A HEART FOR HIS PEOPLE
Digo of Kenya
Jesus had a heart for the salvation of the Jews, for Jerusalem. He expressed His love and concern in Luke 13:34: "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing."
The apostle Paul had a great love and concern for his people, the Jews. He clearly revealed his passion for their salvation in Romans 10:1: "Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved."
Pastor Mohammed has a heart-felt compassion for his people too, the Digo of Kenya. His personal commitment to present the gospel to his family, friends and the Digo community at large is remarkable. As Jesus longed for an unwilling people to repent and Paul prayed for Israel's salvation so Mohammed has endeavored to share his faith in Christ with the resistant Islamic Digo.
The homeland of the 326,000 Digo reaches inland from the coast about 30 kilometers, beginning at the Tanzania border and extending all the way north to Mombasa. They are the second largest of nine tribes known as the Mijikenda and the only one of the group to be primarily Islamic, about 90%.
Pastor Mohammed accepted Jesus as his Savior while attending secondary school. When his parents learned of his conversion, they totally rejected him. The local church folded him into their fellowship, becoming family, and sent him to Bible school upon completion of his secondary education.
Four years of Bible school was a maturing experience for Mohammed as he was discipled, becoming a devoted follower of Jesus Christ. He married a Digo lady who shared his Christian faith and desire to introduce Jesus, the Savior, to their people. Their commitment is long-term as seen in the selection of names for their three children; all of them are Arabic Muslim names, but their meaning discloses Christian qualities. Mohammed's name opens the door for him to witness and he wanted his children to have that same evangelistic advantage.
Pastor Mohammed leads a congregation with individuals from a variety of people groups. One Digo widow with her five children are a part of the church. Her husband died several years ago so the believers assist her in maintaining the family by providing scholarships for the children's schooling and recently put a new roof on her house. The widow's church is her adopted family.
The church operates a primary school with most of the students coming from Muslim homes. Pastor Mohammed's vision is to provide a community service through the school and introduce Jesus to the children through their religious education classes. However, the government is beginning to pressure him to hire some Muslim teachers and provide an Islamic religious education class. Yet, the school continues to be an outreach ministry.
Currently there are about 20 born-again believers among the Digo according to Pastor Mohammed's estimate. His heart's desire is to see his people respond in a greater measure to the good news of the gospel. To fulfill his desire, he sold his one remaining cow to pay the school fees for his son's first year of Bible school.
Mohammed is deeply involved in community activities and wisely responds to witnessing opportunities. His parents welcomed him back to the family after he became self-sustained, able to care for himself. They recognize in him a financial security for their senior years. Mohammed acknowledges this fact to be a key component in Muslims coming to faith in Christ.
There is hope for the Digo's salvation because there is a man with a heart for his people, a believer who passionately desires all Digo to understand that God is not willing for any of them to perish in their sins. God's heart and Mohammed's heart are knit together in a united purpose. With such commitment, the future is bright for the eternal destiny of the Digo!
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Digo of Tanzania
The Digo homeland is dry and dusty and extends from the northern coastline of Tanzania to the Kenya border. My traveling companions and I reached our designated village by traveling over a rough dirt road via a Land Cruiser. I sat in the front with the driver; my tour guide and his friend sat in the back.
Upon our arrival, we were escorted to the office of the village chairman who was in a meeting with the ward counselor and 11 other village chairmen. I could tell it was an important meeting.
The ward counselor greeted us and suggested we wait at a nearby restaurant. When the meeting was finished, he would receive us. The delay gave us an opportunity to visit with several of the 1,940 villagers and drink a Coca-Cola. This village was like every other village we had visited along the coast. One could always find a primary school, usually a dispensary and always Coca-Cola!
Soon the ward counselor sent word for us to come. Stepping into the meeting, I noticed three women among the 12 village chairmen, which strongly indicated a matrilineal culture. At first, the size of our group made it appear that we were representing an organization. It took a little time to alleviate the chairmen’s suspicions and present ourselves as individuals who merely wanted to personally meet the Digo people.
The ward counselor offered to lead us through the village and identify people who could assist in gaining an understanding of Digo history. The sheik joined the tour and was pleased to show us the mosque. After we left our shoes at the entrance, he led us into the prayer area where he kindly posed for a picture.
The new madrassa was across the road. The sheik and madrassa teacher were proud of the facility. Inside its four large classrooms, the Quran is taught in Arabic every day. Current enrollment is 168, drawn from the 740 primary and 400 secondary students. Students attend the government schools until 3:30 p.m. and then come to the madrassa for two hours of religious instruction at 4 p.m. It is a required schedule.
A large open area at the center of the village was highlighted by a concrete-covered platform from which the sheik or political leaders addressed the crowd. The sheik climbed the steps to show where he would stand to lead a public worship service.
Next I visited with a husband and wife who were the village patriarchs. The elderly couple seemed to appreciate the honor of a visit. This was followed by a brief call at the dispensary and a chance to meet the doctor. The dispensary had limited supplies, and its refurbishing appeared to be a primary need.
Returning to the village chairman’s office, we made our farewell speeches to the 12 village chairmen and ward counselor. I closed by saying, “We entered your village as strangers, but we leave as friends.” The driver said, “I will soon return with my family for a visit.” The chairmen applauded both expressions. It was a happy conclusion.
The ward counselor invited us to stop at his home, located in the next village. We accepted the invitation, and along the way we stopped at a tall coconut palm tree for pictures. The tree was planted when Tanzania’s first president visited the village many years ago. Its height testified to the government’s long-term investment in the area.
The ward counselor’s zinc-roofed, cement block home was comfortable. He entertained us in the sitting room and introduced us to his new wife. His first wife, whose picture was on the wall, had borne six children but died a year ago. He shared with us how he served one year as village chairmen and then was elected as ward counselor three years ago. He said, “Now I have many headaches giving leadership to six villages with a total population of 6,000.”
We bid the counselor goodbye and returned to Tanga, Tanzania. All in all, it had been a great day! We made new friends, took a lot of pictures and opened our eyes to view the Digo harvest field. The need for laborers is evident. Presenting the gospel to the Digo will be challenging but rewarding!
Digo Profile