Stories from the Field

December 2003

FearFactor: Following Christ
October 01, 2003

In the heat of midday, as most walk in from the fields to rest, a group of men gathers under some shade. One picks up a drum and starts playing as the others sing. Villagers go out of their way to avoid this patch of shade. No one wants to be too closely involved or even associated with this group.

Just far enough down the dirt path to not be considered part of the group, but close enough to hear, stands the village chief, Musa. Emotions well up and he turns from the group, but does not leave his post. He wants to hear.

Musa is one of 28 million Hausa living on 75,000 square miles straddling the borders of Nigeria and Niger. Almost a year ago, Chief Musa publicly professed Jesus Christ as his Savior. “I want to be the first to ask Jesus into my heart,” he proclaimed after three years of learning Bible stories. “I want to lead my village in the ways of Christ.”

Days later, Chief Musa asked the missionary to leave the village and never return. He banned all Christian worship and reminded his people that they were Muslim and would always remain Muslim. The sudden change of heart came after holy men visited. They threatened his family, his village and to take away his power as chief if he continued to be a Christian.

With fewer than 200 known Christians, it is difficult to stand alone. More than 99 percent of the Hausa follow the rules of Islam. Their belief is more than a religion--it's a culture. This fear induced by the culture is a major barrier for the Hausa in coming to Christ. Once a person makes a decision to change, pressures from family and the village can force him to fall back to old ways. If he chooses to stay a Christian, he is shunned from his family--which could mean a quiet, slow death.

Many who know the truth choose to stay Muslim, just as Musa. He knows that no matter what his heart says, he will not join this small church service. For him, the cost is too high.