1987. Young Mary Fati Gyani, a Fulani woman recently converted to Christianity, was engaged to be married to Joseph Issa Gyani, who was also a Christian. Before giving her life to Christ, Fati had been a Muslim, and her father, Mallam Abukari, opposed the marriage. To him, it was the ultimate dishonor for his daughter to marry a Christian. It was an act that would make him lose the respect he enjoyed from his community.
Over thirty years later, Issa and Fati have given Mallam Abukari and his wife three grandsons and a granddaughter, all of which are successful, upstanding young adults. The couple are active Christians, living out their faith in their community, and have even started a school in Buipe to meet the educational needs of the Fulani children.
While Mallam Abukari has not openly professed his belief in the Christian faith, he was very excited when his daughter and son-in-law gave him an audio Bible three years ago. Mallam Abukari has played the New Testament audio Bible so much that he is well-versed in the gospel and can recite alongside the audio whenever it is being played. Whenever visitors come to his home, the first thing he does after greeting them is to go to his room, grab the audio Bible, and play it for his guests. the continuous mention of Jesus Christ (Issa Al-Masihu in his language) in the gospels has made the Fulfude community nickname him “Issa Al-Masihu”. While some aren’t bothered by Mallam Abukari’s exuberance of the Bible, others oppose him, accusing him of being a secret convert to Christianity and claiming he is trying to convert them as well.
Prayer
- Pray for Mallam Abukari so that he will grow in the knowledge and teachings of Christ
- Pray also for the hearers of the gospel. Pray that they will give thought to the word of God
- Pray for Issa and Fati so that they will have the patience to wait for the seed of the gospel to grow and bear much fruit among the Fufulde community.
The Bibles to Ghana ministry continues to bring many people to Christ every day, and is committed to bringing the Word of God to villages that have never before heard the Gospel. Click here to read more about this ministry in Ghana, Africa.