Fulfulde Church Lamorde

Today is Sunday and I went to the Fulfulde church. I wanted to write about it so you can understand how cool it was, so here it is. The road to the Lamorde chuch leads us off the main road, to the left dodging muddy puddles in the dirt road left by this week's rain storm. As we near the house, it looks like any ordinary house. It is small, cement block, like most in the city. We enter the front gate, and see the house to our left and to the right is a one roomed, tin-roofed shelter. It had woven millet stalk walls propped up by tree branches tied together with wire. Previously it was shaded from the sun by millet stalks laid across more tree branches overhead, but due to the fury of the wind and rain it collapsed. The pastor and a few others worked all this week to erect this new shelter. It is a blessing to them. As we sat down, women on one side and men of the other, and the service started, the Pastor welcomed everyone in French and Fulfulde . We sang two songs in French, one in Fulfulde, one more in French and finally one more in Fulfulde. The beautiful voice of the Pastor's wife, Ruth, led the songs from behind me. The pastor invited anyone to choose a song that had ministered to them and that they wanted to sing. Shelley chose a translated hymn that we knew. Next, people shared testimony of what God had been doing in their lives. One man thanked god for the safety of his fiancee who survived an armed attack on her home, and a missionary introduced his two volunteers that came to work with Fulani children. Everyone clapped, thanking God for all he has done and we rejoiced. Another man got up to preach, and he preached in French with a translator translating into Fulfulde. He preached on Acts 18 and the trials faced by Paul in Corinth. I was not able to understand all that he said, but that was okay. I did understand a few words from French and a few Fulfulde. Especially "nuddinbe" which means "believers." During the message you could hear a rooster behind the shelter and distant livestock. There was a small breeze coming in, which kept it relatively cool for the service. After the preaching, the pastor came up and shared his heart about the message. Then he read a letter from their mother church. It reminded me of the letters from the apostles read to the new testament churches. He also mentioned an event that was happening in a few weeks that interested the group. As we left, we greeted everyone with a sort of handshake. It is more of a grasping of hands than a "shake." The pastor's wife and I are friends, so I greeted her in Fulfulde. Then, we headed off, back to the other side of the bridge, towards home. It was great to be able to hear a message in Fulfulde, even if it is not my dialect that I am learning. God is working among the Fulani and I am so glad to be here with them.