Alat of excitement!

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