To our family, he is the spiritual priest of our home.
There is a day he did a letter to God when things were really hard.
He has endured the test of time; He is a Man of Faith.
A man after God`s Heart.
What he prays for earnestly must come to pass.
Faith for him is not a Sabbath ritual.
It is a daily practice.
Through the years, countless people have come to him for counsel, prayer, and guidance. His leadership may not be loud or public, but it is steady, humble, and deeply rooted in faith.
A Father Who Believes in Education.
My father is a peasant farmer, but his vision for his children stretches far beyond the boundaries of our village.
One thing he believes in deeply is education.
To him, education is not simply about obtaining certificates.
It is about opening doors that poverty tries to close.
Even when resources are scarce, he insists that school matters.
He encourages us to read. To persue further learning, and we`re not disappointing him.
He pushes us to learn.
He reminds us that knowledge is something no one can take away from us.
From Ojunge Primary School, that belief began shaping our journey.
And as life unfolds to Egerton University, into careers, leadership, and opportunities we could never have imagined. We now to see clearly that those seeds were planted long ago.
They were planted by a father who believed his children could go further than he did.
The Father Who Builds Through Prayer.
Looking back now, I realize something powerful.
We are not only raised.
We are prayed into destiny.
He carries our struggles in prayer.
He speaks hope over our lives.
He reminds us constantly that where we start does not determine where we end.
While the world measures success in wealth, he measures success in faithfulness, character, and purpose.
When Faith Begins to Rewrite the Story.
Life has not remained the same.
Slowly, step by step, his prayers and the grace of God began to change our story.
Education opened doors.
Opportunities come.
Hard work and perseverance began to bear fruits.
And today, when one stands again in Ojunge Village, the story looks different.
Where the small mud house once stood, there now stands a bungalow, a home that rises conspicuously in the village as a quiet testimony of what faith, sacrifice, and perseverance can produce.
It is not just a house.
It is a symbol.
A reminder that God honors the prayers of a devoted father.
Life has improved.
But one thing has not changed.
He still wakes up early.
And he still prays.
The Quiet Strength That Shapes Generations.
Elder may never stand on global stages.
His name may never appear in history books.
But his influence is powerful.
Because the true measure of a man’s life is not the applause he receives.
It is the generations he shapes.
Across our family today, his influence continues to guide us.
In our faith.
In our values.
In our belief that no matter how humble the beginning, purpose can rise from the SOIL OF FAITH.
The Assignment of Fatherhood.
Fatherhood is not simply about providing food or shelter.
It is about building human beings.
It is about nurturing faith, encouraging education, shaping character, and preparing the next generation for the future.
Elder understood this assignment long before we did.
And because he does, the story of our family continues to be rewritten.
From a leaking mud house in Ojunge Village to a home that now stands proudly in the same place the journey tells a powerful truth:
When a father believes in God, believes in education, and believes in his children he does not only transform his family.
He transforms generations.
And for that reason, I will always call him our foundation, the citadel of our family.
Because fatherhood is not just a role.
It is a divine assignment.
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