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By Walter, GRN Kenya team leader
The Arusha Maasai of Tanzania are part of the Nilotic people cluster within the Sub-Saharan African
affinity bloc. This people group is only found in Tanzania. Their primary language is Maasai. This
language group inhabiting northern Tanzania, near Mt. Meru. The primary religion practiced by the
Arusha Maasai is animism, a religious worldview that natural physical entities--including animals,
plants, and even inanimate objects--possess a spiritual essence.
They spend most of their time collecting cows to add to their cattle herd, as it indicated a higher economic status. To take care of and look after the increasing number of cattle, men married multiple wives, who would look after their households and cattle.
They wear red and blue color as it is known to be sacred and holy in the Maasai culture. Red
- stands for bravery, unity, and blood, while blue represents energy and the sky. They
inhabit circular homesteads called manyattas, with traditional bomas (huts) made of
branches and mud, enclosed by protective livestock fences.
Many taboos govern their eating habits. Men must not eat meat that has been in contact with women or that has been handled by an uncircumcised boy after it has been cooked.
They practice a monotheistic faith centred on Enkai god, the supreme god. Also, consider both cattle and land sacred, integral to their spiritual and physical survival. While deeply rooted in tradition, they face pressures from climate change and modernization, adapting their practices while fiercely preserving their heritage.
Maasai Arusha has a population of approximately 338,000. The community is 60% ethnic
religion, 35% Christianity and 5% Muslim. Education is lower with literacy rate 30%.
Maasai Arusha has a complete bible among other written gospel materials but because of their low literacy level, there was need for the GRN LLL materials that would ease their evangelism work through listening to the gospel messages in their heart language.
After consultation with the Pastors and church leaders in the community, it was unanimously accepted that GRN Look Listen and Live would present the message of salvation and redemption to the locals in the simplest form they would use.
On the 17th and 18th of October, 2025, the GRN Kenya team scheduled a distribution plan to
Marowa in Tanzania for the Maasai Arusha language. The trip had its normal challenges,
from Nairobi to Arusha then to Marowa village covering a distance of 576Km including 230
Km in the rough roads inside the forest.
GRN Kenya worked in partnership with the ERETO Africa ministry in Mairowa who mobilised the Maasai Arusha church leaders and we met at least 35 church leaders.
25 sets (200 flipcharts) of Look Listen and Live materials with Mp3 radios with 2GB SD memory cards on the radios in Maasai Arusha language. The distribution wesnt successfully as it was planned.
This distribution was well received by at least 12 denominations that were presented.
This is a people group who strongly trust in their ethnic believes, example, a man cannot eat
meat prepared by a woman and also believe that the story of Jesus and salvation belongs to
their visitors who visit to see their animals, that all cows, goats and sheep were given to them
by their gods.
Pastors had the opportunity to share their experience with the God's work from their churches, some said;
"Thanks to GRN for this good work they have brought to us today, as Jesus, they have done
it and now our work, as in Matt 28:19, my dear pastors, it's our work to go and now give the
gospel stories of salvation and redemption in our heart language and also now be able to
baptise them and disciple them in the great name of our Father, son and of the Holy Spirit.
Walter and the team, you have now passed the button to us and we pray that God will give us
the grace to report back to you in the next three months the wonders the Lord will have done
to our people through these materials you have given to us."
" ..today, our small language is blessed .....GRN, has just answered our prayers that our
people may hear the gospel stories of Jesus for salvation and redemption in our heart
language. This ministry has sacrificed for our peoples' sake. I kindly request that as we
receive from Walter and his team, just like Timothy, the gospel sharing is like the relay
button. ... Walter and team has come a long way from Kenya through hardship to reach us
here in the forests of Mt Meru to pass to us this button inside our churches and we have
received the button, now let's race with it in the interest of God, let it be a celebration that
many will accept salvation of Jeus Christ and will learn more about what Christ teach us
of."
"...here in Mairowa, we do bush evangelism, many of our people doesn't read the bible as
majority are always in the filed grazing their animals and women gathering as well as busy
looking at the children in the homesteads, ...no time for church or school but this GRN
recordings in our phones and radios, I can assure you all that many shall be able to get
these stories of Jesus, we shall put the 5fish in every phone possible. This is and has been
our prayer. With these materials we shall start bible listening programs, bible study ...our
people love pictures and this will attract many to the church, our children will be the most
advantaged, leaning and listening in the heart language, we appreciate this work..."
"...we have listened to the messages and we have seen the picture books and what I can say, it's a real big boost to our evangelism and discipleship work here.
"... we have churches under trees and many of our activities and believes doesn't make our people get interested with the word, but now with the messages that you have given to use in the radio and 5fish App in our phones, we shall be able to listen and help our people listen to the stories of Jesus and the bible even at their grazing fields and during their night gatherings. .... under trees with loud radios talking the stories of Jesus, will attract many to join our prayer times. We give glory to God."
It was an opportunity to inform these church leaders that GRN ministry is solely a faith ministry which is interdenominational and intermission, supported by concerned Churches, organizations and individuals for the sake of communicating the Scripture in the form that can be used to the advantaged of the dialect speakers.
It was great to have GRN work distributed to the Maasai Arusha after a long time. It continues to be our concern and prayers that the many recordings in the GRN Archives will find their way to the target groups that needs them that all people may hear and understand God's Word in their heart language.
The materials were accepted with enthusiasm and from the understanding and the attention we observed from the pastors was an encouragement that the GRN work in Maasai Arusha might not be in-vain but it's soon going to change many lives to know Jesus Christ teachings for His salvation.
Prayers:
- Pray that these materials will impact the Maasai Arusha people for Jesus Christ Salvation.
- Pray that many missionaries will be called to reach out to the Maasai Arusha people.
- Pray that materials distributed among the 23 churches will be in good use in the favour of Jesus Christ kingdom.
- Thank God for the good time, favour on the roads trip to reach out by distribution the LLL materials to the Maasai.
- Pray that these people group will embrace the Word of God in their living style and understanding.
- Praise God and thank Him for those who gave their time, physically, financially and prayed for the Maasai Arusha distribution project.