Joseph Agali resides in Nairobi, Kenya and serves on Water4’s team as the Multiply Manager. He uses his passion for discipleship and years of ministry and church planting experience to guide all of Water4’s businesses in how to respectfully, authentically, and effectively engage people with the Gospel after safe water access has been provided and businesses have established themselves as trusted and valued members of the community.
Every Christmas season, Joseph leads these businesses in sharing the Christmas story, reaching out to even the most remote of groups in the process. One of the communities is the Digo tribe, who are among the Miji Kenda, living in the South coast of Kenya, where our partner, Freedom Water Solutions, provides clean and safe water. We asked Joseph to share with us about this experience, its challenges and its rewards. Here is what he had to say:
“Being semi-illiterate and among the unreached tribes in Kenya, sharing the message of the birth of Jesus is sometimes challenging. That is why we select portions of scripture carefully.
These are the stories that we normally share with them:
An Angel Appears To Joseph – Matthew 1:18-25
Gabriel Foretells The Birth of Jesus – Luke 1: 26-38
The Shepherds’ Story – Luke 2: 8-21
We work hard to make sure we memorize the story word for word so the story naturally flows when we tell it. Among the Digo people groups that we share the Christmas story with, women tell stories to women and men tell stories to men; therefore we consider these cultural practices. Stories are also told in the evening after dinner, so we train our storytellers to respect these cultural rules to allow the Digo people to feel more comfortable and receptive.
We train storytellers to teach their listeners to create songs that are relevant to the Christmas story and encourage children to help by acting out parts of scripture. These are fun, interactive ways to help the stories become more memorable, especially when it’s not always an option to reflect back on the story word for word in print.
Lastly, we take time to eat together to encourage fellowship and foster the spirit of sharing meals together. We find that this is a living example of the community that Jesus taught us to be, and an easy and enjoyable way to demonstrate in a small, everyday way, what it means to love our neighbors.”
We are so thankful for the care that Joseph takes in leading believers to go share the story of Christmas with those who may have never heard it! The way he shows respect for each unique culture, and finds creative ways to make the story memorable and personal, exemplifies Water4’s values and shares the Gospel respectfully and effectively.
Join us in praying for the work of Joseph and all of our business leaders, storytellers, and the communities to which we’ll share the gospel this Christmas season!
11 “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
Luke 2:11-14
Joseph Agali Oduor
Multiply Manager
