I just got back from doing a weekend seminar in Simba (Lion), in the east- central part of Kenya at “Oldonyio Lenkai Church” (Maasai for – Mountain of God), pastored by Samuel Kinaya. It truly was a weekend filled with God’s love and goodness. This church is situated near a hill called Mountain of God where years ago Maasais discovered a circular homestead on its top. They said that this was the home of God.
When Pastor Samuel invited me several months ago for these meetings, I had no idea that it would be in Maasai Land of Kenya. The Maasais are a traditional African tribe in Kenya and Tanzania. Most of them live without power and water. They believe that all the cattle and grass belongs to them. Some of the non-Christians drink milk and cow’s blood; others are hunters that have killed lions, in a society where women do most of the work.
A phenomenon began in Maasai land eight years ago. A revival commenced then that today is still flourishing in a land that knew nothing about Jesus Christ. In Simba, every Maasai household has at least one believer. Maasai women are being respected as ministers of God where only a few years ago they were almost slaves. There is a new generation of Maasais that are being freed from ungodly cultural traditions. Maasai churches are popping everywhere.
I arrived at Simba Thursday evening. The pastors came in bicycles to pick up my bags. Pastor Samuel told me that it had rained every day. As we began to walk the two-mile trek to his home pouring rains fell on us for 45 minutes. By the time that we arrived, I was drenched to my wallet and cell phone.
His home, like many Maasai homes, has no power or water. In addition there is not even a toilet hole in the ground. His, is God’s bathroom in the vastness of mud, grass and bushes.
Mary and I are used to taking bottle water, toilet paper, pillows and blankets, flashlight, and a mirror for our seminars. I remembered my crisis in Tanzania doing Number Two and the Tanzanians not understanding my Swahili. Pastor Samuel told me that if I ran into this problem they would take me to a friend’s home probably about two miles away! Needless to say I prayed and begged God that I would not have to go Number Two until I got back to Kitengela on Monday.
Thursday night in the reprieve of the rain many people from neighboring homes came to meet me and get prayer. In the intimacy of a small kerosene lamp we prayed and prophesied to everyone.
As I went to bed in my tiny room the pouring rains commenced again lasting until early morning. In the middle of the night, lo and behold, I woke up with a strong urge to do Number Two. I argued with God on my bed and told Him that I had asked Him not to allow this to happen. The urge just grew stronger. I took my flashlight; put on my mud caked shoes and woke up the pastor who proceeded to open the metal door for me. As I began to tread into the mud-flooded fields the rains suddenly and absolutely stopped! I came back from my small ordeal totally dry and with a notion of confidence that by the mercy of God I was conquering my fear. As I went back to bed the rains began again. One hour later, I woke up again, Number Two beckoning again. Armed with toilet paper and mud logged shoes I woke up the pastor again. When I got to the door, God stopped the rains once again! Dry as a whistle and brimming with confidence I went to the bush and back to bed. The rains would not restart for another one hour. In the silence of my bed I heard a man violently coughing, yelling, coughing and yelling. It sounded as if he would die. I woke up the pastor a third time to find out that this man was a drunkard, the husband of one of the ladies that I had prayed for earlier. I was told that every time he got drunk he would get like this. That night I knew that I had to talk to him about the Lord.
Friday morning we were met with a cup of tea and the presence of a young man who walked miles in the muds of Simba. His baby sister, four days of age, laid dying. The pastor was to walk with him and pray for the baby. God suddenly gave me Acts 19:11,12.
11 And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul:
12 So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.
We got a handkerchief, prayed for it, anointed it with oil and gave it to the pastor who proceeded out the door. Friday afternoon, when I got to church, I found out about the miracle that happened. When the pastor got to the baby’s home, he found her with eyes closed and barely breathing. The handkerchief was placed on her face. She began to breathe and eventually opened her eyes and was healed. The mother who had cancer in both of her breasts, in pain, and unable to nurse, placed the same handkerchief on her chest. The pain left her and she began to nurse! Hallelujah to the Lamb of God!
Friday night several pastors came to visit us. In the dim light of the kerosene lamp as we talked a man was brought to me. He stared with a big smile on his face. This was the man who I had heard violently coughing the night before, by the name of Turasha. We proceeded to his home where I narrated through an interpreter how God had saved me and delivered me twenty-eight years ago from alcoholism and drugs. Turasha gave his heart to the Lord that night. His wife rejoiced and spoke to me the only English word she knew; “Thank you.”
Saturday evening at Oldonyio Lenkai Church during the teaching, the clouds and thunder came once again. People scampered out of the church to dash miles back to their homes. God had me say in a loud voice, “Lord, I bind these rains in Jesus Name until these people are able to get home!” Though the skies stayed black and threatening it did not rain for three hours! We saw the same miracle Sunday night.
That evening as we walked home under a moon covered by clouds, we took another path due to mud. As we neared the pastor’s residence we met an area filled with big rocks hidden under grass and mud. The men of God located every rock before I got there, held my hands and guided me around them. This process lasted for twenty minutes until we had made it safely across. God later gave me this scripture of Psalms 91. Such is His love for us.
11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Sunday, the meetings began earlier. The Lord had me only minister and not teach. Most of these people have never gotten a word of prophecy. God had us begin with those that were in need of healing. We had the privilege of seeing many instantaneous manifestations of healings. A number of people came forward that had severe pains in their arms, sides of their bodies, and legs. In every case the pain instantaneously left them. One lady suffered from deafness in her ears. The Lord spoke, “Ears open up in Jesus Name”. In my hands I felt her ears open up. One pastor talked to her in a very low voice close to the back of the church, She could hear! Hallelujah. Another man came with bloodshot and aching eyes. The power of God went like a gush of fire into his eyes as he fell down to the ground. Upon getting up all of the pain was gone though his eyes were still red. A few hours later as we were getting ready to leave, his eyes were clearing up. Yet another woman came and complained of such weakness and tiredness that she could not pick up heavy objects, even her own child. After prayer we gave her a heavy wooden chair that she picked and swung around for a minute or so without fatigue. Later I spotted her actively dancing during worship.
Others brought us articles of clothes belonging to sick loved ones, which we prayed over and anointed with oil.
There were many wonderful prophecies. One which stood to me was for a lady whom I prophesied to “ I see you writing a letter with a pen”. She said to me, “I cannot write or read! We decreed that God was going to open up a door for her to learn to read and write.
Monday morning as I was getting ready to pack and go home a mother brought a four-year-old girl by the name of Purity to us. She looked like she was dying, as she lay motionless with her mouth wide opened. On top of that every 10 minutes she would be gripped with a violent seizure. We found out that at the age of two she had been given an injection of quinine because of malaria. Since that time, she had remained in this weakened and semi vegetative state.
We had words about a spirit of death, witchcraft, and the effects of the quinine and malaria. Everything was broken and we then felt that God now would heal her. The mother then fed her little spoonfuls of rice, which Purity struggled to eat, but swallowed a bit. Still very weak, I had Pastor John pray for God’s infilling her with His glory. As he opened his mouth, Purity began screaming. There was an absolute look of terror in her eyes. I was reminded of the little mute boy that we had prayed for in Chuka earlier in the year. The look of fright on that boy was the face of a terrorized demon that was being cast out. Purity had that same look. It was the panicked face of the spirit of death as he lost his grasp on the little girl. At the moment that the demon left, Purity’s face was transformed from one that had death written all over it to a little girl who is still sick and weak. As the mother put little Purity on her back for the walk home I knew in my spirit that God was to heal her gradually. Truly a glorious weekend filled with the love and goodness of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jose and Mary Alvarez 