I walked fast, trying to keep up with the swishing wrap-around skirt of Mama Sabi as we made our way along the dusty trail. Despite the brisk pace, she deftly balanced an empty basin on her head without using her hands. Dusk was approaching, and I didn’t know how far we were going or if I would make it back home before dark, but I could hardly contain my excitement. This was my first opportunity to visit a Fulani settlement, and I was determined to go despite the unknowns!
Earlier that day, Mama Sabi had come by our house to sell milk and homemade cheese. This is the same lady Jason wrote about in the July 2014 AF, who came by to show me her new baby. After we returned from a long furlough, I didn’t see her for some time. As nomadic cattle herders, the Fulani spend part of the year deep in the bush and the other months closer to town. I was happy to see her again.
Mama Sabi doesn’t speak much French, and I don’t speak any of the local languages she knows, so we have a fun time communicating with lots of gestures and body language. As we headed out toward the Fulani camp she asked, “Foto? Foto?”
“Yes, photo,” I said, showing her that I had brought my phone. I wasn’t exactly sure what she wanted.
When we arrived at the Fulani settlement, a group of young women and children gathered around us, all wanting their pictures taken. I finally understood that they wanted me to give them prints later. I gladly obliged. After spending about half an hour in the settlement, I rushed home, arriving just before dark.
A week later, I went back to the Fulani settlement with Jason and the kids to pass out the photo prints. Everyone was excited and asked me to take even more pictures.
This is a small step in our outreach toward the Fulani, but it’s an exciting one. Finally we have made contact and visited a settlement. During both of our visits, there were few men or boys present, so please pray with us that Jason will find a way to make contact with them and that God will continue to open doors for us to minister to the Fulani.
