Oriya’s Funeral

You may have seen on facebook, that one of the players of my football team passed away a few weeks ago.  He was riding on the back of a motorcycle, which is a common mode of public transportation, when the driver turned in front of a truck.  The driver was killed instantly, and Oriya died on the way to the hospital a short time later.  He was 30 years old, and had a wife and 2 year old daughter. 

Note: It may seem odd that we took so many pictures at a funeral, but it is completely acceptable and expected in Kenyan culture.  We were asked to bring our camera and take photographs.  There were many people taking photos, and people even pose with the coffin to commemorate the event.  We are planning on having our photos printed so we can give them to Oriya’s wife and family.  Hopefully these pictures will help us all to grieve and remember.

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A funeral is definitely more of a community event in Kenya than it is in the US.  Everyone pitches in to help pay for things, support the family, and be a part of commemorating the life of the deceased.  The football team pooled money to purchase the coffin for the family, as well as dug the gravesite (on the family’s property), helped set up for the service, and much more. 

Unfortunately, Colleen and I were away at meetings for the days leading up to the funeral, but we were able to be there for the service.  It was quite a cultural experience for us, but such a blessing to see how the community rallied and came together.  The service was held on the family’s shamba (farm), with open-sided tents and chairs arranged for those attending.  It was incredible to see how many people came… well over 500 were there, many sitting in the grass out in the hot sun.  The coffin was in the middle of all the tents, and people would go and pay their respects even as the service was going on. 

Many different people spoke… family members, pastors, members of the church, neighbors, etc. all shared about Oriya.  I had the honor of speaking at at the funeral as the representative of the football team.   I think my comments were the shortest of the day… I shared about how we as a team will miss the joy with which Oriya lived his life.  He always had a smile on his face and had a such great laugh.  I tried to remind everyone, including myself, that we could still have that same joy, because we know that our God has victory over death (1 Corinthians 15).  It was heartbreaking to look into the eyes of Oriya’s wife, and I had to wrap up my talk quickly before I lost it. 

 

I am confident that Oriya was a Christian, and that we will be with him in heaven someday.  However, he hadn’t been a Christian for that long, and had only gotten serious about his faith in the last few years.  I am hopeful that the message that I and others shared about the fragility of life will motivate some on the football team and in the community to get serious about their faith.  Pray with me that God will use this tragedy as a wake up call to those who know they should be living for Him, but keep putting it off. 

 

After the service, the pallbearers picked up the coffin and carried it 50 yards to the plot right next to Oriya’s house.  When the coffin was in the ground, many people took turns throwing dirt in the hole… each person would toss a few shovelfuls, before being replaced by someone else in the crowd.  Just like the rest of the funeral, the community pitched in to help bury the deceased.  Everyone kept singing and shoveling until the grave was filled, then there were flower presentations on the grave and a short eulogy – it was unlike any burial that I had been a part of, but it was really neat.  Of course, the situation was/is horribly sad, but there was also a refreshing dignity and finality to the proceedings.  The service and burial took over 4 hours, but I am so glad that we were able to be there to support the team and family, and to grieve ourselves. 

The last few months, God has been teaching/showing me that life isn’t fair, and Oriya’s passing is just a part of that lesson.  That there are things that go on in this world that we can’t understand, that don’t make sense.  It is difficult to hear verses like “God works everything for the good of those who love Him” when you are suffering, or see others who are in pain – like a woman with a two year old daughter who just lost her husband. 

And yet, the Lord tells us to keep trusting Him, to keep the faith no matter what else is going on, believing that “these light and momentary troubles will achieve for us a lasting glory that far outweighs them all.” (2 Corinthians 4:17)  There are so many times when something happens that doesn’t make sense and I just want to ask God, “why?”  But I guess if we knew all the answers and all of the whys, then they wouldn’t call it faith.  I still struggle with many things that happen, especially since coming to Kenya, but slowly I am learning to trust…

Please pray for Oriya’s family, for the community, the football team, and also for us, as we seek the Lord and His will for our lives. 

Thanks so much for your prayers,

Cason

Note: You can hover over the pictures for a description.

Also, you can see an album of pictures from the funeral at facebook.com/NgataUnited FC, then click on “photos.”