We have mentioned in the past that we are only just getting
started even though we could be considered to be late bloomers for missionary
work. This is now coming up on our third year and it is amazing what
opportunities the Lord has opened for us. We are still hoping that the Lord
will strengthen us to work until we “are too decrepit to work”. It is starting
to feel like home even though we go back to the States briefly twice a year.
For this installment of the blog we would like to let you know how we have come
to realize that another world exists not far from where we live, another world,
another culture-the Maasai. We have been drawn into a rather close association
with it because we have four girls in our Rafiki Village who were brought to us
by one of the few educated men in his clan. When the mother of three of them
died in childbirth a Lutheran pastor happened to be at the hospital at the time
she was declared dead. The father had died in some kind of trauma (probably
from a motor cycle or car wreck-the roads are really dangerous). The pastor on
hearing of the death suggested to the educated relative that he try for
placement in the Rafiki Village. Many of the Maasai were opposed to this
because they would be educated and not be available for early marriage, we mean
barely at puberty. A grandmother was certain that the white people would sell
them and told everyone she could about her suspicions. After a year of being
with us she began to agitate to see what had happened to them (see the blog
from (Sept 2016). When we took the four girls to their isolated village in the bush
a great crowd was assembled and the grandmother on seeing the children decided
she needed to apologize about our intentions-the girls were very polite, well
dressed, healthy and happy. A lot has happened since then and particularly a
severe drought descended on that part of Tanzania. People have died of
starvation and many of the livestock have perished because all the grass and
foliage dried up.
Some months ago we went on a second visit but didn’t take
the girls. They had asked us to return on the original visit and this time as
promised we brought some guests from America-two doctors and their wives who
had decided to go on a Tanzanian safari. They wanted to see how the Maasai really
live. That day we met a young Maasai male who is now in our teacher’s training
institute chiefly due to his good English skills and an offer by the doctors to
pay for his advanced education. For a few of the males who have been attending
this program a special after hours training is being offered on discipleship.
We have started it in the last month based on a document published be CRU
(previously Campus Crusade for Christ). One of the starting points is coaching
in how after starting a spiritual conversation they can give a short testimony
of what Jesus has done for them. This week they composed a typed version which
we reviewed together yesterday. The following is a direct quote from the young
Maasai man. It is so unusual that I took extra pains to make sure I understood
what he was saying. Read this! I felt like crying myself when he told me this
amazing story,
I become a believer
in 2009 and the reason for becoming a believer was
because one of my neighbors called Abraham Noah Mollel who became a believer in
2007. He told me when he was taking care of cattle one day he saw a Person in
the sky coming toward him wearing a white cloth and he heard a low voice
talking to him saying,” you give me your life & I‘ll help you”. Abraham
started to cry without knowing why he was crying. He came home that evening
& tried to tell me what he saw. I asked him, ‘’are you talking the truth?’’
And he said yes. Then I thought what he was telling may be the truth. I wanted
to know more about what the man from the sky meant when he talked to Abraham.
Abraham was
always reading the Bible and he knew many Bible verses which he tried to
explain to me. Abraham had been going to church but there was
much which he did not understand. He suggested that we go the church together.
Later he gave me a Bible and I learned about who Jesus was and that He had died
on the cross for us. I decided to become a member of the church. I gave up the
bad things I was doing and tried to explain to people what has happened to me
even though I did not know much.
One day my
uncle saw me coming from church and was very surprised because among Maasai
only women went to church. I told him that I was going with Abraham and then he
decided to beat us. He made us take off all our clothes and lie down on the
ground. Then he beat us with a big stick for about one hour. We ask him to
forgive us but he would not.
For one year,
he beat us whenever he saw us returning from church. We prayed about this
terrible situation and eventually he decided to let his wives and children go
to church. They all became believers and were baptized. The pastor of our
church helped us understand very many things about Jesus including the fact
that He created the whole world and then came here as a man and died for us on
the cross. God raised Him from the dead as proof that He accepted His death as
a payment for our sins.
Finally, in
2013 my own father allowed me to be baptized but during that time I told many
people about what Jesus had done for me and some of them
became believers. I got TB and had eye trouble in secondary school but the Lord
answered our prayers and healed me. Now I am healthy and want to do whatever
God has for me.
We hope this will give you a better idea of what we actually
do out here and the doors God has opened to train men and women in what it
means to be one of Christ’s disciples. There are other stories like this which
illustrate God’s amazing grace. We are now in our new building and hope that
this will result in taking many more students for training.
