On the second night of our revival meetings in Nairobi, Kenya, God blessed us once again. New visitors attended, and it was a joy to meet people who had come to hear the Word of God. But the blessings of the evening did not end when the church service concluded. After the meetings I returned to my hotel, called the LMS Guest House in Nairobi, Kenya, a church-owned facility that includes guest accommodations, a restaurant, a hospital, a school, and the offices of the East Kenya Union Conference.
I went to the dining hall for a light dinner. As I was finishing my meal, the hotel’s general manager approached me with two men who had traveled nearly seven hours just to find me. What made the encounter even more remarkable was that these visitors were Maasai warriors—or perhaps I should say former Maasai warriors who have now become warriors for Christ. They are Seventh-day Adventists who have dedicated their lives to carrying the gospel to the outermost regions of Kenya, ministering among remote tribal communities, including some that have been divided by generations of conflict.
The Maasai warriors are known throughout the world for their courage and distinctive red clothing. Historically, they are the defenders of their communities. Maasai warriors hunt lions with only a spear to demonstrate their bravery. I praised the Lord that these two men did not arrive at the hotel in full Maasai regalia, complete with spears and shields!
The two visitors were Pastor Issac Naiarenke and Delton Kanunga, representatives of Mara Mission Outreach. These faithful Maasai Adventist missionaries are working among the Maasai, Pokot, Samburu, Turkana, and other tribal groups living in the remote regions of Kenya—some of whom have historically been at war with one another. The extraordinary thing about their ministry is their literacy program involving approximately 150 volunteers and missionaries. Many people within these tribal communities have never had the opportunity to learn how to read or write.
With Pastor Issac Naiarenke (left) and Delton Kanunga (right).
Through literacy education, Mara Mission Outreach is teaching men and women letters, numbers, grammar, and practical skills—but most importantly, they are teaching them how to read the Bible. Literacy has become an entering wedge through which missionaries are able to proclaim the everlasting gospel and the Three Angels’ Messages. The people are not merely learning how to read words on a page; they are being introduced to the Word of God and to the saving truth for these last days.
What this mission has accomplished is extraordinary. In some regions, it has helped achieve something that even government efforts have struggled to accomplish: bringing peace and reconciliation among warring tribal communities. Students from opposing tribes come together for literacy and missionary training. They must eat together, sleep in the same facilities, study together, and worship together. Pastor Naiarenke and Brother Kanunga told me that when it is time to pray, some students initially refuse to close their eyes because they do not trust those sitting beside them from rival tribes.
Yet, through the grace of God, the dedication of the missionaries, and the students’ desire to learn, barriers are beginning to fall. Tribal enemies are learning to sit beside one another. Those who once regarded each other with suspicion are studying the Bible together. They are learning not only to read and write, but also the everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ and the Three Angels’ Messages.
As I listened to their testimony, I was deeply moved. It reminded me that Jesus Christ can truly heal the deepest divisions in this world. Political negotiations fail. Government programs fall short. Human agreements fall apart. But when men and women surrender their hearts to Christ, ancient enemies can become new-found brothers and sisters.
These friendships have contributed to peace in communities that have long been plagued by violence and tribal conflict. The Kenyan government has witnessed firsthand the positive impact of Mara Mission Outreach. Pastors and administrators within the East Kenya Union Conference have also seen the blessings resulting from the work of these Maasai missionaries. This is not a small undertaking. It is a growing missionary movement that is teaching, reconciling, evangelizing, and preparing souls for baptism into Christ and into God’s last-day remnant church.
The work is financed by free-will offerings. Mara Mission Outreach has the burden to carry the present truth to “every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people” (Revelation 14:6). To learn more about this missionary project or to support its noble work, please visit: https://www.maravision.org. Please pray for Mara Mission Outreach. Pray for the missionaries and volunteers who are entering difficult and sometimes dangerous regions. Pray for the tribal communities that are learning to replace hostility for fellowship. Most importantly, pray for the many precious souls for whom Jesus died who are now coming to a saving knowledge of the truth.
Before leaving, Pastor Issac Naiarenke and Delton Kanunga extended a heartfelt invitation for me to travel with them in the future and preach the gospel in the remote regions of Kenya. With the passion and determination characteristic of the Maasai people, they placed a solemn burden upon my heart to join them in carrying the message of Christ to those living along the outer edges of society.
Please pray about this invitation. I told them that if God wants me to go, He will open the doors—and when He opens them, I will go. God is raising up a people who are carrying His truth into places that many will never see. Truly, the gospel of Jesus Christ has the power to transform lives and bring peace where the world has been unable to produce it.
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