Fulani

This week has been really interesting. Dr. Mike Taylor and Ryan Bowell from the GBIM home office are out for a visit as well as Rick, a dentist from Michigan. Caitlin and I have had the privilege of going along with them a few evenings to visit and eat with prominent African men associated with the mission and their families. It is so inspiring watching how these people live and hearing their stories.

Fulani people are very distinguished

What has been most interesting to me has been learning about the Fulani people. On Friday Dr. Dibona, an African doctor we spent the evening with, took us to visit a Fulani village on the outskirts of Bangui. The Fulani are a Muslim ethnic group who are nomadic cattle herders. They are one of the world’s most unreached people groups and there are only a handful or less of Fulani Christians in this country. At dinner tonight we met Yaya, a Fulani convert to Christianity who shared a little bit with us about how he came to Christ and the struggles and persecution that came with that decision.

The Fulani are a very private community and it was a big honor to sit and eat with their chief or "Baba", one of the most powerful Muslim men of the tribe. After eating our sweet pasta and hot sweet milk (which Fulani children brought to us on trays balanced on their heads), the chief showed us around the village and let us take pictures. I felt like I was in the middle of a National Geographic photo shoot.

the whole group with our Fulani hosts

My knowledge of the Fulani people is still very limited so I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

the "Baba" of the village with some of his family

all these Fulani kids sang a special song for us. It was really cool!

kids with their writing tablets from Koran class

they all wanted their picture taken with me 

the orange on this girls fingers and face is from henna

showing off the Arabic writing on his tablet

they learn French in their regular village school

a young Fulani boy