Lord, Bring the Rain

Hey everybody! I am coming home this week, and I am so excited about seeing all of my friends and family. The only thing that would make the homecoming even sweeter would be a ticket to the National Championship game in Miami. I am searching high and low for a ticket, so please let me know if you hear of anything. Anyways, our team got back from Tanzania on Thursday, and the trip was certainly a rollercoaster ride. Time is becoming increasingly scarce during my last several days on this continent, so I am only going to give you a brief summary of what happened.

The purpose of the trip was to connect with churches that the Tidenbergs had previously worked with to encourage them and pray for them. Each day was filled with non-stop movement from place to place. It was an exciting but exhausting trip. The man who took us on the church tour was a man that a lot of you in Daytona Beach know from prior trips to Tanzania. His name is Mikaeli. He lives in Longido, Tanzania, and he is part of the Maasai tribe there. I mentioned it on the previous blog, but I should remind you that all of the people we worked with this past week are Maasai people. I’m not in the business of ranking where people stand with the Lord, but I must say that Mikaeli loves Jesus as much, if not more, than anyone I have ever met.

We went from boma to boma, or Maasai villages, preaching the Word of God and loving on the local churches. God is doing an amazing work there. Your prayers are being answered. Churches are growing and more and more Maasai people are coming to know Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. God is bearing much fruit among the Maasai, and His presence is evident in their church work. A blessing for me was to be able to go share the Word of God with people who are hungry to listen. Mr. Potochnik was able to preach a couple of times, Tim Tidenberg spoke twice, Matt got to share his testimony, and I was able to share mine as well and teach the story of David and Goliath. What a cool experience!

While the trip touched each of us spiritually in a unique and profound way, it also touched us physically—in a very negative way. Either four or five of the eight of us on the trip became very sick for a couple of days, throwing up and feeling very nauseous (sorry to be graphic). It was either the semi-raw goat we were forced to eat or the tortilla-like, grease-heavy chapati that attacked our team. It was a painful week physically for most of the group. Even those of us who missed out on the sickness, including myself, still had bouts with exhaustion and nausea due to the difficult physical conditions out in the bush. The conditions were made even worse because of the fact that we shoved six people into a five-seat Land Cruiser and had to rotate team members in the trunk of the vehicle. I ended the trip feeling very sick to my stomach because of the extremely bumpy roads that we encountered.

I only wrote all of that to share what we experienced. I hope that didn’t sound like complaining. All of the trials we faced simply add to the story. I believe that the team became even more united after enduring what we faced the past week. I have mentioned this before, but what strikes me is that we go in for less than a week and think we have sacrificed, when these people live in these tough conditions day in and day out. Other than the Tidenbergs, who actually lived there for several years, we don’t know what it’s like to daily face what the Maasai face. I told you months ago that at the orphanage, things were very green and beautiful, and it was not the Africa I have always imagined. Where we were in Tanzania this past week, however, was much like what we all picture Africa to be. It was very dry and very hot. The terrain was rugged and harsh, and there was hardly any green at all on the ground. There was not any body of water around for miles and miles, and the people work just to make it through the day.

I was again reminded about how fortunate we are to have what we have in America. I leave you with one last picture of how different life is here in Kenya and Tanzania compared to home. Almost everywhere we went, the people requested that we pray for rain to come down on their land. After asking for God’s continued blessing on the churches we came across, rain was the number one prayer request. That blew me away. Here I am thinking about material things that I want or think I need, like going to a football game, and these people desperately need rain to simply survive. If it doesn’t rain soon, there will be serious consequences for the Maasai, and life will become increasingly complicated and difficult. Think about that for a second. Think about having to beg the Lord for rain just so you can live. I will never forget standing in circles with the people, pleading that God would bring the rain.

What a time we had with the Maasai people of northern Tanzania. Again, God is moving in their midst. Mikaeli, Mathayo, Lukas, and others are helping to lead people into God’s Kingdom. Churches are growing and schools are being built. The people are seeing their need for a Savior. However, Mikaeli says there are still many more who have never even heard of this Jesus that we call our Savior and Lord. Would you please pray for the Maasai people this week? Would you pray for the salvation of souls, God’s continued blessings on the churches and church leaders, and for rain to fall down on the land?

Jim and Peggy Brown from Daytona Beach are seasoned veterans when it comes to working with Mikaeli and the Maasai people. I wanted to end this blog by telling you, Jim and Peggy, that almost everywhere we went people asked about you. They love you with a love like I have never seen. Mikaeli says hello, Babu Jim, and he desperately wants you to come back. Remind me to give you something from him when I get home. I love you two, and I love all of you back home. Thanks to everyone for your continued prayers and support on this trip! Please pray for a safe journey home and for all of my bags to arrive in one piece. See you all soon!