A New Church is Born
It was just after one o’clock in the afternoon when we arrived in the hot and dusty community of Olchorro Onyokie. We stretched and adjusted our eyes to the bright sun as we stepped out of the car after over an hour of off road driving. Just like every Wednesday for the past eight months, we had come to lead a Bible study as part of our continuing ministry to Maasai communities in need of spiritual discipleship.
Even though there was not a church in Olchorro Onyokie, a number of people in the community wanted to learn more about Jesus Christ. This interest opened doors for us to begin ministering to the people of this village community. Like many of our experiences doing discipleship and evangelism among the Maasai, at first only the woman children attended Bible study. Our only chance to minister to the men was to chat with them before or after the Bible study. After a number of months, we were pleasantly surprised when a few of the men finally started coming to the Bible Study!
On this Wednesday, we spent some time catching up with everyone and hearing an update on the community. Once everyone had arrived we sat down under a shade tree and shared a story about Christ with them. After the story we had a time for questions and discussion. One young man named Tuala asked if it was possible for him to be a Christian if shepherding his goats and cows would keep him from attending church every Sunday. We shared that while attending church is integral to spiritual growth it is not a condition of salvation. As we explained that salvation is a free gift from Christ not dependent on church attendance, we could see that God was doing something inside of him. As soon as we finished, Tuala stood up in front of his community and said he wanted to accept and follow Christ with his whole life.
Delighted at Tuala’s decision, we went to his home and continued sharing what it means to accept and follow Christ. As we shared about repenting and praying for forgiveness he said “I’ve never prayed before, I don’t know how, can you teach me?” Right there in his mud hut, Tuala prayed for the first time and asked God for forgiveness for his sins. That day, in a small cattle trough, he became the first person in the community to be baptized!
Soon after Tuala’s baptism, another man, Patrick, decided to give his life to Christ. As we continue to visit the community for Bible Study and the discipleship of these young believers, we have noticed other men coming and allowing their wives and children to attend as well. During the week, Tuala and Patrick have been gathering their neighbors for prayer, and teaching them the things they have learned about Christ. There is even a small group of believers now meeting under a shade tree for church on Sundays.
Praise God for the way that He has revealed Himself to this community. As we continue to disciple and teach the people of Olchorro Onyokie, we are excited to see what God will do.
