…The men have to hunt and kill a lion before they can get married…


That was the FIRST thing I heard about the Massai people… needless to say I was intrigued.


The Massai are in the midst of losing some of their traditional ways due to government regulation and rule. Obviously with extinction issues, the whole “lion hunting” thing isn’t allowed anymore- and there are other things changing.

Even in the midst of a world that is becoming increasingly westernized, there is something beautiful about a culture that is clinging to its roots.


The village we visited slaughtered a goat for us for lunch- talk about hospitality.

In the small mud hut church with wooden benches…

We sang. We danced. We worshipped. Unifed by the gospel.


I stood in front of the small congregation of villagers and I poured my heart out about the amazing power of the gospel.

As I scanned a people group, the one that I saw being a world of difference from me, the people that were most unlike me- my heart was hit with the incredible truth that the gospel is what united us.

We were so different, but so much the same.

I could not hold back the tears that came in an overwhelming flood of emotion of how big and incredible God’s own love for us was.


Rich or poor… young or old… white or black…

The fact remains that the gospel unites us with the simple message that nothing satisfies our souls except for the redeeming love of Jesus Christ.

I expressed to them that at times my heart wanted to hold back in talking about our “need” in this world because I was afraid people would look at me and want to know what the “white girl from America” knew about “need”, when I have not faced poverty the way they have.

But God’s Word says, “blessed are the poor in spirit…”

It’s not about your status- it’s about seeing the need… that you are poor in spirit. The truth is we all are poor in spirit until we are filled with the Holy Spirit- and understand that our satisfaction comes from a relationship with the Father.

The “Amens” that resonated through the Massai people, echoed the sentiments of my heart…

The more I talk about the gospel, the more amazing I find the whole thing.