“Set a guard, Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!”
Psalm 141:3 ESV
Wildlife, fiercely defended by park personnel, is just as common in Kajiado County, Kenya, as it is on the Maasai Mara. Therefore, nature conservancies have sprung up over the years. Protecting the giraffes, lions, impalas, and a myriad of other creatures unique to Africa is a means to earn a good living by Maasai standards.
In March 2024, Nancy, Mara Vision Outreach’s director in Kajiado County, journeyed 150 kilometers (93 miles) to attend church in Orngosua one Sabbath. During her trek, she and a colleague needed to pass through a gated nature conservancy.
While people who live nearby do not pay a fee, gatekeepers charge others to pass through onto the property. As she and one other approached the gate, it was wide open. No gatekeepers were anywhere in sight.
The church members from Orngosua met under a tree because they had no physical church. The group spent a joyous time with their Creator God. After their worship and fellowship, the two travelers gathered their things and began the long journey home.
Even at a substantial distance from the conservancy exit, twelve angry gatekeepers saw them approaching. Somehow, these rangers knew that these two had entered the secured area without paying. The gatekeepers also seemed to know where they had been.
As the two explained that they had gone to church, the men accused them of lying because they knew no church structure had been built in that area. The men and Nancy argued in circles.
“You need to pay to see the animals.”
“We will NOT pay because we went to church, not to see nature.”
“Worshiping under a tree is not church.”
Eventually, one of the men became curious about why they were worshiping on Saturday. Nancy let the Word of God speak for itself by sharing the verses: Exodus 20:8–11, Deuteronomy 5:12–15, Exodus 31:14, and Leviticus 19:13.
The men asked if she used a Bible with different text so she could prove her point, or if her Bible had the same text as the local pastor's Bible. Having never read God’s Word for themselves, these gatekeepers never knew of these verses. Even so, they accepted the local pastor’s teaching without any questions or opening the Scriptures and studying for themselves. The men struggled to trust the different teaching that the Bible indicates Sunday is not the designated day of God’s true worship.
“Next time you return for church, we will go with you,” they confirmed.
The Holy Spirit was working on their hearts, so these men earnestly want to know more. They also wished to compare her Bible with their pastor’s, still thinking it was something different.
Nancy is soft-spoken, kind, and gentle with people, yet she has a commanding presence. When she speaks, the Holy Spirit is with her, so even the men take notice of her words.
These men willingly received her God-ordained thoughts because not only is she Maasai and accomplished, but with the Holy Spirit’s power, she declared the Word of God. Since they saw that Nancy was educated and that she could teach them something, they listened attentively. She also presented God’s message in a manner that led these men to want to know more.
These gatekeepers await her return. However, the rains have flooded the once drought-ridden Kajiado County, making travel impossible. The next time Nancy goes to the area, she plans to take Bibles with her so they can read the truth for themselves.
These twelve furious men wanted to harm Nancy, but the Holy Spirit opened the door to God’s message of hope instead.
Call to Action
Nancy leaned on the promise of God in Luke 12:11–12: “Now when they bring you before the synagogues and the officials and the authorities, do not worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”1
We know that God cannot lie, so He can be fully trusted. The Bible tells us that we can be assured that when we solicit His promises, we know He will answer. In 2 Corinthians 1:20, the Bible says, “For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.”2 When Nancy leaned fully on God and His promises, the answer was: “Yes, I have your back.”
Do you want an experience an answer from God Himself? Claim His promises with confidence.
- New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
- Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
