You Know You're a Missionary When....


You are walking down a street in Washington DC on vacation and you meet a Maasai in his full traditional dress and nod the Tanzanian way in greeting.






You are checking in for your flight to return to Nairobi Kenya on British Airways from Washington Dulles airport and you discover that the BA attendant is originally from Dar Es Salaam Tanzania.

So you conduct the rest of your check-in in Swahili, he hands you his business card which is written partly in Swahili, and then directs the baggage handler to "treat us well because we are his family".


It can be so much fun when God puts you in contact with people such as these in the most "unlikely places" -- at least we think the places are unlikely but not to God!!

Grass Wars !!

I received a text message one evening asking if I had heard of a "war between the Waarusha and Kisongo Maasai (two clans)" in a certain area of Tanzania.

I called some Maasai friends who confirmed that there had been a "war -- fighting" among these two clans in one of the Maasai areas.  The huge fight culminated at a small town -- Oldonyo Sambu -- on market day, when most of the people in the area are there.  First reports indicated that 40+ people were sent to hospitals in and near Arusha due to injuries.  The police and other officials were called in to quell this situation.

The whole reason for this altercation -- grass -- or the lack thereof.

The two clans were fighting over grazing areas for their animals.
Due to the lack of normal rains in 2012, the grazing areas have become prized possessions since there is not enough grass for everyone.
Even the traditional grazing areas are dry and many are travelling great distances just to feed and water their livestock.

So, tempers are short and spears, maasai swords,  and rungus are long as many vie for the survival of their animals and families.

You do not want to be around when these spears fly and the swords and rungus are being used to their fullest deadly potential.

When was the last time you fought with your neighbor over grass?

This is Africa (T.I.A.) for US citizens in Tanzania at the US Embassy

Recently, we needed to have extra pages added to our passports since we still have a few years before they expire and the visa pages were becoming fewer as we travelled to more places requiring visa stamps in our passports.  Some "stamps" use an entire passport page.  So, we investigated this process through the US Embassy Dar Es Salaam website.

This is what followed:

Step 1 :  We made copies of the form requesting additional pages in our passports

Step 2:  We filled out these forms with the required information.

Step 3:  You need to make an appointment on-line for any US Citizen service that you need at the US Embassy in Dar Es Salaam.

Step 4 :  We made our on-line appointments.

Step 5 : We printed out our appointment details which need to be presented for entrance at the US Embassy in Dar Es Salaam.

Step 6 : Due to increased security, there is no parking at the US Embassy for US citizens needing citizen services.

Step 7 :  We took a taxi to the embassy from the Baptist Mission compound where we were staying.

Step 8 : We were met at the entrance of the first security building by a Tanzanian guard who examined our passports and appointment papers.

Step 9 :  We went through this security building screening check-point which includes leaving all articles at the check point except your passport, the appointment application, and your wallet.

Step 10 :  We proceeded to another security check point.

Step 11 : We were screened again and admitted to the US citizen services waiting area.

Step 12 : We waited in a special room reserved only for US citizens.

Step 13 : We submitted our application forms and passports to get our additional pages.

Step 14 : We went to another room to pay for this service -- $164 for both passports.

Step 15 :  We left the US citizen service area with 2 pink cards which allowed the card holder(s) to pick up the passports the following day between 8 am and 4 pm.

Step 16 : We exited through the same two security check-points.

Step 17 : A guard called a friend of his who owned a taxi to come and pick us up.

Step 18 : We waited at a guard house with two armed guards until this "friend" arrived.

Step 19 : The guard verified this was his friend, we entered the taxi, and returned to the Baptist Mission compound where we were staying.

Step 20 :  The next day, I took Pam to the US Embassy, dropped her off at the gate, and waited for her to get our passports.  She finally emerged 30 minutes later with our passports in hand.  This was after I drove around, parked, and was eventually challenged by armed guards telling me I could not park in a particular area due to security measures.

So it goes in our part of the world.

We did wonder that in case of an emergency and we needed to enter the US Embassy in a hurry, would we still need to make an appointment?

Of VBS and Soccer Camp

A team from Old Fort Baptist Church arrived on 18 June 2012 to work in 2 elementary schools in one of the areas of Maasaini.

The team of 11 stayed at the house in Losimingori, which serves as our "base camp".


The team arrived at the Losimingori Elementary School on 19 June and caused a great stir!  Not many wazungu (white people) go there much less stay and interact with the 286 students. The time frame was 10 am - 2 pm daily for the next 3 days - 19, 20, 21 June.  A rotating system was established where 1/3 of the students would listen to Bible Stories in a classroom, 1/3 would do crafts in another classroom, and 1/3 would participate in a soccer camp on the school soccer pitch (usually a dirt field with 2 sticks set in the ground at both ends to serve as "goals").  The story time set dictated how much time the other 2 sections had to complete their tasks.  This was usually about 1 hour and 15 minutes. The team was divided before hand to handle these different tasks at the different stations.  Just as in VBS in the USA, the first day is always the worst as far as schedules, team work, and logistics is concerned.  But this day went well as did the following 2 days.  Students could not believe these "older white people" could or would play "futbol" (soccer) with them.  But the "old white people" really showed some skills and stamina on the pitch and they even got the teachers involved in the competition!  This part of the trip went well and the team saw many make a profession of faith in Christ.  The students and teachers will never forget this group, especially since they left "futbols"(soccer balls) for them to use!

The second school was the Engirigiri Elementary School.  The same rotating system and time schedule was followed there for 2 days -- 22 and 23 June.  The 174 students there thoroughly enjoyed the team, learned some Bible Stories , completed some great crafts, and then had some intense soccer instruction!  The fun part was keeping the cows and donkeys off the soccer pitch while the camp was going on! The teachers and students were also thoroughly impressed with the skills and stamina of this team!

Each afternoon, the team dug deep and summoned the energy to visit different Maasai bomas {(bow mahs) small Maasai settlements)} near both schools to interact with the parents and families of the students, share Bible stories, and pray with and for them.  Many contacts were made, students even came by the "base camp" house, and engaged in some informal futbol there also.

On Sunday, 24 June, the team attended the Engirigiri Baptist Church.  Dina got to give her testimony and Randy, the team pastor, was invited to speak to the church.  The team really got into the praise and worship time and the praise and worship really got into them also!  After a lunch of chapatis (Cha pah tees) and soda, we went to the pastor's boma to greet his extended family.

Then the team went to Tarangire National Park on 25 June.  They saw many animals, re-visited the same pride of lions that part of the team saw in January 2012, and had a great lunch!

Then on 26 June, the team packed up, went to Cultural Heritage in Arusha for shopping and lunch and then back to Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA) for the long flight home.

Thanks so much to this team for your time, sacrifice, energy, dedication, and perseverance as you joined God in His work in Tanzania among the Maasai!!

The TZ driver license adventure (continued)

In the previous entry, I described my adventure in trying to secure and Tanzania driver license.
One week later, I returned to the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) office as directed.  After a 45 minute wait, I was informed that the license was not ready and to return the following week.  I did just that and the following week, I received my Tanzania driver license!  It is good for 3 years.  It will be another adventure to go through the renewal process again, but at least it is not until 2015!

 Pam also went to renew her Tanzanian driver license also in June 2012.  Her steps for her license renewal were:

1)  Go to the TRA office # 2 with the correct form filled out.
2)  Go to the TRA office # 6 to get a Tax Identification Number (TIN).
3)  Go to the TRA office # 7 to get the TIN form verified. There are 7 desks in office # 7 so you wait until the right person is available to get your verification.  But there is no designation of which desk/employee is the one you actually go to for this service.
4)  Return to the TRA office # 2 with the verified TIN form.
5)  Have a picture and finger prints taken to be entered into the TRA computer system.
6)  Go to the police station to office # 3 to obtain her certificate of driving competency.
7)  Go to office # 8 in the police station to be entered into their system.  The person to do this was not there so we had to wait for him to arrive at his office.  Then the internet was not working so we were informed to return at 2 pm (it was 9:30 am at this time) to finish this process.
8)  We returned to the police station at 2 pm and Pam's information was entered into their system.
9)  Return to TRA to obtain a receipt for payment for the driver's license.
10) Go to a local bank with the payment receipt and pay the fee for the license ($25.80).
11)  Go home and wait 1 - 2 weeks for the license to be processed.
12)  Return to TRA with the payment receipt to pick up the license.

It was ready in 2 weeks and now Pam has her new TZ driver license!
We need some rest after all of this!

The Importance of Prayer

Wednesday June 20th. We had had two wonderful days of going to the Losimongori Primary School sharing the love of God through soccer, crafts and the Bible Stories. While the team was back at the Losi house waiting for their next big adventure of going to a Boma to share some more we were hanging out on the back porch watching the herds, kids and Maasai as they came and went. I, Pam, wanted to get a better picture of some recent initiates and walked toward the far end of the porch. The next thing I know one of the guys is trying to help me up. All I can remember thinking was, "Careful of my other leg."I had stepped on the cover of one of the cistern tanks and one leg had gone in and I landed on the lip with the other leg which I was sure was broken because of the way I was sitting on it. He picked me up and set me in a chair. We had 2 nurses in the group and they immediately went into action. Spraying my legs down with disinfectant and applying antibiotic ointment and bandaging the worst of my scrapes. I was then helped into the house to sit in a camp chair that has a foot rest.

We were all rejoicing that I was not seriously hurt. I was sure that the leg I had sat on had been broken due to the odd angle that I had landed on it and it was not. Miracle number one. The cut that ran up the back of my leg wasn't deep nor required stitches. Miracle number two.

You may wonder what the big deal is. Well.....


Tuesday June 19 Prayer Partners around the globe were praying the following using the Maasai of Tanzania Prayer Calendar: "Pray that the OFBC team will have good health while here."


When our interpreters, Mikaeli and Moses, came later that afternoon they were shocked and became very animated. They proceeded to tell me that the night before, June 19th, well actually very early the morning of June 20th,  both had dreams of a really bad accident among our group. They both woke up at 4 in the morning and began to pray that God would not allow a bad accident to happen. They knew that Satan wanted to cause a bad accident to stop the good work that God was doing through the volunteers.

We all believe that had it not been for our prayer partners praying on the 19th and Mikaeli and Moses praying in the wee hours of the morning on the 20th my "accident" would have been much worse. I truly don't remember stepping on the lid or even falling. I do know that God had His angels watching over me. There were pipes running all over the place in that hole and I missed all of them. I didn't fall into the hole which could have been fatal. I did not have any broken bones nor did I need stitches both of which would have necessitated a trip to Nairobi, Kenya.

The power of prayer, WOW! If the Holy Spirit impresses you to pray for someone don't hesitate. Stop whatever you are doing and intercede for them. Only God knows if your prayers will save someone's life.

Where No One (white person) has Gone Before

 Recently, we had two volunteers come to the Longido area to work with the Maasai leaders in sharing Bible stories from the Maasai Chronological Bible Storying cloth and to help with a new church start.  The 2 volunteers are brothers, one having just received his master's degree and one just finishing his sophomore year of college.  These brothers were very tall – 6’7” and 6’5” – so the Maasai were very impressed with these “tall white boys”. 

We went to Loisoret with 3 Maasai leaders.  We were well received with roasted goat in the bush and then given a tour of their water source – a natural spring with 2 overflow areas that eventually feed into a river bed.

Camp was set up and everyday, morning/noon/evening, we had curious on-lookers checking out the strange white people and their bomas (tents). 

The cooking experience was fun.  Breakfast consisted of scrambled eggs, canned meat, and other “exotic fare”.  The Maasai watched in amazement as we cooked over a gas stove – “instant fire” – as some described it.  One verified fact is that Maasai do not like eggs – at least in that area.  After cooking the eggs, we offered some to our curious guests, who reluctantly sampled some of our strange food.  Two Maasai even started gagging when the eggs were passed to them – it was too much for their stomachs to handle!

We usually had some snacks during the day and cooked pasta at night.  During our second night there, I fixed spaghetti and served canned fruit for dessert.  When the spaghetti noodles were finished, I drained them and proceeded to put the sauce on them.  One of the Maasai "spectators" asked what kind of food we had that night.  I told him that we had "cooked worms".  He proceeded to shake his head and walk away, commenting that these "good white people eat some strange food"!  We were able to show him later what the spaghetti really is and that it does taste good when the sauce is added.  The Maasai jury is still out on this taste test.

The Maasai came to hear the stories from the Bible Story Cloth for two days.  The Old Testament was covered the first day, then a short review and the New Testament were covered on the second day.  The singing was lively as usual and the jumping was something to behold.  My volunteers began jumping with the crowd.  They actually jumped higher than anyone there and almost hit their heads on some tree branches!  Our joke was that the Maasai agreed that “these white boys can jump!”

Many received Christ and a church was started.  The leader of the area was the first to “step out” and make a decision for Christ.  He is the designated church leader for now.  There is a Maasai seminary branch student who will finish his studies in November 2012 who will be going to this site to continue the work that was started during this time.

These 2 young men were really on the “cutting edge” of missions – the first white people and the first church started in this area.  It is something to behold when you join God in His work and are able to participate with Him.