As we continue our quest for the Machinga (Mah-cheen-gah) people, we meet Amina (Ah-meen-ah). She lives in Rutamba and is from the Mwera (Mm-wear-ah) people group. She grows corn, rice and vegetables – mostly green leafy varieties, but probably okra and tomatoes as well, when the season is right. Coconuts are a major source of income for the people in this area.Amina is sitting outside her house chatting with two Muslim ladies, her neighbors from the Makonde people group. (They do not allow us to take their picture, which is often the case with Muslim women here). They are wearing a cloth covering their head and neck as well as long sleeves. I imagine they are very warm as it is a sunny, hot day.
In talking with Amina, her friends and some of the men in the village, we understand that the people living in Rutamba are from the Mwera, Makonde, and Yao (YA-ow) people groups.
Hilary – (at least that is what I think he said when I asked him his name), is also from Rutamba. He is from the Makonde people group. He shows us the lake where the men from Rutamba catch fish to eat and to sell. It is a bit of a trek from the village and while we didn't make it all the way we saw the tip of it from a distance.If you lived in Amina and Hilary’s village you would truly feel cut off from the rest of the world. Rutamba is too far out for a cell signal, electricity hasn’t reached them, and of course everyone gets their water from a well. Information from the outside world reaches them via the occasional visitor.
We were prevented from reaching one village today. Moka (Mo-kah) is about an hour down this road. As we stop to investigate the situation we meet a woman walking from the direction of Moka. She says there are two more areas like this one with “much mud” before we reach Moka village. This mud is too deep for our vehicle and the marshy area prevents us from going around – if we get stuck we will have little chance of getting a tow as this road is little traveled, and if there are two more just like it – well, logic dictates that we turn around here.
This Muslim woman says she is from Moka and there are no Machinga people in Moka.
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| Our car draws quite a crowd, as do our white faces. We are the entertainment for the day -- and quite often we are entertained as well. |
We visited several villages today. Some with little contact to the outside world; others with road conditions that cut them off from the outside world.
People are open and willing to talk with us about their village life, their heritage and culture. One Muslim woman who was ill even allowed one of us to pray for her. However we saw few churches and no evangelical work. Our working theory was confirmed; there are no Machinga people. Machinga may refer to people from Mchinga One and Mchinga Two and the surrounding villages. Still – whether Machinga or not, these people need to know the true God of creation, the Savior of mankind, the Lord of the harvest.
*Pray for Makonde and Yao people who are mostly Muslim to have dreams and visions which bring thoughts and questions about God.
*Ask God to send His workers to these areas with answers to those questions.
*Pray for the Mwera people, who, while not blinded by Islam, still don’t have a saving faith in Christ, that God would plant within their hearts and minds an unsettled feeling that can only be satisfied through belief and trust in Christ.