Help I am Drowning!

Life is Busy Busy Busy! I can't believe it. I am now getting close to being 2 months behind on my prayer letter. It's crazy. The good news is that I have taken and passed my first Bambara exam. It was a bit nerve racking since it was over 10 chapters but I passed with an A. It's exciting to know that the first exam is behind me and I am working toward the second.

Moving Forward

The months are slowly ticking by. It has now been almost 2 moths since I arrived in Mali. I have enjoyed my time here immensely and have been excited and amazed at each new discovery. Given the fact that there is still a rather significant language barrier, my biggest discoveries right now are with nature and animals. (Attached: Red Legged Walking Frog who lives in my front yard.) I might as well admit that I am an incurable animal lover and am convinced that everyone here thinks I am absolutely insane. My idea of a good Sunday afternoon is sitting out with the animals. They know me well :) I guess most people would think I was crazy if they saw me with them though but I am not sure if I should go any further with that :)
Other than giving the daily greetings I am just beginning to communicate in the language and can even pick up words here and there. The process is oh so slooooow but thankfully steady too. My biggest need right now is to start talking as much as my meager language will allow

Mali Independence Day

Mali's independence day fell right at the end of Ramadan this year so most of the people around Niena had had their fill of celebrating by the time the actual day arrived. They decided to move the celebration to the next weekend. This was my second time to celebrate an independence day in an African country. (The first was in Gabon in 2002.) They were by no means the same. This was quite interesting.
As we came into town everything looked pretty normal. People seemed to be going about their business as usual. By the time we got to the area where the fete (celebration) was to take place things looked a bit more festive. It isn't easy to describe the scene if you haven't ever been in a third world country but I am going to attempt it....
First, all of the roads running through Niena, except for the main one, are dirt and are deeply rutted due to poor management and heavy rains. Anyone driving in a car or truck gets a pretty good shaking when making a trek through town. The majority of the buildings are made with mud blocks and mostly consist of 2-3 small rooms metal doors and windows cover the openings. The village is a bit dirty too by our standards. You see, when someone here is done with something they just drop it. Yards and streets are often filled with plastic wrappers, broken containers etc.
Anyway, back to the fete. The first people we saw were dressed in old burlap sacs with feathers, bones, etc tied to them. They were wearing burlap hats sewed in strange shapes and some of them even had sticks sticking up out of them. Marsha thought they were hunters at first. We arrived at the fete and found that we were to sit under a canvass awning with all of the town officials. This meant pretty good views for which I was glad. We found our seats then I watched as the crowd gathered, the flag was hung on what looked like an old dead tree, and the entertainers started to arrive. Come to find out the men that we had seen earlier had been the clowns! After a little while the fete got started. The mayor and the commander gave speeches in french which were later translated into Bambara. Each group of performers sang songs mostly just to the mayor and officials (that was interesting) Then there was a bike race. They rode 80 Kilometers back and forth through town. It was fun to watch their progress as the fete went on. Once the bike race was over the fete was pretty much over too. Besides it was after lunch and I am sure everyone was hungry. I know I sure was. After lunch there was a big soccer game but I stayed home to prepare for the evening.

An Amazing Journey

This is from my August prayer letter. I tried to share a little of my life to give you an idea of how I live. I hope you enjoy. Feel free to ask questions if they arise.

**** Please note: Something in the upload changed the screen times. You will likely have to hit pause several times to follow the video well. *****

August Update

I can’t believe that most of the month is over already. Sorry for being so late with this letter. The days are flying by so quickly. I have been in Mali almost 4 weeks now. I am living in a moderately sized village located in the bush. The village is called Niena and I will be here for one year. Originally the plan was to go straight to Koutiala where I would complete a year of Bambara language study. This, however, has proved to be a bit of a difficulty in the past. With the hospital right there and such desperate need people end up getting involved and language learning gets moved to the back burner. My colleagues are hoping that by placing me here in the bush I will get a better handle on the language before being thrown into the busy hospital schedule. I will try to share more about my situation and surroundings in my next letter.
One of the things that I am realizing now that I am here is that my need for a vehicle is imminent. Most cars here cost $40,000 and at this time I do not have any money in my vehicle special. A vehicle will definitely be necessary in Koutiala as I will be living on the other side of town from the hospital and may be working all hours. As for here, there is another family living nearby and I can hitch a ride when they are headed out. There is a small market here in town but most shopping is over an hour away so those trips can be pretty important. The following is a link where you can securely give to this fund. https://www.cmalliance.org/give/online-giving?project=147200434405088&projectName=Approved%20Special&projectDesc=Vehicle%20Mary%20Anderson

Meet my houseworker Tabita

Meet my houseworker Tabita. She works for me 5 days a week, when I have work to do, and helps me occasionally with learning the language. She has 5 children and is expecting the 6th in January. Her husband works for our local Christian Radio station.

A little bit of life

It's hard to believe that I have been in Mali only 17 days. It feels like so much more. (In a good way) I think I am settled in though I am starting to really look forward to receiving my outfit. I am living with the basics right now and will be glad of a few of my own things. A few people have expressed surprise to find out that I am living in the bush without electricity. Technically I don't have normal electricity but I do have a couple of solar panels and car batteries that give me the ability to charge my computer, cell phone etc as well as some light after dark. The latter I really appreciate as it begins to get to dark to see in my house around 6:30 in the evening. Occasionally the evenings are a little difficult because it's is kind of hard to read with the light that I do have. I usually end up finding myself crocheting and watching a movie on the computer.
We have had lots of major thunderstorms lately. Some of which, as others have said, are some of the worst they have ever seen and many people's houses are collapsing. The rain does cool things down well for a while though. When it isn't raining the temperatures are usually in the upper 80s and very humid. That isn't any fun. It is so much harder to cool down with the humidity. My water comes from a deep well and is pumped by hand up into a large water tank 2-3 times a day. This water is used to gravity feed water into my house. Depending on the time of day, the weather, and how long the water has been in the take, I may have a cold shower or a very hot one. For this reason I usually take my showers after lunch. The water usually comes out very hot at first then cools off a good bit. The cool water is nice to help me handle the afternoon heat a little bit better. If I take the shower in the morning the water is too cold and I have to heat water for a bucket bath. On the other hand if I wait till evening I usually have problems as well because the majority of the time we are having a thunderstorm and showering isn't too safe.
I have taken some pictures but can't get them posted right now. Hopefully soon.........

Settled in Niena

I wish I could share pictures but I am not sure it will work so well. I am truly liking it here. Life is definitely different but good. I am appreciating meeting the people here and spending time in their homes. Language study takes up about 6 hours a day and am very slowly picking up the greeting which is very important here. I am glad they are forgiving of my blunders and I pray that I will pick up the language quickly. The heat here hasn't been unbearable. I am thankful that I have the cool season to begin to adjust. Living with the basics is fine. I might never get used to having house help and yard help but it is nice to know that it is helping the families here. I know they need it.

In Mali

Well goodbyes have been said in Albertville and I am writing this from the air. We are now only an hour away from Bamako. It is so hard to believe that the journey of the last year is over and I am on the threshold of another aspect of that journey. God has been so faithful. I will never be able to express how much I appreciate those who pray for me. You all have been a great encouragement to me. Thank you so much and please keep praying.

Many people have asked me what I expect when I arrive in Mali. Frankly I don’t know. I have so much to learn. I have said that I have to learn that language but there are perhaps more important things to learn in the next few years. I could probably write a long list but I think I prefer to work on them as they come. I do know however that I have a lot to learn about the culture and how to be sensitive in the midst of it. I was reminded of that once again as I found myself eating with my left hand (which is normal for me since I am left handed) If I have my story straight this is not acceptable in Mali. It will be a challenge to keep myself sensitive to these things. My goal is to form relationships and I definitely don’t want my inattentiveness to hinder things. As far as what to expect in Mali I am expecting a crash course when I arrive. I will keep you updated.

Goodbye Albertville

My third trimester finals are completed and passed and it is time to move on. Life has been filled with preparations, cleaning, packing, and of course last minute glitches in the plans. I am thankful that I can trust that God is in control. Today I have to wrap everything up. I will graduate this evening then am off to Paris in the morning. What an amazing journey with God. Thank you to all of you who have prayed and continue to pray.

Boldly Going Where No Man Has Gone Before

Ok, so this is not true for me in the least.  God has blessed me with an appointment among a group of people that I admire greatly.  His confidence in the abilities, talents, and passion that he has given me far surpass my own.  But, I am reminded that even if this weren't the case- one, there is never a place where "no man" has gone before, and two with Christ in us we are never alone.  When we go forth in God's strength and in His will he prepares the way before us.  Whether you are the only Christian in your family, your friends have failed you, you are moving into the unknown, etc.  God will walk with you.  He knows your struggles and fears.  He alone can turn what little you can give into a treasure for His honor and glory.    The going may not always be easy, but as we let his Spirit work in and through us we are changed, and other's see His glory.  

Packing Again

It's that time again.  I am glad that I haven't moved every year of my life like some families do.  And it isn't a habit that I would like to start.  It isn't so much the goodbyes but the unsettled feeling that comes with moving. Nonetheless, I am excited about moving forward into the new lessons that God has for me.  

Of course if moving every year  helped keep me from accumulating too much stuff I might have to reconsider.    I wouldn't consider myself a pack-rat but I do tend to accumulate more than is necessary.  I am guessing that this reality will strike me even harder as I enter a culture where poverty helps keep people's lives simplistic, as far as possessions go.   For me, those possessions not only become a burden as I seek to simplify, but I find that they also tend to become a burden to my spiritual life.  The more I let go the more I find myself digging into what God has for me, and those "things" around me no longer call for my attention.  It is freeing to let go of the things that were made to "make life easier".  So,  I am throwing and giving away my excess and asking God to show me what pulls my attention from him.

"Lord Teach us to Pray"

Some recent thoughts.  Sorry for the rambling

     While I have prayed this prayer for myself before, learning a new language has definitely brought a new challenge.  Somehow stuttering over my phrases with the one who will judge me least for my mistakes is the most intimidating.  But oh how important that communication is.   

    But, back to the challenge idea.  This whole concept has brought to mind two major ideas.  First of all I guess I am a little bothered by the fact that I would be intimidated/or worried at all about how I pray.  My God who knows my thoughts and feelings before I ever speak them likely cares more about my heart than the jumble of words that I speak though often I find myself worrying about what others might be thinking and if praying in French how much people are wanting to correct me.  I have to remember that those things aren't important.  It is a challenge to always make sure that it is my heart that speaks.  

    I could just stick to praying in English (my heart language) but I am well aware that prayer is and will be an important part of pointing people toward the power and love of God.  God has called me to a ministry among those who speak French and Bambara and that ministry will be most effective in their "heart" language.  On that note - Dr. Thompson has a new book coming out soon about prayer and the ministry among the sick.  Recently The ALife magazine featured an article about this book entitled, "The Rule of Faith".  It speaks about our need to step into a deeper level of faith.  When we treat a patient with what resources we have we are trusting that the medicine and time will do it's job, but if we commit the whole situation to the Healing power of God and admit our own weaknesses and inadequacies we are stepping into a new level of faith and trust in the power of God.  Those around us see the difference as well.  On the one hand they have only our knowledge, medication, and resources to thank; on the other hand they see that we don't have all the answers but that we are depending on the one who does.  Wouldn't that peak your interest?  I know for me there is a comfort in knowing that there is someone much more powerful involved even if he is unseen in a physical sense.  It is not only a step of faith but a step of obedience and it touches hearts.  ( You can check out the article at www.alliancelife.org)

     And so I find myself asking "Lord teach me to pray" and somehow I don't find myself quite so embarrassed by my blundering attempts at the French language.  I am choosing to step deeper into my walk of faith, to trust my God that he knows my heart.  And to trust him that my feeble attempts at prayer are bringing glory and honor to His name.

Language Bloopers

  Ok, so I would have to be lying if I said learning the French language was a breeze.  I, like most, have made those infamous errors.  Of course there are those little mistakes like - Normally, when giving a command you should just say something like “mange!” (Eat!)  But no, I had to say “mange-Toi!” (Eat yourself!).  Then there have been those larger mistakes.  Of course the following could have stemmed from an assortment of problems including, lack of attention, language barrier, overactive imagination and an ongoing list of possibilities.  Anyway, every morning we have announcements about upcoming events or information concerning school.  Of course these are all in French and I am not always paying attention.  Last week I had pretty much zoned out when one of the teachers made an announcement about an upcoming baptism that would be taking place at the school.  They simply said that it would be happening so that we would not wonder where all of the cars came from.  Somehow in all of that I heard that there was going to be a reenactment with a baptism at the end at the old church in town.  The reenactment was supposed to commence with a military and antique car parade down our street – hence all the cars.  The whole thing sounded a bit bizarre but I have found a lot of things that they do here just a little bit different.  Later that day the director of the school asked me to stay near the door to let the people in when they came.  I know my face registered shock.  I had to laugh when I realized that it was a church that uses the school’s chapel every year for a baptismal service.  There was no reenactment no military and no antique cars, just ordinary people.  

Mom Viseted!!!

The visit that I have waited for for so long has come and gone.  My mom is now on the plane en-route to America while I sit waiting to catch the train back to France.  It is hard to believe that the week went by so fast.  It was a great visit.  We walked miles and saw lots of sights.  God has given me such an amazing mom.  I thank him for her.

            Thank you also to those of you who sent gifts.  I feel so wrapped up in the love of God through you.  It is so comforting to know that you life me up in prayer.   I really appreciate it.