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So, I’m still sitting under the tree with Douda and Salifou as I read and tend to my bloody blisters. I read in The Shack, “Growth means change and change involves risk, stepping from the known to the unknown.” Why is it that my generation seems apathetic...
After the deadly viper was extinguished, Douda proclaimed (as if the snake didn’t even phase him), “We finish!” We then set out on a vocabulary hunt. We would stop randomly, walk into a field and Douda would point at an object (plant, cow, plow, creek...
This morning I woke up to a bowl of cinnamon apple porridge and instant coffee (I will certainly have to find a way to do drip, brewed coffee here!). Douda and one of the Salifous (two young men who I have grown close too. They are the ones that took...
Today was relaxing and restful. I spent most of the day reading, laboriously, through Segu. I never read fiction and this confirms why, but the cultural aspects of Segu are invaluable. It has explained so much, just in the short time I have been in Mali...
This morning is an overcast "cooler" day, so Laura was able to use the oven and make walnut cinnamon muffins from scratch. Everything becomes harder here, like when you can use the oven and not be driven out of the kitchen by the overwhelming...
Mondays are market day. The once secluded street, open and free to cars, is transformed into a bustling, busy, crowded path with odors and experiences, most of which are not pleasant to the senses. There are a variety of goods to buy from NFL jerseys...
What a time of praise! In at least 3 if not 5 different languages! It is Sunday, so we made our way to the little church building with kids joining us along the way to hold our hands. At church, they had me pray for the offering, which this group gave...
This morning Tom, Mamado. Douda, and I loaded up in Tom's 4 wheel drive and headed for the villages. A 4 wheel drive vehicle is essential for Mali during rainy season. The "roads" become little lakes and are impassable sometimes even with...
"The heat (is) like a hot bandage clamped over one's mouth." - Segu by Maryse Conde The constant smell of my own sweat pierces my nostrils until Laura bakes zucchini bread or oatmeal raisin muffins or curry chicken or another fantastic meal;...
As I sat with Mamado, he told me a story about the French occupation. He said that the Bobos were a people who did not fear death. As a result, the french would throw a grenade among a group of attacking Bobos and the Bobos would pick it up, gather around...
This morning I was talking with Mamado and Tom about the Senoufo. We are going to take a few trips out to the villages on Saturday. The 2 villages that have nothing of the Bible or Gospel, from our conversation the other day, are inaccessible by car....
Today we left the guest house in Bamako and took the long, bumpy, wet day drive to the bush. Everything here has a thin veneer of red dust that when exposed to moisture, creates a sloppy red stain. They measure the roads here by what gear you are able...
The flight to Mali was uneventful, praise God! I still really can't sleep on planes. I felt as if I was caught in this purgatory between an active observing mind and exhausted sleepy eyes. I'm pretty sure I watched at least 7 full length movies...
So, I couldn't begin to describe in one post my time here. Therefore I will make it a Tuesday and Thursday series release starting September 16th. I have been living with solar panels for electricity, camp showers, sweating non stop; dancing at feasts...
I made it to Mali safe with all of my luggage! These are the cool months, so when I landed around 10:30pm the temperature was in the 90s. But the trip was uneventful, which is always a blessing. Tomorrow I will be going to the village for the rest of...
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