Last Night Among the Maasai

Dispatch Africa 2013:

I spent the day teaching the Maasai for seven hours on my feet, which included more than 2 hours of impromptu Q&A. Sublime, but I was beat. When I returned to my room at the Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) Guest House in Kajiado (rhymes with Colorado), I flopped onto the threadbare sheets of my bed and tried to think back over the day. How intelligent are the Maasai. Though their culture gives the appearance of a simple and unlearned people, which in reality is a true assessment of who they are, they are not stupid. It would be all too easy for Westerners to dismiss them. But, their minds are sharp. They are quick witted, they grasp the most difficult philosophies and doctrines, their questions are penetrating, and their rebuttals are on point. What a pleasure it is to train these people. As I marveled at the intelligence, beauty, cheerfulness, and strength of these fine people, my mind drifted to a melodic voice that I could hear somewhere off in the distance. After a moment or two, I zeroed in on the haunting sound and realized from whence it came.

On the way to the guest house this evening, my driver, a local Maasai pastor named Samuel (his wife’s name is “Precious”), pointed to a Muslim mosque a mile or so outside of town. I could see the minaret tower clearly. As the sun was setting, the minaret came alive with the hypnotic voice of song calling all Muslims to evening prayer. A faint dread trickled over me. Alone in my room, 10,000 miles from the love and comfort of home, the seeds of depression sprouted up through the surface of my thoughts. After falling in love with the Maasai people and meeting so many Christians among them, it broke my heart to know that Islam was working its evil power in the hearts of the unsaved Maasai. Then, as quickly as those thoughts had come, I was immediately reminded by the Spirit of God of the power of the gospel and of the need to train the leaders of the Maasai churches in Africa and to equip them to combat the forces of evil that surround them. In this moment, I know I am just where I belong.

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