First of all, no I did not misspell “a
lot.” Alat is the name of a town about 45 minutes away from us and
it was the home to this year's Fulani believers conference. This is
like the coolest thing ever man! Really.
The Fulani are considered an “unreached
people group” meaning that there are very few believers amongst
them (like 1%). That is why it is was so cool to see a gathering of 50 or so
Fulani that follow Jesus meeting and worshiping together. Some came
from Cameroon, others from Central African Republic and many were
from Nigeria.
Us Nassara'en (white folks) came for
half a day. During the time we were there, they talked about the
importance of health care for women and children. This is remarkable
because the conference was 90% men. Women and children are often seen
as “second class citizens” in African societies- especially
amongst the Fulani. Some strict husbands will not even let their
wives leave their houses! The men at the conference encouraged each
other to take their wives to the hospital for prenatal care and to
vaccinate their children (the women said amen in the background). There
also was a slice of time devoted to debunking the myth that white
people use vaccines to sterilize or make barren African children!
After the “health seminar” they
then talked about the importance of education! In light of the
Boko Haram in Nigeria (an Islamic
jihadist militant organization that is against "Western education"), this once again is amazing. I kept on thinking how
beautiful it is that Christ can change lives so dramatically. These
Fulani Christ followers will be shining examples to their communities
of how to respect women and how to care for their children.
This is picture is the entryway to the
conference- it is the custom to take off your shoes before you enter
a house or building. Because persecution of Fulani believers is real
here, I chose not to show any pictures of the people in attendance. "How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, 'Your God reigns!'" Isaiah 52:7
