The "Hissy Fit"

The trip had gone well.

The sun blazed each day.

It had been hot, dusty, and challenging.

God had allowed us to work with Him in many ways among the Maasai in the area of Engaresero.

The "Massai olympic games" had gone well with over 70 men participating.

They heard the Word of God through teaching and sharing.

The Sunday worship time was a great and uplifting time

Some became new believers.

Others believers were baptized, demonstrating their new faith through this mode of testimony.

Our last day there was one of rest, reflection, evaluation, and planning for the next trip.

Then it began.

The wind increased dramatically in intensity.

The clouds in the distance became dark and ominous.

They were filled with dust as well as rain.

We had seen this before -- the rain falls and hits the parched, dusty earth, causing the dust to rise up into the clouds.

You have a dust/rain storm.

This storm was different.

The clouds were so thick that they obliterated the landscape.

Visibility was only a few hundred feet.

The horizon disappeared from our site.

Oldonyo Lengai (the Mountain of God - to the Maasai) was no longer visible from our campsite only 10 kilometers away.

Our tents began to sway and pitch as the storm increased, driving the dust and seeming rain in our direction.

We were in the direct path of this natural occurrence.

Then the storm hit our camp.

Heavy winds shook our tents and dumped dust and sand into the camp.

We sought shelter in a dining hut and watched as this storm came, stayed, and then eventually left.

Not one drop of rain fell on the camp.

The tents still stood.

No one was hurt.

After this storm passed, one person commented that "we had a great trip, saw God work in various ways in the lives of the people we were allowed to impact, and saw Him reap a harvest for His Kingdom.  Satan was so mad that he through a "hissy fit" to try and discourage us on the last day.  God protected us.  Satan did not achieve his desired results".

When Satan throws a "hissy fit" in your life,  remember that you are standing on the Rock of Ages.

As one song states "You (God) are my Rock, on you I stand, safe from the storms that surround me.  You're my only Rock, on You I stand, don't have to rely on my own strength."

(Hillsong London   Shout God's Fame)

The Man Who Prays for Us is Here

One of the stops we make with our volunteer teams is Cultural Heritage in Arusha Tanzania.  This is a place where one can buy carvings, paintings, shirts, blown glass, jewelry, Tanzanite, etc.  It is a "one stop shopping place" for all your souvenir needs.  There is also a cafe which serves food varying from coffee and tea to small snacks to a full lunch buffet.

On a recent trip, we went to Cultural Heritage for shopping and lunch.  I make reservations in advance so they will be prepared for our groups.

On this day, the lunch was superb as usual.  We went and thanked the cooks and the managers for another meal well done.

The head manager thanked us and then proceeded to tell me about his current problem situation.  A group of 28 had come in and ate at the buffet.  The problem was that they ate without his prior permission and without a prior reservation.  Then our group of 16 ate our meal.  Another group of 20 was following us. They had made advance reservations.  He was very concerned that he did not have enough food for the last group.  The leader of the first group was "apologizing" to the manager for this inconvenience while I stood and listened.  The manager then proceeded to tell that leader that there was no problem because "the man who prays for us is standing here.  He prays and God works out our problems and difficulties.  He is from the church and he knows God and God knows him".

How do you respond to that statement?

With humbled silence and gratefulness to God!

The other group leader left in disgrace.

The manager and the owners of this establishment follow another world religion.

How humbling it is to have God recognized working in your life by other people.

This also demonstrates the importance of building relationships.

Perhaps one day this whole family will have the relationship with God Whom I know and Who knows me.

Do You Know One of These People?

On a recent trip out to a new church, we stayed at a fairly modern guest house.

The staff was very polite and helpful and were easy to engage in conversation.

Emmanuel Mollel, one of our Maasai partners, was talking with one of the staff and ask her about her faith.

She replied that she was a Christian but she had a question for him.

She looked at him and asked, " I do not know much about this Jesus.  Who is he and what did he do?"

A Christian in name only but no knowledge or understanding of this faith and relationship.

The task is still ahead of us in many areas of Tanzania.

Do YOU know anyone like this where YOU live?

The Journey to the "Underworld"

The trip was not especially long or hard to arrive at our guest house.  The trip out to a new church was different.  This church was located 5 kilometers off a main road.  When the weather is dry, this trek is not a problem -- the usual "road" was more of a foot/cow/motorcycle path.  But when rain is thrown into the mix, it becomes a challenge of great proportions.  There are two types of soil here that you do not drive on when it rains.  The first is a dark brown/black soil that, when wet, is "slicker than snot" as some have said.  The other is an orange clay that is as slick or even slicker when wet.  Four wheel drive  does not help much.  It is like driving on solid ice.  You have almost zero control of your vehicle.  Both types of soil take days to dry out to make driving feasible again.  The latter orange soil "paved" our way to the church.

Then the rain started -- and continued.

The 5 kilometers to the church consisted of up and down traverses through semi-thick trees and small farm plots -- all plowed and planted -- making the soil even harder to drive through.  After sliding much and experiencing several near stoppages in holes, we made it to the church.

This is the history of the the church that was given to us:

"Emmanuel Laizer, another of our Maasai partners, attended school in Tanga.  He pastors a church in the Losimingori area.  Some of his members moved to the Tanga area near the town of Handeni outside a small village name Kwamatuku.  After they moved, they asked Emmanuel to come and help them begin a new church in their area as there were none.  This church started with one family.  They met under a tree for at least a year.  As they worked together over time, many came to know Christ.  Then the youth of the church decided to cut down some trees and fashion a building out of tree branches, mud, and grass so they could meet even when it rained.  Then they asked God to give them metal roofing and He answered with enough pieces to finish their roof.  In 2013 July, the building was completed".


In this worship time, there were 53 adults and 20 children.

We took Bibles which we traded for Maasai jewelry.
They enthusiastically asked us to bring more Bibles with us on our next trip.


Emmanuel sent us this history, via Gmail, and written in Kiswahili.
We read the Kiswahili and then saw that Gmail would translate it into English.
So, for fun, we chose this option.
To say the least, we got a few laughs out of their "translation".
Their translation of the area of the church location was "the underworld".

Here is an excerpt:

Dear Goto Timothy see in the picture I have just taken to the underworld Korogwe we go Sunday.

The history of this church is to be. When I was in college Tanga 2009, I can kuwaanzisha the church to re-open the Tanga region Handeni district village to the underworld. 

So we were able to go to a church in the "underworld" and deliver light (the Gospel and Bibles) to this most "desolate and unreached" place.

How many others have been able to start and/or attend a church in "the underworld"?

The Greater Work

"Boots on the Ground" uh "Maasai Sandals"

God is doing some amazing things among the Maasai in Tanzania. We are privileged that He has chosen to use us as the "boots on the ground" missionaries. However, we feel that there is a greater group of people out their who make it possible for us to be here. That group are those who pray for us. Without the prayers of the saints we could not be here doing what we are doing and being used by God. Without those of you who are doing the greater work we could not do the "boots on the ground" work.

With this idea in mind and being sensitive to the the fact that we are in a world that is filled with technology I have tried to take advantage of this very real means of increasing our prayer base and expanding the knowledge of what God is doing.

I want to take this opportunity to introduce those of you who view our blog to the various other places you can go to join us in praying for the Maasai of Tanzania and us as we minister with and to them.

Facebook TZ Maasai Connection Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/116586508383372/?bookmark_t=group

Pray!Network TZ Maasai Connection Group http://www.praynetwork.org/group/TZMaasaiConnection

http://www.baptist-volunteer-tz.net/baptist-volunteer-tz/Maasai_Team.html

Twitter @tzmaasaiconnect

Virtual Prayer Walks via Google Maps
https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=217898757872739763022.0004887ccfff3c628e992&msa=0&ll=-3.916319,36.817932&spn=1.542671,2.460938
https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=217898757872739763022.0004af9063f31a9f27dd6&msa=0&ll=-2.753761,36.03241&spn=1.544495,2.460937
https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=217898757872739763022.0004e8371ad7bb72ee056&msa=0

CompassionNet http://www.imb.org/main/pray/searchby/PeopleGroupResults.asp?Hitdate2=Currentdatetime%28%29&PrayerCode=14907&Age=90&submit12=Find+Prayer+Items

To receive our monthly prayer calendar you can email me at prayerthatworks@gmail.com

Won't you join us in praying for the Maasai of Tanzania and enlist your friends to do so also?

What's on the Menu?

Recently, a volunteer team was camping in the Simanjiro district at a local milk processing factory outside the small town of Nabarera.

The camp was set up behind the factory.  There are 2 guards and 2 dogs who provide security.

Each night, we heard various animals "vocalizing" their discontent, wants, and generally broadcasting their messages abroad.

Late one evening, we heard loud barking, snarling, yelping, yelling, and sounds of pursuit.
We waited until morning to get the full story.

It seems that during the night, a hyena came into the camp, engaged the 2 guard dogs and the 2 guards.
When the dust settled and the noise ceased, the camp was short one dog.
The hyena fought with the 2 dogs, killed one, dragged it away and then finished off his "meal" in peace and quiet.

Many places have dogs available as security.

Our dogs are on the menu.

Elijah and Elisha - oops not Elisha but -- William

Two familiar Biblical names and one somewhat common name.
We will concentrate on the first familiar name and then the common name.

Their stories:

Elijah is a Maasai evangelist who was discovered by our recent Calvary Baptist Church team in the Simanjiro District of Tanzania.  As the team commented, "God just led us to him in another of our 'divine appointments'".

He started a church 3 years ago in an area were no churches existed.  He and his wife, Lea, built the first building out of the available materials - branches, grass, mud, and manure.  They have continued to this day and are now building a new building because they have outgrown their first structure.  The team left him a Chronological Bible Storying Cloth, an MP3 player with the stories and the NT in Kimaasai, and a Kimaasai Bible.  The team also gave Elijah some training in storying and follow-up.  We will be visiting him in the near future to see how he is progressing in his ministry.

William is an evangelist who showed up at one of our discipleship sessions.  He said that the spiritual leader of that area tried to contact him via phone and text message about our team leading this training but he never received the information.  Yet, he was there when we arrived for our second day of training at the area leader's boma.  The area leader was not there due to a situation he needed to take care of in the near-by local town.  When asked how he knew to show up at this boma, William simply replied, "God told me to come here on this day at this time and He would show me the rest".  He stayed through the entire training and then invited us to his boma.  We followed him in our vehicle as he piloted his motorcycle down the road to his small local kiosk. We then walked the rest of the way to his boma.  He informed us during our trek that his mother was a Baptist and that he received much teaching from her and her mother - his grandmother (sounds like a Timothy in the Bible).  Now he continues preaching, teaching, and discipling others.  We will invest time, training and materials in this young man who is faithfully serving God in the place He has put him.  Another "divine appointment".

God has placed leaders in different areas in Maasaini.
He is allowing us to meet them in many different ways so that we may get to know them, hear their stories, train them, and then partner with them in ministry.