I also know now that when a goat starts chomping my house I should shout "Tay!" to shoo it away, whereas for a cow it is "Usss!". Try shouting "Usss!" at a Fulani goat, and it will just stare at you and raise an eyebrow as if to say, "I beg your pardon, were you addressing me?" Similarly, cows don't respond to "Tay!", but they haven't got any eyebrows to raise at you. For bulls there is a different word again: "Rrrrrrrr!". I still can't do that one very well, and besides, I think it's best to let bulls have their own way. If a bull wants to eat my house, let it - I'll just hover discreetly with the dessert menu. What I'm trying to say is that little by little I am learning. So thank you for your prayers.

Fulfulde is also progressing fairly well. A few Fulani men have commented recently, "A laatii Pullo joonin" (You have become Fulani now). I generally reply with a fulfulde proverb which Keith taught me: "Fay si leggal booyi ley ndiyam, laatataako nooda abada." Even if a piece of wood is in the water for a long time, it will never become a crocodile! I know Iwill never fit in completely here. I am far too tall and English. But making the effort is a part of Paul's idea of being 'all things to all men' (1 Cor.9:22). To the Jews a Jew, to the Greeks a Greek. To the Fulani, Fulani. That by all means we might win some.

Talking of which, there are two Fulani men in Gorom Gorom who a couple weeks ago invited Jesus into their lives. They are called Abdullai and Musa and they will certainly need your prayers over the coming weeks and months. Abdullai is from Niger but now lives in Gorom; he's about my age and we get on well. If we cross paths in town after dark he always asks "Who knows where the hyena goes at night?" I'm never quite sure if the hyena refers to me or to him or to a real hyena; Ialways grin and reply "No one" and he seems to think that's an appropriate answer. Anyway, he started coming to the meetings on Thursday nights and the third time he came he said he wanted to follow Jesus.

Two weeks after that, Musa (Moses) said that he wanted to follow Jesus as well. Musa is in his early forties, lives in a village outside of Gorom, and used to herd Keith's cattle for him. It is a joy to see them take the first few steps of faith, but we are also aware that in this environment, faith is very fragile. They will need constant encouragement from us and from Hamadou, but essentially from God himself. They need to see that their new life is real, not just the exchange of one set of rituals for another. Please pray that God touches their hearts and minds, that he protects them from harm, and that he establishes them in love, joy and peace. We can help and encourage them all we can, but God alone can sustain them and provide for all their needs. And thinking about it, Isuppose he alone knows where the hyena goes at night. Well, he and David Attenborough.

Our mission movement, World Horizons, have asked Keith and I to leave Gorom at the end of the year. Their main concern is that we should be linked into a larger team, and Djibo is the proposed new place of work. I think I mentioned Djibo in an earlier letter; it's the other main town in the north of Burkina Faso, you can find it on a map no problem. There we would be linked to a SIM team, led by Jim Harrington, and we should be able to work from there into the unreached Fulani villages of the north. We hope to continue visiting Gorom to ensure adequate follow-up and progress in the work. Please pray for us as we prepare for this move.

Peter and Gregor returned home safely; thank God for their visit - they had an enjoyable and fruitful time here, were a huge encouragement to Keith and I, and only one of them got malaria. Which, I hasten to add, he has now recovered from.

The rains this year have been sporadic but not disastrous. Please continue to pray with us for the needs of the region.

That's all for now. In my October prayer letter, I will share with you the exclamation for chasing away a sheep who is up to no good. If you would rather be removed from this mailing list, just reply to my email address with the word 'unsubscribe' in the subject line. I will, of course, be hurt and offended. Seriously though, I want to say again how much I value your prayers. Prayer (as somebody once said) is not support for a greater work. Prayer IS the greater work.

As ever, my love to you and your families,

Alla beydu jam (May God increase your peace).

Steve