Conflicting information abounds about the Machinga people (Mah-cheen-gah) as to whether they exist and whether there is actually a language. One source says there are 73,000 Machinga in the southeast of Tanzania. Today we are on a quest for the Machinga people.
First stop -- put some petrol (gasoline) in the car.
Coming out from Kilwa on the main road we find no proper fuel station. But here is a small duka (shop) which serves as their filling station.
Looking at the map, we decide to put in ten liters (2 ½ gallons) just to ensure that we make it to a proper filling station 100 kilometers (62+ miles) down the road. Jerry holds the funnel and tea strainer – yes, I said tea strainer – as the proprietor pours in the fuel.
We don’t want to end up pushing the last 10 kilometers!
Meet Mary and her youngest daughter Emma. Mary and her husband, Edwin, lead a GCC (Great Commission Christian) fellowship in Mchinga One village (Mmm-cheen-gah). We have a lovely visit with Mary; Edwin is traveling, so we are not able to talk with him. It is wonderful meeting other believers; no matter their home country or language, there is an immediate connection because we all serve the same Lord. Mary gives us the names of villages where we might find some Machinga people.
As we leave the village we drive past their little duka (shop) called Light and Hope where they sell solar electrical items and share the gospel of Christ.
Pray for Edwin and Mary and their ministry, that truly they will be light and hope in the village of Mchinga One. (Mmm-cheen-gah)
Pray for their older children who are living and going to school in Kenya – the schooling situation in this area of Tanzania is very inadequate.
Our quest for the Machinga people continues as we search out the villages of Rutamba, Ruvu and Moka.