Today we’d like to introduce you to Martha Lumatete.
Hi Martha, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
Thank you so much for sharing my story with your readers. I am a globally known author of my first children’s book “The Girl Who Can.” I am a part author – mentor – coach – and supply chain/procurement expert from Mombasa, Kenya. I have a supply chain/procurement background and a love for mentoring and coaching. I earned my LLB (Undergraduate in Law) from the University of Moi in Kenya. I then went on to receive my Masters in Law and an MBA from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. My work in mentoring and coaching and participating in many professional speaking engagements re-energized my love for books and drive to empower the younger generation. Now, harnessing all the skills learned in these capacities, I am on a mission to continue changing the lives of children, young adults, women, and men through publishing captivating stories and sharing my own unique life experiences in the books I author.
I have shockingly found immense joy in writing children’s books as an adult. These stories take me back to reliving parts of my childhood and emulating many of the authors l loved growing up. When I think back to my childhood, I was entranced by writing short stories or not going to sleep because I had to finish a novel. My mother and siblings will recall me hiding storybooks in the middle of school books pretending to be doing homework while, in actuality, I was reading a novel. My older sister can humorously attest to this because she was an accomplice. I recall another incident where my father was driving us to school, and I was sitting in the back of the car, completely absorbed in a new Archie and Sabrina comic. My father asked a question about something, and I did not hear him until he called out my name. This incident brings memories of how exciting it was and still is to get a new book to read.
I thank my parents for introducing the world of books. I am blessed to be born into a family of avid readers and have fond recollections of becoming obsessed with books. I read books from the likes: Hardy Boys series, Nancy Drew series, books by Shakespeare, Danielle Steel, Agatha Christie, John Grisham, The Government Inspector by Nikolai Gogol, Petals of Blood by Ngugi wa Thiongo, Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, Circling the Sun by Paul McLain, Unbowed by Wangari Maathai, Animal Farm by George Orwell, The Flame Trees of Thika by Elspeth Huxley, Moses series by Barbara Kimenye to mention but a few.
My parents exposed us to diverse educational material, and I loved it. Reading was an escape and an easy way to learn English, and it also gave my siblings and me a shared interest. As an adult, I have enjoyed discovering more genres of books, speeches, and authors. One of my all-time favorite speeches is Citizen in the Republic by Theodore Roosevelt, given at the Sorbonne in Paris, France, on April 23, 1910. Theodore Roosevelt’s life represented tenacity and hard work and inspired us to pursue the need always to do the right thing. The philosophy that he wanted to inspire in us is captured so eloquently when he talks about the “Man in the Arena.” “The Man in the Arena” tells us that the man we should be praising is the man who’s out there fighting the big battles, even if those battles end in defeat. In our day, when cynicism and aloof detachment are considered hip and cool, Theodore Roosevelt reminds us that glory and honor come to those “who spend themselves in a worthy cause.”
Therefore, I am a proponent of the diversity of voice in children’s books; hence, I author some of my books with a representation of children based in Africa. Children globally need to know that their challenges are similar worldwide and that overcoming them is not impossible. I write to ensure that regardless of a child’s background, they identify themselves with the stories in my books.
I am fully committed to diversity of language, and for that reason, m children’s book is available in many languages spoken worldwide. It is currently available in English, Swahili, Xhosa, French, Spanish, Hebrew, Swedish, German, and Italian. In addition, the book will be available in Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, Pigeon English, Jamaican patois, Hindi, Bengali, Farsi, and Marathi in 2022.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My journey as a writer began early in primary school in Mombasa, Kenya. I loved reading children’s adventure books, comic books, history books, encyclopedias, and any exciting material for children. Attending school in Mombasa, one of the expectations was to write suitable compositions (essays) in English and Swahili. In primary school, I developed a love for writing and trying to capture my imagination into fascinating pieces (articles). Outside of being exposed to writing early in school, I come from a family of book lovers. Both of my parents are avid readers who impressed upon me the joy of books. This love for books was passed on to all my siblings, including myself.
The incredible thing is that I attempted to publish a book in 2016 and 2018, which did not work out. However, when Covid-19 happened in 2020, I had a lot of reflection time, and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to go ahead and publish a book. IF not now, then when? I am thankful for 2020 because it gave me the silence I needed to make this a reality. Honestly, writing children’s books was not what I was aspiring for when I imagined being an author.
I had imagined other grander ideas that I felt were more “important.” at the time. However, God overrode and overturned all that to His timeline. On one specific night, I could not sleep – the vision of the children’s book was revealed when I had sunk in prayer because I could not sleep. I have the specific date, the time, the hour that the Lord, through the Holy Spirit, impressed upon me for the book. In previous years, I learned the importance of journaling from Pastor Chuck Swindoll, so I journaled this vision down as soon as it was revealed. When I awoke in the morning and read it, I was perturbed. I asked God, “How on earth will I publish a children’s book? (I should have thought, “How in Heaven will I publish a children’s book?) I don’t know anything about children’s books?” More prayer and fasting followed – and if I may testify: The Lord outlined the entire book chapter by chapter. I journaled it and published it. Today, slightly a year since the book “ The Girl Who Can” was published, we are looking to translate it into over 100 languages. It is His Story (HISTORY), His miracle in play.
God is faithful. His promises never fail (1 Kings 8:56). With the assurance of His presence and the reminder of His mighty power, the Lord bolsters our faith whenever He asks us to follow Him into new areas of battle and conquest.
Joshua 4:1-24
We are called to believe, trust, and to have faith. We have to step out in faith and get our feet wet as the priests did in the book of Joshua to lead the children of Israel to cross the Jordan. In verse 10, we are told: “10 Now, the priests who carried the ark remained standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything the Lord had commanded Joshua was done by the people, just as Moses had directed Joshua. “
To fully experience the new life of faith and freedom that Christ has opened up for us as our inheritance in Him (Galatians 5:1; 1 Peter 2:16), we have to step into that place of faith and believe that God is who He says He is.
I consider myself a late bloomer in the journey as an author. I gained a sense of understanding when I came across a book by Karlgaard called ”Late Bloomers”. The book makes a case for patience in a culture focused on early success. It eloquently captures the value of being patient. Moreover, it offers many noteworthy examples of how late bloomers are beneficiaries of hidden strengths drawn from taking the time to discover their path in life. Strengths developed in late bloomers include curiosity, emotional intelligence, compassion, resilience, and wisdom.
I will say, being an author calls for immense fortitude regardless of what age one starts. I have to stay in the place of understanding that I am an agent of change. Therefore, the magnitude of the task should not be scary or overwhelming because I have been prepared for it from the beginning of time itself. I have learned to recognize the value of my contribution to the global society. This also means I cannot be timid in my approach; I have to be definite in everything throughout this journey. Over and over again, God has reinforced that He is partnering with me in this endeavor because it is His divine destiny in manifestation. I have embraced that if I face defeat along the way, I should automatically consider it temporary and have the wisdom to contemplate it and extract its equivalent advantage.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I believe we are all set apart before birth. None of us is similar to the next person, making us unique. None of us feel life the same way, regardless of how close-knit we may be. That being said, I reckon that we all have a story of our lives, experiences, joys, highs, and lows, which creates the lives we live. No one can compare their life to another. This is the beauty and power of presence.
As I have shared in the previous questions, I am a part author – mentor – coach – and supply chain/procurement expert from Mombasa, Kenya. I have a supply chain/procurement background and a love for mentoring and coaching. I earned her LLB (Undergraduate in Law) from the University of Moi in Kenya. I then went on to receive my Masters in Law and an MBA from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. My work in mentoring and coaching and participating in many professional speaking engagements re-energized my love for books and drive to empower the younger generation. Now, harnessing all the skills learned in these capacities, I am on a mission to continue changing the lives of children, young adults, women, and men through publishing captivating stories and sharing my own unique life experiences in the books I author.
I have published “The Girl Who Can, “the first book in a series of two. The second book in the series will be published by December 2022. Like the first, the second book in the series is inspired by circumstances, experiences, and people I have had the honor of getting to know in this story called life. However, the illustrations take on a different style, a more mature feel, and direction. The unequivocably multi-talented Chris Shabay of https://www.chrisshabayphotography.com; Instagram https://instagram.com/shabayphotography?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= – is the inspiration behind the images.
I have great respect and admiration for his work, work ethic, and execution-style. Chris Shabay tells stories with his pictures, and it’s an invitation to experience photography that captures the magic and timelessness of the essential moments for his clients. He creates unique experiences that result in exceptional images. The divinity within us is expressed in different forms, and his work is an expression of God and the divinity within. Being around Chris and his work does one thing: It blesses, inspires, lifts, encourages others, elevates, heals, dignifies the hearts and minds of others, and ignites men and women to raise the bar. The illustrations are profoundly personal, and they will come alive on the pages taking readers on a more profound journey in the upcoming book. There could have been many avenues to find inspiration for the 2nd book, and I am thrilled that this is where the divine directed it to emerge. I have two more children’s books to be released in December 2022. It is exciting to see how quickly this is all unfolding.
I am grateful for the opportunity to empower children, teenagers, parents, and the community. I don’t take the responsibility lightly, and in the words of Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister, India, “You soon realize that the peak you’ve climbed was one of the lowest, that the mountain was part of a chain of mountains, that there are still so many, so many mountains to climb…And the more you climb, the more you want to climb – even though you’re dead tired.” These words encourage us to keep moving forward, and when we are tired, we rest, and we don’t give up.
The above is a lesson I can share from the experience I gained climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro. They have a saying in Swahili, “pole, pole”, – which means ” slowly, slowly” in English. The guides remind you to take it slow on the journey of climbing the mountain. The reason for encouraging you to go slow is that your body is working harder at altitude. As a result, the air is thinner and has less oxygen to breathe in. Even the porters will tell you ”pole, pole.” As you climb, you constantly remind yourself, “slow and steady wins the race.” Walk slower than you usually would, and trust me, your body will thank you. To ensure you couldn’t go any slower, wait until everyone had gone ahead, then join the line right at the back. There is a constant need to embrace that your mind needs to help keep your body focused on the climb. During the hike, you need to constantly remind yourself and your travel companions why you are there and how to laugh on the most challenging days. No matter how difficult it may seem, you need to always focus on the task ahead and remain positive.
How do you define success?
“But true good fortune is what you make for yourself. Good fortune: good character, good intentions, and good actions,” Aurelius said. We can’t always control what happens to us, but we can control our response. The only thing we have complete control of is our actions, reactions and thoughts.
With the above in mind, my idea of success is that I can have it all. I can wear every single hat that I want to wear. I was raised by uncommonly hands-on parents and grandparents, great grandparents, teachers, and a community that wanted to ensure that I had every chance to surpass my dream. Therefore, success for me means I can have it all. I can be a fantastic wife, a fantastic author, a fantastic daughter, a fantastic sister, a fantastic aunt, a fantastic leader in supply chain/procurement, a leader in society, and a role model for children, teenagers, women, and men of all ages and backgrounds.
To consider my life a success, I need to stay in the divine rhythm within myself, everyone, and God. This is a difficult journey; however, I remain balanced and poised as long as I stay in rhythm with the divine within me. Success will be when I am completely and fully awakened to the mystery of why I am here, consistently respond to the divine gift’s call within me, and have the courage and foresight to follow its path with unwavering faith, truth, and vision. Success is to give my allegiance and loyalty unmovingly and trust the living spirit and life principle within me: God. I am here to share my talents with the world; I am here to express all my abilities to enable the success, happiness, and growth of others. God has given me everything; God has given me Himself. I have a tremendous debt to pay because I owe everything I have attained to the Divine, God Himself. I am here to give life, love, and truth to all my ideals, dreams, and aspirations. I am here to contribute to the success, joy, and happiness of others.
To sum it up, these are some of my takeaways:
- Legacies are not about us. God works through us to fulfill a bigger purpose.
- It is never too late to begin creating a legacy of remembrance.
- A legacy of remembrance is created through intentional effort on our part.
- We will make mistakes on the journey and need to accept this, learn from them, and lean into the discomfort of sharing these mistakes with others.
- We should record the struggles and triumphs – so that our children and future generations will have something to build on. The records will enable them to have an appreciation of their history.
Contact Info:
- Email: thegirlwhocan2003@gmail.com
- Website: https://www.thegirlwhocanbook.com/
- Instagram: miss_martha_lumatete and the_girl_who_canbook
