Healing 2 The Nations - Dr. Claudia R. Wintoch

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Thursday, November 30, 2006

GHANA: Last Sessions

We were supposed to be picked up at 8 am, since the seminar started at 9, but just after 7 Ed called me to say that he was called and told that we'd leave at 10 am. Okay. A short time later I went downstairs for breakfast anyway, since I was already up. I sat down at a table, to eat alone as the other mornings - something I don't like too much. A few minutes later, Bill walked in, and invited me to join him. A short time later Ed and Frank joined us too. I enjoyed having breakfast with them, and having fellowship and great conversations. Bill left, than Frank, and then I ended up talking with Ed for some time before we also went upstairs. I checked out of the hotel, and waited for our ride in the lobby.

We got to the (new) conference venue at 11 am. They had started at 9, without the speaker. I found Paul and sat down next to him, to translate for the following two hours. Then it was break-time. This time somebody had prepared a meal for the speakers and local team, and we were invited to join as well. By now, Paul is getting really fluent in how to use silverware, having learned the conventions and had a chance to practice every day. He's now nearly ready to go to Europe ;-) We enjoyed the fellowship having lunch.

Our sessions with Bill were scheduled for after lunch. We waited for the room to be cleared, while Ed had picked up the afternoon session. The room was less than ideal for the session, and so we decided to go back to the hotel and do it there. Suddenly the whole seminar was over, and we were all going to go back. The guests and local team were then gathered into an office for a final meeting. I translated for Paul, while many spoke up to thank each other for everything. The director of the counseling school, Dr. Samuel, is an outstanding man of God, and was honored accordingly. He each gave us a copy of each of his two booklets. Then it was time to go.

We finally managed to all catch a ride to the hotel, and it was already 5 pm. We had asked the local organizer, who had helped us tremendously, to let pastor Daniel know that he could pick us up at 8 pm there. We left our stuff at the reception, and then went up to Bill's room for our sessions. We had 3 hours. Paul went first, and he was more than ready. Just before we left the conference venue, somebody said something that hurt him, and he was extremely agitated and angry - a good place to start for a healing session. His session was short, but very effective. Paul found freedom and joy. Praise God! Then it was my turn. I had an idea where I wanted to go, but it all turned out differently, leaving me very surprised. We needed the rest of the time, and it was only a beginning. I know that I need more inner healing - none of us is completely healed!

What I love about this ministry is first its simplicity, and its biblical basis - it's simply about the renewing of your mind. It uncovers the lies we believe and asks Jesus to replace them with truth. That's all. Awesome. I can't wait to use the approach to help our kids.

It was 8 pm and we went to say good-bye to Ed and Frank in the restaurant. I've had a chance to talk much about Mali, and I believe there is a good chance that some or all of them will come to Mali in the future.

We sat down in the lobby to wait for pastor Daniel. After a few minutes Paul encouraged me to call him to make sure he's coming, and so I did. I found out he was NOT on the way, but he said he'd come right away. How long would it take? Probably a while. Traffic in Accra is just crazy!!! We'd been sitting and waiting for a while, when Dr. Samuel arrived, to give some stuff to Ed and team. He greeted us and asked what we were doing. We told him we were waiting, and he asked if we had eaten. We said no. He then basically made us go into the restaurant, saying he'd pay for us. We sat down and shortly afterwards he came back putting cash into my hands - double what we needed. We were amazed! This man is truly an amazing man of God!

Now we had one last chance to be with Ed, Frank and Bill, having dinner with them. Bill stayed with us till we were done. He is a 71-year-old spiritual father of many children, and truly a wonderful papa. I loved being with him, and talking with him. He has so much love, so much to give. We went back to the lobby - nearly 2 hours had passed, and Daniel still wasn't there. Bill went to his room and said to call, when we'd leave. A few minutes later Daniel and Wisdom showed up. Paul and I were both tired, and already fell asleep in the taxi. It took an hour to get to the poor part of town and to the hotel we stayed in the first two nights. It was 11 pm when we arrived. Again, there was no electricity, but this time the generator wasn't working either, and the water was cut off as well. The manager put us into two rooms and assured us the electricity and water would be back by morning. I was very tired, and soon went to bed.

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Wednesday, November 29, 2006

GHANA: Inauguration & Third Day Of Seminar

I got up at 6:30 and went to have breakfast at 6:45. This time they were faster and I was back in my room at 7. We left at 7:30 to go to the "Ghana Academy of Christian Counsellors" that was inaugurated. It took us an hour, and I really enjoyed talking to the Americans in the car with me. Arriving there, I found Paul who had gotten us seats. We sat down and had to wait an hour 20 minutes before it finally started. The program took until 11:40. Two of Ghana's ministers had come, both Christians - the minister of health, and the minister of information - and they both spoke as well. It was a great program, showing how much influence Christians have in Ghana. Afterwards, they served meatpies and coke, before it was time to return to the conference venue.

They said that the seminar started at 12:30. In the end, we had to wait until 1:30, because the speakers had gone to have lunch. Ed was gonna do demonstrations all day today, and in the end he'd only done one single session with one person. I was disappointed. You learn the most by watching, and it simply hadn't happened. And the 3 sessions he did (2 yesterday and 1 today), he could hardly understand the Ghanaan English, so it didn't quite work out that well.

This afternoon they gave us all certificates for having attended the (far too short) training, and then they had each of Ed's team members say something. To my surprise they called me forward to say something too. I thanked them for everything, mentioned how much the people in Mali need this, and invited people to come to help us. At 4 pm it was all over, and because Paul had to go to the hotel with me again, we needed to take a taxi this time. Chris explained to the taxi driver where we needed to go, and it worked out fine; we got there. We went to the room and waited till it was six, so we could go have dinner in the restaurant one last time. Tonight it didn't take an hour like yesterday, and there were no mistakes, so we had an enjoyable meal. Of course, we (especially I) now apply the teaching to everything - "Why do you feel that way? What lie do you believe to make you feel that way?". I believe we have much work ahead of us, when we get back to Mali.

Tomorrow will be an interesting day. Both Paul and myself have a session with Bill. May we both be transformed forever!

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Tuesday, November 28, 2006

GHANA: Second Day Of Seminar

I got up at 7 today, still tired, and went down to have breakfast at 7:15 am. It took half an hour to get some fried eggs, but it still worked out for me to be ready by 8 to leave with the others. We squeezed into the car and got to the conference venue by nine. Paul was sitting there at the entrance, and contrary to yesterday, he was all joyful. I asked him, why he was joyful like that, and he said he simply woke up joyful this morning. Wonderful! We got our seats in the third row, and a short time of worship started. Then Ed came up to teach, and I interpreted for Paul again. Paul took a lot of notes while I talked. In the lunch break, I took out the bread I had bought in the street yesterday, and that's what we ate. Yesterday we were too hungry with the little snack they offered. At 1:30 the seminar continued, and Ed did actual sessions to show how it works. He only did two sessions, followed by question-answer time, because people need to leave early since it can take them hours with the heavy traffic.

What would we do today after the seminar? They packed up and Paul's host Chris said Paul needed to come to the hotel with me, while he would take care of some of the things he has to do. But now we were one person too many for the car going to the hotel, so we needed to take a taxi. Then the director of the counseling center offered to take us to the hotel - very kind of him; it takes at least half an hour to get there. So I enjoyed being in the car with him, and getting to talk to him about the work in Mali, and the work they do in Ghana. At the hotel, I asked whether Paul could also use the swimming pool, and they said yes. He was happy. So we both went into the outside swimming pool, and had fun for half an hour. Then we returned to my room and waited till it was 6 pm and we could go eat in the restaurant downstairs. We were the first there, and had to wait a full hour before the food was served. Paul's food wasn't what he had expected, and something was missing with mine. And then they charged me too much, but came back to fix it. While we were eating, Ed and his team came in and sat down at the table next to us. Then Paul's host Chris came to talk to them. I talked with them for a few minutes, and then left Paul to go home with Chris. Now I'm looking forward to another restful, long night.

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Monday, November 27, 2006

GHANA: First Day Of Seminar

I set my alarm for 6 am because I had no clue what time we were leaving. I just knew that they said early. So I went downstairs for breakfast at 6:15, and was back up half an hour later. I then sat down in the lobby, thinking it was the safest place to be to catch the ride to the conference. At around 8 a man approached me and introduced himself as Ed Smith. We talked a little, with his companion Frank, and then Bill joining us. Then it was time to leave, and we squeezed into the car a Bible student was driving. It took us until 9 to get to the conference. When I got there, Paul was standing at the entrance. He didn't look too good. He said he hadn't slept well. We filled out the papers, and got a seat towards the front. A guy approached me, wanting to know everything about me, writing it down on paper, because he wanted to introduce me with all the other white guests. So I wrote it down, and little time later the introduced the three guests, and then also me and Paul. That was very kind, and it led to many people approaching us, talking to us about what they do, and possible cooperation. We've handed out a good number of cards.

The seminar started, and I ended up interpreting for Paul, though I hadn't planned on that. But I'm glad Paul gets to hear it all, because it's so important. The teaching is excellent, and I'm looking forward to applying it back home. At noon we had a break, and they said there'd be refreshments. We got a little something and a drink, but it wasn't much. Then I had to leave Paul behind and go to the Malian embassy. Ever since noticing my visa problem when leaving Mali, I had been worried about what to do going back into Mali. I had finally decided the only thing to do is to go to the Malian embassy and explain the problem. The conference organizer Moses had been very kind in helping us, and he arranged for Paul's host Chris to take me to the embassy right then. So we got into a taxi, and made our way there. Unfortunately, no one knew where the embassy was, and so we were going in circles, asking our way around, until finally finding it. It was a huge building, and it was totally deserted. Chris said that few Ghanaens go to Mali. We found the only person working there, a woman from Benin, and I explained the problem. She said I had to get another visa, since my one-year-visa only is valid from Dec 4 onwards, and I'm returning Dec 2. She said it was $30, and she'd only take dollars, no other currency!!! Now, I had three different currencies in my wallet, but no dollars. How annoying. She said to come Thu morning at 9 to pick it up.

We returned to the conference, which wasn't that far at all, and I rejoined Paul to interpret for him. The conference went till 4 pm or so. Just before that I had to stop translating because I was so exhausted from doing it all day, and not having eaten lunch. Paul was also pretty tired. We watched them leave and pack up, and waited to see what would happen with us. Chris said Paul should go to the hotel with me, while he had some things to do. Since one of the guests had returned to the hotel, there was room in the car, and we returned together. At the hotel I decided I would invite Paul to eat in the restaurant with me. We were starved! We waited till it was 6 pm and went to eat. It took a while, but we ate well. Then we returned to the room and talked until Chris came to leave with Paul. I caught up with the reports to write, and went to bed pretty early.

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Sunday, November 26, 2006

GHANA: Sunday Morning Invitation

I got up at 6, and finally was able to jot some things down for my sermon. Normally I print out my notes, but this time a handwritten paper would have to do. While praying I got very tired again, and had a hard time staying awake. In any case, I was ready to preach, kind of, even if God seemed rather far. The thought that had been going through my mind for this sermon was the greatest commandement, to love the Lord, and love your neighbor. So those were my two points.

Daniel had said he'd come get us at 9 am. At 8.30 Paul joined me, and we ate the bread we had bought yesterday. At 9 we sat down outside to wait, and at 9.40 the assistant pastor Augustine came to pick us up, and we walked over to the church. They do a Bible study from 9 to 10, before the service, and we arrived in the middle of a teaching on baptism.

The place had changed dramatically. Now it was all decorated, and hardly recognizable. They led us to the front, where we sat on chairs to the side, with the 3 pastors of the church of 30 people. Though more had shown up that Sunday morning. After they finished talking, they had a time of worship, and soon Paul couldn't help it but join in with the dancing. They also had a time of true adoration, which was great.

Then they did some more talking before they called me up to preach. My interpreter added the necessary "Amen"s and "Hallelujah"s I didn't say, and that way I had a lot of response from the people. Some people really smiled at me, and they all seemed to like the message. I stressed the point of loving God with EVERYthing, nothing holding back, and seeking His face, gazing upon His beauty, and then His love would flow through us to those around us. I talked in particular about kids, and how Jesus sees them. My interpreter had a hard time at times, and finally I lost my thread because of it and forgot what else I had to say.

I closed therefore, had people stand up, and prayed, then I called them forward, and the whole church came. I called Paul to help me pray, and soon he wasn't praying with me for people, but by himself. And God showed up, more so for Paul than me, if you can measure manifestations at all. I loved especially praying for the children and blessing them. When we were done, many people came to greet us. The children swarmed around me, and there were a few that held on to me, or held my hand, or just wanted to stay close. It was amazing! I loved those kids, and asked whether they wanted to go to Mali with me :-)

Especially one young boy stood out - Ebenezer. He said he wanted to become a pastor and an engineer, and he just stayed close to us all the time, and came around even to the hotel. I could see God's call on him, and told him that. It was amazing to see him worship and pray - like a grown-up.

It was late when we finally started walking back to the hotel. We changed and checked out of the hotel. They called a taxi, and we went to the same restaurant as yesterday. This time, the two pastors ate a little something, while Paul and I had the same chicken with rice, having learnt my lesson of the sauce being hot sauce and not applying it. Then we continued on our way, crossing much of town to go to the hotel that Moses had indicated to Daniel on the phone. It took us a long time, but in the end we did find it. It was a very beautiful hotel. Moses had said we should contact Ed, and so I called him on the house phone. He greeted me, and we said, see you tomorrow.

Daniel and Augustine then left, leaving us behind. I was a little embarrassed being in such a nice hotel. Paul and I talked and waited until pastor Chris would show up, who would host Paul in his house. He came, and they left together. Now Paul was on his own, and I was alone in my room. I decided to enjoy it! I was getting very hungry, and finally overcame my resistance to ordering a sandwich with room service. Then I filled the bathtub with HOT water (only cold water in Mali), and enjoyed a wonderful bath, before going to bed early. I would sleep well that night, even though Moses or Chris never called, and I never found out what time they'd pick us up in the morning.

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Saturday, November 25, 2006

GHANA: Seen The First Time

The first night was short, because pastor Daniel wanted to pick us up at 9 am. At 8 am Paul and I met in the hotel restaurant to have breakfast. I didn't realize breakfast wasn't really included or customary, which explained their obvious reluctance to prepare, but they did give us bread with butter, an omelette, and hot drink. Daniel joined us shortly after.

After breakfast, we walked together over to his church that was in the neighborhood. He showed us the basic structure, and we met the neighbors where they store their stuff. I enjoyed talking especially to one young man, who shared he wanted to be a pastor. I encouraged and exhorted him. Daniel explained us his vision, and how expensive the metal roof for the church was. Also, once they got the roof done and a small wall around, he wants to start a primary school for his kids and the kids of the neighborhood. I had to tell him that if he was looking for money from us, we weren't the right people for him.

From the church, we took a taxi to go to the seaside. Paul had never seen the sea before, just from the plane. It was quite a drive, but finally we pulled up on the shore. The view of the sea was still hidden by huts. We started walking on sand, and Paul was already amazed by that. We turned the corner, and there was the sea before us. Paul gasped. I took off my shoes and walked towards the water, and Paul followed suit. He was totally blown away by what he saw! I noticed the beautiful shells, and started collecting them to take back to my kids. We walked a little into the water, and I was amazed at how warm the sea was; warmer than I've ever seen it anywhere, but I'm also closer to the equator than ever. We enjoyed it, but we didn't stay long. We decided then and there that we'd come back on Friday, to go bathing even, because we weren't prepared this time. Daniel told us that Friday was a public holiday, so there would be a lot of people on the beach.

We got back into the taxi and drove back home. We were pretty tired after the short night, and thankful to get some rest at the hotel. We had 3 hours, and I slept all 3 of them. Daniel showed up after 2 pm, and we went to have lunch. Paul and I both had chicken with rice, while our three local companions just watched. Daniel had said several times he'd take us to his home, to meet his family, but again he took us back to the hotel, and said, see you tomorrow morning. It was 4 pm and we were left to ourselves for the rest of the day. I went to my room to prepare my sermon for the following morning, and Paul went to his room. We decided to meet later to walk around the neighborhood and find some food. Poor Paul has never in his life been alone or without anything to do, and felt very uncomfortable in his room, while I was trying to pray and prepare a sermon, getting nowhere. I just had a recurring thought I believed the Lord's message was for them: Love the Lord, and love your neighbor. I finally gave up, and Paul and I went for our walk earlier. I loved walking the streets, watching the people, and the kids, and looking at the products they sold. We ended up buying some bread and butter for breakfast the following morning, and some fried cooking banana for the evening. We finally returned to the hotel and ate that together. Then it was time to really get to work. Paul left at 7 pm, and I tried working on my sermon again. Still, I wasn't going anywhere, but was even falling asleep as I was praying. I gave up the fight against tiredness and decided to go to bed early, setting my alarm to 6 am so I could get that sermon down. Wow! When did I last go to bed at 9 pm???

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Friday, November 24, 2006

GHANA: Paul's First Flight

Paul was already all excited all day, when we finally left home at noon. Emma drove us to the airport. At the entrance to the airport there are police officers who check your passport and plane ticket before letting you in. I was first, and slowly walked on. As they checked Paul's papers, they asked him whether I was his wife. He replied, no, my Mom. You should have seen the look on their faces as Paul walked on.

Once inside, there was no one else lined up for our flight - strange. We were told to wait and found out nearly an hour later that our plane was delayed by two hours. Great. We checked in and went through the passport check. With shock I realized there that there was a problem with my visa that could jeopardize my return to Mali in a week. The problem is that the one-year-visa they gave me starts with Dec 4, and I'm returning to Mali on Dec 2, so I won't have a valid visa!

We went upstairs and sat down in the restaurant. Because of the delay we each received a drink, and Paul hadn't eaten yet. We had two hours to kill. Paul watched the planes on the runway, and was full of anticipation of his first flight. Finally it was time to board. Paul got a window seat, so he could look outside. He was nervous, throughout take-off, and afterwards looking down on the tiny houses and all. But after just a little while he seemed very comfortable, as if he had been flying all his life. The landing, and second take-off were harmless for him.

We flew all the way to Dakar, Senegal, the opposite direction of Ghana. It was still light when we landed in Dakar, which was great, because the airport is right by the sea, and so Paul got to see the sea for the first time, plus we saw skyscrapers in downtown Dakar - a real city. We stayed in the plane in Dakar, and prophesied the "Centre Apostolique Sénégalais" into being. An hour later we took off again, this time for Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

After 2 and a half hours we got there and off the plane. I was amazed at the airport in Abidjan, because it could have been Paris, that's how modern it was! Paul was very amazed himself. We had very little time. They had delayed the second plane as well, so we could make it - a considerable amount of people in our first plane - but time was short. Thankfully we had sat in the front, and so we were first in line for another check of tickets and boarding passes. We got through, and I rushed onto the moving escalator, Paul right behind me. I looked back and saw Paul staring at the moving stairs - he had never seen an escalator before. The guy behind him encouraged him, "just go ahead, it's okay, don't be afraid". Finally Paul got on, laughing, somewhat embarrassed, amazed at what he had just seen.

We turned around the corner and got in line for security - thankfully we were in the front of the line, because our plane was supposed to take off within 15 minutes. We got through, got our passports checked again, and made our way to the plane. It was a small Fokker plane, with 14 rows, two seats on one side, and three on the other. We sat down and waited more, until the plane was full. Looking at the windows, the plane looked pretty old, windows all scratched up. FINALLY it was time for take-off. I was sooo tired, I was already half-asleep. It was 11 pm and normally we should already have arrived in Ghana an hour earlier. We rolled towards the runway, and the pilot started speeding up for take-off. Suddenly, he slowed down again. I was immediately awake. In all my long career of flying I've never experienced a pilot aborting take-off. We slowly returned to our parking position and the pilot told us that there was a technical problem that needed to be repaired. So we waited. An hour later he tried taking off again (didn't leave a good feeling with the passengers), and this time it worked. An hour later we landed in Accra, Ghana. We got off the plane and boarded a bus that would take us to the terminal. The bus driver couldn't get the bus to work, which caused many funny remarks among the passengers. One said, if we got out to walk, we'd also find a problem to keep us from that.

We finally made it inside and filled out the official papers and stood in line at immigration. We ended up last in line. The lady looked at our papers, and asked for an address in Accra. Unfortunately I didn't know the name of the hotel where we were staying. She was unwilling to let us pass without that. I told her that we were being picked up and our friends outside knew the name. In the end, she was satisfied with the pastor's name and church's name, and finally she let us pass. We got our bags in the deserted airport and were the last ones out. Pastor Daniel was outside waiting for us, together with his assistant pastor. The poor guys had been waiting for many hours, even more than our 3 hour delay. It was 1:15 am.

We got a taxi and made our way to the hotel. There was no electricity. They told us that they turn off the electricity in a different part of town every night. We were able to get someone to open the gate, and checked into the hotel. It was a lower class hotel, but the rooms were fine. Paul was in the second building, and myself in the first, because it was connected to a generator. In the end Paul's room had a wardroom, bath tub, and it wasn't on level ground with every one passing by. Paul felt very blessed, having such a great room to himself.

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Thursday, November 23, 2006

After more than three years: A STOVE!

I can still hardly believe it that I finally have a stove! While in Austria, I was thinking how great it would be to be able to bake birthday cakes for the kids, and bake Christmas cookies together. So I asked Emma to find out what it costs.

And then he called me today saying there was a good one for a good price. So we went, and I took it home with me. I cooked lunch on it right away! You attach a gas bottle to it, that's how it works. It's really small, but big enough to accomplish its task.

We had a good prayer meeting tonight - with two people whose it was the first time, Issa and Jacob.

Afterwards I received the electricity/water bill for October, and it was more than ever; $100 more than it should be, even more so as I wasn't even in Mali during most of that period. It could be that someone is illegally taking our electricity and water, because there is really no other explanation. I don't even want to pay that horrendous bill!

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Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Issa Moves In

Today Issa moved in with us. That leaves two beds empty. Now I have 3 adults, and 3 children - time to take new kids.

I believe Issa will be an enrichment for the team, and he will be blessed as well, growing quickly. He is very hungry to grow.

Kassim's Baptism

I talked to Kassim last night, and he said his boss needed him, and that's why he didn't show up on Sunday, for his baptism. I offered him to come tonight, and we'd just do it. Unfortunately he didn't show up again.

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Monday, November 20, 2006

The Day After

Today it was time for school again for the kids, and time to catch up on work for myself. Our baptismal tank was still standing outside in the sun, and in the afternoon I let my kids take advantage of it, and have a fun time in the water. The picture shows (from left) Hama, Fousseni, Saloum and Sarata. Sarata was scared of the water and wouldn't stay, while her brother Hama loved it and refused to get out. In the end he was all blown up because of the water he had swallowed. Tonight, Seybou will use the water to water the flowers, but they sure had a good time that they'd love to repeat.

Hama

Hama continues doing the exercises I brought with me every day. He wants to do them with me, but I'm trying to show the kids how to do them with him. He just cries a lot more with them, and they are less caring and gentle. In any case, he's making progress. However, these past few days I have noticed that Hama is stuttering. Now that he speaks Bambara pretty decently (before he only spoke Dogon), we can communicate with each other, and it's been disconcerting to hear him stutter like that. He's always had salive drip out of his mouth, but the stuttering is new, or at least newly noticeable.The picture shows Hama in the chair I had made for him a while back, with a toy his sponsor sent with me to give to him.

Issa

May I introduce to you: Issa Diarra. Issa is the new teacher for our kids. He's 26 years old, and has been a Christian for just over a year. He has a call on his life to work with street children, and is writing his thesis on this subject. He's completed one of two 6-week sessions on Christian principles in teaching, and this is his second week of teaching our children. The children love him, and I can see the love Issa has for them (a rare thing in Mali). The children also respect him and are more quiet than they've ever been with me. Issa still has to learn a lot, since he lacks experience in teaching, and since he was formed himself within a bad educational system. He makes many mistakes (e.g. ortography), and knows little about pedagogy. So I'm gonna help him in the weeks and months to come, so he can become the best Christian professor in Mali ;-). He has what it takes.

Because of Issa's difficult living situations, and the excellent references I got for him, we've all agreed to shorten his one month trial period and allow him to move in right away. On Wed he's coming to stay entirely - our family has grown again.

Property News

The mayor called Simeon today, saying on Thursday we'd go onto the property with one of their technicians. Simeon didn't know what exactly the purpose was, but it can only be a good sign, that they're doing something. Maybe there is a way to accelerate things after all.

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Sunday, November 19, 2006

2nd Anniversary Celebration

Two years have passed, and the time has come to celebrate the Lord's faithfulness during those two years since the start of Centre Apostolique Malien (CAM). A big celebration was planned, having invited our neighbors and friends. It was at the usual time of our Sunday service, and ressembled a service, with worship and preaching, but added were 8 baptismal candidates, and a banquet following.

Two years ago, in our very first service, we baptized two people. Last year, it was four, and this year I prayed the Lord to double it again - and really, we had 8 candidates. Unfortunately one never showed up, and so we ended up baptizing those 7 in the picture. Clockwise from the right: Abdias, Fanta, Saloum, Souleymane, Fousseni, Mathias and Firmin.

At the end of the sermon they left to change into white clothes; I had four gowns made especially for today.

But first we started with a time of worship in Bambara that Paul led, followed by worship in French led by myself, on the keyboard. We had a lot of first time visitors, but I entered into worship anyway, pouring myself out before Him. Then I shared who we are, what God has done these past two years, and what lies ahead of us. After that I preached on Elisha, the generation of Elisha's God is raising up, and about following Him, paying the price.

Then it was time for the baptism. We removed the plastic tarp so people could see, and Fanta - the only woman - was the first one to be baptized. A year ago I baptized her husband Seybou, and now it was her turn. She was too nervous to give her testimony herself, so I did it for her. I then asked her - as everyone else - three questions, and she responded YES to all three of them, before we immersed her in the water.

Firmin (saved 2006) ~ Saloum (saved 2006) ~ Fousseni (saved 2006)

Abdias (saved 2006) ~ Souleymane (in village, saved 2006) ~ Mathias (saved 2006)

Six more people followed, since the 8th candidate never showed up. One of them was 13-year-old Souleymane from Dio. Pastor Enoch came with him, because he so much wanted to be baptized. It was a joy to have our first village pastor with us for that joyous occasion.

After the seven candidates had changed and come back, I gave them each their baptism certificate, and a prophetic picture with some words from the Lord for them written on it. Then Paul and I went down the line, praying for them, and prophesying over them. It was so cool, how God spoke through us! I was amazed at the things God showed me to give to them. After all, we pray for the kids each day, but this time was really different.

We took our time, and some people left. After 3 hours the service was finally over, and it was time to eat. We had prepared couscous with sauce. While people were eating, we were busy setting up everything for the movie. I had decided this was a good occasion for a good movie, since we don't have our movie nights any more. So we showed NARNIA.

Did you notice Paul's clothes? It was the first time in his life he wore a suit. His brother-in-law lent it to him for his trip to Ghana, and I suggested he'd wear it for our special celebration. Pastor Paul looked good, and many people told him so. I'm so proud of Paul. A year ago, he was the one being baptized, having just started his life with Jesus, and now he was baptizing people with me and co-signing the certificate as my assistant pastor. God has done a great work in him!

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Thursday, November 15, 2006

Property News

We had an appointment with the mayor this morning, and ended up seeing the mayor's assistant. He was very kind and straight-forward, and for the first time we heard some clear statements.

Why the long wait so far? In February they lifted the ban on giving out land in our part of town, and they've started up work, to go over the drawings again and get them ready for final approval. That is what we've been waiting for because land cannot be given until the drawings are approved. They expect the work to be done by March. Once the approval is there, everything's gonna go very quickly.

So, we were told right now they can only give us their verbal approval, if we give them a good amount of money, and we could start work right away with that. Then I brought up the one family that is on our property right now, and he said in that case, they can't do anything right now. That family has to be shown the official papers before they can move them.

What does that mean practically? We have to wait till March. Once the approval is there, the family is going to be moved, the property lines drawn again, and we can start. So we'll be moving onto our property by the end of July. Praise God!

From the city hall we went to the electricity department, our construction manager and myself. They had given us an estimate of $54,000 to have electricity brought all the way to our property. Our wonderful Christian construction manager Kossi went to a different guy there who said that it could be done for less. So we went to talk to that guy. He called one of his guys, and tomorrow they're going on site to make a professional map and estimate. Of course that favor costs extra.

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Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Village Ministry

After having picked up Etienne and Anatole from kindergarten and dropped them off at home, it was time to leave town and drive to Dio, pastor Enoch's village. Enoch always comes on Tuesday for Bible school, and leaves on Wed to return home. The village is about an hour and a half away from us. I left the kids with their new teacher Issa and with Firmin, and took several of my team members with me.

Simeon's workplace was striking, so he had a day off and was able to join us. Things have been going very well with him, so I feel it's time to integrate him a little more again. It was his first time in the village. I also asked whether Emma wanted to come, and he said yes. And then we picked up Paul from his school on the way out of town. The picture shows (from left) Enoch, Paul, Emma and Simeon (the top picture me instead of Enoch). Now you can see that our car is truly just a car and not as big as it seems when you look at a picture without people.

We arrived in Dio at 1.30 pm and had lunch together. This time I shot a good picture of Enoch's small church building. After lunch it was time to start work - the purpose of our trip. Enoch had informed those poor families where the kids need sponsors, and they all showed up. In the end we had 17 kids on our list, rather than the 10 anticipated ones.

Pastor Enoch with his family.

I took picture after picture of each kid, and wrote down their (often tragic) stories. I felt anger, I felt pain, I felt compassion, as I listened to children being abandoned again and again, not wanted, a nuisance to get rid of. Many men have two wives in Mali, and it's easy to divorce again. Many of those children were left with grandparents or other relatives just because their Mom was divorced or widowed and married again, with the new husband wanting nothing to do with her previous kids. How any Mom can give up her child like that, is beyond me. There were also three kids who had slight handicaps and who were abandoned because of that. Just because of a medical error in hospital one little girl has a weak arm she can hardly use - abandoned by her Mom. A little boy had one foot a little twisted, so that he limps when he walks - abandoned. And then the case of Oumou:

When Oumou's parents realized after her birth that her feet were twisted, they simply abandoned her in the village, moving elsewhere. The family they left her with have raised her. Today she is 12 years old. Contrary to what they said, her feet are NOT paralyzed, only twisted. She moves around on the floor, unable to stretch her legs on her own. Her mind works perfectly well, but she is an outcast, treated like dirt, unable to attend school, and the family she lives with wanted to give her to us to take with us.

I looked at her, watched and filmed her walk, and was touched by the tragedy of the situation. In the West, she would have been operated as a baby, and she would be walking just perfectly today. That's what I also told them. All she needs is to faithfully do the right exercises, and I'd think she could make some progress. I don't know whether she's too old at 12, but I'm gonna show her video to the same physiotherapists who advised us on Hama.

Before we left, we prayed for Oumou, for her healing. We stretched her legs, put our hands on them, and prayed. They actually didn't look bad, or even deformed. They just need to be strengthened. Agree with us for her healing, and for an improvement of her quality of life. He can do with her, what he did for Mohamed:

We prayed for little Mohamed when we went to Dio for the first time in September. He is 3 years old, and he would neither talk nor walk. Three days after we prayed for him, he started walking. Praise God! This time we prayed for him to start talking. And I told Enoch that this was an opportunity now to share the gospel with the family, but he didn't do it. I was ready to start "preaching", when he said we had to go. So, next time!

We had accomplished a lot in a short time. The sun was already going down, and it was time to leave. On the way out we stopped at the private school, where the kids are gonna go once they're sponsored. They have two tiny classrooms in the building to the right, and the others sit outside, under the tree. Kids go there when they don't get a place in the public school (that is already too full), and when they can afford it.

The pictures and stories of the 17 kids looking for a sponsor now can be found under OUR KIDS and VILLAGE, or by clicking here.

We returned home, having much fun in the car. It's been a long time since the four of us did something together like that.

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Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Property Progress

This morning we were to meet with the mayor of our part of town, to find out how to proceed to get the title deed for the property promised to us. Simeon, who has been doing the follow-up, was there, as well as Kossi, our construction manager. We waited for an hour and a half before the mayor's assistant was ready to see us. He had our file in his hand, and gave us an appointment with the mayor Thursday morning. On Thursday he will tell us how much money to give to whom to get the title deed as soon as possible.

I also talked to Kossi for a while. He said that the electricity department told him they could do the installation (over one mile) for less (difference of $14,000); now I needed to come with him to talk to them. I will do so Thu after the meeting with the mayor.

He also told me that the well would be the first thing to build, before the wall or electricity, so that's good news because we already have a donor who's gonna finance the well. Praise God! I'm hoping we can start construction in February at the latest. I'll know more soon.

Paul is all excited about the trip to Ghana. He's never flown before, and now we're gonna take 5 flights. From Bamako to Dakar to Abidjan to Accra, and back from Accra to Abidjan to Bamako.

Tomorrow we're going to Dio to take pictures of the kids to be sponsored and to take down their stories. We're gonna have little time to accomplish much.

And finally great news: the little mentally retarded boy we prayed for in Dio in September (see picture) has started walking. PRAISE GOD! His parents are full of joy! May they give their lives to the Lord now!

And Enoch shared about another healing of a girl we prayed for. Isn't God great?

Please pray for our own healng; today Firmin started getting sick - after Abdias, Paul, and myself. My nose is alread all red and hurting, and I'm still constantly fighting a fever.

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Sunday, November 12, 2006

New Family Pictures

This morning I still had two messages, but soon chose the right one. I was feeling horrible, sick, nose running constantly, fever, and threw myself on the Lord for the service. I was able to prepare the service, and happy about the inspiration from the Lord.

As always, Paul started with 3 songs in Bambara, and I followed with 3 songs in French. I now always play the keyboard. Our carpenter made this wooden stand, and it finally stays up. I had a hard time playing with a running nose, but it somehow worked out. It was funny then, Paul with tissue in hand, and myself as well. Paul started a day before me. It was Abdias who was sick first, and passed it on to us.

My topic today was gentleness - something you hardly ever see in Mali. Not between parents or children, nor anyone else. Children are simply grabbed by an arm and carried around, and no one ever hugs anybody. I talked about gentleness being a manifestation of love, and the opposite violence (according to 1.Tim 3:3) being a manifestation of anger. Etc. etc. - you should have been there for the rest ;-)

But I'll share my illustration with you, that you can see in the picture on the right. Colossians 3:12 says that we should clothe ourselves with gentleness and 4 other good things, and so I put on one jacket after the other, and taped a paper with the according fruit/virtue onto myself. In the end I could barely move, which was also the point. I was no longer able to act in like when struck, or strike when attacked verbally. Goodness, gentleness, etc. keep us from violence and the like.

Below today's family pictures:

Currently Sponsored Kids
back: Saloum, Abdias, Fousseni
middle: Hama
front: Anatole, Sarata, Etienne

back: Paul, Seybou, Firmin
front: Claudia, Fanta

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Saturday, November 11, 2006

Marie's Wedding

Today was finally the day! Marie became a part of our church just over a year ago, and was an answer to prayer concerning Bambara worship, which she helped establish in our services. She moved in with me shortly after that, and stayed with me for a year, until today. She wants to keep working with us, but I don't know whether they've found a suitable place to stay yet. Marie would like to help teach the kids.

Today she got married to Joe. The wedding was in the oldest protestant church downtown Bamako, and though it's big, it was full! It was my first Christian wedding in Mali, and it was entirely in Bambara. It was interesting to see what Western traditions have been taken on, and what Malian traditions have stayed. It was a nice ceremony, and Marie often looked our way. We had all shown up. We were 10 people in the car to the church - a new record for our little car with 5 places. Yesterday, I bought new, festive Malian clothes for all my kids, and they were all so beautiful today. Now they finally have Sunday clothes. Abdias sat on my left, and Fousseni on my right. Hama sat on my lap for most of the service, while Abdias leaned against me, in my arm. I enjoyed just sitting with my kids for 2 hours.

Back home, the kids cleaned the house for the first time, as they will from now on. For two reasons: to take some of the workload off Fanta, who will soon cook for more people when we have sponsorships for other children of our neighborhood, and it keeps the kids busy and teaches them to work. They did a good job for their first time, and I made sure they knew that.

Then we got Hama for his daily exercise program. Today was the 7th day, and we're already seeing progress. What is so beautiful to watch is that all 3 kids get involved, and really give everything to help. That way Hama has a lot of fun, we laugh a lot, and praise Hama a lot, even though there are always tears as well. We still have to help him walk, but soon he should be able to walk alone with the walker.

Sekouba stopped by the other day when I wasn't there and told Saloum that he's leaving town on Sunday to visit family in another town. I was shocked. I just never thought Sekouba would leave town, and not come at all any more. It's been good to at least see him every Saturday. Now he'll be gone all the way. I myself haven't seen him for a month, but the others told me that he's lost a lot of weight. Honestly, I was down for a couple of hours. He's completely in God's hands now.

Abdias was sick first, now Paul and I we both are. And tomorrow is Sunday. Please pray for my and Paul's healing, and that the Lord would use me in my weakness tomorrow.

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Thursday, November 9, 2006

Plenty Of News

There's been so much going on these past few days, but I've simply been to tired to share with you.

PROPERTY - There's finally some movement. Simeon - who's been doing the follow-up - seriously talked to them to find out if there was really nothing we could do. Suddenly it turns out we can. It will just depend on how much money we give them. Basically they said, "Do you really think you get a property for free?" Yes, officially, but in reality you have to make up for it in generous bribes. Tomorrow we'll find out when they will meet with us next week to let us know how much they want etc.

HAMA - I'm working with him every day now, and my kids are helping me as well. It's going pretty well. He needs a lot of encouragement, and gets frustrated at times. The difficulty is that his left arm is also deformed, though much better since he started his therapy half a year ago.

VILLAGE - Next Wednesday I'm going to pastor Enoch's village to take down the stories of the 10 kids who really need help in terms of food and tuition for school. Then we can find them sponsors. We've also talked about the ministry we can do, and fixed a date to do a Christmas party with the Jesus-film.

TEACHER - We've got a school teacher!!! Issa test-taught on Wednesday, and with a little help from me, he will do just fine. He's 26 years old and writing his thesis on education among street children. He's been a Christian for a year and is desperate for fellowship with Christians. He'd like to move in with us, but I told him we'd first have a trial period of 4 weeks to get to know each other. He'd also like to do our Bible school, and participate in all the activities. Issa is gonna start teaching on Monday. Unfortunately he teaches elsewhere on Tuesday, which will give me one day a week to teach them music and Christian terms in French. I praise God for these good news! Issa sure seems heaven-sent! And my desire to teach my kids - or rather my insistence on having to teach them myself - is suddenly gone as well!

INSTRUMENTS - Today it just so happened that spontaneously we started the music class again. They've been nagging me to start again, since we once tried and gave up because of their lack of willingness to practice. I told them to leave the guitar for now, so Saloum and Abdias are learning the recorder, and Fousseni, Paul and Firmin the piano. I first taught them some theory, learning to read music, and then each taught them separately. It was much fun! I heard them practice in the afternoon.

BIBLE SCHOOL - On Tuesday it was time for the midterm exam. We now have 5 students. Of those, pastor Enoch failed completely, and Firmin has the chance to redo part of his because his grade is slightly better. Mathias and Hyacinthe passed, and Marie is doing her exam later since she's getting married on Saturday. In the meantime I already have 3 other people who'd like to do the school.

SIMON-PIERRE - He was supposed to be the 6th student, but he only showed up once. On Monday afternoon he came over to announce me that he got a grant to go study in Algeria, and he was leaving that very night! He wanted me to pray for him. So he knelt down and Paul and I prayed. I was very surprised about the news, and concerned; 3 years in Algeria as a baby Christian is really not nothing. Simon-Pierre had tears in his eyes when he got up after the prayer. He promised to send an email from his new account, and I told him to send me his phone number as well. Please pray for him.

GHANA - To my amazement we're really going to Ghana. We, because Paul is coming with me. He will get his passport next week, and he's very excited to fly for the first time in his life. My family, on the other hand, is worried about me flying with an African airline (AIR IVORY COAST). We're gonna attend an inner healing seminar for 2 thirds of the time, and spend time with a pastor who wants to partner with us the rest of the time, to see whether this is from God or not, and what we could do. My biggest concern is to leave Firmin all alone with the kids. He really can't cope with them, since they don't respect or obey him. I've asked Emma to move in for the week, but that will depend on his brother. We're praying for the Lord to give the best solution.

PRAYER MEETING - Tonight was our weekly prayer night. I was a little frustrated with all the things that are not as they should be, plus I've hardly had time with God alone since my return (and that must change!). However, God surprised me and spoke and moved. I was singing prophetically, and showed us some prophetic acts to do, as we proclaimed VICTORY. It was cool!

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Wednesday, November 8, 2006

Time With My Children, Young & Old

One of the things I've been wanting to change is to have more quality time with my kids. So I've been taking time to play games with them. though it leaves all the office work for when they are in bed. Often it's about 11 pm when I get started, and it takes me till 2 in the morning, meaning I have less than 5 hours of sleep. And it wears on me.

However, it looks like a solution is on the way. Today Seybou told me that he was called to come next Wed, and maybe it's to pick up his driver's licence. Then he can take the kids to kindergarten and pick them up again.

To be continued. I'm so tired I'm unable to keep my eyes open or type.

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Monday, November 6, 2006

First Weekday

I decided not to start teaching today, since I had to go put in the demand for my visa, and Paul needed to apply for his passport at the same place. Interestingly, I didn't have any desire to teach, but simply left it to Firmin to continue doing what he's been doing the past three weeks.

I went to deposit my visa request, and was told to come pick it up tomorrow. Paul was less fortunate; he was told he needed another paper for his passport, AND that it would take three weeks. But in three weeks we already want to leave for Ghana. The lady said, though, that that can be helped. With a little extra money, everything's possible.

A Teacher?

I've been actively looking for a teacher for the kids for over two months now. This morning I had a phone call from a Christian teacher who'd heard about my search. I invited him to come over in the afternoon, and he did. He's the fourth person coming for an interview, and I have to say, this time everything seems perfect. Could he be the one God has sent us? He's young, single, a Christian for just over a year, and loves street children. He's writing his Master's thesis right now, on education for street chidlren. He said he wanted to come to our service, and that possibly it would be better for him to move here, because he lives really far. I told him we'd talk about that after his trial teaching on Wednesday, if it works out well. In any case, I had a good impression. He's studied English at university, and is literate in Bambara. He can translate between English, French and Bambara, and can teach reading and writing Bambara. He's also done one of the two parts of the Christian teacher training, where I wanted to send Marie last summer.

Today Firmin went to the market with the children, because Fousseni and Salim both needed shoes as well as belts. Firmin came back with them empty-handed, because they didn't want the cheap shoes, and wanted a special belt they didn't have at that market. Another proof of how spoiled they've become. Especially Fousseni keeps complaining (as he's always done). They all wanted and needed pyjamas, and I brought two back with me. Since they were big, one for Saloum and one for Fousseni. However, Fousseni didn't like it. Then he got Saloum's old one, but he didn't like it either. So he ended up empty-handed. He said he wanted a new pyjama.

Tonight we spent quite some time playing a game from my country - "Man, don't get angry". We had much fun together. I'd like to spend more quality time with them, but it's not easy since the day only has 24 hours. I've taken up my 5 hours of sleep a night schedule.

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Sunday, November 5, 2006

First Day Back

All week I had thought of Joshua as the generation raised up by Moses that took the Promised Land, and so I knew I'd preach on that on Sunday. Though I didn't have time to prepare sitting down, when I know the subject, the one God's given me, it's easy to prepare Sunday all day, before the service at 4 pm. And so it was. I decided not to touch anything else until after the service, and it worked. That way I was able to concentrate on the service without being distracted by anything.

As so often, I felt not sufficiently prepared and inadequat, and as always, God came through, so that I was excited afterwards. I challenged them to become Joshuas, and I pray that many will be. The service was well-attended. Before the service, Emma taught the 3rd of 4 sessions to prepare the candidates for baptism. I believe it's going well.

After the service, I just couldn't wait any longer! I was too excited! I got the walking aid and told Hama we'd be walking now. We put on new clothes, and a new cap, and off we went. I wished you could have seen him! He was so excited to walk, he wouldn't even stop anymore! Sure, that picture was taken in a brief moment, because Hama cannot stand for more than seconds alone like this, the reason being that he is unable to hold on with his deformed and malfunctioning left hand.

But, if we continue faithfully doing all the exercises with him, I have no doubt that he will walk. Most of all, it must be fun for him, and so we had much fun together, and laughed a lot together. And I was happy to see that all the big kids - Salim, Fousseni, Abdias - were as motivated, participating in helping him do the exercises. Hama's sponsor gave me candy for him, and every time he walked for a while or did some exercise, he was rewarded with candy. Hama's little sister became jealous, of course, and also wanted the candy, as well as the walking aid. She just couldn't understand why she couldn't push the thing around as well! (She's one and a half years old.)

Finally it was time to sit down and talk - something we'd wanted to do since my return. On the phone alread, I had heard bad reports about the kids' behavior (but nothing new). They simply don't respect Firmin and don't obey him. We talked about all kind of things, and hopefully there will be a change.

Then it was time to hand over the gifts from their sponsors. Abdias was first, with the biggest gift. You should have seen his eyes, when he got it! He loved the backpack, but when he opened it and found the football, he was jumping around and cheering. Fousseni had received money to spend, and he said, he wanted to buy expensive shoes with it. And Salim, I gave him a watch, and he was thankful. However, Fousseni was indignant that he hadn't received what he had requested: a Playstation Portable. And he openly said that he didn't care about whether I was back or not, he just wanted his game. I was shocked.

I talked for a while about Jesus being first in our lives, and mentioned some of my concerns regarding them. Something had to change, and I've been saying that for many weeks now. I'm shocked at what spoiled brats they're becoming, and I'm asking what I could do differently.

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Saturday, November 4, 2006

Journey Home

One last short night, but I finished my second chapter around midnight on Friday. I am satisfied with what I've been able to accomplish this week. Now it's time to go home. I packed most of my stuff on Friday, and only had the last few things left to do. Just after 9 am we finally left Western Austria to go to Zurich, a 2-hour-ride. I had three suitcases, a carry-on, and Hama's walking aid that was rather bulky. We were praying for favor at the airport!

Arriving there, we had a nice lady at the check-in, but she wasn't able to make the decision whether to allow me to have a third suitcase for free. So we asked her superior, who said it wasn't in his hands either. I ended up having to pay for it, and my wonderful hosts took care of it. Thank you! The lady let me take Hama's walking aid (see picture) as a carry-on - something I was thankful for. However, she said that she didn't know whether they'd allow it on board in Paris. I had to take my chances - and pray.

I had two hours in Paris, which was just the right amount of time. Lined up at the frequent flyer access to the plane, a lady from Air France came over, and simply put a tag on the walking aid, for it to be put on board with the other luggage, leaving it at the door to the plane. No problems, she didn't even ask! Praise God! While in line, a first class passanger, a Malian lady, started talking to me. She has an organization working to help women in Bamako, and she was very interested in what I'm doing. She asked for my card and said, she'd contact me.

We had an uneventful trip to Bamako, where the night cool of 28°C (83°F) expected me. All my luggage was there, and I made it out without any hassle. I couldn't wait to hold my kids in my arms again! However, I was disappointed. None of them were there; instead there were Emma, Paul and Firmin. I was shocked. They said that in the last moment, they decided not to come. I was even more shocked that they had left them alone, and outside, at night like that - it was 11 pm by then! And then Paul wasn't happy at my rebuke...

Arriving home, Marie had let the kids in who were asleep on their beds but with their clothes. They woke them up, and I got to hug and hold each one. They were sleepy, but happy to see me. So was my daughter - that is, my little cat. And Marie, Fanta, and Seybou, and Simeon who was patiently waiting for me. It is good to be welcomed like that by family.

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Friday, November 3, 2006

Week Of Writing Over

The last of my 5 days of writing is over. As the day progressed today I didn't think any more that I would finish my second chapter, but I knew I had to do it, because who knows when I'll have time to write again, and it would be hard to continue with an unfinished chapter. So it was after 9 pm when I started writing, and I finished it just after midnight!! Praise God!

This past week, I went back into my childhood, and those first two chapters of my book show what the first 20 years - without Jesus - were like. The next chapter will contain how I came to the Lord. If any of you is interested in reading what I've written so far and give feedback, let me know.

Going Home

Today I went shopping one last time, to buy the last few items. I got some stuff to make an "advent calendar", an Austrian tradition where the children open a little something each day of December until Christmas. I now have little bags that I can fill with some goodies, and I'm looking forward to my kids enjoying it. I also bought some "fake snow" to spray on plants or windows - it will be fun to decorate that way at Christmas, in a country where snow is unknown!

I really need your prayers tomorrow for my trip back home. I have 3 suitcases - one too many - so please pray that they'll let me take it for free since it's all for orphans in Mali. I was also unable to fit Hama's walking aid into any of my bags, so I will have to handcarry it to Mali. Please pray that they'll allow me to do so. I'm flying from Zurich to Paris, and then from Paris to Bamako. Pray also for my health. I'm feeling a little sickly, and unfortunately I'm still tired because I've been going to bed late.

I'm going back a little anxious, because of the two very busy months ahead. Please pray that God would give me strength, and send people to help me. Next week I'll already have to cancel school once or twice, because I'll have to go request my new visa for Mali and some other errands. I need a Malian teacher, as well as someone with a driver's licence to take the kids to kindergarten and pick them up again every day.

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Thursday, November 2, 2006

Book Progress & Mali News

Time is going so fast! 4 of my 5 days to write my book have passed; tomorrow is the last day, since I'm leaving on Saturday to return to Mali.

The picture shows you my wonderful hosts - Christine, an "old" friend, and her husband. I'm greatly enjoying my stay with them, as always.

I've done some preparatory work to writing my book, and finally started writing on Monday. It's not been going as fast as I would have liked, but I believe I'll finish the second chapter tomorrow, completing the first 20 years of my life. The third chapter will be my conversion at the age of 20. I'm not totally satisfied with the quality of my work as I know that I can write better, but I'll probably rework it at a later stage.

In two days I'll already be back in Mali, and it seems that for the first time I'll return with the same frustration and discouragement I left with. I believe it's mainly due to being overworked, and the thought of the two very busy months ahead, and having to do it all by myself, is not appealing at all. That seemed confirmed when I got an email from a young lady wanting to come help us, and she said she was ready right away. I was so happy to have someone come help me!!! The next email was a little more cautious, since she doesn't know anything about Mali, but I do hope she's coming soon - preferably before I break down.

Please pray for a good last day of writing tomorrow, and the last preparations. Pray also for favor at the airport on Saturday. I have a third suitcase, and would like to take it with me for free.

I nearly forgot some exciting news from today: I was given the phone number of a place where they help handicapped children. We called and went there, and in fact, they had a pair of special shoes Hama's size that will help him walk better. And even better, they had this walking aid exactly his size that I had planned to have made in Mali! Praise God! Now we have a good quality instrument that will help Hama walk around. Some physiotherapists also gave me exercises to do with Hama, so I'm excited that hopefully he'll make some progress in the months to come.

I talk to Paul and my kids in Mali every couple of days. It looks like there's be a few things to take care of when I get back. When Paul is at school, Firmin is alone with the children, and he is unable to establish himself as an authority figure with them. So he was somewhat desperate on the phone because the kids don't do anything he says. As for Seybou, he lost the key to our mailbox (I have another copy). As for Paul, the documentary on Albinos in Africa he featured in aired, and several people have addressed him about it. As for my trip to Ghana, things are coming together. My kids always tell me they love me and miss me on the phone - that is Abdias and Fousseni. I'm looking forward to seeing them again, though I'm dreading getting back into the "killing routine". I was hoping to get some physical rest in Europe, but it hasn't quite worked out that way. I'm still tired.

Please pray also for spiritual refreshing for me. It looks like I only found an oasis in the summer, because I'm still in the desert.