The Life of a Missionary to the Fulani
How did I become a missionary to the Fulani? I was a young university graduate involved in poultry farming and church pastoral work. My passion to see the Muslims in my community come to salvation and the knowledge of the truth led me to a recommended School of Missions somewhere in southwest Nigeria.
At the time, I felt there was a significant knowledge gap in my approach to evangelizing and discipling Muslims in my community—a gap that only specialized ministerial training could fill. However, just one month into the School of Missions, the path the Lord had prepared for my life became much clearer. I vividly remember being in the school library when I heard the unmistakable voice of God:
Since then, the desire to see the Fulani people come into the light of God’s saving grace has become the singular focus and passion of my life.
After completing a year of missions training, I entered the office of our mission agency’s National Director. There, on the wall, I saw a small banner with the caption: “The Fulanis could be the last chariot that will take the Gospel to every other unreached tribe in the world.” That moment served as a powerful confirmation of my calling, renewing my energy and deepening my conviction.
Over the years, I have seen the undeniable hand of God stretched out in miraculous ways. These experiences have convinced me that the Fulani can be saved—and shall be saved—if only the Church will rise to its responsibility to go and make disciples of all nations (people groups), including the Fulani.
During my first week of six months probation on the mission field, I worked under a senior field missionary. One night, he put me on a motorbike, and we headed out for a night discipleship program, accompanied by a Fulani man—one of his first converts. Sitting on that bike, I couldn’t help but marvel: “If God could save this one Fulani, He can surely save many more among the 38 million Fulani across Africa.”
Since then, I have witnessed entire Fulani households come to Christ. Sometimes the wife believes first, then the husband follows—or vice versa. I recall my first two weeks on the mission field when a communal clash occurred, and a Fulani man was killed by Yorubas. Being a Yoruba man myself, I knew my life was in danger, living among the Fulani in their camp. But God intervened graciously: it was the Fulani themselves who hid me on a farm alongside others from their tribe.
Has the journey been challenging? Yes, of course! But the joy of seeing eternal souls saved far outweighs the hardships of living in the jungle. One experience that deeply marked me was an encounter with an elderly Fulani man. He accepted Christ one day, only to pass away unexpectedly the following afternoon. None of us knew he was so close to the grave—but by God’s grace, he had secured his eternity.
The path of a missionary to the Fulani is not an easy one, but the eternal rewards are immeasurable. The Fulani can be reached. They will be reached. And they can, indeed, carry the Gospel to the remaining unreached tribes of Africa and beyond. To God be all the glory!
Owoseni Amos
Missionary with Sinai Global Outreach