Masai Warrior and Jesus

In August we learned that we would be able to visit the Masai Mara in Kenya. Charles would come over from Uganda, join us to drive the back roads to the campsite, and camp for two days and nights, see the animals and learn more about the Masai. Little did we know of God's plan for the visit.

Upon our arrival we were introduced to Richard, a 20 year old Masai warrior, (pictured above) who knew where to find all the animals in the Masai Mara. Late afternoon we departed in "Rhino" our '92 Mitsubushi Pajero to see some animals. With Charles at the wheel and Richard navigating we began the drive. Richard tried to set appropriate expectations saying it was rare to see lions the first day out." So Margaret responded with a prayer. "Lord we are here to enjoy your creation, if it is your will for us to see some lions we would love it."

As we drove we saw herds of zebras, gazelles, and giraffes and amazingly enough a pride of lions eating a recently killed wildebeast. Richard was so excited and said "this is really lucky to see the lions...this rarely happens." But Margaret replied that God hears our prayers.










While we drove around Margaret talked to Richard about the Masai religion and what they believed and many questions about the culture. As they talked about worshipping ravens and drinking cow blood mixed with milk she interjected comments about what we believe as Christians. At one point she excitedly said, "Imagine what fun Adam had naming all these magnificent animals." We talked about Genesis and the garden, polyamy and God's plan for marriage, why Jesus came to earth and God's restoration plan for eternal life. Since Richard spoke some English but mostly Swahili, Charles answered questions and translated what Margaret said in "Texas English." Richard was very curious and was particularly drawn to the praise and worship music Charles loved to play as we drove around. Frequently Richard increased the volume and sang along with the songs. God was at work on Richard's heart.

The next day we took a drive early in the morning and saw ostrich, cheetahs, a fox, gazelles and hippos. Our discussions continued with Richard as he explained he was required to read the Bible in school and knew many of the stories. Somehow we got on the subject of the Holy Spirit and that no one can force us to believe in God or Jesus but that it is a choice to accept the gift of what Jesus did on the cross for us. He was very curious and continued to discuss things with Charles in Swahili.

Before lunch Richard said he would like us to visit his village and meet some Masai women who were believers. At the village, the warriors did some traditional dances and explained the origin of the dances. For instance the "jumping dance" started as a result of warriors jumping to look over the thicket for lions. This was interesting because only three weeks earlier a lion had attacked the cattle.

As Richard showed us his village he stopped to introduce us to his 110 year old grandmother and some of the Christian women. Margaret shared with them being "daughters of the king" as an encouragement and we visited a typical cow dung house, saw how they make fire with friction from dowel sticks and learned about how they protect the cattle from lions. The Masai put their cattle in the center of the village at night for protection from the wild animals. Richard said when the lion jumped the thicket the warriors surrounded it and killed it to protect the cattle. He explained this is the only time the Masai can kill a lion since they are defending their cattle.

There are many misconceptions about the Masai being violent people because of the fact that they are fierce warriors in protecting their cattle. They are quiet people with great courage and this is often misunderstood. Charles even admitted that as a Ugandan he has wrong impressions of them. Getting to know Richard revealed many things about the culture and allowed us to gain a more accurate understanding of these facinating people.

We returned to camp for lunch then took an afternoon ride. God continued to answer our prayers as we saw hippos, croccodiles, a herd of giraffe, elephants with their little ones and more zebras. Before we left we had seen some incredibly beautiful animals and sunsets. God's design is trully magnificent as you observe the animals and beautiful landscape.


Our final night Richard joined us for dinner at the camp. He shared with us his plan to return to school, build a modern house and be the first from his village to start a different life. It was obvious he wanted to attend university and asked our advice about what direction he should take in his future plans. We discussed many options and Charles continued the discussions in Swahili. Then Mark asked Richard if he had made a decision about whether he believed in Jesus. Richard replied, " I made the decision today that I believe. He said we were the first mzungu (white people) who ever talked to him about God." All of us were excited and welcomed him into the family. Charles said we needed to exchange e-mail addresses and Margaret committed to mail him a life application Bible. He had seen hers in the car and really liked it.

So we realized God had a plan for us in the Mara and it was more than seeing the animals. Richard became a believer and a brother in Christ! Being alert to what God is doing around us is part of the spiritual adventure. You never know who God is going to put in your path who needs Jesus!

Hope for the Heart Biblical Counseling Keys Impacting Kenya and Uganda

Perez and Heledah at Deliverance Church, Kisumu, Kenya

In August Margaret started a Hope for the Heart Biblical Counseling Ministry at Deliverance Church in Kisumu, Kenya with a group of four ladies and one man. She did a training program to share the foundational information on how to use the keys along with practical things you should consider during counseling sessions. One of the Kenyan ladies Ann has been on staff with Campus Crusade for years so she was very excited about using the keys. Also Perez and Heledah from Deliverance Church, Kisumu Kenya, expressed the need for the information in ministering to the orphans and widows. The church has a partnership with Compassion International called the Dorcas Ministry where they minister specifically to the needs of widows, single moms and orphans. Miriam another participant in the training has a counseling degree and a passion for working with young adults and couples.

God continues to open doors and bless the faithful with these amazing counseling keys. When the pastors and staff begin using the keys and understand the needs God has put in our hearts, they are so excited and see results from using God's word in this way.

We have witnessed great healing changes in the lives of people in Busia, Uganda since Beth McKee trained Grace Church leaders in the use of the keys. Margaret returned in August to do a refresher course and heard stories of marriages being restored, ministry conflicts being resolved, and people gaining a greater understanding of the needs God puts in our hearts and how we respond. As we seek understanding and reach out in love God shows his restoration power and things change. Many thanks to Hope for the Heart for generously supporting us by donating the keys to minister in Africa.

Iron Men Marching On

The 12 men who completed the course "Doing Business God's Way" taught by Mark receive certificates of completion Sunday Aug. 13 during services at Deliverance Church in Kisumu.

"Iron Man" Daniel Mwangi (left) in the store he owns, along with two kiosks. Daniel wants to diversify his business to operate a 14-passenger vehicle to the Kenya/Uganda border.

"Iron Man" Paul Okech (right, orange shirt) watches his 10-man crew load 10 tons of sugar cane. Paul cannot meet demand for his sugar cane transport business and wants another tractor.

Kabale,Lake Bunyoni, Bashara Island

Team exploring Bashara Island ministries and new conference center.

Ideas for future ministries to support the orphans in the area.

Margaret and Pastor Johnson discussing future ministry plans.

Canoe dock at Lake Bunyoni.

Team breakfast on the porch!

Cottages by Lake Bunyoni great place to rest after full days of ministry.

Back Home, New Beginnings from Linz

Linz, Yvonne and Charles at the Equator! Not as hot as Dallas or London.

So I've been home for almost a week but have been flying with hardly a minute to sit down! With the help of some WONDERFUL friends and family members, I completely moved into my apartment on Sunday, started unpacking Monday, painted all day Tuesday, went food/necessity shopping Wednesday, went teacher shopping today, and still have to finish unpacking! But I'm loving it! Having my ownplace is great so far :)

But, back to Africa, I must finish the tale!... Sooooooo, that night we had dinner with many of our friends at a favorite Italian restaurant (yes, I wasn't there long, but already had favorite restaurants!). It was a great time of laughter and interesting conversation (roles of men and women in relationships, serious stuff, but always fun!).

We went home and packed everything up, woke up and left the house by 6 to go to the airport. Once in the airport, we mosied (sp?) on over to the gate and hung out there til our flight left. Lucky for us, we got bumped up to World Traveller Plus, which is like middle class on BA. As I've said, BA is nice to begin with, and this middle class was GREAT! Lots of leg room, bigger seats, more mobility, good stuff! That made the trip to London quite enjoyable. We landed in London, got a taxi and headed to our Bed and Breakfast in Harmondsworth Village. :) It was such a cute little area. We walked around and talked with some of the locals, ate at a nearby pub (burger for me, fish and chips for Yvonne) and came back to our HOT room. I don't know if you heard, but there was a heat streak in London, and of course they don't have AC over there. There was no breeze and our fan was very weak. Oddly enough, it was the hottest we'd been on the trip! Who'd of thought London would be hotter than the equator!haha :) Plus, the sun stays up forever in London. It rises by 6 and doesn't go down til at least 10! I couldn't wait for the sun, I went to sleep around 9:30 that night. :)

Next morning we woke up, had some breakfast, took a taxi back to the airport, got some Starbucks, and headed to our gate. Not without any trouble though. After flying all the way to Uganda and back, Heathrow was telling me my carry on was too big...... sure it was. So I had to check my bag, praying all of my souviers wouldn't be broken. Praise the Lord, only one little chip occured, which my dad fixed when I got back :) thanks daddy! We then boarded our plane and were AGAIN bumped up to Word Traveller Plus! The Lord is good! :) We breezed through customs in O'Hare and our bags were all there :) We walked around and chilled in the food court until our plane left. It was slightly delayed, but no big deal. :) Finally we arrived back home! We waited for our bags (only to discover one was sitting on the floor behind us the whole time! haha) then headed home. It was such an amazing trip, I've uploaded my pictures onto Webshots so you can get a glimpse of our adventures! http://community.webshots.com/user/pinzy06-date

Thank you so much for your support financially, in prayer and in emails! I've loved communicating with you the whole way through! At this point, I would love to go back and focus on just one of the places we travelled on this trip. I would love to deepen some of the relationships I started and invest in some of the ministries. I'll let you know if anything comes up! :) God bless for He blesses richly!!Linz :)

Kabale Awana Pictures

Yvonne and Master the Awana game time coordinator

explain the Gospel with the Evangecube.

Yvonne, Pastor Johnson and David Echau

Children's Leaders with Yvonne after training.

Awana game time becoming a family fellowship event!

A Shoebox, A Willing Heart and Boys Needing Jesus in Uganda

Yvonne Meets the boys after many months of e-mails!

You never know where a note at the bottom

of your Christmas shoebox will lead to later!

The Boys Brigade in Kampala entertained us with stunts when we visited them.

Gifts of the Word and More...

Ministering to orphans at Mt. Carmel Boarding School with gifts was a wonderful blessing. Children from Gaba with Mama Margaret were so excited to receive your donations of soap, deodorant, flashlights, mosquito nets, clothes and more… Thanks from the children!

Scripture Verses in the Classrooms at Maranatha School in Gaba were painted by Lindsay and Yvonne during the time they were in Uganda. Praise God for the lasting impact they will have on the children.

Muyenga Barber Shop Ministry

A customer, Moses,” the barber man” and Ben

While in Muyenga before departing for Kisumu, Ben asked me to visit his friend Moses “the barber man” as he calls him. About a year ago Ben shared the Gospel with Moses while he was getting a haircut. Every time Ben showed up for a haircut there were spiritual discussions. Many men hung out at the shop and there was always a radio playing with the latest secular music. Then one day Moses called Ben and said I need your help, can you please come. It seems someone had agreed to rent his radio then took it without paying and ruined it. This was an important piece of equipment for the shop since it brought customers to him. Ben prayed for him and Moses thanked him. Later the prayer was answered. Moses was beginning to see God at work and the peace he could have if he seriously followed Jesus. It was hard for Moses to turn from his friends that hung out at the bars and wanted him to participate in ungodly behavior. They were always encouraging him to go with them and kept asking, “why don’t you like to hang out with us anymore?”

Ben continued to visit and talk and gave him his Life Application Bible. As Moses read the Word, prayed and discussed with Ben different basic topics, he understood and could see the different path his life could take if he was completely sold out to Jesus. (Thanks for the Life Application Bibles they continue to be prized possessions in Uganda!)

So when I arrived Ben asked me if we could visit and discuss some of Moses questions. This was a fun experience for me since I’ve never had the opportunity to answer questions about the Bible while people are coming and going in a barber shop. There were both ladies and gentlemen arriving and we talked about relationship between men and women, submission, encouragement, deception…whatever they wanted to talk about and I was amazed at the picture of how we are to “make disciples of all nations” as we go along wherever we are…even in a barber shop!

Farewell Celebration, Village Ministry, Nine Wives and an 89 yr. Old Polygamist

Lindsay, Ben, Charles, Lillian, Yvonne, Lataaya, and Moses

Our last night with the team was a celebration at Café Roma our favorite restaurant in Kampala. The following morning they departed for London. We had a very productive trip and saw many exciting new opportunities for future ministry work.

Charles, Ben and I arrived in Kisumu without any difficulties Monday July 24th. It was a fun trip and “Rhino” our old car behaved itself and even got extra good gas mileage. Praise the Lord! On our way we stopped in Jinja to visit Ben’s sister Doreen who has had some difficulties with an auntie who is a sorcerer and heavy into witchcraft. Doreen is a strong believer and is learning to stand firm while the auntie continually puts weird things outside her door, makes discouraging comments and constantly says she is going to “witch” her. I’ve never seen such things out in the open. We prayed and encouraged Doreen and Ben hopes to be able to move her to Kampala soon to get her away from the mean aunties.

Ben, Margaret, Doreen, and Charles in Jinja

On Tuesday after taking Ben and Charles to the taxi to return to Uganda, I headed out to the village with Perez to teach the women. It was a short drive out there and the driving is much easier than in Kampala. I adjusted very easily to the taxi drivers, bicyclers and boda bodas. At the village we were met by a young pastor, Pastor Peter and a group of ladies. Since many in the congregation are not literate I had to adjust some of the things I planned but things went well. Even though the meeting was for women the pastor stayed and Perez’s father in law an 89 yr. old polygamist stayed to listen. I think he was curious about what I was teaching the women! Most of the people in the village have a mixture of Catholicism and traditional cultural belief systems. The new church plant from Deliverance Church is growing and people are getting discipled. The topics covered in the training included our identity in Christ, salvation, grace, the Word of God being trustworthy and inerrant, our testimonies as a witness of Jesus in our lives and spiritual warfare especially in communication. During the week we had some wonderful discussions about spiritual warfare…how to recognize it and defend ourselves in the name of Jesus. It was encouraging when the pastor told us he was noticing some changes in perspectives.


Mzee pictured in the center.

Even the Mzee (the 89 yr. old polygamist) said he was beginning to understand things in the Bible and that it helped to have cultural examples. At one point he came up to me and said, “You know I have Jesus in my heart but I am a polygamist like David and Solomon.” My response was, “as a born-again believer what do you think about this now. I said I hoped Mark and I could discuss this some more with him.” The next day I felt the Lord strongly wanted me to teach about relationships. Since the young Pastor Peter is getting married in a few weeks it was the perfect opportunity to discuss Biblical marriage. I have to admit it took courage to discuss God’s plan and how David and Solomon didn’t follow the plan and had much chaos and difficulty as a result of many unbelieving wives. At the end I think they understood that God wants us to be happy and unified in our relationships and all these marriages to many wives causes much confusion, envy, resentment, and anger. Most of all unbelieving wives turn the husbands away from God. Mzee (title of respect for wise one) listened and at the end I asked him if he had been offended by anything I said. “I told him I wanted to be respectful but at the same time speak the word of God in love.” He said he was glad to know these things and wanted me to return to teach more. God truly blessed me with the new friendship with this old man. As we talked he asked what Mark and I were doing in Uganda and I told him part of what we do is build homes for orphans. His reply was, “I will donate some of my land for a home for orphans it you want to build one here.” Praise God another open door. Step by step we just keep moving along and who knows maybe in a year or so this village will be transformed and the Mzee will join us in opening another home for orphans. Showing up is a great adventure and I thank all of you for your participation. All of these things would not be possible without your prayers and support.