Maasai Mission

Saturday 22nd March 2025

The Beatles’ songs explore universal themes of love and human experience, which continue to resonate today. During the same time, the Jesus Music Movement brought a faith-based message of hope, freedom, and change.

“Imagine… the Beatles meet Jesus'“ explores how the two intersect.

Imagine what sort of conversation the Beatles and Jesus would have about the stuff of life.

The Beatles wrote some of the most memorable pop songs of the modern era, reflecting on life, love, and the longings of living. Many young people took to heart the message of their songs, and the influence of their lyrics live on to this day.

Jesus also has things to say about life, and a different group of young people, known as the Jesus Music Pioneers, discovered around the same time that another perspective was possible and real, pointing the way to liberation, revolution, and resolution.

How might the songs from both groups interact on some of life’s enduring questions? Come and find out!

All proceeds from this concert will support the grass-roots mission to elderly Maasai living in Tanzania.

The same concert is also being held on the 8th March at St. Martin’s Anglican Church and will support the Schools Ministry Group. Click the button above to purchase tickets for either or both events!

Update on Pastor Daniel and Ngorongoro Naretu Elders

Jenny Chapman

Who is Daniel?

Daniel is a 40 year old Maasai man, and a pillar of his community in the Ngorongoro Conservation area of Tanzania, right next to where people take safaris. He is married to Mary who is 39 and they have 3 children; Saruni who is 2, Lazaro who is 8 and Namayana who is 14. The older 2 attend a boarding school. Daniel was educated at a Christian school and has basic English and was the village spokesperson when I visited on safari in late 2017. Around the time of the Pandemic, Daniel dedicated his life to helping the Elderly Maasai in his and neighbouring villages. This work is entirely voluntary and he has a small team of volunteers. He also became a Christian and a Pastor around the same time. He is entirely dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ and serving Him for the rest of His life. He now finds himself studying for a Bible College Certificate.

How did we at BFC get involved?

5 years after my visit and after he had become a Christian, Daniel began corresponding with me via What’s App. Un-beknown to us both, God had been at work and brought us together for a purpose. Recognising this to be of God, I have been able to share these developments with everyone at BFC so that now, over a 1000 people in 3 villages there in Tanzania know about, pray for, and speak well of us.

Last year, as a church we fundraised for a 4WD vehicle to help Daniel in his vital work. We were all greatly blessed to find that through obedience to God, we were able to send enough money for a vehicle to be purchased in August. This 4WD is proving to be a blessing to hundreds of people which means that Daniel and his co-driver are on call 24/7. In the past 8 months. Many people from babies to the elderly have been taken to medical clinics or hospital enabling them to get timely help and, in some cases, preventing death.

After a lady recently died of lung cancer, Daniel wrote:

Pray for me a lot because the pain of old age is my pain. I thank God for this ministry that God gave me to share the pain and suffering with the elderly who lacked people to share their pain and suffering with.

Fire wood and water have been transported to the elderly who can’t collect it for themselves, as is food.

On Christmas Day, Daniel gave a significant number of elderly people a real treat, for a picnic lunch:  

I took them to Ngorongoro Crater  to look at the animals and they managed to see a Leopard, a Rhino, an elephant, a wildebeest, a hippopotamus, a lion. They were very happy and their happiness is my happiness too.

With regards to the vehicle; services to the elderly are free, whilst anyone else contributes by paying for fuel. They have kept up the servicing, tyre maintenance, some minor repairs, and added a radio. Daniel says he has been congratulated for careful driving and good maintenance on the car.

Daniel’s Vision

God has given Daniel a grand vision, which in time will bring more people alongside with training, who can be paid for their work. He would even like a pharmacy to be built in his area, because the services to the elderly are so poor and pricey.

In summary –

·     The toilet is going to be part of the new elderly Grass Hut day care centre built with money sent from HealthServe Australia mid year and will be similar to a bush pit toilet.

·     Food – 36.5kg rice! and a goat was purchased to share a Christmas feed with elderly and volunteers

·     Blankets (Shuka;) for the elderly as the cooler and rainier season comes in. 

Looking ahead – securing water at the building site.

God has been guiding the way forward for 2025 and beyond as we seek to build a medical clinic near the village of Naiyboi

·     The first priority will be to ensure water is on site

·     This co-incides with advice from Dr Burke and the request of the chief of the neighbouring village.

·     Burnside Family Church sent the funds out of our fundraising from 2024 for a survey to be undertaken as the first step.

·     The survey on 14 Jan revealed that although sinking a bore is feasible, the depth would need to be around 270m at a projected cost of $45,000 AUD with the water quality and quantity not being guaranteed until drilling and testing takes place.

·     Fortunately another alternative presented itself by way of a pipeline from an existing well 3.5km further away which draws on river water from the Embakai valley already used safely for domestic use by the villagers.  Surprisingly to us, the cost of laying a pipeline and building a 5000L tank and tower would be $24,000AUD, a good deal less than the bore. The pipeline would mean that water is available at the proposed site as well as an improvement for the village of Naiyobi. This appears to be the obvious pathway for us and is agreed upon by Pastor Daniel and the chief of the village.

·     This means that the laying of a pipeline, tank and tower will be the first part of our project for 2025 with a target of $24,000

·     A project such as building a medical clinic needs partners, and so an application to HealthServe Australia is being made to outline the project in four stages from the well to the finished building ready for use.

·     The next stage of the project will be to raise the funds for the foundations so that the building can begin as soon as possible.

·     If building is to start within 12 months, current estimates are that we will need to raise a total of $57,500 this year which will cover the pipeline, water tank, tower and money for foundations, transport and labour.

For the project to be completed by 2027-28 funds of approx. $55k will need to be raised each year.

For a quick view here is a proposed plan for building to be completed by 2027-28. A plan of faith to pray through!

Our response:

We ask everyone to pray fervently to the Lord our God, who owns the cattle on a thousand hills, for the supply of the funds and our part in it.  We ask for more partners to join us so that we can get this done.

The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, / the world, and all who live in it Psalm 24:1

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you Matthew 7:7

Already in the diary!

Fundraising concert 22 March 7pm St Matthews Church

‘Imagine if the Beatles met Jesus.’  Proceeds kindly donated to this cause.

Please spread the word and invite your friends and family!

Promotional material to distribute will be available soon…

• BFC will be providing the refreshments.

• Jenny Chapman will be giving a brief presentation.

• Led by Mary Daniel (his wife) the women of Ngorongoro will be making bead work products such as keyrings, coasters and jewellery to send over for sale as their contribution to our fundraising.