The Maasai Way

   

Engikaret Arusha, Tanzania

    This past week has been incredibly challenging - but in all the best ways. As I reflect on the way the Lord is moving in the village of Engikaret, I feel an overwhelming sense of joy. My team had the privilege of serving in this community, focusing on meeting the needs of the people in the Maasai tribe. Tanzania is home to many tribes, with the Maasai being one of the most well-known. These people are gentle and kind, often first to give the shirt off their back. However, their lifestyle is largely nomadic and traditional, which leaves them significantly behind the rest of the population. In this tribe, it's normal for men to have multiple wives, often marrying young girls in their teens. It is also forbidden for children to attend school, as education is seen as a threat - something that could "take away their wives." The Maasai men view education as a risk; if the women decides to pursue further schooling, it would mean leaving the village. Fathers often sell their daughters for a price, whether in cows, goats, or other forms of payment. These are forced marriages - arrangements that benefit the parents and the husbands. These women are treated as property to be owned, and sadly, this practice continues even today. The average life expectancy for women in the Maasai tribe is just 45 years old. What must that be like, I wonder? What does it feel like to grow up knowing you must die to all of your heart's dreams and desires? Dear readers, I ask you to pause for a moment and try to step into the shoes of these women. I want you to really imagine living a life stripped of freedom, bound by traditions that deny you a choice. If a husband dies in this tribe, all of the women he married are left widowed. The widows can no longer remarry, but they can have children with other men. This results in a large amount of women being without support or access to their essential needs. 

Smiling because she just received a bible in her mother tongue!

    The YWAM base where my team and I stayed in Engikaret has been dedicated to serving the Maasai people in the surrounding areas. Over the years, with the support of the Tanzanian government, they have built a school that brings children from the village to receive both education and an introduction to the love of Jesus. The vision of the school is to teach children their God-purpose at a young age, helping them understand His calling on their lives. The goal is to offer them a new perspective on life - a life with Jesus - and to bring a radical transformation in the Maasai communities. Many of the women who grew up in this school have gone on to pursue higher education, becoming nurses, midwives, teachers, and more. They now have a deep understanding of what it means to be free, and this base has played a significant role in shaping their lives and communities. 

    This week has been one of the hardest emotionally - I'm so sure of it. On Tuesday, Mollie and I went out to the surrounding boumas (a bouma is an area with around four or five mud huts, typically housing one husband and multiple wives). We began evangelizing, and the first home we arrived at, we were greeted by a woman who kindly invited us into her home. After a long conversation, we asked her if she'd like to receive prayer, and she shared a prayer request about her daughter, who was supposed to get married next month to a man significantly older than her. As we glanced around the home, searching for a daughter who seemed of an age suitable for marriage, a little girl appeared around the corner. The mother pointed toward her, introducing her as the one set to be married off. We were stunned to realized she was only ten years old. Ten. And within the next year, she would likely be forced to bear children as well. The mother was praying for a miracle - for the husband’s heart to radically change as he was refusing the girl's education, and forcing this arrangement. 

    Later that same day, we visited another home that stood out to me. The woman who appeared out of the home seemed young as well, and hiding behind her legs were a few young children. Sitting on the floor in the dark sat a baby, probably about a year old. The mother picked him up and brought him outside, where we noticed he was covered with fleas. She asked us to pray for him because of an ongoing respiratory illness that has been affecting his breathing. After we prayed, I asked this woman how old she was, and she responded, “I am not sure; I wasn’t allowed to go to school.” 

    On a lighter note, Mollie and I had the privilege of witnessing several people accept Jesus, along with many receiving Bibles for the first time in their mother tongue. We were able to speak life and truth over the lives of the most weary and vulnerable. During ministry, we were invited into a home where we met three incredible women, one of whom had given birth to a child two days earlier. This brand new mother invited us into a dark corner in the room where she lay with her baby, and Mollie, the translators, and I huddled together to see. We spoke with these women, admiring their incredible strength and how they supported one another through this time. Near the end of our visit, the new mother brought her beautiful, fresh baby into the light and asked us to name her. Mollie and I looked at each other in complete shock, but we were honoured to have that responsibility. After praying about it, we felt like “Esther" was a suitable name, which was quickly received by the mother with a smile. 

    Besides ministry, our team had the incredible opportunity to build a new home for a widow and her six children. This was such a fun and rewarding project to be a part of, and I am feeling so thankful that the Lord is using me to make a tangible difference in the lives of this family. This was such a sweet joy. 

    I also had the opportunity to participate in a medical outreach on Wednesday. Together with a team of doctors and nurses we packed up a car loaded with medication, and drove an hour to an open church. Once we arrived, we set up tables for testing, along with a temporary pharmacy. I was quickly assigned to a station where I performed tests for malaria, syphilis, urinalysis, and blood glucose levels. It was definitely challenging to have to adapt to limited resources, especially when having to ration gloves, however we managed and were able to treat around 400 patients in total! It was such a thrill to be working as a nurse during this medical outreach, some familiar territory in such an unfamiliar place. Serving this community in this way ended up blessing me in ways I can't fully explain.

This is the previous hut of the widow for whom we built a home. She and her six children all slept on a single bed, with their mattress made from two layers of cowhide..

Her family is about to transition from a cramped, one-room home to a much larger space - one that can truly accommodate all of them, providing a much safer environment. The home has been finished, however this is a picture of us mid-build!

   As we head into these next ten days on the YWAM base in Arusha, I humbly ask for your prayers for the dedicated staff here. This time marks the one-year anniversary of a tragic bus accident in Tanzania, which claimed the lives of 11 YWAM missionaries, including the base leaders. Just two days ago, we received heartbreaking news that the leader who stepped into the role after the tragedy passed away unexpectedly during the night. Please join us in praying for his wife, his family, and the entire staff as they grieve during this incredibly difficult time. 

I know I've shared quite a bit, but thank you for reading. It feels good to put so much of this in print allowing me to process everything I've seen and experienced this past week. Your check-in and support mean so much to me - knowing I have people rooting for me from across the globe is such an encouragement.

Feeling the sun during morning devotions

Written with love, Layla <3