A Release of Hope and Joy

James Ole Kukan is a gentle presence. A quiet demeanor belies the strength of character and resolve that are very much alive in his Maasai heart. Of the many things to admire, James’ love and concern for his people is one that sets him significantly apart from peers around him. This love, combined with a tenacious spirit and a living relationship with Christ, has worked to set the scene for a beautiful story of hope unfolding in the remote community James calls home.

“Home” is a valley called Engeua in the basin formed by the curve of the Meto Hills. In 1997, after a request for “the words of God” from local people in that area, James and a group of friends began to visit the region and just pray over it. This is a place full of the spiritual power of local diviners, yet there was a hunger for something more in the lives of many of the residents. The prayer walks led to teaching trips and, for several years, James and a handful of others traveled in regularly to bring God’s love in the form of lessons from the Bible. James looks back and says, “The response was slow in those years.”

By 2000, the local diviners had declared that “church work” would not go forward in this area. Instead, they said, they would use their spiritual power to hold it back. Yet in 2003, partnering with Christian Missionary Fellowship, James helped to bless the foundations of a permanent gathering place for the church. Though it had begun slowly, good news began to make an impact. “Many healings happened in the next years,” James says humbly. “Not many people heard about them, but a lot of people were prayed for when they were sick and they became well.”

In August of 2008, an event occurred that would significantly impact the entire region. The daughter of a well-known diviner was suffering terribly from what some might have thought of as a severe mental illness. Nothing that her father did could stop her from fits of agitation, incomprehensible screaming and running away when people tried to help her. In desperation, her father asked the people of the church to come and pray over his daughter.

The men and women of the church met in their normal Sunday gathering to worship and pray. Afterwards, a handful of them walked to the diviner’s village. Here, before they could even enter the village proper they met the young woman, herself. As they began to pray, she took off running.

Catching up with her about a kilometer later, the group surrounded her and continued to pray. By all accounts, it became quite a wild scene. The young woman alternately yelled in unknown languages, frothed at the mouth, flailed around or hit people. Her father, fearing that she would never be of sound mind again, kept saying that his daughter had died. Yet the group did not stop praying. At one point, quite an eerie voice issued forth from the young woman declaring, “We will not go!” Still, the group continued to pray, calling out in Jesus’ name for healing.
(The young woman and her baby with the group that prayed for her.)

Finally, a peace came. No more violence or voices. The young woman was totally still. She was taken home where she rested. Returning the next day to pray with and encourage her further, the group found her whole, in sound mind and totally free. She has remained so.

News quickly spread that there is hope and healing in Jesus Christ. In December of 2009, this same little church that prayed celebrated the baptisms of 54 new believers as they made their faith public, and James is regularly invited to come and share in locations all over Maasai-land. Hope travels fast ☺


James’ standing in the community has always been strong. His character speaks even when he is quiet. Yet since the healing of the diviner’s daughter, there is even more opportunity for James to make a lasting difference among his people. Continually asked to serve on local and regional boards and committees, James is sought out for his wisdom and influence. Transformation on many levels, from educational to agricultural, is happening in his community and we know the way has been opened by the power of the Spirit partnering with this humble man.

It’s our privilege to assist our long-time friend, James, in every way we can to see lasting hope and transformation in Maasai-land. What a joy to walk beside this quiet man who simply wants to see his people find every kind of freedom.

Dinner at Tom and Steve's!

Hello all! This is Tom, writing on behalf of the Wild Hope team. Steve and I are the new, or not so new, interns who arrived last October and we're excited about growing with the team until our departure on the 29th of July 2010. Our focus is mainly with the Nyota Football and Leadership Academy, but we also get the opportunity to experience most of Wild Hope's facets. Its a real treat! : )

Recently, we decided to host what we dubbed a "Love Feast" for a few of our soccer academy members. There are currently about 100 young men participating in this sports program based in the slums of our city. The dinner was planned to be a time when some of the guys would be invited into our home as a free space to simply live together for an evening; no stress, no pressure, just the freedom to be open and be loved on. Steve and I invited them to the food we cooked, and we also encouraged the freedom to discuss life, particularly life with Christ. The mood we sought was community growth--the power in which we sought to bring it was the Holy Spirit's.

To say the least, Steve and I felt like it was a huge success in every aspect, except maybe the quality of food! I am not the best cook :-) As massive amounts of food were consumed, laughter filled the air and smiles were shot across our circular sitting formation. When our bellies were filled, we began to digest conversation on several topics: money, church, and prayer. It was such a blessing to see these young men who are often faced with a legalistic, polarizing version of Christianity (where it is commonly taught that your sole expression of faith is seen inside a Church building on Sundays) break open into the honest yet challenging ground of grace. Freedom of speech amongst the youth is not commonly received well in their community, so imagination and honest response is often stifled. But that evening, they dialogued back and forth, sharing opinions, and their struggles about Church, prayer, and their faith.

One of the most shocking, and heartbreaking moments that night for me was when one boy turned to me and said, "What about money? It can get you everything." It was hard for me to say to my friend, who struggles in poverty every day, while we sat on my lush, well-kept grass, "Money isn't everything. It can't buy you happiness. It can't buy you love."

Throughout the course of the evening we transitioned from conversation and spontaneous scripture reading (as we tested things together or struggled to make a point) into soccer and guitar playing. I think God might of had this life together in mind when he sent his Son... and when he sent Steve and I to Africa to join Wild Hope. Blessings!

We Celebrate!

It's so good to stop and celebrate!

We threw a "Staff Appreciation, Christmas and Goodbye Danny" party not long ago :-)


New Wild Hope shirts were a hit :-)


Lovely Faith, our bookkeeper.


Some of the men took over the roasting of the goat.


Josephine and Lillian enjoy the stories.


Thanks, Danny, for all your help with everything! (And, yes, we'll get you another FANTA right away!)

Not long after our staff party, the Nyota Football and Leadership Academy took time to celebrate a good year together.


Future soccer stars?


Cool enough to be a star already!


The younger kids cheer the year.


Peter gives an overview and look ahead chat.


Chase helps give out awards.


Steve with Oscar and Mama Oscar. Steve lived with this Nyota family during his 6 week home stay.

All the festivities reminded us that we have so much to be thankful for!

A Motorcycle for James!

What a great pleasure it was for Wild Hope to be able to partner with Reality church in Carpinteria and the Russell kids to provide much needed transport for our great friend, James Ole Kukan.

James is one of those golden people, a man of integrity who has lived his values with grace and consistency over all the years that we have known him. It is our great privilege to have him on our board of trustees here in Tanzania. His spiritual oversight of our Artisan Project participants is invaluable.

Caring for the needs of multiple congregations over many miles out in Maasai, James has a whole new freedom to get to these far flung places now that he has these snappy wheels.

Of the many things we appreciate about James, his wisdom and insight into how best to bring appropriate, effective, lasting assistance to Maasai communities is one that we call on again and again. James is a gift to Wild Hope and to his people. We love that we get to be a part of providing this gift for him.

Have You Seen our 5 Minute Video? Enjoy!

Here's a video we've used to provide visuals to the stories Wild Hope is part of here in Tanzania. We are privileged to serve in these ways. Enjoy!

Wild Hope 2009 from Trevor Byron Borden on Vimeo.

Real Talk About HIV/AIDS

(Photo: Students attending our Health and HIV/AIDS class.)

"Why are Tanzanians dead because of HIV/AIDS? Why are Americans not dead because of HIV/AIDS? Why?"

The questions left by students in the question box last week were nothing if not frank.

HIV awareness campaigns are not new to the gritty urban settlements of Africa. What is less common in these communities is an environment of freedom where every question can be asked. But can this subject of HIV/AIDS, taboo even after years of education, really be dealt with candidly?

Enter: a little team of folks from Trinity Presbyterian, Santa Ana, California, and a little team of Wild Hope staff here in Tanzania.

Now, give them five days with forty high school aged young people and let the learning begin!

To our great delight, the team from Trinity stepped up to the challenge with grace and boldness. The forty Tanzanian students who attended Wild Hope's Leadership Academy module, Health and HIV, were truly blessed.

Every evening, the questions/comments box was filled with slips of paper--

"What can I do when I know I have HIV/AIDS?"

"Most of the bosses they want sex with girls to give the job and the girls say yes because they don't have job, nothing to eat, so they agree."

"I know 20 people who have died from HIV."

Preparations each evening were sobering, yet God was faithful to grant wisdom and insight. By the end of the week, the comments reflected the thankfulness students felt for what they had learned and the environment in which they had been led.

Seasoned teachers from a local school affirmed that the permission to speak openly was a big step forward for all of them. The students already know, first hand, what HIV/AIDS is. Yet for many of them, this was the clearest information they had received on cause and prevention, not to mention the myriad of related issues that surround the disease.

This is the beauty of bridging cultures-- we can take each other to new places and be changed for the better as we journey together.

Our visitors from California might not be able to quantify exactly how their experience with forty kids in a severely challenged neighborhood within Arusha changed their lives. They'll just know that it truly did. The young Tanzanians who attended won't forget what they heard in honesty and freedom regarding topics of grave importance. From practical health tips to matters of hope and faith, they've been impacted and inspired.

And we are the lucky ones! What a joy it is to bring our friends from opposite corners of the globe together. What a pleasure it is for us to play matchmaker :-)


(Photo: Ashley Sparks of Trinity with one of the students.)

Sharing a Link...

Read Lisa's blog entry, "Watching Africa Blow Away" at her BLOG