Never a dull moment

This week I had the opportunity to travel to a neighboring Fulani village, Marafa, and have henna done on both my hands and feet!!! Many West African tribes believe that henna is beautiful and it is performed on women and children for special occasions such as weddings and to celebrate the end of Ramadan. The Fulani do their henna differently than most, however, because they dye the entire soles of their feet and their toenails as well as the tip of each finger on their left hand. (The left hand is considered unclean in this culture and not used for eating, waving, or offering an object to anyone.) First the Fulani clean the feet and hands, and then use a razor to cut up electrical tape into intricate patterns which will be placed on the sides of each foot and on the palm of the hand. They pound their own henna, and then use an ammonia based salt mixed with ash to change the color from deep orange to black. The entire process takes hours to complete, but the result is a unique design which lasts several weeks.

Our village also held a baby naming ceremony this week! When a child is born, it is not given a name until 7 days later during a morning celebration. The father of the child will choose a name, whisper it into the baby’s ear and tell the religious elder of the village. It is the religious elder who then shouts out the baby’s name for the rest of the family and neighbors to hear. The mother and the baby stay inside their hut the entire day and are not seen by anyone. They shave the baby’s head and pour a mixture of water and milk over the child as an act of initiation into the Fulani tribe. Then, they slit the throat of a sheep as a sacrifice to Allah and the meat is distributed among the different compounds of the village. Since it is currently Ramadan, people hung out in the chief’s compound all day until sunset and then celebrated with food and tea.

My teammates and I have taken turns with fever and stomach illness these past couple weeks. The heat is insane and it is becoming daily routine that an ant crawls up my skirt and bites me in the butt. So life in the village is a challenge each day- but I am filled with the Joy of the Lord and He is my strength!!! I welcome each morning as I rise with the sun and I am thankful for each exciting experience. I look forward to the upcoming weeks as we visit in the village and continue to form relationships with the people we meet!