Transformation In Maasai Land

by Rita Langeland

The drought in East Africa was getting severe. The crops were drying up in the fields and green grass was harder and harder to find for the herds and flocks. Hunger was plaguing the villages. The Maasai depend upon milk from their cows as a large part of their daily diet. Because of the lack of pasture and scarcity of water, milk production was reduced drastically. The people were suffering. The well which Hidden With Christ Ministries had drilled in Esilalei village in Tanzania was being used night and day by more and more people as it supplied the only clean water in the area. Finally the pump stopped working, a result of overuse which had caused an internal part to snap. The situation in the village became even more critical without the water from that well.

The Maasai witchdoctor had encouraged the people to go to Oldonyo lengai (the mountain of God) and make an offering to the Maasai god to obtain rain. But Pastor Zablon had preached against the witchdoctor’s admonition, telling the people that only the one true God had the power to bring rain. His church fasted and prayed for rain. HWCM sent out an e-mail to encourage people to join our East African brethren and PRAY FOR RAIN….three or four days later, the skies opened and the long awaited rains began. A week or so later, I arrived in Tanzania and saw the answer to those prayers with my own eyes.

The once dry ground had been transformed into a carpet of green sprinkled liberally with wildflowers. The tender grass was once again supplying the nourishment the cattle so desperately needed and the watering holes were full. I watched with joy as a lone Maasai herdsman followed his cattle as they hungrily consumed the long awaited bounty.

The day I arrived in Esilalei village, our goal was to get the well pump repaired. By God’s grace, our friend Lance Whyle from Living Water Ministry was in the country working on some other projects, and was willing to take time out of his busy schedule to drive over and work on our well pump. With a crew of workers, the pump was totally dismantled, hundreds of meters worth of pipe pulled up and examined, and the damaged part replaced.

While we watched the repairmen at work, two men appeared at a distance walking toward us across the savanna. As they drew closer, we realized that it was the Chairman of the village government and the adult son of the notorious local witchdoctor.

When our well was first being drilled, the witchdoctor (along with this very son whom we had nicknamed “Junior”) had appeared in the early morning hours, and cursed it in a vain attempt to prevent the water from coming forth. His witchcraft had been unsuccessful against the prayers of God’s people which brought forth water out of dry ground.He had also vigorously opposed the building of Pastor Zablon’s church by HWCM, but those efforts had failed as well.

Since he and his father had previously been so opposed to our work, I wondered what his visit was all about. I was happy to finally get to meet “Junior” because he and his father had been the focus of much prayer by several of our intercessors. I also knew that Pastor Zablon had been reaching out to both the Senior Witchdoctor and his son, and had seen some progress with them.

Previously, the witchdoctor had forbidden the people in the area to attend Pastor Zablon’s church services. But after a woman in his own homestead was miraculously healed when Pastor Zablon prayed for her, he changed his mind. Then another incident occurred which amazed him even more. A young woman in a neighboring homestead, who had been out of her mind for years, was instantly set free by Zablon’s prayers. The witchdoctor was astounded because he had tried to perform rituals to heal her without success. He was so impressed with the “power” that he saw demonstrated that he told the people they were free to go to Pastor Zablon’s church if they wanted to, though he had not done so himself. Unbeknownst to him, his eldest son, Mshangama, who now stood before us, had twice attended church services, sitting in the back and listening carefully.

After exchanging greetings with the two men, Mshangama pulled an official letter out of the folds of his Maasai shuka. (traditional Maasai clothing) He showed it to me and Pastor Zablon. It was a letter that had come from the Tanzanian Ministry of Education regarding a primary school they had lobbied the government to build in their area. The witchdoctor had over 100 children (from 22 wives) and over 300 grandchildren and there was no primary school close enough for them to attend. The letter stated that the Education Department refused to inspect or accredit the school until the local Maasai community found a way to build six toilets (2 for girls – 2 for boys – 2 for the teachers) on the school property. In fact they were threatening to close the school down if the toilets weren’t built by the end of May.

In Tanzania, the government requires each local community to financially contribute to the building of a new school. Already the local villagers had contributed goats and cattle to be sold for money to build the school. The simple three room schoolhouse was built but there were no toilets, and no running water. Children had begun attending the school without those basic needs being provided. The Witchdoctor had sent his son and the village Chairman, to ask if Hidden With Christ Ministries would build the toilets (outhouses) for the primary school.

When it dawned on me as to what they were actually requesting, I could have jumped for joy. The Witchdoctor had gone from cursing us to asking for our help! I stood there for a moment realizing that God was giving us another divine opportunity to show the love and grace of God to the Maasai community. It was also a unique and amazing entrée into the life of the witchdoctor, his children and grandchildren. And the amazing part was that he had invited us in! It reminded me of the scripture found in Proverbs 16:7 - When a man’s ways are pleasing to the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

I had never been excited about outhouses in my life but I was thrilled to have the opportunity to build these! I smiled and told Pastor Zablon to tell the men we would go right away and see the primary school. He translated that message into the Maasai language. Leaving the well repairs under Lance’s excellent supervision, we all climbed into our 4-wheel drive truck and headed across the plain and up the hill toward the school.

After driving over rocks and thorns on an almost non-existent dirt road, we wound our way up the hillside until we reached the place that the three room school had been built. The view from the top of the hill was beautiful. We could see across the savannah all the way to the shoreline of Lake Manyara, a famed wildlife preserve. The school building was constructed very simply and appeared unfinished.

The first grade classroom was packed with 63 students sharing desks. The second grade classroom had no desks at all and the students sat on wooden boards perched precariously on rocks. The teacher had no desk and we saw no school books at all. It appeared that the only teaching tool available was a chalk board. The atmosphere was spartan and the teachers looked weary and overwhelmed.

After finishing our visit to the school, it was time to go and meet the witchdoctor. Mshangama led the way. Their homestead was just over the top of the hill. We hiked there, dodging both thorn bushes and an abundance of cow manure as we walked. As we crested the hill, we saw the multitude of cows and goats that mark a Maasai man’s wealth. We also saw more mud huts than I have ever seen in one place. A homestead or “boma” as it is called, traditionally consists of the huts of one extended Maasai family and their herds and flocks. But due to the witchdoctor’s unusually large family, his homestead looked more like an entire village!

When we entered the homestead, we found the witchdoctor sitting with another tribal elder under a tree on a low 3-legged stool, surrounded by a semi-circle of young warriors. With Pastor Zablon serving as our Maasai interpreter, we greeted him and spoke to him briefly about the love of God. This is a foreign concept to the Maasai culture. The Maasai god is thought to be a nearby volcano which spews lava and ash, a demonstration of his anger which needs to be appeased by the sacrifice of animals. The witchdoctor listened carefully and then allowed me to pray for him.

As I walked over to him, one of the young warriors moved a basket of witchcraft fetishes which had been sitting next to him so I could stand beside him. I stretched out my hand and placed it on his shoulder. In Maasai culture, a woman is never to touch a man, but a man will touch the top of a woman’s or child’s head in greeting. I knew what I was doing was “culturally incorrect” but felt strongly that the Lord wanted me to pray for him this way. Though his companions looked startled (I wondered if they feared I would drop dead for touching the witchdoctor) but the man himself did not resist. I prayed that God would reveal Himself to the witchdoctor and that he would come to know God’s love for him as his heavenly Father. The witchdoctor thanked me for my prayer and invited us to return again. I knew we were beginning to make some inroads in his life.

As we were leaving, Mshangama picked up a baby goat and handed it to me. It was a gift. He told me that he would fatten it and when I returned we would share a meal of roasted goat. Because the Maasai prize their animals, a goat is slaughtered and consumed only on very special occasions. It was obvious that God was softening this young man’s heart.

The next Sunday, we returned to the area again, because I was scheduled to speak at Pastor Zablon’s church. As I was sharing the story of creation, (an unfamiliar story to the Masasai) I spotted Mshangama, the witchdoctor’s son, as he slipped in to the back of the church.At the end of the meeting, when I asked who among them would like to give their lives to the God who had created them, Mshangama raised his hand. But he did not come forward or pray with us. It was obvious that God was dealing with his heart, yet there was a serious spiritual battle going on over his life.

When we stood outside the church building after the service was over, Mshangama stayed close to us. Pastor Zablon and I were discussing a baptistery that he was going to have built outside of the church near to the well so he could easily fill it with water for the baptisms. Pastor Zablon turned toward Mshangama and told him that he wanted him to be the first person baptized. Mshangama promised him solemnly that he would be.

As I witnessed that promise, I realized that this young man really was being transformed before our very eyes. For him to make a commitment to be baptized and fully surrender his life to Christ, means that he will have to renounce the witchcraft practices of his father and his tribe. It is not a small thing.

As the eldest son of the witchdoctor, he has been groomed to take his father’s place when he dies. A decision to reject that lifestyle and all that his father had prepared for him, will have serious consequences. If his father is not converted before Mshangama publicly declares his commitment to Christ, he could try to have him killed. We need to pray for both of these men, that together they will choose to serve the Lord.

Later in the afternoon, after having been the invited guests of the village chairman for a meal of roasted goat at his boma, we went to visit the witchdoctor again. This time, we came bearing gifts. We had taken photos during our last visit and had them printed and put into a small photo album. I wondered if the witchdoctor had ever seen a photo of himself. We also brought a blanket which we had anointed with oil and prayed over to present as a gift to the witchdoctor. We had prayed that as he lay under that blanket at night that God would speak to him and reveal Himself as the one true God.

The witchdoctor was shocked when he saw his own photo. He said that he had not seen a picture of himself since he was much younger. Unlike Western culture where we see ourselves in the mirror multiple times per day, there are no mirrors in the mud huts of Maasai land. Yet he loved the photos and was so grateful for the gifts. I could tell that even through these simple tokens of kindness, that God was softening his heart toward us. He also thanked us for being willing to help them with the building of the Primary School toilets. To help his family, was the same as helping him and he was grateful.

I have shared the details of the development of our relationship with this witchdoctor and his son so that you might understand more intimately the lives that God is touching and transforming in Tanzania. But more than that, I am sharing this story to ask you to pray for these men and their families as they are at a critical spiritual crossroad in their lives. The impact of the salvation of these men will reverberate throughout the Maasai tribe as they both wield tremendous influence.

Through the generosity of faithful friends of this ministry, construction of the outhouses at the primary school was beginning as this magazine was going to print. This amazing gift will certainly bless the precious children attending that school, but it means more than just the provision of necessary sanitary facilities. I believe it will speak volumes to the parents of these children, the teachers and the community about the love of God. And we believe that the scripture is true ...it is the kindness of God that leads to repentance... Romans 2:4

I have never before thought of outhouses as evangelistic tools...but these certainly qualify! As more money comes in, we plan to purchase desks for that second grade classroom, desks for the teachers, and much needed school supplies. If you would like to participate, you can send a check to Hidden With Christ Ministries and mark it “MAASAI PRIMARY SCHOOL PROJECT”. Thank you for your heart for the Maasai tribe in Tanzania!