Week 4

             

   I am at a loss of words when I think it has been a month! My first official month away from America! Wow! I miss my family and friends terribly but there is peace and rest in God. Well, this week as been just as memorable as the others. One of the coolest things that happened was on Saturday our neighbor, down stairs ,was talking,we talked about family a few weekends ago.  I show her pictures of my family so she invites me into her house and introduces me to her mother then pulls out her wedding photo album . She is newly married and she didn’t have any other photos of her brothers or sister. It was really great She has a sister and two brothers like me. She is a very sweet woman she is a Muslim but very kind. So after visiting with her mother she went to go do something. Once we finished looking at the album,I was leaving  and she quickly rushed out of her room changed into nicer clothes and invited me to lunch with her family. Now many times in different cultures they will invite you to lunch ,if you are there around that time out of obligation. So I said that I need to get my laundry done but she said we can bring up a plate to you with food. I could tell she legitimately wanted me to eat with her, her spouse, and her mother. So I ate with them. We ate out of a one large bowl. It was rather interesting; well I learned culturally before that you can’t eat with your left hand at all. So I am trying to put on a fork this fish and rice dish. Well, I have to say the fish still had the bones in it and it was nasty. All the time I am trying to choke this down they are telling me that I am not eating enough. I mean I am left handed as you know, trying to eat this fish and rice dish with my right hand with a fork and choke it down. They eventually gave me a spoon out of pity and so I could eat some more.  So I am praying under my breath “Yeah, though I walk in the valley of the shadow of the stomach of death, you are with me O Lord you will not let me puke, by your gracious right hand.” J So that had helped some. But I loved the experience. She told me some neat cultural things like in Malian culture the first born boy is named after the baby's father’s father and the first born girl is named after the father’s mother.My hostess complained to me that she couldn’t name a child until their third child. She has spent some time in the United States and was annoyed at this. I felt very welcomed and loved. I hadn’t  been here a month when she invited me to eat at her house.

 The rest of the week we were in a seminar every day ,for four hours, listening to a speaker, speak on the book, “Walking with the Poor” by Bryant Myers. It was about Holistic Transformational Development so that was awesome. The seminar changed my views on the poor on how we view them and opened my eyes to the needed steps towards community development and what transformational development really is. We don’t just bring these people God’s word but agriculture, and other things, because it wasn’t just our relationship with God that was affected by the fall. Our relationship with other people, ourselves, and the world were affected by the fall. SO when people say they live in poverty because they aren’t trying hard enough. Well, you might have been given more opportunities and those people might not have any other options. Our world view affects how we treat others and react to things.  Just like the only difference between me and my Muslim neighbor is that I heard the gospel message and was born in America ,that is the only difference between us. I am blessed, truly blessed. I loved the course and it was a wonderful eye opener. It changed my worldview and sensitivity towards the impoverished. They still deserve dignity  just like we do. Instead of coming into projects like we are in charge, we need to consult the community.  The community will always be there long after we leave. It’s not even about quantity of changes made in that community, it’s about spreading God’s goodness and making long-term changes. Like an old wise saying “little and lasting is better than much and passing…”

There were several other things that happened this week. I was given a name by a Malian Pastor, the names here are very important. I am  now a part of the Saco family. That is very cool. Then the women in our neighborhood are also greeting me and trying to communicate with me a lot. I am developing relationships with them so that has been exciting. They are also coaching me in the Bambara language. For example, another amzing thing that  happened to me was when  I was going on the roof to study my Bambara . I didn’t want to go to the group of women to practice that day, because it is intimidating when you first start and are practicing several phrases. So I went to the roof and our neighbor's maid was there and asked me about my book of Bambara .She  helped me practice my phrases  for like 15 minutes. It was like really great.

Also  that day was I was walking to the boutique because Ariel ,one of the other missionary interns , was really sick and needed sprite and more water. As I was walking I greeted a woman from our neighborhood and she began talking to me in Bambara. I got some of what she was saying and some not at all then she asked in English “name” I told it to her. She shook her head and she gave me another name. It was long and sounded different but it was very cool. I think it is a sign of acceptance. Just like the pastor that gave me a name! J God is good!

Although, this week has been great I had some down times too. For example, Monday night I was sick and vomited multiple times and was sick all day Tuesday as well. I am also homesick but I do see God’s hand in this. Some things are frustrating like when I am sick but  I  can still see  God working all things to my good. He is holding me, and changing me, and making me into who He wants me to be. I want to close this post by giving you a verse God laid on my heart earlier this week.

“He gives power to the weak,

And to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary

And the young men shall utterly fall,

But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength;

They shall mount up with wings like eagles,

They shall run and not be weary,

They shall walk and not faint.”

Isaiah 40:29-31

Week 3

 <><><><> The man with the camel!!!  Week three has been awesome. As we continue to experience new sights, sounds, smells, and people we are soaking up the culture like  sponges. It has been so fun going places and meeting new people.  On Monday, we went to the Bible college in another village near ours. The village is very rural and spacious. The Bible college would look the way that one would picture Africa. It was located  way out there and has  three rather small buildings and a garden. Well, in the middle of our visit to this place I had to really go to the bathroom. Bamako our city was on the other side of the village and it would take a while to get there. So I had to use their restrooms which consisted of a hole in the ground(like an old timey outhouse) I have to say that it was a memorable experience to say the least.   We met the pastors and their wives which was really cool. The women are very sweet. They are learning how to read. We are so blessed in America! We learn to read when we are 5 or 6 years old.  These women ,who are in their 20’s and 30’s and possibly 40’s, are desiring to read God’s Word.  They have to learn how to do something that in America we've done since we were young children. Well, Tuesday we had Bambara(Language) class as usual. It is a lot of fun and I see how we are learning a lot. The sentence structure is actually very simple, in many cases Spanish has a simple sentence structure but Bambara has a simpler one. I have had a lot of fun with it. All the women carry their Babies on their backs like this.   Then while walking our language teacher downstairs, to the gate(which is what you do culturally), I saw outside our gate…there was a man sitting on top of a large camel  just outside our apartment. So I rush upstairs and get the other girls and we get our cameras. We take a bunch of pictures of the camel. Then the  camel guy invited each of us to take turns sitting on the tall camel for a small price. So we did for $2.00 American money ,four of us sat on the camel and took pictures! It was too fun. We had  a young woman from the church come and visit us and tell us about the different opportunities to serve at church. We are going to help out  with the children, choir, evangelism, and human videos. This next weekend ,we are all going to a wedding of someone from the church. We are very excited. The whole church is wearing matching fabric to show the unity of the people in support to this wedding. So we all are getting skirts or dresses made. It is really cool! On Thursday, we went to the college here in Bamako and helped out with the English class. The students  were separated into small groups and  we asked  things about their culture in English. So I had three men in my group and they knew little English. One was a hard core Muslim. What he liked about his cultures was the Mosques, Koran, and religion and what he didn’t like about his culture was that people didn’t pray enough. It is rather sad if you think about this man is serious, really serious about his faith, and we as Christians  are often so lax about ours. Then another man in the group said,"I don’t like how people leave their jobs and posts to pray at different times of the day". He was saying this is distracting and implying it was a waste of time. So these two men had  extremely different views from one another but they were sitting there like they were best friends. It was rather funny. On Friday, we visited a Christain School  for missionary kids. We can help out there in many ways. We will be helping with mathematics, art, music, P.E., and prep work. We will be volunteering there once a week. Next week we will start working at the Native Christian School with the children who speak Bambara. They are very sweet kids . Chelsie and I will be developing an extracurricular  program and are going to teach the students how to play Basketball!  About 80% of the kids from that Christian school are Muslim. It is really exciting that we can form relationships with the students  and help them learn a sport. Additionally, we will be helping out at an orphanage soon. I am very excited about that. In my own life I see how God is changing me to become more like Him. It has in many ways been a very painful process.  I see how He is changing my heart and my  agenda. I have missed my family, friends, and routine.He is trying to get me to a place where I solely depend on Him. I feel so blessed that He has given me this opportunity and I can’t wait to see what He does this year.  I can already see  that  I will be the one in the end most changed  by this experience not Mali. Going into a new culture is like relearning life. Often I ask myself why do we do this? And I begin to question our own culture. Even though we have so much more then Malians , they seem so much more genuine and have a real zeal for God. When I step back and look I begin to feel like I am shallow compared to these people. When they make the choice to follow Christ they don’t turn back . They give up so much. Their choice is a sacrifice, they may have to  give up their family, job, children , and community to follow Him. Lord Help us! It is so easy to follow Christ in America and yet, here they  greatly desire to please God. They know there is something deeper then just the physical world around us there is a deeper spiritual realm.

Week 2

This week has been a memorable week in most cases. I have learned more fun facts about the culture and God has been growing me in the process. For example, on Tuesday, Chelsie (one of the other SaFERs) and I are walking down the road and this little cross eyed 5 year old boy holds out his hand to shake ours.  And I didn’t notice but Chelsie did and she was like, “he wants us to shake his hand” and so I go and put my own hand out. In the end we both shook this child’s hand. As soon as I grabbed this kid’s hand I knew there was something horribly wrong. This kids hand was like crispy nasty there had to have been something on it. You really couldn’t tell if it was dirty because everything is covered in dirt here. Well once we left the kid started laughing. At first I was puzzled but then it hit me we shook this kids left hand. The left hand in most cultures is the dirty hand it is used to blow the nose and wipe the butt. So as Chelsie put it he gave us his “dodo hand.” We can look back now and laugh, it was rather funny to think that this five year old really wanted to shake our hand. I can still look at this situation in a puzzled state of mind I have to say that even though it was weird you learn something new every day. With God all things are possible and even the stupid cultural mess up’s I do even daily, God can fix it quickly because He is awesome like that. If shaking that little boy’s dirty little hand causes us to have a relationship with him it was worth it! Even if he meant it as an insult.

 We are trying to form relationships with our neighbors here. They are very nice people and are gracious they laugh at us while we are butchering their language  trying to talk to them. Every time we greet them with “I ni sE” which is like saying “hello.” Since doing that just a simple greeting they are very happy to see us every time we leave the apartment.

Another interesting cultural thing is all the babies are carried on their mother’s backs. They are tied there with this certain type of cloth. So you see all these little babies everywhere. The women look like they have these humps on their backs. They do this even when they are riding on the back of a moto (cheap motorcycles). It is always very awkward to see that though because the roads consist of dirt and there are no real traffic laws. Everyone rides on motos, green buses, taxis, or every once and a while cars.

There are several fun things that we did this week. For example, we went to a large Christian School. We are going to help with English there. About 80% of the students are Muslim but they get to hear about God there. Their parents want them to go to a good school but the school requires that they have to participate in Bible class to go there. The reason these Muslim children are going there is their parents want them to have the best education possible and these kids are getting that at this Christian school.  Actually, several pastors grew up as Muslims but they also grew up going to Christian schools like this one and they came to know Christ through those schools. J There are about 45 students per class room and it is considered a smaller school! WOW! The kids are a sharp as a whip and very cute. One of the most interesting things about the school is how they respond to the teacher. Instead of raising their hands like in America they snap their fingers and raise their hands high and call out, “Teacher! Teacher!” It is rather shocking to our quiet American schools but this is how it is done in their culture. We will be also working with the three to four year olds at the school .There are like 40 four year olds and  twenty something three year olds. I am excited that we will be able to share with these children God’s love.

We are also learning Bambara. About 80%-90% of the people speak only Bambara only a few speak French so it is important for us to learn it to communicate. Without knowing the language it limits our ministry opportunities. I have the greetings down now and am praying for God’s grace to help me through the other parts of the language process. J

The church is awesome! We are going to be helping with the children of the church. The church itself is just so joyful. As we form more relationships with the church we can help assist them in their different ministries we are here to help and serve the people of Mali. This Sunday there is going to be a youth day. Where the young adults of the church run the songs and the other parts of the church on that Sunday! We are all going to be wearing a black skirts with a white shirts to show that we are united and we( me and the other four girls from our group )are going to be sitting with the other young adults there. I am anticipating the service.

In my own life I am seeing how God is doing different things. I am depending a lot more on Him and He is changing me. I do see how He is giving me peace and joy. He gives me excitement to try the different things. He is helping me through the language process and I see how He has given me favor with the people here. My hardest thing has been missing my family and friends, but when I see these men, women, and children and you know that 90% are lost and don’t know God you feel so changed. What if that was my sister, my brother, my father, my cousin, my aunt, or uncle? What if it were me??We are so blessed and we forget what God has done for us.

“For by Grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.”

                                        Ephesians 2:8

We have been given such a big gift and I think we forget that we are no  more deserving than else but we were given the opportunity to hear it. Wow! What if this was us? God is so good and gracious to each of us! Every time I see Him moving here ,it changes my heart towards praise! He is and will always be deserving of all our praise. Worship is the fuel to our zeal for missions.  I want to end with an amazing quote from a book I read.

“When the flame of worship burns with the heat of God’s true worth, the light of missions will shine to the darkest peoples on the earth. “ (Perspective on the World Christian Movement “Let the Nations be Glad.”)

Week 1

When I wake up in my bed in Mali, Africa that is covered in mosquito netting I hear lots of noises. I hear the sound of a chicken that has been sounding off since 5 am, babies crying, people talking(but it sounds like gibberish to me), and the clanging of pots and pans as people are getting ready to cook. Although I have only been here a week it feels a lot longer. The people here don’t rush like Americans do, it is busy but slower paced. Anyone along the road will say “bonjour” or try to communicate with us Americans. It is rather interesting; they are so friendly to us and gracious. I try to respond in Bambara but I am most likely butchering their language.

Our first Sunday here we went to the African church that we will be helping with! I was so excited they sang most of their songs in Bambara and one or two with a few verses in English. It was so worshipful. I just wanted to soak in God’s presence longer. They would almost dance while they were singing, they were so joyful. I wish that we saw more joy in the states. Here you can tell a distinct difference between the Africans who know Christ and those who don’t. It’s just in the demeanor alone. Although I came here to tell others about Christ, I see their passion and zeal for God and my heart’s cry is I want more of that. Lord, create in me a heart passionate for You. When they speak they tell everything like a story (like word pictures) because they don’t have the same vocabulary, so their sermons are awesome!

Their culture is rather sad because the women and children are treated badly. The women are treated like an object. These women are not valued, many times the men they have multiple wives. The children are let to run loose, some of them run around butt naked with snot running all down their faces. They are mostly left to their own devices. There are also Talibaye boys, boys who are given by their parents to the Maribu(the Muslim religious leader), to get points with “Allah” and so they can be taught the Koran. Well, the boys aren’t normally taught anything about the Quran but a few verses and are then sent out to go begging in the streets. If they come back without a certain quota they might be beaten or not given food. When you walk the streets you see these boys running around covered in dirt asking for money.

Everything here is dust and dirt because it is dry season so all your buggers are like brown and your feet are always dark. It is hot but breezy mostly in the 90’s right now. But the hot season is coming up soon so pray for us, we have fans but no air conditioner. We have to stay really hydrated or we can get sick very quickly. One of the girls on her second day here was vomiting because of dehydration.

It is hard to communicate with the language barrier but God is helping me along with a few phrases in Bambara. We are starting language studies this next week besides cultural and book studies. When I see what God has done and is doing it is amazing how gracious He is. That is will use us even in our weaknesses like not knowing the language. This week we have mostly been settling into our apartment, buying groceries, getting to know the layout of the area, getting on their time zone, and orientation into what we will be doing. There are so many opportunities to work with children, music, teaching English and possibly in the schools, sign language, and so much more.

 I am excited to see what God is going to do with this country. There are things in my life that He is changing. He wakes me up with a song on my heart and praise on my lips. He is my joy and my rock! Although I miss my family and friends I know that we are never truly apart in Christ. He is here with us always and I feel your prayers.

Thank you for all your support, prayers, and encouragement. You guys have been such a blessing to me. You guys have just as much a part in this as I am.
“For who will heed you in this matter? But as his part is who goes down to the battle so shall his part be who stays by the supplies; they shall share alike.”                   1 Samuel 30:24
 You all are going to be sharing in the fruit and the blessings that are happening here in Mali.

In some cases it has been a hard week, our refrigerator broke, our washer flooded the living room and kitchen of our apartment, the power keeps going out, and a few of us were sick the first week including me and our missionary. God has helped us through it all! He is so good and those times when it was really rough, God has used those to bring our team closer together. God is growing us and changing us to help us adapt to the culture. The most comforting thing about doing this is I know I am in the center of God’s will and He is driving. Even when hard happen He is always there. I see Him changing me into the woman that He has called me to be. He promises that he will be with us.

“..and lo, I am with you always even to the end of the age. Amen.”
 Matthew 28:20b