Of Sickness and the Occult

Health was the elusive subject of this Tanzanian woman.  She had done all she could to rid herself of the malady that plagued her for these many months.  Hospital doctors, medicines, local herbalists, even the "spirit doctors" were of no help.  The condition was constant with no relief or healing in sight.



Then one day, she heard of a bi-vocational Baptist pastor who was serving in a church in her area.  She had heard about some of the things that had occurred as a direct result of prayer.  This church has a dedicated prayer service on Friday and one on Sunday.


She contacted the pastor and asked for prayer for her condition.  After some weeks of praying and then investigating, it was discovered that she still was clinging to portions of her African Traditional Religion (worshiping ancestors, witchcraft practices, etc).  Demon possession was definitely in the picture.

The church continued to pray for this lady, her sickness, and also prayed that the demons would leave her.  The woman came to one of the Friday prayer meetings and declared that she "had been set free" and been saved!  The pastor asked her many questions, listened to her testimony, and was satisfied that she had truly received Jesus as her Savior and Lord!  Also to her amazement and praise, she no longer had the sickness that had taken up residence in her body.  She was completely healed!

Later, 3 other people came to the pastor.  They related the story of this woman who had been cured and set free from the demonic oppression and probable possession.  Because of this woman sharing her new testimony with them, they also wanted to accept Jesus as their Savior.  Then they related that they too had been involved in witchcraft and had buried their occult articles in their yard.  The pastor went with them to this "burial plot", took a hoe, dug up the articles and proceeded to have a bonfire service of destroying these articles and a praise time for the Lord Jesus Christ!  When people here burn their occult objects, that is true sign of their repentance and faith!

How God still continues to work through prayer!!

Musa and the Snake

One evening, Musa, our worker, was walking to a water spigot in our yard to get some water.
The moon was out so he did not need a torch (flashlight) since he had traveled this stone and concrete path many times.  As he put his left foot down, he felt something wrap around both of his legs and then hit his foot.  Instantly reacting, he kicked the object with his foot. It went flying into the dark.  He then came to the house thinking that he had been bitten by a snake!  There was not evidence of a puncture wound, but I cleaned it with Neosporene and gave him some pain medication.

He slept fitfully that night.  The next day, we took him to a local hospital.  Since the snake could not be identified and there was still no evidence of a puncture wound, he was given some medicine for "sumu" (poison), some pain meds, and a tetanus shot.  He was instructed to return after 2 weeks for a re-check.  The medicines are strong and they affected him to the point where he was not able to work for 4 weeks.

He went to another hospital to get a second opinion and another tetanus shot.

He seems to be doing better now and is regaining his strength.

We do not know if the snake indeed injected venom into his skin or not.

Never the less, God has taken care of him through this whole incident.

This reminds me that Satan is truly a like a snake, waiting to strike at the opportune moment.

We need to be constantly on the alert, physically and spiritually!

Hannah and the Lion's Cave

This story comes from a friend of ours and is a combination of two stories from the Bible, Hannah and her prayer for a child and Daniel and the lion's den.

A Maasai woman in a boma in the Simanjiro area had been pregnant several times.  She carried the fetuses to full term but all were still born.  Maasai culture would suggest that this woman had upset her ancestors, had been given the "evil eye" someone, or even an enemy had cursed her so that she could not have any children.  But she was a Christian.  She could not explained her situation or circumstances, but she did trust God in all of this sorrow, disappointment, and shame.  In this culture, if a woman cannot have children, it is a major shame and grounds for divorce and securing another wife "who can give children".

She then found out she was pregnant again. She prayed about this new situation and then decided to leave her boma and go into the bush. She would take her chances there.  She felt like if she could not have another child, she wanted to die also.

She traveled very far and found a cave in a small hill near a water source.  She set up house so to speak to live her time out in the bush and hopefully return to her boma with her new and healthy child.  It became night and she went to sleep.  During the night, she woke up to a stirring noise in the cave.  It was a pride of lions!  She was their home invader.  But the lions did not bother her.

In the morning, the pride left.  She discovered that there was an entrance and a separate exit to this cave.  She was beside herself and did not know what to do -- should she move but she would not have access to water?  Should she stay and hope the pride would not return?  She chose the latter option. But the pride returned with a kill.  They set it down in the cave a backed away from it.  The woman was hungry and approached the kill to cut off a small piece of meat to cook.  She took her chances with the pride as her hunger overcame her fear of the pride.  She cut a piece of meat off the kill and retreated to her side of the cave.  The pride did not bother her at all.  She ate the meal, grateful that she was still alive.

This scenario continued for several months - the pride bringing a kill to the cave and the woman being able to eat some of it.  The woman continued in her pregnancy to full term and self-delivered a healthy baby!  She praised God and made preparations to return to her boma.

As she began her journey, she noticed that the pride of lions accompanied her, seeming to protect her from other predators and bringing food at other times.

She made it back to her boma and began to relate her story to the rest of her family.  The family panicked when the saw the lion pride not too far from their boma!  The warriors grabbed their weapons and prepared to protect their boma from this major threat!

But the woman stopped them and proceeded to finish her story about the pride's protection and provision for her while in the bush.

Then she asked the head elder of the boma if they could kill a cow and give it to the pride as a thank offering for their actions over the last few months -- the healthy baby and mother giving testimony to their actions.

He agreed and they followed through with the request.
The pride had a grand meal and then left during the night.
They have not been seen since in that area.
That boma is now called The Lion Boma.
It is a testimony to God's miraculous provision and protection through a unique means!


How great is our God!!

It's Who You Know and Who You Are With

On 03 November 2012, we attended the graduation ceremony at Mount Meru University (MMU), near Arusha Tanzania.  We went primarily for the seminary branch (tawi) graduates.  Several who are and/or work with Maasai were finishing well and were receiving top honors for all their studies and hard work.

Pam and I arrived early.  We greeted many people who we had seen recently and not so recently, as well as the graduating tawi class.

We went to find some seats since the graduation was outside, chairs had been set under tents, and a light rain was beginning to fall.

Many seats were available so we made our selection, placed some things in our seats, and proceeded to visit with several acquaintances.  After a few minutes, we were informed by ushers that our first seat selection was in the graduate seating section.

We promptly moved our things to other seats as the crowds were starting to arrive.  As we sat down, several groups of Maasai, who were there to support their graduates, sat all around us.  We greeted many of them and had a great time visiting with them.

An usher came up to us and asked us if we had "formal printed invitations" as only those with these in their possession could sit in the chairs.  If you did not have an invitation, you had to stand until seats became available.

We knew 14 of the graduates but had not received one actually printed invitation.  They all invited us through phone text messages and face to face.

So, Pam turned to the usher and said, "We are with all of them", pointing to all the Maasai who were already seated.  They certainly were distinguished with their festive clothing and jewelry.

"Oh, " the usher replied, "Ok, you all can stay here"

No one was going to question us with all our Maasai friends there.

No one was going to question or challenge the Maasai either.

It truly is who you know and who you are with that helps in certain situations!

Mountain of God

Recently, I went to the Engaresero area to finalize some logistics for a volunteer coming to work there.
I spent several days there getting things ready, visiting with officials, asking people to publicize our coming visit, and making new friends.

One lady, Naomi, who owns a small eating establishment, asked when I was leaving and if she could have a ride to Arusha.  I did have room so I said yes.  In kind, she gave me a free breakfast the morning of our departure and a banana on the way.




On our 6 hour trip, she related this story concering a female American tourist.  This tourist had visited the area and learned that the Maasai still climb Oldonyo L'engai (The Mountain of God) to offer sacrifices for different things -- protection of their herds, increase in their herds, victory over enemies, etc.  They usually offer a sheep, goat, or cow as the sacrifice.  This American tourist had never had any children although she had tried over the years with her husband.  This woman proceded to buy a sheep and goat and then climbed up Oldonyo L'engai with some Maasai men and women to offer sacrifices on her behalf to have a child.  After her safari and sacrifices, she left the area and returned the to the USA.

Naomi then related that the woman returned to the Engaresero area 1 1/2 years  later with an small child!  This woman, shortly upon her return to the USA, had become pregnant and delivered a healthy baby.  She came back to the area of her "sacrifice" to show her child to all who had helped her in her efforts to offer a sacrifice and plead for a child.  She sponsored a big sherehe (Shay ray hay) or celebration commemorating the birth of her child and the answer she received from God evidenced in her new baby.

What do you think about this?

Tawi Graduates -- at Last!!

There are several students at the Mount Meru Seminary Branch or Tawi (Tah wee) who graduated on 03 November 2012.  The students I am referring to are Maasai students as well as those who work with Maasai in various areas.

These male students attend the tawi four years, earning a certificate in theological studies.  These students attend 4 times per year for 2 to 3 weeks at a time, traveling from their homes to the tawi campus. Then they return home to study and complete practical assignments.  During the next tawi session all students give a report of their activities and completed assignments .

The tawi days are long -- 8 am until 5 or 6 pm -- with breaks for tea at 10:30 am and 4 pm along with lunch from 12:30 - 2 pm.  This schedule runs Monday through Saturday.  The evenings and nights are spent studying for classes and tests.  Sundays are spent in practical ministry in areas close to their campus.

Another requirement of the tawi is that the wives of the male students attend tawi for 3 years.  They attend 3 to 4 times per year for approximately 7 to 10 days at a time.  The husbands must sign a commitment that they will care for their children while "mama is away studying".  This agreement separates those who are serious about their training from those just looking "to get some more education".  This provision in the tawi program ensures that the wife as well as the husband is prepared and well equipped to serve in a church and the community.   This training ensures a balanced ministry where men, woman, and children are ministered to by these graduates.

We were pleased and very proud when we learned that the top male student was one of "our" guys and the top female student was the wife of one of "our" guys. We are blessed to be able to serve along side these godly men and women.

Our congratulations (Hongera Sana - Hohn ger ah  Sah nah) to our proud 2012 tawi graduates!
May you serve God greatly in the places He has prepared for you all!!

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!!