The eV&B Bulletin

On the Eve of our Mission to Tanzania

eV&B Bulletin: November 2, 2010

With my mission to Kenya still fresh on my mind, tomorrow morning I will once again be leaving for Africa, this time to Tanzania. My good friend and pastor Evan Pyle will be accompanying me to the Maasai village of Matebete just as he did on our very first mission to the Maasai six years ago in 2004, and on our first-ever mission to Africa in 2003.

I love the challenge of any mission to Africa but I admit that the Maasai have captured a special place in my heart. Perhaps it is because these missions take place right within their village. During our stay we get to be a part of their daily lives. When we are in Matebete we feel like we are among family.

The preparations for this mission have been handled by our friend Evelyn Kaney. Evelyn returned to Tanzania last year after earning her university degree in Minnesota, USA. For several years now she has been a great asset to our work in Tanzania. She is strongly devoted to the Lord Jesus but she also understands the need for her generation to maintain their cultural identity while adapting to life in a globalized society. These are two very important themes to the work of WTWH in Africa.

We are looking forward to seeing the progress on the Maasai Worship and Historical Center that has been sponsored by WTWH. Perhaps we will be able to hold our first meeting within its walls. Of course it is only a relatively small building. The important thing is what this building represents, a conscientious link to the past and future of this great tribe of people. We believe (as stated by Maasai leader Adam Kuleit Mwarabu) that the Maasai are one of the lost tribes of Israel. Their past and future are coming together in this generation, all to the glory of God and the furtherance of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We thank God that WTWH has been granted a small role in their great spiritual awakening.

I will be teaching my seminar “In the Power of His Might” to a select group of elders representing several different villages and denominations. Most of them have heard my class before. My efforts will be focused on helping them to understand the message well enough to sound it out themselves. For the Gospel to take root among the Maasai, it must be taught by the Maasai themselves and not only visiting foreigners.

My work is not evangelical. These men and women have already given their lives to Christ. Most of them have already endured great hardships for his name’s sake. My ministry is to help establish them in “the simplicity that is in Christ” (2 Cor. 11:3) by teaching them the precepts of Holy Scripture. Evan will be holding forth the Word of God in an open fellowship each evening. After this event we will travel to Morogoro where I will be teaching another select group of young Maasai men and women my seminar “If Ye Do These Things, Ye Shall Never Fall.” This event is being coordinated by a young man named Jacob Parpris. We have high expectations for both occasions.

One of the great challenges of these missions is the wear and tear of travel. Evan and I will no doubt be quite tired by the time we first arrive at the village, before the work has even begun. Please make prayerful request for this venture, that Evan and I will have our hearts open to follow the Lord’s leading, that we will stay strong and healthy throughout, and most important that we will well represent the name of the King of kings. I also request prayer for our families at home, especially for my wife Nelly, and Evan’s wife Nancy.

God bless you, and keep you. Thanks so much for your support in this great adventure!

 

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