Sheila Oile – Feeding the Lambs KE September 24, 2020 – Posted in: Author Interviews – Tags: childrensbooks, childrensbooksbykenyans, feedthelambske, KenyanAuthors, kenyanwriters, sheilaoile
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Who is Sheila Oile?
A girl who is loved by God and is intentionally grounded in her walk with Christ.
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Why did you name your platform Feed the Lambs KE?
I was having a chat with my mum about my books and how I don’t like referring to children as kids (its original meaning is the offspring of a goat) and she said what about Lambs and then referred me to John 21:15 (It ends with Peter being instructed to Feed my Lambs) Boom!! I resonated with it and here we are…
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What inspired you to write a children’s book about prayer?
I have been teaching my children about prayer and for those on this Salvation Journey know the importance of prayer. It’s an effective tool to equip our children which enables them to connect to God. Its makes it more real to them hence the instruction to write about it.
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Children’s minds are a sponge, how did you learn to write for this unique audience to communicate effectively?
No lie, if I did not have my own children (4yr and 2yr old)I would not be able to write children’s book. It also helps that I have been a stay at home mum to them since they were born so I understand what captivates them, how to broaden their imagination, less long sentences, simple words, colorful pictures, and their willing hearts to absorb what we consistently teach them and show them through our lives.
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What challenges did you experience in publishing your books?
- Cost of illustration (this is the highest cost for me because I’m not compromising on the quality)
- Cost of printing
- Poor work done by printers eg binding, wrong paging etc…
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You shared a quote on your page that ‘Sex education starts and ends in Christ’ in light of numerous pregnancies of children during the pandemic how does knowledge in Christ ensure their safety?
Sex starts in God as He is the creator of it, so what He says is to honor Him with our bodies and that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. He further tells us that sex is confined in marriage. As a parent using the word of God as a guide to teach children about sex education is first their identity in Christ (who they are and whose they are).
Secondly about their bodies and functions and lastly the purpose of their bodies which surpasses sex, lust, etc.
Remember, the times may have changed but the word of God is the same yesterday, today and forever.
After equipping them with the knowledge, as parents/guardians we continue covering and praying for them throughout.
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What is one key lesson you would want every parent to teach their child?
Who their God is and to equip them with the word of God which has all the tools for life.
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Your segment ‘Word change …’ on Instagram seems to attempt change misconceptions about children, for example children developing at their own pace instead of children being slow.
The guiding word for that segment is Proverbs 18:21 – The tongue has the power of life and death. And those who love it will eat its fruit.
To then mean whatever word you use to label your child, that is the fruit that you will eat. That is why as parents (who are the authority over their children) should use words that build up their children and not to tear them down. Saying huyu mtoto ni kichwa ngumu… guess what that is what they become. Words are Powerful! May we be mindful of the words we use on children.