Maasai Mission Report -“Ekobereti”: Part-1

From: Congo Mission
Early this year, I reported to you on Maasai Mission in “Karao” and “Mairowa” in Tanzania. And anyone who ever has been to Kenya could have experienced visit to “Maasai Mara” National Park where animals play freely. You may be lucky to witness a lion or two chasing after and eating weaker opponents.

As you could have already been known, “Maasai (or Masai)” originally came from north and occupied Kenya and Tanzania, thus they are original residents of this area. Maasai is known for their bravery, eats usually one meal a day, can walk a long way, can jump to Olympic record heights just standing up.

As they grow to maturity, they were sent out to catch lion bare hand. They were expected to return with dead lion or be eaten by them. So we see many Maasai adults with serious scars on their bodies. There are 1 million Maasai in Kenya, and 6.5million in Tanzania.

Maasai normally raise cattle and goats, and they do not wish to live mixed with other tribes. Thus, in spite of the fact that they are brave, they have been pushed further into no-man’s land, “Rift Valley”, and life is very difficult out here;
No water due to desert like atmosphere and agriculture is next to impossible story. We do not see any remnants of “development fund” (Kenya Gov’t) working at site, disappeared and evaporated somehow. We see hundreds NGOs operating in Kenya (very lucky country), maybe they are busy elsewhere fit to be helped.

Kenya is an advanced country in East Central African standard with GDP per capita approximately $2,200.-(Congo DR is $150.- per annum). Adventists are 694,000 member strong, 2nd largest Union in the world, and is growing.

Although SDA as a church does not have plan for Maasai mission, we see some pastors and lay volunteers personally take 2 weeks per year of their time; devote money and their talents, such as carpentry, medical fields, to help build churches and schools - temporary structure with iron sheet roof and walls, supported with timbers…all these are completed in just 2 weeks.

Here in photos, you will see bare desert two weeks before, and now a church and a school out of nowhere.

“Ekobereti” is a name of Maasai place, 107km west-west north from Nairobi, the capital, then again southeast 24km; no church has ever been here.

Part 1 photos show first arrival of elite team of Mission on Oct.2.

Part 2 will witness a school, a church and worship services, Bible distribution and baptism.

We praise the Lord to have sent these devoted volunteers for His Work in forgotten land of Maasai, a beginning of their first step into “Everlasting life”.

Maha Mission