Mali Trip: Only One
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 to drive in, which in the latter part of our journey, we never exceeded a 3.
Mali is beautiful in rainy season! Everything is green and prosperous; full of life. This certainly what I expected Mali to look like, but i was pleasantly surprised. Although Tom says that as soon as dry season comes, everything turns brown and withers to nothing, almost overnight.
When we got to the house, I was introduced to Mamado (Tom's language helper and the first Christian in this region), Douda (a new Christian who was the first Christian in his village and had the first Christian wedding in this region), and few other young Christians that compose the core leadership for the church here. It was a warm welcome of African greetings and lack-of-language charades.We sat down to visit and I was able to tell them (through Tom) the vision that the team has for long term ministry in Mali, but I ended it by asking what they would like to see us do as nationals. I was then bombarded and overwhelmed with suggestions. The men started to name villages who have never heard the Gospel and have no Christian, the needs of this town, but they also talked about two villages that had maybe 1 known Christian. Although they were emphatic that the villages had no Bible, no missionary, no church, no one, but this 1 Christian and they were not certain if he had gone back to his fetishes.The needs are great here, but there are needs every where. God must call us if we are to survive out here. Without His calling on our life keeping us, we would easily fold by the first dry season (the temperatures sometimes spike to 125 degrees).
Life is different here, but with a weird sense of comfort. Life is dirtier, harder, takes longer, is inconvenient, and muggy, but I could really see calling this place home. The guys said that they are going to start praying that God would call Justin, Leah, and myself here, and apparently they pray hard. So, I will continue to pray for God's leading and for the people that He would send us too. Praise God for He knows the outcomes of life! For His plans are not our plans and His ways are not our ways!
The wild adventure in me is screaming with anticipation of what tomorrow brings, but my jet lag is dictating that I sleep. What a day in Africa!!