Upon arrival to the village in the picture, we were received as nothing short of the welcome the prodigal son must have experienced. The Elder of the village came out of the gate and walked to us as we were coming. Greeting us with tears and hugs, the rest of the village followed suit. No fatted calf, but two goats and lots of sour milk, AAH, the good life! The saying goes in Maasai "melakua ang inchu" (translation: "Home is not far away, if you have life.") It was definitely true, as there was much praising of God.
In the joy of this uniting, there was also great sadness as well. This village, which had been so dear in our hearts, had become run down...almost as if it were abandoned. The reason, an availability of alcohol at the town across the lake. The men, as well as the women, and even the warriors, were all drinking and drunk. The women have suffered at the hands of these men as they bore the stripes of alcohol on their backs.
There was joy as well, as we were able to find that a group of believers are continuing to meet each Sunday. We had a chance to experience it and it was exciting to see all different age-sets there, and both men and women. While in that area, we were also able to attend a celebration of the warriors as they were in search for the one who would serve as the voice of their age-set. A good time and a good walk.
As for the research project, after lengthy explanations as to what I am here for, some of the men are beginning to grasp what I am trying to do. In these discussions I thought I would find more clarity of what I wanted to get, but instead I have had more questions arise. Please Pray for more clarity as I gather the stories.
In the joy of this uniting, there was also great sadness as well. This village, which had been so dear in our hearts, had become run down...almost as if it were abandoned. The reason, an availability of alcohol at the town across the lake. The men, as well as the women, and even the warriors, were all drinking and drunk. The women have suffered at the hands of these men as they bore the stripes of alcohol on their backs.
There was joy as well, as we were able to find that a group of believers are continuing to meet each Sunday. We had a chance to experience it and it was exciting to see all different age-sets there, and both men and women. While in that area, we were also able to attend a celebration of the warriors as they were in search for the one who would serve as the voice of their age-set. A good time and a good walk.
As for the research project, after lengthy explanations as to what I am here for, some of the men are beginning to grasp what I am trying to do. In these discussions I thought I would find more clarity of what I wanted to get, but instead I have had more questions arise. Please Pray for more clarity as I gather the stories.
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