TANZANIA – Pastors Johnson Odoyo and Amos Komanya, along with evangelist Elisha Peter, set out on another mission to the Datoga bush people on April 1. Their mission? To teach and encourage the two young churches planted in the Mang’ola district. Little did they know what awaited them.
The Datoga habitually hunt and gather food like the Hadzabe, but they also plant gardens and raise cattle and other farm animals. Many hours are spent in the hot and dry climate tilling the ground, pulling weeds and fertilizing the earth to feed a village.
One morning, village farmers awoke to find their hard-earned crops eaten and trampled down by the cattle from another village. They confronted the offending cattle owners and were outraged when they received an unsatisfactory response. Angry words soon turned to hostilities as men from the same tribe, but different villages, demanded their pound of flesh. Threats turned to fists that soon gave way to weapons, and a young man was shot in the chest with an arrow, piercing the skin and shattering a rib while narrowly missing his heart.
Village loyalty summoned every man to the battle, all but one. That one man kept his senses and called the police, a move that halted the fight temporarily but could not calm the burning animosity.
The police arrived reluctantly, fearing the bush people and their use of arrows and spears. When some of the warriors hid in the bush with their weapons in hand, the police dared not pursue them. Several arrests were made while the wounded young man’s life was hanging in the balance. He was finally taken to a hospital to receive urgent care.
This is the scene that greeted Pastors Johnson and Amos when they arrived. One can only wish that we were there to hear their words, exhorting the brethren to remember that Jesus came to end the war between man and God and that we too are called to love one another. They urged them to not give the devil any room and to instead, forgive each other. Tempers slowly cooled as the Holy Spirit found his way into their hearts.
Together they went to the hospital to visit the wounded young man and pray over him. While there they could not help but notice a number of people seeking medical aid for a recent viral outbreak. Instead of taking measures to guard themselves against this virus, they quickly understood why God had called them to be there. They went around the waiting areas and the rooms, laying hands on the afflicted and praying over them. They report that many of the hospitalized were released the following day.
Johnson and Amos called for the two villages to assemble. Obediently, all were summoned by the recognized signal of a horn. Even those who had fled into the bush heard the horn and knew that it was safe for them to return. When all were present the elders of the respective villages exchanged greetings and words of forgiveness, pledging to not allow such a conflict again.
Letters from the two villages were written to the police, asking forgiveness and pressing no charges against any of the jailed offenders. Even the wounded young man forgave the one who had pierced him. All the Datoga were released from jail. They sang praises to the Lord together, danced together and prayed together.
Money had been entrusted to Johnson and Amos to buy food for the Datoga. They wisely took some of that money and gave it to the farmers who had lost their crop. They also used some of the money to pay the wounded warrior’s hospital bill covering his expenses right up until the time of their departure on April 13.
The police heard that the brothers from Mwanza had poured cool water on the hot fires and called for them to come to the station. “How did you do this?” they asked. Their response, “It was nothing we did. God the Lord brought peace.”
Meanwhile, Pastor Elisha was having great success ministering to the two churches in Mang’ola even though they are 10 kilometers apart. One of them is in a village under heavy Muslim influence. He reports that many Muslims have decided to make Jesus the Lord of their lives. One such excited new convert is a man of substantial means who had studied the Quran (Koran). He is so wonderfully enthusiastic about his new life in Christ that he purchased a plot of land and has promised to finance construction of a new church on it. He further pledged to pay all of the remaining expenses for the Datoga warrior who is still hospitalized.
Pastor Elisha had to discontinue his activities in the latter part of their short-term mission due to his own illness. He reportedly has a blood condition “due to the environment,” something that is now under treatment.
The Lord takes great difficulties and makes something beautiful out of them. He takes impossibilities and glorifies his name with miracles. He takes pastors with no formal theological training and brings the book of Acts to life.
