Our Mission to the Maasai

By Rev. Tim Sullivan

Brownsville, Texas, USA

 

In the last newsletter, I wrote that Rev. Pyle and I had been invited to travel to Tanzania in December to present the Weapons Of Our Warfare seminar to a congregation of Maasai Christians. At the time, we were not sure if this trip would take place, but as you may already know from my emails, that event came to pass in a marvelous way.

Permit me to express my profound thanksgiving to God for the opportunity to serve Him on this mission. Without the Lord’s full participation, such things could not be possible. I thank God that He not only commissioned us on this African mission, but also worked with us while we were there, confirming His Word as promised.

The entire mission lasted only ten days. It is hard to fathom that so much could occur in such a short time. I can testify that lives were changed – I daresay, mostly mine and Evan’s. The Lord worked with us powerfully to bridge the chasm of our divergent life experience and cultural background to present the living Word of God to His people. I believe that Rev. Pyle set the stage for this when he presented his opening statement in the Swahili language.

All in all, the seminar was presented with such clarity that it seemed that the Bible was written especially for the Maasais. I was thrilled as the Lord led me to incorporate things the elders had told us about the training of their tribal warriors (called ‘Moranis’) into our lessons on spiritual warfare. For example, as the young men prepare for training, they eat an exclusive diet of red meat. That made it very easy for them to understand this passage from the book of Hebrews about spiritual training:

For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. (Hebrews 5:13-14)

The culmination of the Morani training is the young man’s confrontation with a lion. You can imagine how the following verse resonated deep within their souls in a way that few Westerners could ever appreciate:

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. (1 Peter 5:8)

When the seminar began, the women far outnumbered the men, but by the time it ended, the proportions were virtually equal. It was the elders of the tribe who pointed this out to us as evidence of the impact the teachings of the Word of God had on the village.

Though I boast of our mission to the Maasai, be sure that I do not boast for myself or for Evan. These things could not have happened of our own accord. This was the Lord’s work. He alone deserves to be praised and glorified.

 

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From the January 2005 edition of the Vine & Branches