Literacy Work Among the

Maasai Tribespeople of Kenya

Melodie Conley

Susan Oliver

Box 110

Narok,Kenya

East Africa

CHRISTIAN MISSIONARY FELLOWSHIP Prayer Newsletter

January 1992
Dear

(a)friends

(b)prayer partners
(c) people who have forgotten
who we are because we haven't

written in so long

But, generally speaking, we

find our days filled with
(a)joy
(b)encouragement
(c)excitement at seeing God
at work among the Maasai
(d)all of the above.

(d)all of the above.

These days we find ourselves

(a)busy
(b)busy
(c) busy
(d)all of the above.
Some of our current activities
include

(a)literacy courses and fixing

t-'

The new year always brings

thoughts of goals, new ideas,
and new beginnings. It is no
different for us in Kenya as we
begin a new year of Hteracy
work. We'd like to thank you as
you have prayed for us and
supported us in our work.
We're glad you're a part of our
work in the coming year!

our car

(b)teacher training and fixing

our car

New Ideas

(c) materials production and

fixing our car

The Maasai Christians are

exploring many new ideas

(d)all of the above.

Ok Nairoti, one ofour new readers.

about their faith. We attended

I church at a village near our

H classroom while we were

I teaching at Oltulelei. CMF

I teammate Dan Crum

y preached, and we had a

great time of singing.
After the lesson, there were
a

several men who asked hard

I questions about their faith

I like,"When we go to heaven,
1 will we be able to see people
i

who are in hell?" or "I've

heard that the Bible is just a

book of made-up stories -

_ how do I know that it is

Sometimes a tree is our classroom!

really God's Word?"

Dan and a strong Christian

named Ole Tipis explored each
question with them and
answered them in a way that
the Maasai could easily grasp.
Ole Tipis emphasized the
passage that speaks about the
Word of God as"living and
active and sharper than a
double-edged sword." That
seemed to hit home with many
of the men since they still carry
their short swords at their

sides when they walk in the

bush!

t ll*IMUi

materials production, and

primer workshops. Since we

plan to be home by
November 1992, there's a lot
of work in the coming 10

Matayo Ole Nchochoi

James Ole Mepukori
Menye Moya
Naomi ene Benjamin
Christmas Ole Ng'o

months.

Prayer Requests
Preparations for coming

Goals

Susan teaches Ole Kutenkala.

We'd like you to include in

your New Year's goals a
prayer time for one area or

home in October 1992.

Decisions for our future.

Maasai teacher! Here are

in their home areas.

Rain!!

some specifics to choose

New readers still practicing

from:

Areas where we will hold

new reader courses:

Elang'ata Enterit -February - April course

Thank you again for your

(a)prayers
(b)support
(c)encouragement
(d) all of the above.
In Him,

Matapato -

May - June course

Tiamanag'en July - September course

Melodie teaches two new readers at our house.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if

every Maasai Christian could

carry God's Word at their side
as their sword offaith!

New Beginnings
We'd Uke to help you know how
to pray for us. The next year
will bring three new reader
courses; that means a
possibihty of thirty new
readers in the Maasai church.

We are also planning teacher

encouragement safaris,

Susan Oliver & Melodie Oonley

Teachers currently teaching
literacy classes:
YES,Susan and Melodie,
I would like to pray for

Please send me a prayer card with further information to assist

me in praying!
Name

Address

City, State, ZIP.

Please fill out and send it to us at our Kenya address:Box 110, Narok, Kenya,
AFRICA Thanks!

1/92

Christian missionary Fellowship

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Susan Oliver ^
Literacy work among the Maasai Tribespeople of Kenya

P.O. Box 501020, Indianapolis, IN 46250-6020

CHRISTIAN MISSIONARY FELLOWSHIP PrayerNewsletter

October 1992

Please rejoice with me on my engagement to Tres Crone. Since I was a young girl, I wanted to be
a missionary. Included in that plan was a desire for a missionary husband and a family. But
where would I find someone way out here in Africa? How would I ever meet a man out in the
bush?

"Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires
ofyour heart." Psalm 37:4
Be assured that God has ever3rthing in His loving plan. Tres
is a missionary with the Church of Christ here in Kenya.
CMF has a close working relationship with the Church of
Christ in Kenya, and Tres and I are looking forward to
returning to Tres's work. Over the next two months we will be
looking into various locations we might return to in East
Africa.

In December, we will be heading back to the United States for

furlough. We will be married on January 9 at Central
Christian Church, St. Petersburg, then begin reporting to our
churches together. The coming twelve months should be a
busy but exciting year!
We look forward to seeing you and sharing with you about the
past four years and the coming four years!

Please pray for:

Safety as we travel... both in Africa and to the U.S.

Wisdom and guidance as we look for a work place to return to in East Africa.
A Christ-centered foundation as we begin our life together.
Because of Him,

Susan Oliver

The Tropical days on Philippine land nurtured the child into a young man.
Hisfather, a man ofthe Air Force, had led the family on a wandering course.
From Japan to Manila to Germany and home the hoy knew many places, yet at times felt alone.

7-7^

1 The girl, on the other hand, wandered notfar and wide.

Her home was settled near the St. Petersburg tide.
A/id yet, as she grew, her heart dared to dream

\
'

that maybe the Lord had for her an adventurous scheme.

K'

The young man,our hero, was a bit lost at home.

He wasn't quite sure in which direction to roam.

^
>
.

He knew what he'd been taught was quite right,

so he set offfor Bible school with the world in his sights.
Now our young lady wanted to know more.
She left, for an internship on East Africa's shore.
Here the Lord showed her clearly He wanted her abroad.
Hers would not be the life folks at home usually trod.
She finished up school and stepped out on God's road.
Her life was now in "Bush Missionary Mode."

Our hero felt a yearning to serve God as well.

He decided to try it, only time would tell.
As you've probably guessed, he went to Kenya, too.
So now let us tell you the happy news!
Susan met Tres under Africa's sun.
The Lord gently showed her he was the one.
This love is something we all celebrate.
The Lord's hand is in it - it's more thanJustfate!

Dedicated to Tres and Susan

by Lisa Borden, CMF Kenya-Maasai missionary

CHRISTIAN MISSIONARY FELLOWSHIP

Nonprofit Organization
U.S. Postage

P.O.BOX 501020

INDIANAPOUS.IN 46250-6020
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ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED

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Literacy Work Among the

Maasai Tribespeople of Kenya

Susan Oliver & Melodic Conley

P.O. Box 501020,Indianapolis,IN 46250-6020

CHRISTIAN MISSIONARY FELLOWSHIP PrayerNewsletter

A DAT M VKC UA^...

August 1992

We've spent a lot oftime over the past four years

camping out in Maasailand. We have found the
most consistent routines are when we're tenting
it. Join us for a typical teaching day in the life ...

and a 7:00 a.m. hair appointment.

OUT IN THE BUSH,

there aren't any clock radios to wake us up
(unless you count the songs from the birds
outside our tent).

And there isn't any early morning traffic

(unless you count the long lines of cattle
streaming out of the villages on their way to
graze).
When we set up camp in an area for a Maasai
.. begins at 6:00 a.m.!
Lucky for Mel, the water comes from a hot
spring!

New Reader Course, our morning routine is

simple.
No TV talk shows

(but many Maasai neighbors stop to chew the

news),
microwave breakfasts

(a cup of coffee over the fire instead),

or lining up for a shower
(we've got the whole stream - pick your
favorite spot!).

Good morning, Sue!

Our teaching day usually begins around 8:00

a.m., with some individual tutoring time.
Sometimes there will be a student who goes

A little practice at 8:00

lively discussions result! Students ask all sorts of

questions,from "What is the Trinity?" to "Why
did perfume cost so much in Bible times?"
One of our favorite times of the day is 11:00 - tea
time. By now, we re through the major portion of
the new lesson and ready for a break. The sweet,
smoky tea gives us all extra energy, too!

Ole Nko is one of our quickest students.

The lesson continues until lunchtime at 1:00 p.m.

Often, students will bring food from their
shambas(gardens)to help pay for the course
costs. This is always an encouragement, because
it showsjust how much the Maasai want to leam
to read. Lunch doesn't vary too much, but we
enjoy it! Rice, beans, potatoes, cabbage, and lots
of shortening(a favorite ingredient... yum!)

ahead at a quicker pace, and we'll use this time

to get in an extra lesson. Ole Nko,the student
pictured with Susan, learned to read completely
in about four weeks! Or, a student might have to

At 10:00, we're well into the lesson.

miss a class session because of an unforeseen

problem. When this happens, we try to catch him

up before he goes on with the new class lesson.
At around 9:00 a.m. the main class has come

together.(Given the fact that we're operating on

African time, this can mean 9:15 or 9:45.) We
spend some time singing and chewing the news
before beginning the teaching time with prayers.
As our students lead in prayer, they often lift up
special thanks for you all back in America who
are faithful partners.
By 10:00 a.m., you'll find us in the middle of a
new reader lesson. We might be teaching a new
word or syllable, or one of the students might be
reading the story alone. There is always a time to
share a verse or two from the Bible. Sometimes

Where there's a tree, there's a classroom!

Prayers at 9:00 start things out fine..

comprise our midday meals. We must admit, we

sometimes sneak a chocolate bar or a juice box!
Our afternoons are filled with several different

review activities and games for the main class. If

there is a quick student, we will take this time to
teach an additional new lesson to him as well.

There is always a lot of laughter and teaching

when we compete in the literacy games;learning
is a lot offun! We always pickup new words and
phrases, too.

And there you have it... our typical day IN THE

BUSH!

Prayer (yours, ours, and theirs) is the most important

ingredient of our teaching day.

By the time you receive this newsletter, we will

have completed at least one new reader course in

It's 11:00, thank heaven.Tea time!

each of the areas in Maasailand where CMF

missionaries work. There are local Maasai

literacy teachers working in each area, as well,

following up our work, beginning new classes,
and encouraging the readers.
Student to student, teacher to class, prayer by
prayer - Maasai men and women are being
sharpened by the Word. As we've spent our days
IN THE BUSH over the past four years, we've
learned firsthand "as iron sharpens iron, so one
man sharpens another." Proverbs 17:17

You have helped to sharpen the lives of the

Maasai Christians! Rejoice with us
over the readers in the Maasai churches,

for individuals living on the cutting edge by

the Word of God,

Let's just say... EVERYBODY needs a little break now

and then.

and for the future of believers who are

sharpened and ready for use by the Lord!

Our term together in Kenya is coming to a close.
We'd like to thank you once again for being with
us through prayer, support, letters,
encouragement, and thoughts.

Review begins at 2:00. Does this look like fun to you?

All those days IN THE BUSH and ON THE ROAD

would never have happened if not for you.
We'll be seeing many of you soon, and you'll be
hearing more about our futures in the coming

After a full mornmg of classes, we break

for lunch at 1:00.

We spend the afternoon reinforcing the lessons of the

morning through games.

months! For now, please keep praying as we pack

up, say goodbye(at least for a while), and head
back to America. We've got some busy months of
speaking and traveling ahead as we share about
this work firsthand with our churches and .
friends!

For the Kingdom,

Sue and Mel

Susan Oliver and Melodie Conley

Mel sneaks a snack at lunchtime.(A little

excited, Mel?)

/^SL
/-IZ-

An?3

Melodic Conley

LITERACY WORK AMONG THE MAASAI TRIBESPEOPLE OF KENYA

56253 McKenzie Hwy. Blue River, OR 97413 503/822-3526

CHRISTIAN MISSIONARY FELLOWSHIP PrayerNewsletter

October 1992

"Consequently, you are no

longer foreigners and aliens,
but fellow citizens with God's
people and members of God's
household...." Ephesians 2:20
Hey! It's true! I don't feel like a
stranger here any more! When
we arrived in Kenya four years
ago, as you might imagine,
ever3d;hing was strange. I was a
foreigner in a country where ...

tell one cow from another,

Mel?"

... the song "Do Your Ears Hang

Low?" takes on significance.
... the language has no future
tense, but this doesn't make
verbs any easier to figure out.
Time passes. I sometimes
drive down the middle of the

... restaurants are closed all

road. I've learned to navigate

through potholes. I drink tea
(or coffee) all day long, every
day. I can ask for ice in three
languages(and,if it's not
"out of stock," I even get
it!). Double parking is a
given. Lines, shortages,
and delays are part of
the rhythm of life. Just

afternoon (except, of course, for

in case you were

tea).

wondering, they are also

frustrating. I've eaten
lunch at my mechanic's
house, and I'm on a

... people drive on the left side

of the road (or down the

middle), through potholes as

big as small ponds.
... everybody drinks hot tea, all
day long, every day.

... a box of American cereal

costs $8.
... double-parking on busy
streets is a given.
... ice in your soda is not a
given.
... you can always bargain.
... the old adage comes true.
Truly,"it's not what you know,
but who you know." You
quickly develop friendships
with everyone from the butcher

even when you're running late.

It means teaching the same
reading lesson over again imtil
they get it. It means hard work
but even greater joy.

Throughout the past four

years, Susan and I have been
working within a culture very

And the Maasai?

Somewhere along the

way, men wearing red
blankets stopped looking
strange to me. And I only

to the man who sells auto

notice if a woman has let

her hair grow out. There

are times, on a chilly
evening, I crave the close
warmth of a Maasai

feeling like an alien! The

cooking fire instead of

my own stone house. I've

Maasai?!

learned some words to

to work with? Talk about

soda with a smile. It means to

take time to share the news

first-name basis with

taxi drivers and
booksellers.

spares.

And that was just Nairobi!

What about the people I'd come

means to accept tea made with

your friend's last bit of sugar,
or to serve up your last cold

A day without tea? Never!Please pray for the

to eat them.

say to the children who

Maasai men and women who are learning to
thought I was going to
read God's Word.
eat them; now I hold
their small, dusty, wiggly
different from our own. This
bodies on my lap. I wear beaded
culture has become familiar to
bracelets from friends all over
me,like home. Perhaps that is

... everybody stares at me.

... the hair on my arms is
fascinating.

Maasailand. And flies don't

because the men and women

bother me much anymore,even

in my tea.

we have been teaching to read

are, truly "God's people and
members of God's household."

... the women shave their heads

and the men wear toga-like

sheets or blankets.

... the children think I'm going

... the houses are made of

sticks, mud and cow dung.

... flies are a given.
... being able to distinguish
anything inside the darkness of
a house is not a given.
... "What do you mean you can't

To no longer be alien: It means

We share the same household,

to understand or to endure

imderstand. It means to try. It

the same family. Who could

stay an alien or a foreigner
here for long?

means to laugh with friends

and to join in their sorrows. It

In a few weeks, I'll be back on

even when you don't

Pray
that the Lord will affirm or

re-direct this decision during

my time on furlough. also for
rest, safety, and that I will
remember how to survive in

American culture again!

"Now to him who is able to do

immeasurably more than all we

ask or imagine ...to him be
glory!" Ephesians 3:20-21

For the Kingdom!

Melodie Conley
P.S. Please note the address

change!
Please pray for Maasai literacy teachers,like Daniel,as they go ahead with
the work.

the other side ofthe water, back

the CMF missionaries who

in American culture. I can't

are living and ministering

among the Maasai.

help but wonder what things

will seem strange to me. What
if I can't remember how to use

How can you pray for me?

an automatic washer, or how to

go through the supermarket
line? Will I be unfazed by weird
hairstyles or clothes? Will I still
drink gallons of tea?
(Probably.) Will I be able to
communicate, at least a little,
what an amazing four years it's

I've made a tentative

been?

decision to return to work

among the Maasai for

another term when my year
offurlough is finished. My
work would still be in

literacy, with a double

emphasis: developing/
producing new reading
materials and curriculum

Furlough begins in
mid-October. I'll have a year to
re-learn American culture, and
to hold Maasai culture in my
heart. Please continue as you
have done so faithfully to
pray. Pray for
the Maasai literacy teachers
who'll be continuing to hold
weekly reading classes in many

and working with Maasai

literacy teachers throughout
Maasailand. I wouldn't be

9.

doing as much teaching, but

rather encouraging,
organizing, and training
local Maasai readers to

continue the literacy

program themselves. I'm
excited about the

possibilities for the literacy

program, and that I may be
returning to live and work
among the Maasai.

different areas.

the students who long to read

on their own.

good rains.

No longer an alien! Thanks for all your

prayers!!

10/92

Christian missionary fellowship

P.O.BOX 501020

INDIANAPOLIS.IN 46250^20

Nonprofit Organization
U.S. Postage
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