Beautiful Time with Our Father

While I was in Senegal, my teammate Abby had a difficult health issue and was in the hospital for a day in the capital.  Last week in the village she experienced pain again as she has several kidney stones to pass.  Please pray that our Father would miraculously dissolve the remaining stones so she won't have any more pain.



We fully believe that my Giardia, Sarah's malaria and now Abby's kidney stones are all attempts by the enemy to keep us from being in our village and with our people because we are working in an area that has never heard the Good News before. I am fighting a sinus cold/ infection as I type even now.... so I would ask for prayer for me for healing as well. Please pray against these attacks and of all kinds that we know will continue to come as we try to cut through the centuries of darkness.




This past weekend we had the opportunity as a team to stay at Selingue.  It is a hotel on a dammed lake more in the south of Mali so it is much more green than where we are.  If I didn't know better (and the hills were a little taller) I would have thought I was at the Lake of the Ozarks (no boating with the Pivas and Schindlers here though!)  It was the best spiritual retreat time, quiet time, prayer time I've had with our Father since I've been here.  We had worship one night with a campfire alongside the lake.  And one day we actually got to enjoy the pool and I got to wear shorts out in public for the first time since coming here. 

During my beautiful time with our Father, one scripture I was drawn to was Psalm 18:46 - "The Lord lives and blessed be my rock and exalted be the Father of my salvation".  I spent a lot of time just praising and thanking our Father for how good He has been, for taking care of me, providing for me and opening my eyes to the sweet simple things in life that I'd taken for granted so long.    HE SHOULD BE EXALTED!   That night at worship, we sang the song with these words in it.



I prayed a lot about what I've learned here, what our Father has shown me; what I will take with me and what our Father's direction is for me next.   Right now I'm planning on leaving here the first part of July to come back to the US.  I have been praying asking God to help me continue my ministry for Mali and West Africa and help me to be an advocate for the people here when I return home.  He has answered that prayer already!  Several weeks ago my sister Beth emailed me and told me that Lifeway's VBS this year is Saddle Ridge Ranch and includes a mission night on Mali and the OneStory (storytelling) program!  I just cried.  So I will be talking with VBS kids at my church in Arnold, her church in Oklahoma and hopefully several others when I get home as well.    Our Father is good!  I'm really looking forward to sharing my love of my new African friends and culture.



A miracle shared from a co-worker this week (the same co-worker that shared the previous miracle story about the young baby girl and the drug overdose).   He is in a village with a small group of believers that received our Father after 2 journey girls had lived there for 2 years creating stories from the Word for them.


One of the truly faithful women believers was with the women getting water one day a few weeks ago.  This is mango season so the young children are always in mango trees picking them to sell.  This young boy fell out of the tree from pretty high up and all the women gathered around.  The believer tells the story as if it was just the most natural thing in the world.... it's wonderful!    She said, the boy was not breathing and his eyes were rolled back in his head.  She said he was dead.  (She has lost 4 children so she knows what death looks like).  She said, Esa prayed and brought people back to life so she said, I just put my hands on him and prayed.  And few moments later, the little boy opened his eyes, was scared as to why all the women were huddled around staring at him and got up and ran home!   Oh, for us to have faith like a child, like this young woman!

Senegal Believers!

I was blessed to spend the last week and half with members from my church in Senegal working as the missionaries to our people, the Konagi.  It was wonderful to see faces from home. The team arrived early Tuesday morning and we had a full days drive to far Eastern edge of Senegal.  The small village Sare 'Aye we are working in is a mixed village of Konagi people and Fula-Mucina people.  The language spoken is Pular which is the language of Fula-Mucina but the Konagi also have their own language :)  The chief and elders of the village are all Fula-Mucina.  The groups get along but there is still a "hierarchy" since the elders are all from the one people group.


There is a small group of believers in the village, headed up by Bonere and his wife Adja and their 3 daughters.  As the story goes, his father became of follower through some workers in another village and would walk 30km or something to worship with other believers.  He had a vision that someone would came and teach his people 'the stories' one day so he built two huts with the hope of this.  As Brother Bob stated last fall, "God is on a fast moving train here and all we have to do is jump on". It was wonderful to see these Africans so anxious to learn more.  At one point our translator told the story about the Sower and the Seed at the campfire and the next morning while we were cooking, Adja asked if she could try to repeat the story to our translator and myself.  She did a great job.    It is encouraging for these believers to interact with other believers from around the world.  For them to know they are part of a big family because here when you become a believer you quite often lose everything and feel very isolated. 

Bonere leads the group of about 20 people in worship on Sunday mornings in the small church they built for themselves, which is in much need of repair and with us 9 joining them, it was packed.  I prayed that one day soon, they would overflow the building!  We had the privilege of worshipping with them Sunday and got to sing the two songs we had learned Pular - one was "I have decided to follow Jesus" and the other was about "God being good".



We got to story with the women one afternoon and taught them the African or Ethiopian Eunuch story.  I like this story because it is personal for them so see an African in the Word.  Several of the women were able to repeat it which is our goal in discipling them so they can begin to share the Word with others.     Please pray for this group of believers that they will have the courage to be bold and share what they have heard and that when we return we will find new believers added to their numbers!   

IF YOU ARE READING THIS FROM MY CHURCH --- I ENCOURAGE YOU TO PRAY ABOUT GOING TO OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN AFRICA. 



We spent 3 nights in the village in mosquito net tents sleeping under the stars.  This area of Senegal is much more like Mali than Dakar so it was very hot.  We had lunch with them around a common bowl and had some good peanut sauce and cheb which is spiced rice with veggies. And shared stories from the Word in the afternoons as we could find time with them.  Each evening we started about 9pm with a campfire - Yes, imagine have a bonfire when it's 90 degrees outside!  No marsh mellows or chocolate though.... Our Father's Word and tea  instead.  

The first night we had a full house with all the elders of the village there.  After Jim (our missions coordinator) shared Creation to Return with them we had some very lively discussion with the elders asking lots of questions.  And in many insistences agreeing about certain points about Esa.  We also had the chance to share other scriptures about Creation..  We continued until about midnight!  In the end the elders/ chief basically said, they agreed on many of the points and all that is left is for their hearts to be changed - he said that himself!  I shared with them Rev 3:20 where Jesus says, "Here I am I stand at the door and knock.  Whoever hears my voice and opens that door, I will come in and eat with him and him with me."  I told them we can discuss everything logically and with wisdom but at some point each of us who are believers heard Jesus knock on the door of our heart we opened it to Esa.  I told them I would pray that when that day happens for each of them, you will do the same.




One "Our Father" story for the week - Chief 'Sam', who is of the other people group and a M spent quite a bit of time with the men and was at two of the campfires.  Each discussion was so encouraging.  At the last night he asked if he had to give up smoking to become a believer even.  Brother Brad (our College and Careers minister) at one point, the Holy Spirit moved upon him to ask the most important question, "Do you want to accept Esa as your Savior".  The chief's response...." when I decide to follow, that will be it, no turning back and I will be baptized the same day".  We were amazed and believe in his heart he has done so but making it public carries much weight and concern for him.  Please pray for Chief 'Sam' to surrender to our Father. 



The Holy Spirit is at work as we saw 4 people choose to follow the Esa road - PRAISE HIM! Please pray for 'Ada', 'Harry', 'Max' and 'Marty' that they will grow in their walk with our Father and have courage to be strong in face of persecution.

One special and very touching to be was "Ada".  She is related to the chief so her public profession could be very difficult and costly.  She asked the second night of the campfire, "What must I do to follow Esa".  She had already received Him in her heart but had not made it public.  She is a widow and we knew earlier that her only son had disappeared 3 years ago and they have not heard from him and her daughters are married and gone, so she is very alone.  My heart just leaped as I heard her speak.  I felt the Holy Spirit tell me that I needed to go hold her hand and pray for her as they explained salvation to her.  So I got up and did that.  She gripped my hand so tightly and I continued to pray silently for her while she listened.  I just felt an energy and power surging through the two of us!  After her profession, us women surrounded her and layed hands on her and prayed for her.  I welcomed her to the family of believers and told her I was so proud of her for following in obedience.  That night afterwards, I had tears.... it was such a powerful night as I watched my first Africans come to faith in Our Father... it still gives me goose bumps to recall that evening! ALL GLORY BE TO HIM!  
 
God blessed us with two amazing translators and cultural guides/ teachers, Sede and Amy, both from Senegal and strong believers on-fire for the Lord.   The first campfire, Amy shared her testimony and it is so powerful.  She is 35 and 6 years ago after working for many months helping a 'worker for our Father' with language she surrendered to Our Father from her 'I' beliefs. The story of the prodigal son really spoke to her that she wanted to know that complete love and forgiveness of our Father.  To her, "I" was just emptiness. 

She prayed for 3 months and finally got up the courage to tell her husband.   He would not give her the time to talk ever until one day, as afternoon prayer came, her husband sent for her and she did not come.  He listened after that.  He called her father as well.  Her father gave permission for her husband to divorce her.  He kicked her out and she left that day with her baby and 6 year old daughters and nothing else.  She said that is their plan to let you go knowing you won't be strong enough to make it alone and will come back. 
She knew God would give her the strength.  She managed to find a place to sleep that night at a friend's but had to rise and leave before the rest of the family got up.  The second night she spent on the floor in a hut she was able to find to rent, telling them man, she would pay him at the end of the week.  She had nothing and made a pillow for her daughter in her lap.  Her daughters cried they were so hungry.  She wept too but continued to find courage in her faith



The next day, her friend had heard what Amy had done and was looking for her.  She found her finally and  offered to help her but Amy refused saying, "my Father will help me".  She did accept a few used household items and asked for an advance of money that she would pay back.  Amy knew Our Father would help provide for her because she could sew and make other handicrafts to sell. 

She did overcome and today her eldest is in school in Dakar.  She has purchased land and built her own hut.  Her mother lives with her and helps take care of her daughter when Amy is out on translating jobs.  You see her father kicked her mother out of the house after Amy's decision to convert.   Amy is still the only believer in her family and has not seen her father, or 15 brothers & sisters in 6 years because of it.  Our Father had a call upon Amy's life and she has known that from the beginning.  She speaks 8 different languages.  And through the help of mission teams coming, she is able to go to her people and be the bold witness our Father has made her.



I did something I haven't done before - I became part of a street cleaning crew.  In our village we sweep our compound every morning but I've never seen street sweepers.  As part of the team was leaving one morning to go to market, they called back and said the women were in the village center sweeping.  So I went to walk down there to participate.  Turns out we did not just sweep the square like I thought we were but worked our way out every street!  They do this once a month and were doing now because they had guests (us!)  The ladies had fun with me helping and I made some new friends. 

The last afternoon we went to another Konagi village where Bonere's sister lives.  They had greeted the chief last November and we did again this time.  We hope to do a campfire there with the next team.  But while we talked, we asked what we could pray for.  He said for the children and their education.... we then shared the story of Jesus and the children.  There are no believers in this village but the chief asked us to pray that 'their hearts will be open to hearing what stories from Our Father's Word that we have to share next time'..... that can only be the Holy Spirit at work. 



One afternoon, Katie and Ashley had brought crayons coloring pages to do a little story telling with the kids.   Team also brought salvation soccer balls.  Ashley explained the symbolism of the colors on the ball and then we went to play.  It was in the heat of the afternoon but never too hot for soccer (or football here).  The funny part is that the women that were around starting joking about playing (or so we thought).  Turns out the pregnant women (there were enough to make up a team) played against the younger, single girls.... it was quite fun to see these women all taking a break from work and laughing and enjoying themselves.  The men from our team and boys incidentally were on the side practicing skills while we ran the field and boy did those women run! 

Before we left Dakar, we went to Goree Island, which initially meant "good road".  This is a difficult place to visit, as it is the slave trade island.  This is where men, women and children from all over West Africa were taken to and held by slave traders before getting onto boats be  shipped to US, Europe, etc.  Many of the people were lured here by promises of 'beautiful, better life".  There were about 20-25 slave traders that lived on the island and would have held 150 or so at a time.  The rehabbed house we saw, the master lived upstairs and the slaves below in different rooms.  There was a place where they would weigh them - the men had to be 60 kilos before they could be shipped.  There was room specifically for feeding the slaves fat to gain weight.  We saw the back door - the door of no return as they called it.  It was literally on a cliff about 20 feet above the water and the boats would dock right out the door  and there would be a gang plank leading straight from the house onto the boat.  

Today about 1500 people live on the island, as it was given to some of the families of the last slaves found there.  Our guide made the point of saying of the people, about 600 follow the Esa road and about 900 are M but we get along and live peacefully together.  It was hard to walk in the streets knowing what took place there and right around the corner, the church build in early 1800's where the slave traders would have attended.  

Before the team left for the airport that night, we went to dinner at Le Recif which is on the western most tip of the continent of Africa.  It is right on the water and was a huge treat for me.  I enjoyed lamb curry!  But equally as fun.... they had a walk along the rocky water along with a beautiful flowers and a huge patch of dark, green, luscious grass.  The first green grass of any significance I've seen since I've been in Africa.  I could not resist .... I slipped off my shoes and walked around on it barefoot.  I loved it so much before dinner, I did it after too.  The grass was cool and slightly damp... just like a spring day at home.    One of the little things we take for granted to be thankful for! 




I returned to North Star the end of last week and met my new team mate Michelle who arrived last week while I was gone.   God is truly working here and calling people to continue the work here.  We also found out that two "Hands-On" college girls will be coming in August!  PRAISE HIM!


And on a final note.... I saw my first rain since arriving in Mali yesterday.  It actually got cloudy and thundered but only rained a bit.  My teammates told me it rained last week here for about 3 hours and made lots of big puddles.

Toto, We're Not in Kansas (Mali!) anymore

I'm speaking of the fact that I'm now in Dakar, Senegal (one country West of Mali) awaiting the much anticipated arrival of Pastor Bob and members of my church, First Baptist Church Arnold.  We will be driving about 10 hours east (almost back to Mali!) and a bit south of Tambacounda to spend a little over a week with our people the Konagi people.  This is the first 'official' regular mission team so we are very excited about the fact that "God is on a fast moving train and all we have to do is jump on" (that is how Bro Bob reported it last November after meeting our people for the first time).


I have to keep reminding myself I did not fly to Europe, or the islands somewhere, but that I am indeed still on the same continent.

Dakar is NOT AT ALL like Mali!   Dakar is the western most point on the continent about 2 million people live in the city.  It is on a pennisula, so the temperature is 65-85 degrees all the time, their is a cool, salt breeze and sunshine that is welcome!  There are beaches, many white people,  many tourists, a huge downtown with skyskrapers and real highways and overpassess.  I've enjoyed real homemade ice cream at N'ice Cream (they even have more than Baskin Robbins 21 flavors!).  I enjoyed dark chocolate AND (yes I did two scoops) cherry torte.   Even had fried chicken- just like KFC.    And crepes with real Emmenthal cheese Dad!

All those things said, there are still carts pulled by horses going alongside the 3 lane divided highway!  And cattle crossing the road and goats tied up next to high rise apartments :) 

Their boats are beautiful decorated in bright colors.   Most do have a small motor, however some were still with oars.



The waterfront is the location of a huge fish market every night at about 6pm as the fisherman begin coming in with their catches.   As many of you know, I don't really enjoy fish but there were quite a few interesting ones to look at.




This young boy, in gear too big for him, just surveying the scene, no doubt after a hard days work on the water. 

I spent a short bit of time on the beach, having quiet time and prayer with our Father while listening quietly to the waves crash along the shore.  I was an afternoon of spiritual refreshment, reflecting on the last 4 months here and praying towards His will for the future.   I am so grateful for this time.

There is a man just between those two closest rocks.  I visited with him for awhile and discussed faith in God...... his of course from a different perspective.  His English was very good because he was a 'seaman'.  Here is is getting oysters.  He says there used to be many here but now maybe only a years left.  He got about 2 kilos today.  He told me they will ship to France and get 10Euro per kilo.

Just had to include this..... some time of marine animal that washed up in the tide.  It was breathing and moving slowly. 




Please pray for my church team as they arrive tomorrow morning.  We will be making a 10+ hour trek across Senegal to the far eastern side.  Please pray for health, as temps are reaching toward 120 degrees in the heat of the day.  Please pray for the Word to flow freeing from us.  Please pray for the Holy Spirit to move across new villages of people of the Konagi.  Please pray for our few believers to grow as strong disciples.

Elephant & Easter Extravaganza

Happy 69th Birthday Daddy!  I love you! 

Last week I had the chance for the first time to actually do some sight-seeing in Mali.  We went about 10 hours northeast of the Capital in the hopes of seeing the last herd of wild desert elephants on their migration through Mali and Burkina.  They make about a 350km loop following the last of the water holes in the desert.  You can Google Dountza Elephants and read all about them.  National Geographic, Animal Planet, etc. have all documented these amazing animals journey. 

Our first night we stayed at a very nice hotel actually that had a pretty pool area (kind of forgot we were in Mali for awhile) and we got to swim for a bit, but believe it or not, the water was very cold and it was later in the evening so we didn't stay in long.  It was still fun to actually see water  you could get in and put your head under :) Needless to say my skin itched afterwards pretty bad from the intense chlorine but it was still worth it!

We picked up our guide Daniel and headed out the next morning in search of the elephants.  Picture full-fledged four-wheeling, open desert, no roads, deep sand then wide open flats, seat-belts strangle you from all the bouncy, knocking your head on the roof of the truck, bouncing, bouncing, bouncing some more and lots of camels and cattle and the occasional nomadic persons.

We drove for about 2 hours as we got deeper and deeper in to the desert.    Then 'we' began tracking for the elephants.  We found some great elephants tracks in the sand.  We started to see more small trees uprooted and of course the ever so popular feces or as my nieces and nephews like to say 'scat' (which is like the size of a coffee can!).   We also looked for bunches of green trees (kind of like an oasis) because that would mean there was water and possibly the elephants.

Our first encounter was helped by the fact that we came over a hill and there was a nomad family's tent, few belongings and camels.   Our guide, got out and talked with the man while the women and children came pouring out of the tent.  You just have to scratch your head and wonder how they live like that in the middle of no-where and pack up and move all the time (they are nomad herders).   The man said, yes, they had seen the elephants this morning, "They woke us up he said!" (shoot those darn loud elephant neighbors!).  He jumped in the back of the pick-up and took us to the watering hole they had been at earlier.   

We got out of the trucks and silently walked for a ways to the edge of the tree line and we could see one large elephant and a baby through the trees (mostly just their legs), they were eating so they stayed pretty hidden.  Riding in the back of the pick-ups ourselves we drove ahead a little further in the hopes of seeing a larger group and we did.

Through the trees again we could see the rest of the group passing in front of us.  Probably not more than 75 feet away.  They walked in such a tight format you could hardly tell the difference between where one stopped and another started.   We crouched down very still and quiet so as not to disturb them.  We did get to hear a few "elephant roars" too.  After they had passed us, we walked a bit further just to the open of the water hole and we could see them crossing across the flat, the part of the hole that had already dried up.  Turns out there were about 50-60 of them in the group.  IT WAS BEAUTIFUL!  They believe there are only about 400 of them left.  It was well documented last year the peril of these animals.   

Quite a few died last year because the water dried up before they could reach Burkina and the June rains.  So seeing a good part of these watering holes so dry already is really sad.  The one that we saw the next day is actually the last great watering hole before Burkina.  It is huge, stretches for mile and miles and miles.  Looks more like a small lake.  Cattle were 15 feet off the shore and up to their bellies.  And you look at this massive lake and think how in the world could that dry up.  But there are pictures online last year of this hole completely dry with several dead elephant in it.  

 

On the drive up we kept seeing these boys in royal blue robes & hats alongside the road and waving some type of wood instrument and saying stuff...... turns out these are the 'circumcision boys'.  These is part of their ritual as becoming a man and being circumcised.  Most are about 8-12 years old or so.   That night at the hotel, very loud desert music was playing and we could see from the roof (you sleep on your roof if you want so it is normal to have steps up to the roof mudded right to the side of the building) that there was a party of some sort.  So we walked over there because desert music and dancing is very distinct.  It is a type of guitar made from a calabash (like a huge gourd) and they hook it up to a car battery and speakers - Voila! electric guitar.  We find out the party is for all the boys coming out of the circumcision tent.

There was also a beautiful range of mountains that we drove along.  Something you don't expect to see as you head into the desert.  And at one location there was actually a village nestled right into the side of the rocks of the mountain.   One of the mountains is named "The Hand of Fatima" which is the mother of "the prophet M". 

 

Happy Easter!  We attended service at Bethel Baptiste celebrating its 21st Anniversary so there were believers from around the country in celebrating as well.  A packed house and overflow under a tent in the courtyard.  It was at least 120 degrees+ inside the church but it was such a celebration.  After the service they baptized about 20-25 new believers.  They only do it a few times a year because of water logistics.  It was such a touching scene, I cried, just thinking about what this means for them. 

Just the day before I had read Matthew 19:29 where Jesus tells the disciples, "Everyone who has left houses, or brothers, sisters, father, mother, children or lands for My name's sake, will receive hundredfold and will inherit eternal life."  Here this takes on true meaning!  The pastor asks the usual "Do you accept Esa as Savir?", response "Awhoa" (yes) but I kept hearing "Ieee" (no) sometimes.   I found out later that the Pastor asked different questions usually something along the lines of   "if you can't find a wife will you leave the Esa Road?,  if you can't find work will you leave the Esa Road?,  if your family will not let you eat with them will you leave the Esa Road?   I cried when I understood.  Again, for them this is real.  Can you imagine asking this in the US?

The guard, "Yo-Yo" of one of our workers was baptized and looked so happy.  Of excitement too, the Pastor has a really big prison ministry because he actually spent 10 years in prison but was lead to the Lord through one of our workers while in prison!  Neat huh!  He helps run a half-way house for prisoners and three of those men were also baptized.   PRAISE AND GLORY TO OUR FATHER! 

I got to participate in a different witness this past week but was very encouraging.  I taught English to people who attend our free English class every day for 2 hours in the morning in hopes of passing to potentially be a translator for us with mission teams, etc.   We had about 10-12 people each day.  These are all pretty good English speakers already and a few that continue to come to practice their English even as they are already doing assignments for us.  We teach English by telling stories from The Word.  Two reasons - gives us a good witness plus it is what they will need to learn to translate if they go out with us... so it a win-win! 

I told the Resurrection story (because it was right after Easter) and brought a dyed Easter egg in too.   I shared with them about Esa saying "Tetelestai" or "It is finished" and how that was actually found on ancient tablets as a paid receipt.  So Esa was in essence saying "It is paid"... he paid for us.  Several of them were very intrigued by this and asked if it was true - ABSOLUTELY.  Imagine how many amazing things you wouldn't know if you've never read the Bible either.  I also shared about how scripture says the curtain in the temple torn when Esa died and explained why that was important... that we can go directly to Our Father now because of Esa.  Again, some very inquisitive responses.   

Then I shared the story of the Man Possessed by Demon's cast out by Esa into the pigs.   I tell it several times and then we talk about questions they have and discuss translating of important words.  For instance, in Bambara, there is a word for a story if it's fictional and there is a word for story if it is true.... so we start each sharing my saying, "This is a story from Our Father's Word".  So it's imperative they use the correct word for story. 

After we repeat, discuss, repeat the story again we break it down line by line so they can take turns translating.  They listen to each other and correct each other because we don't know if they are translating it correctly but the others in the class do.

We know some in the class are believers, some we do not know because they've never really indicated and some we know for sure believe in "I".    In the Demon Possessed Man story,  the evil spirits actually say "Son of the Most High (Our Father) why are you torturing me?"  One of the translators when it was his turn, stumbled around with this phrase and kept trying to say other things but the others in Bambara we could tell where really getting on him.  We let them discuss and then ask them to explain in English what was being discussed.  Turns out he told us he was trying to say other words, that he did not like that"  (which being of the "I" faith they would have difficulty saying).  Which gives us to explain the importance of the infallibility of Our Father's Word and not changing it no matter what we might believe.  And that as a translator you have to say what the person is speaking, NOT what you want to say.  Eventually he acquiesced but he never would say the line. 

So, you see it is difficult sharing the Word here in more ways than one.... you have to work with translators who are sometimes not believers - sounds crazy doesn't it.  But we have quite a few who aren't believers and are some of our best.  There are actually 2-3 seekers in the class based on the questions they ask and the things we discuss.  Several of them have been invited and have attended church with our workers as well.  Pray for these translators as they are exposed to more and more of the Word they will come to know the truth! 

Capital EXCITEMENT!

We arrived in Bamako on Saturday the 20th and have thoroughly been enjoying Christian Fellowship with our fellow workers!  You don't know how much you miss that until all you have is just the "3 of you" for 7 weeks!    Our first stop was the good fruit lady and when we stopped I saw two  "two-bobs" standing in a shop next to us and I turned to my teammate and said "Look it's two-bobs!" forgetting we were in Bamako now where there a quite a few and not in North Star where we are the only ones.

We have enjoyed fresh strawberries!!!  And mango season has started so we get HUGE mangoes for cheap.  I got about 25 for $2.00!  We have gone out to eat and had pizza and two scoops of real ice cream - chocolate and mint flavor to be exact.   I also was very excited  to open all my care packages from home.  I am so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends and even a group of Mission in Action kids from Oklahoma (thanks Dana and kids!) who have all sent me much needed items as well as lots, lots and lots of chocolate and other fun treats:) Thank you for the blessings of these gifts to myself and my teammates. 

The week of the 22nd we did a Church Planting Storying Movement training.  It is storying of the Word focused on the book of Acts and how God started, empowered, directed, encouraged the beginning of the church.  It was very interesting and I learned things about the perhaps true intent of church that our Father intended.  The 5 main focuses of the early church and today are : Fellowship, Missions, Discipleship, Worship, Ministry.  As part of the training, we created our own church.  We did different events during the week just as a church would.  We  had some amazing worship and pray time.  We prayer walked around Bethel Church that is celebrating it's 20th Anniversary Easter weekend.  We prayer-walked the university and were able to share stories with some students.  The men visited with some of the many truck drivers at the truck stop who often speak English from Gambia, Nigeria, Ghana.  We had fellowship lunch and did an 'walk-up' ice cream parlor for the M Kids.  We closed the week with worship on the roof.  We had divided into two groups and each group was to take an Acts story and share it in a fun way, so our group wrote on song from the Acts 4 where Peter stands before the religious leaders.  It was a powerful night of worship together as it's free and spontaneous with song, prayer and the Word.

One powerful point --- the reminder of the HUGE emphasis the early church placed on PRAYER and how scripture directs us to do so.  We spent a great deal of time in prayer as we learned and retold these stories and analyzed them.  I really feel the power of the Spirit moving in this place. 

One of the other very obvious aspects of the early church was also signs, wonders, miracles and visions.  Acts if full of them as the new church grew rapidly.  We all must believe if God did these things then, that He is still doing them today and recognize these events for what they truly are and give all glory to God for them. 

One co-worker shared an amazing miracle story that just happened three weeks ago.  You may recall me talking about a missionary couple from Nigeria working in one of our co-workers village I first visited when I got here - "Mo" and "Angie".  Their little 6 month old daughter became very ill.  They took her to the hospital where she was administered some drugs.  She continued to get worse.  She was more or less unconscious and her veins collapsed.  They tried to administer another dose of medicine but were unable to find a vein.  Mo and Angie were there the whole time on their knees praying that they would be able to find a vein.  They couldn't, so they injected her muscle in her leg instead.   She was still not responding so they decided to drive to the Capital, about a 3hour drive. 

"Cowboy", our worker and their great friend, sent an immediate email.  He figures in less than 24 hours there were probably no less than 5000 people praying.   The hospital here discovered that she had been over-dosed causing her to be within hours of losing her life.  Three other babies came in in a similar fashion shortly later and were laid on the same bed with their daughter.  One by one these other little babies died.  But she held on as everyone continued to pray.  At one point, the doctors and nurses gave up on her and stopped coming in and avoided "Mo" and "Angie" completely.  God miraculously healed her!  She slowly started to come around and was able to leave the hospital 4 days later.  Talk about a powerful testimony to those doctors and nurses that witnessed this.   Our director was there along the way and "Mo" told her,  "Praise the Lord He answered our prayers negatively!".   Come to find out, she lived only because they could NOT find a vein and extra dose went into her leg instead which bought them time to get to the capital.  GOD HAD SEALED HER VEINS FROM THE POSION! 
 
Another important aspect of the early church -  GO and TELL!  We are familiar with the Great Commission, but how many of us and how many of our churches today are following this command?  We discussed how many of our churches are in the mindset of  "Build it, have a great program and they will come".  The early church and disciples by NO means waited for people to come to them.  They went out to find the people, to find the unbelievers!  This is so important for us to impress upon  'baby believers' here as they form a church community, that they immediately need to go and tell.   Please pray that the new believers here will not become complacent, but that they will speak boldly to their family, friends and all Malians.  Please pray that Our Father will raise up native missionaries among our new believers here. 

One of our workers, shared a praise story about going and telling..... the husband and wife team arrived in October with no local language skills, however, from the moment they arrived they have been 'speaking' and spending time with their guard "Yo-Yo".  As their French language grew they were able to begin to share some with him.  They had brought some scripture in French with them.   For Christmas they gave him one of these.  They noticed him reading it at night and he would ask quite a few questions.  In January they invited him to come to church, he did and continued to almost each week. About a month ago they felt the spirit telling them is was time to ask the question, but they didn't have enough language to really explain the path to acceptance.  They gave him a Roman Road tract in French.  They asked him to read it and think about it.  A short time later, the husband came out to see "Yo-Yo" again and without hesitating, he asked him for a pen because he needed to sign the tract!  That was that!  The next day they called the pastor of Bethel church and arranged for him to come talk to "Yo-Yo" later that week.  "Yo-Yo" is being baptized Easter Sunday at Bethel Baptist Church -- Praise the Lord!  What a way to celebrate Esa's triumphant Day of Resurrection and I will get to be there. GO & TELL works.

One thing we discussed in storying is the difficulty in wording things for Malians to understand.  You can't just translate a word always.  For instance, the word shepherd can be difficult for many to understand here in the context that we refer to it in scripture.  We don't have shepherds in the US really, so our vision of them, mainly comes from scripture.  We understand shepherds to be care-takers that feed their animals, water them, carry the little ones, etc.   So when we are given the example in scripture that ' Our Father is our Shepherd', we immediately picture the nurturing, loving person that this is describing.  However, here, often you will find the answer to 'what is a shepherd?'.... oh you mean a nomad, like a Fulani. Fulani is a people group, looked down upon because they are nomads, they are herders and just considered to be uneducated, etc.  So, their view when we say "Our Father is our Shepherd", as you can imagine would be completely different than ours and NOT at all what scripture intends. 

We study church planting as workers because in many villages here and one day hopefully many more, we have small groups of believers and it is our job to disciple them and to help them grow together as a community.  Community here is very, very important because making the decision to follow the Esa road can mean persecution of many sorts. Your family disowns you, or at the least may not let you eat with them.  Perhaps you won't be allowed to shop in certain boutiques or you can't find work.   This is the case for one male believer who has been calling our co-worker, "Tex" for several weeks about his difficulty finding work.  Finally one day he called and said, 'men are telling me if I go back to the building of their faith and pray and return to my old traditions they will give me work', so can I bring all my God's Words books to you please?  I just can't follow Esa anymore.  Can you imagine be forced to make a statement like that?  Please pray that our Father will give strength to new believers to withstand persecution.