On the foot of a hill towering over the otherwise flat horizon live the Zan Gula. Although they call themselves Muslims, the animism is still very much alive, including animal sacrifice, witchcraft, secret societies, idol worship, belief in and appeasement of ancestral sprirts, spiritual healing and all the rest of it. The rough terrain of the Guera region makes it necessary for the Zan Gula to work hard for survival. The soil is hard, and the seeds must be planted with the hot, burning sun overhead, so that when the rains fall in July there will be a harvest of millet for the whole family to eat. The harvest is stored in a granary formed from the clay soil, so there will be enough to eat until the rains fall next year, and the cycle begins all over again.

A small church of Christians from southern people groups exists in Zan village. Their pastor is a Chadian from another people group, supported through churches in the United Kingdom. An evangelist-nurse from yet another Chadian ethnic group is also part of the team. Their desire and vision is to see the Zan Gula come to know the Savior they love. Though the soil of the Zan Gula's hearts has been hard, and their labors toiling, it is encouraging to see interest expressed by some Zan Gula in the Good News they are proclaiming. But still, it is hard for the pastor and the evangelist-nurse not to get discouraged in the face of resistance and a seeming lack of interest in the gospel by many. Please pray for a church to be established among the Zan Gula soon.