Sonjo Crusade

The road to Sonjo was not an easy road. Words cannot describe the feeling of
driving across the open Serengeti to reach a people among whom few have even
heard the name of Jesus

We drove for several hours across this land. It was a beautiful wide open grass
plain populated with occasional herds of impalas and gazelles. I was reminded of
just how big our God is when I looked up and saw how far the sky seemed to stretch.

I saw what Paul meant in Romans 1 when he talked about how God’s creation is
evidence of His eternal power and divine nature. This lone giraffe was just one of
the many wild animals we saw just standing near the road on our journey to Sonjo.

With no maps or street signs we had to rely on the directions from some of the
natives around the Sonjo land. This Massai man is just one of the many who helped
guide us along the way.

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This was our host family who met us weary travelers with open arms and homes. We
were so blessed by God to be able to stay in some of the very few concrete houses
that can be found among the people of Sonjo. We were without electricity, except
for that provided by this man’s one solar panel, and running water. This experience
was a stretch for the Americans among us, but it was well worth the sacrifice.

The first thing we did the morning after our arrival was to survey the land and, with
the help of a few local Christians, spread the word that we had come to bring the
people some good news

Here are a few local children that were seen while we were doing door to door
ministry. You can see the house they live in is made of mud rocks and a few
timbers. The children grow up knowing what it is to be hungry and dirty. They
also grow up in the absence of knowledge of the Lord.

The absence of the knowledge of the Lord is evident in most places in Sonjo.
Here is a man with his two wives. If there’s no one to tell you that God created
man & woman and when they are married the two become on, then the two that
become one may be three or four.

Here’s a picture of a typical home in Sonjo. The roof is made of grass, so
when it rains, the roof leaks. The walls are made of mud and sticks, so when
it storms the walls deteriorate.

Here’s another family dwelling we visited. You see three separate
structures. The one on the right is for the family. The open one in the middle
is for the bigger livestock. The one to the left was for smaller animals like
goat and chickens.

This is the local church we visited. The church building is still under
construction. It’s bare brick walls, open window areas, and half covered roof
are evidence of the poverty of the area. The fabrics covering the walls as
decoration are evident of the people’s love of God and willingness to
sacrifice what little they have for Him.

There are some few believers, but still many people in Sonjo do not know
even who Jesus is. This small band of believers faces persecution from their
own people for deserting their pagan religion and turning to Jesus. These are
some young men helping to prepare the food that would be served during our
day of ministry. Persecution cements one’s beliefs and conviction. You’ll see
the young man on the right again.

With the help of the local body, we were able to not only feed the people with
the Bread of Life, but also with some food to fill their empty stomachs.

The people of Sonjo did come to hear what we visitors had to say. What
we shared was the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Many of them were
brave enough to face their fears of persecution and give their lives to
Jesus on this day. God was with us and did many miraculous things in the
lives of His people there.

Here’s the young man who was helping to prepare the food earlier. He’s
was at the service for the entire day, even until the time we visitors
were leaving. The people of Sonjo are hungry for the gospel, and it
shows.

Towards the end of the service, the local school which accommodates
about 400 children ended it’s day, and many of the students came to
the crusade. The church building was much too small and was already
full, so we took the gospel to them outside. While you can’t see the
full extent of the crowd of children, you can see how happy they were
to hear about Jesus.

Some of the young men of the area were too scared to come into the
church due to the intimidation of the pagan religion’s followers. So a
couple members of our team went out to them to minister. Praise the
Lord because He sent us with enough people to minister in different
areas at the same time.

This is the local pastor of the church that hosted us. He is left to
shepherd the almost 100 new converts, those who gave their lives
to Jesus that day. His name is Ngunyi, and he risks his life to
minister to his people.

Here’s our team. It consists of members from many states in the US
and regions in Tanzania. We are a varied group, but God called us
all to reach out to His people in a land called Sonjo.

This is the future of the Sonjo people. We have over 15 of the
children of Sonjo at Fountain of Hope Christian School. They are not
only receiving a Christian education, but true Christian discipleship
where they learn to pray and lay hands on sick people. They are not
just taught this, but have opportunities to get experience doing it.
When they travel home, they are highly respected by even the adults
in their tribe. They have an opportunity to share the gospel every
time they go home.