"8 Cow Saint" play in Kenya

I got to direct another play for Mamlaka Hill Chapel yesterday.  They had requested "8 Cow Saint" - a short musical drama written by Karen Lund and Samuel Vance of Taproot Theatre in Seattle, WA.  I directed it 10 years ago in Nairobi at a different church, and the pastors at Mamlaka remembered and asked for it.  

The father taxes his daughter with her undesirability

We had such a wonderful time with the cast and audience!  The play is well-suited to Africa as it is based on the concept of bride price, where cows are given in exchange for a bride.

In this case, Mary, the girl, is so plain and awkward that no man wants her and her father can't even pay to marry her off.

It isn't until a wealthy and discerning merchant arrives in the village to view the father's cattle, that Mary's true worth is seen by him, and he proceeds to offer the father 8 cows for her hand in marriage.

The merchant arrives in the village

Everyone is amazed, and regret not seeing the value in Mary themselves.  For Mary, the discovery of her worth changed her into a beautiful, confident woman, and she and the merchant lived happily ever after.

The merchant inspects the cattle

The merchant and father discuss business

"And now...the moral!"

And the point?  That in God's eyes, we are all "8 cow saints," having been purchased at a great price, with the life of God's son;  so we can view ourselves victoriously through God's eyes.  Great message, and one that was taken to heart by the audience.  It also illustrated well the series in Romans that the church is going through.

The fabulous cast!