Africa Story #5: Third Day - Part III

This is the end of that wonderful, interesting, super-long third day. :)

6th house: In this home were two beautiful Maasai women, Mama Gunena and Mama Sawa. I will never forget their faces. Mama Sawa was 22 years old, just like me. They are called Mama, followed by the name of their eldest child.

I shared the gospel with them in Swahili (through Jonathon) using the Evangecube. Mama Gunena loved the story. She told Jonathon and Pastor Pius that she wanted to believe, but she and her family worship other gods. She explained that when the full moon comes out they offer sacrifices and worship the moon. I told Jonathon to tell her that God created the moon, and that He has power over and above and beyond it. Jonathon also explained to her how the Israelites offered sacrifices for their sin but now are no longer required to do so.

Next, he wanted to read from Acts in the Bible, more about sacrifices and the almighty power of God. Mama Gunena told him that they had a Bible. She sent her young son, probably 8 or 9, to get the Bible. He returned quickly. They told us they received the Bible a long time ago but do not spend time reading it (none of them know how to read except for this boy). Jonathon wanted to read to them from their Bible, so they would know that we did not have some special, fixed version that fit our beliefs. But before he started reading, he decided to ask the young boy to read it instead. The little boy was so excited! He read aloud 7-8 verses about offering sacrifices of praise to God alone. He wanted to keep reading and asked Jonathon what he should read. Jonathon told him to keep reading in Chapter 17 of Acts. Jonathon also encouraged him to look up and read to his family the verses on the tracts we were handing out, verses that go throughout the gospel and bring words to the pictures on the Evangecube. He was so excited; he returned to where he was sitting on the ground and took the Bible with him.

After the explanation and hearing the truth from their own Bible, Mama Gunena wanted to accept Jesus! But, she said she could not do so until she had explained everything to Mama Sawa who, as it turns out, only spoke Maasai. We had no idea that as we were sitting there and talking, that she could not understand. So without hesitation, Mama Gunena began sharing the gospel with Mama Sawa. She asked me to show the pictures while she told the story. She did the cube perfectly! No, I could not understand what she was saying, but somehow I could understand that she understood and that truth was being spoken in and through her to Mama Sawa.

After hearing and understanding, Mama Sawa also wanted to make Jesus her Lord and Savior. When we prayed the prayer for them to accept Jesus, I spoke in English, Jonathon in Swahili, Mama Gunena repeated in Maasai, and then Mama Sawa would repeat after Mama Gunena. Even language is not a barrier to the light of the truth of the gospel of Christ. God knew we didn't speak Maasai, so He provided someone, who also needed Jesus, to serve as translator to reach Mama Sawa. Beautiful. Nothing is impossible for God.

After we prayed together, God gave me an idea. In my backpack, I had small, flat evangecubes (basically, stiff paper that also had the pictures of the gospel on them and also flipped from picture to picture). I thought that since Mama Gunena could already repeat and share the gospel using the cube, I would give one to her. I did! I had Jonathon explain that I saw her share so beautifully and encouraged her to use this smaller one to tell everyone she knows, in Swahili and Maasai.

It was so cool. She was grateful and excited, and Mama Sawa looked at peace. After we left that house to head back to the church for lunch, Jonathon and Pastor Pius both told me how joyful they were. "You left yourself behind," Jonathon told me.

Pray for Mama Gunena and Mama Sawa. That God would use them mightily to touch the lives of the people around them. Pray for Mama Gunena's son. That he would find truth in the Bible, God's Word, and be able to share it with his family and others as well.

Love in Unstoppable God!