And There Were in the Same Country, Shepherds

Location: Cote d’Ivoire

The first thing a city-dweller would likely notice is the quiet. But for many semi-nomadic peoples, like the Fulani of northern Cote d’Ivoire, long days spent shepherding their cattle, goats, and sheep through the short grass and brush is the only life they’ve ever known. The bustle of cities and traffic seem like things belonging to an entirely different world. Here, everyone eats the same thing, wears the same thing, and believes the same thing: Islam.

To depart from this shared belief is unthinkable to many Fulani people; to leave Islam would be to abandon the foundation of their very identity. Consequently, the believers among the Fulani and those who work to carry Christ to this insular group face severe and sometimes violent persecution.

“This work is not easy,” writes our Every Home team in Cote d’Ivoire. “With great perseverance, believers with a local church traveled throughout several communities, sharing God’s love.”

Our team was prepared to encounter skepticism and suspicion.

Aliah* saw the strangers before they arrived at the door of her home. She watched them stop and speak to her neighbors, who waved them on or listened with folded arms and unreadable faces. What news did these people bring? Some strange ideas of outsiders most likely.

But when the strangers at last arrived at Aliah’s home, the story they told was familiar.

There was a Good Shepherd, they said, he guarded his flock, loved them, even laying down his life to save them. This story rang true for Aliah. The flocks were her family’s livelihood. They cared for the calves on their wobbly legs almost like children, showing them the green pastures and keeping wild predators away.

This Good Shepherd, who loved weak and wobbly people, was called Jesus, the strangers said. And he offered the gift of his life and love.

Deep in the secret part of her heart, Aliah knew the truth of this story. But she didn’t dare to say anything. Accepting the Good Shepherd’s gift could cost her everything.

The Every Home team left the Fulani community discouraged. They could see that the story of the Good Shepherd resonated with people. But no one wanted to risk the reproach of and rejection of their neighbors.

Aliah kept thinking about it. As she milked the cows, the words came back to her:

“He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out… His sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”

This Good Shepherd was no stranger. He knew the cold nights full of crystalline stars and the chilling sound of something wild prowling in the dark. He knew Aliah*, and she felt as though she did know his voice. He was her Shepherd. How could she resist his call? Louder and louder it sounded in her heart. But she kept silent for as long as she could. And then one day, as she talked with a friend, she began to wonder if perhaps this woman too had heard the Shepherd’s call…

Waking in the middle of the night to someone knocking on your door usually sparks anxiety. But the leader of our outreach team decided to get up and see who their unexpected visitor was. As he opened the door, he began to make out ten figures standing in the dark.

At our leader’s door, in the middle of the night, stood ten Fulani women who had come in secret to accept Christ because they were convinced the love of the Good Shepherd, Jesus, was for them. His voice called to them.

“Having confessed their sins, they committed themselves to Christ by joining the local church. This did not sit well with members of their tribe,” our team writes. “They were immediately banished, rejected, and expelled from the Fulani community.”

For these ten women, everything they had feared came true. To follow the Good Shepherd who had laid down his life for them, these new believers were forced to give up their community and their livelihood.

“Threatened with death, they fled to Korhogo to seek refuge with our volunteer coordinator, who took them in,” shares our team.

The church who partnered with Every Home to carry Christ’s light to this Fulani community received the outcasts with open arms. They would be a new family for these courageous women.

Our team says: “Today, these ten women are hidden and kept safe to protect them from harsh persecution that could destroy their newfound Christian faith. Our sisters are happy and living out their faith in Jesus, and resources are being made available to them so they can engage in income-generating activities and gain financial independence. We thank God who continues to save the Fulani people living in the northern region of Côte d’Ivoire.”