RLT Week

Yes, this week was really cool! We spent each day with our regional leaders learning about prayer walking, prayer networks, African cultural worldview, and Attitude. We had lunch at their house with a traditional african menu of Attiekey (ah che- KE) and rice with Sauce Grande (made with palm oil) and Sauce Arashid (peanut sauce). Iw was a grea meal and we got to play "dress up" with traditional skirts and outfits that his wife brought home. I will post a picture of my team in our traditional clothes soon. Thursday we went out to lunch with the regional office team and got to tour the office of the IMB. That was very fun. We met lots of people and learned where things happen throughout the board. We got to see the "spinning world" that everyone raves about. (again I will post pictures soon.) Today we are in an awesome session about discipleship. I will write a separate post because it has lots of good things that I would like to share. Until then, Danielle

I'm excited

I am very excited about the topic of next week. It is Regional Leadership time. That is the time when the team from Richmond comes and teaches sessions all week that specifically pertain to our region. That is very useful simply because of the vast amount of knowledge we are presented. We have had three short sessions with Roger Haun, our Richmond associate, and his wife. These have been the times when we take the information we learn and talk about the most pertinent information and especially how it relates to West Africa. I learned today that 1 dollar is equal to 667.7 franc (cfa) monetary unit of Niger and lots about the African/muslim worldview. We talked about the history of missions in West Africa and current needs. Also, a screening conference is here this week for Journeyman and ISC positions. I have been talking some of them to help answer any questions about the process and share my heart for West Africa. We would love it if we could send a few of these men and women to West Africa in August. Well, I have to get back to my assignment, I just thought I would share that. In His service, Danielle

Week Three

Well, we are nearing the end of week three and it feels as if time is just flying by! We are learning so much and keeping busy with assignments. This week we are focusing on Church Planting Movements. We have had a few different presenters that have been involved in CPMs and have been able to learn about CPMs happenning right now around the world. It is very encouraging to hear about what God is doing with ordinary people who are fallible and weak. Other sessions this week have been IMB Principles, Malaria, Doctrine of the church, and Prayer networks. Last week we had sessions on anthropology (my favorite subject) and worldview. These were especially important because my job on the field will be to make relationships and evangelize while researching Sokoto Fulani worldview, beliefs and values. This excites me! I am now certified to teach ESL (English as Second Language) as well. We participated in these sessions on our own time, two Saturdays. That is a great certification to have! Thanks alot for your faithful prayers! I wouldn't be here without you! Below are a few personal praises and prayer requests: Praises:

• Encouraging friends and wise career missionaries to offer counsel
• great weather to enjoy God's creation
• awesome teachers and knowing that the Cooperative Program spends our tithes and offerrings wisely and prudently

Prayer Requests:

• Diligence to get enough sleep and wake up to have quantity and quality morning devotions
• For God to reveal places where I have not given Him control
• Just being open to be used wherever, whenever He wants.
• My family at home
• Sokoto Fulani People

Revelation 7:9-10 After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the thron and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb."

God "saved me a seat"

God is good! Our activity this afternoon is to have a personal spiritual retreat based on silence and solitude. We learned about the importance of preparing and nourishing our heart, ways to deepen our relationship with Him and spiritual discipline. So God led me away. I took a blanket, my bible, journal, pen, a bottle of water and my desire to be quiet and alone with God. A quiet adventure! I fashioned a backpack by tying my things up in the blanket and securing it with a rope. It was perfect. He led me to follow the north side of the lake and take the path from there. His creation is so beautiful! As I walked I saw where the lake fed into a stream and playfully fell over the rocks in its way. The stream soon led into the woods where brown, fallen leaves cover the rugged landscape. The stream began to widen as the banks turned into small cliffs providing a different view of the flowing water. I crossed the stream by relying on small stepping stones that barely kept my feet dry. As I continued, I felt like a person living during old testament times following God, waiting to hear the next place he would have me camp. I asked God for a place where I could meet with him and he would come to meet me there. As I continued to follow the stream it met with a river and became very strong. The cliffs were now very high and the sheer rock was just beautiful. I came to a place where a large rock jetted to the edge of the cliff and overlooked the river. I felt God ask me to stop there. I laid my blanket out and sat with God. It took a while for my mind to settle, so I waited, rested, sang praise songs and took in my surroundings. It was a good place. After an hour and a half I got up, packed my stuff and headed for the next place God would speak to me. En route he gave me a great calm, a feeling of peace and security. I got the feeling that what I needed was not a word from God, but rather his assurance. He is here. He sees me. He knows what I am doing and He is proud. As I followed the river back a ways, this time along the bank instead of atop the cliffs, I came upon a tree. It was a beautiful tree with whitish, tan leaves that are sparsely spread along the straight limbs. Its root system was amazingly complex but at the same time part of the whole tree with one purpose, to provide life. The most amazing part of the tree was found near its trunk. Part of the root system jetted out and created a semi-level surface. I felt like God had "saved me a seat." It reminded me of where I am on this journey. He has brought me every step of the way and has prepared this place for me. I am protected by the limbs, the trunk and the roots. I have a firm place to rest, everything I need and I am called to stay in his protection and watch the mighty river He is going to unleash in Africa. As the wind gently brushes my face and blows my hair I sit in the safety of an Almighty God who is in complete control. I do not know what lies ahead of me in Niger, but I have been given a mighty seat, in the presence of God.

Sokoto Fulani Information

Here is a write-up on the Sokoto Fulani people. Let me know if you have any questions, and I'll get back to you. If you post a comment to this post then others can benefit from your question as well. Thanks!! -- <>< ----------------------------------------------------------------------- The Sokoto Fulani are a sub-group of the much larger Fulani people, a tribe that is spread across much of West Africa. The Fulani live in northern Nigeria alongside the Hausa people. The Sokoto region, which lies in the far northern part of the country, houses some of the ruling class of the Fulani, known as the Toroobe. The Toroobe exercise authority and political power over the Hausa. Many of the Sokoto Fulani have also spread into southern Niger. While some of the Fulani living in this area are educated aristocrats, others are Bororo, or semi-nomadic herdsmen (part shepherds and part farmers). The Sokoto Fulani, then, are composed of the ruling class (Toroobe) and the semi-nomadic shepherds (Bororo). The area they occupy is an open grassland with narrow forested zones. Camels, hyenas, lions, and giraffes inhabit this region. Though the temperatures are extremely hot during the day, they are much cooler at night. What Are Their Lives Like? The semi-nomadic Sokoto Fulani engage in some supplementary farming, along with animal breeding. Millet and other grains are their main crops. Milk, drunk fresh and as buttermilk, is their staple food, and meat is consumed only during ceremonial occasions. The cattle are herded by the men, although the women help with milking the cows. The women also make butter and cheese and do the trading at the markets. Among the Fulani, wealth is measured by the size of a family's herds. The semi-nomadic Sokoto Fulani live in temporary settlements. During the harvest, the families live together in small huts that make up village compounds. Each compound is surrounded by the family's garden. During the dry season, the men leave their wives, children, the sick, and the elderly at home while they take their herds to better grazing grounds. Each village has a chief or headman to handle village affairs. Like the Toroobe (ruling class), the semi-nomadic Sokoto Fulani are divided into age groups of three or four year intervals. The youth in these age groups work together and help each other during their early years. A man usually selects a bride from his age group. Since the Fulani converted to Islam, their women have had more restrictions placed upon them than in previous times. Their former free lifestyles are now confined by the rules of Islam. Today, men are considered socially and morally superior to women, thus dominating them. What are their beliefs? The ruling class of Sokoto (Toroobe), like other Fulani groups, believe they are descendants of Abraham and believe in a supernatural God who created everything. They follow the strict moral code of the devout Muslim. The genuinely godly among them strive to attain sanctity and, in turn, supernatural powers. Those that are not so religious are usually superstitious and may engage in fortune-telling. They may also make charms and medicines for those who believe in their powers. What are their needs? The Sokoto Fulani are 99.9% Muslim. Although missions agencies are currently working among them, very few Sokoto have converted to Christianity. Much prayer is needed to loosen the hold that Islam has on their lives. Prayer Points

• Ask the Lord of the harvest to send forth laborers into Niger and Nigeria to minister to the Sokoto Fulani.
• Ask the Holy Spirit to grant wisdom and favor to the missions agencies that are currently targeting the Sokoto Fulani.
• Pray that God will give the Sokoto Fulani believers in Nigeria boldness to share Christ with their own people.
• Take authority over the spiritual principalities and powers that are keeping the Sokoto Fulani bound.
• Ask God to raise up prayer teams who will begin breaking up the soil through worship and intercession.
• Ask the Lord to bring forth a triumphant Sokoto Fulani church for the glory of His name! Profile text source: Bethany World Prayer Center, © 1999.Used with permission from Adopt-A-People Clearinghouse.