Many received the word of God when a MAF plane landed on a dirt airstrip in northern Tanzania, west of Lake Natron.
Daniel Siang’au had his neighbours curse him, his flock stolen, and his face shot. Now, he is seeing healing and peace in a remote Tanzanian village.
He came to faith in 1998 and became an evangelist. He suffered years of persecution before his former rivals embraced Christianity.
Daniel fought for his life after receiving a gunshot wound to the face. Despite this, he went on to propose the development of an airstrip so MAF could bring a team to preach.
MAF flew evangelists on the Malambo Safari to several Maasai villages. This allowed them four nights of teaching and discipling. The atmosphere in the villages changed. It was filled with songs of praise as evangelists preached the word of God.
One flight brought the team to Lemguru, where Daniel talked about his passion to share the good news. It began after he and his family first walked into a church in the village of Pinyin.
“As time passed, I felt a profound calling to share the Gospel with my village, where Christianity was not known,” he says.
The mission was new and dangerous. There was conflict and opposition. My peers scorned me. Fellow tribesmen cast curses on me, as they felt that I was deviating from ancestral belief. They wanted to silence my preaching
“All my flock was stolen, and some slaughtered.”
But Daniel reflected on how much hearts had changed.
He says a former adversary told him, “Let us allow the development of the airstrip. It will not only serve evangelists, but bring healthcare through MAF’s mobile clinics.”
The congregation started with only 63 people, according to evangelist Elisha Moita. Now it has grown to more than 10,00 Christians, with new churches being built.
“It is through MAF’s help that many airstrips were developed. This has allowed us to share the gospel of Christ widely among the Maasai. In a mere 4 to 6 minutes, we can fly from one village to the next easily with the MAF plane,” he says.
“Through MAF’s support, I established Malambo Bible School. This has trained many evangelists within and beyond Malambo, some of whom lacked basic literacy skills.
“We developed a programme to teach them in the Maasai language. This is the predominant used in Malambo, and they would use it while sharing the word of God.”
Elisha was introduced to MAF in 1985. But in those early days of the ministry, Elisha travelled long distances on foot.
“I walked for long distances without food and water to quench my thirst, encountering wild animals,” he says.
“I want to thank MAF for their plane that has over time changed my life. It has made it easier for myself and other evangelists to continue with this ministry.”
STORY & PHOTOS / JACQUELINE MWENDE
This story was originally published in "Flying for Life - Autumn 2025". To view the full magazine, click here.