Our First Annual Oldonyo Lengai WorldView Olympic Games (or white boys can jump, run, and throw).

The question was raised on a prior team trip: How can the Maasai men be reached?

The idea occurred in the next few moments of that trip: Why not have a time of competition that would interest men, make it relevant, and also offer prizes that would spark their interest and competition.

So, after months of discussions, planning, and PR work, The First Annual Oldonyo Lengai WorldView Games were held in Engaresero.

The events scheduled were:
1)  Throwing a spear for distance
                                           
2)  Throwing a spear for accuracy
                                           
3)  Throwing a rungu (roon goo) for accuracy
                                           
 4)  The high jump
                                           
 5)  100 meter dash
                                           
 6)  400 meter run
                                           
7)  5K run

There were 65+ participants in the games.  Prizes were given for 1st and 2nd place in each event.  These prizes included Buck knives, solar lamps which can charge cell phones, watches, solar flashlights, a jungle survival knife, and cash.

Some of the highlights:

Maasai can throw a spear a long way.
They can also hit an 8 inch diameter log standing 3 feet high from a distance of 40 yards.
A rungu shatters when directly hitting the same log.
White boys can jump with the Maasai and give them competition.
Maasai can run 100 meters really fast when they need to and with no shoes.
400 meters is shorter than you think when other people run with you.
A 5K run is great until the last 2K are uphill on a rocky road.
Men who liked the prizes but did not compete wanted to take away the prizes from the winners (but not one succeeded in doing this).
They want to do this again!

Plans are being made for the 2nd Annual Oldonyo Lengai WorldView Games in 2014.
We may even have T-shirts for the runners!

More details later.

Of Storiers and Teachers

Recently, our partnership church, Old Fort Baptist, in Summerville SC, sent a team to work with us in the Engaresero area.  The plan was for the team to tell some Bible stories interwoven into discipleship teaching times that some of our Maasai team members would teach.  The stories would be interpreted from English into KiMaa but the teaching was in KiMaa only.

Three days of teaching were planned and proceeded well.  The Bible stories included tales of Samson, David, and some of David's mighty men such as Joseb, Eleazer, Abishai, and Beniah.  All these stories emphasized that these men could not have done any of their feats without God's power and enabling.

These Bible stories were interspersed with the discipleship teaching times.  The subjects presented were salvation, prayer, God's Word, victory over temptation, having a great testimony, working together with other Christians, loving other people of faith, living in peace, and obedience.   The teaching times were from 11 am to 2 pm and were well attended.  There were several question and answer times along with extended discussions of each subject.  Several people made professions of faith and a teaching time concerning baptism was presented.

After 3 days of teaching and 2 days of the Maasai Olympics, people met together for worship and then a time of worship and baptism was held at the local water source, a mountain river.  Our Maasai leaders baptized 25 new believers.  A few people located themselves downriver in case the baptism candidates lost their footing and proceeded on a small journey downstream.  Fortunately, this did not occur.

There is now a new church in Engaresero.

Our Maasai team members are going back there on a regular basis for more training and discipling new leaders.

So, Jesus' mighty Maasai men continue to work with their people to bring them into the kingdom.