Jan 24
We woke up early and we were obviously already packed and ready to go. We grabbed some bread and jam and we were all ready to leave the base by 0600. This time there were not any problems, so before 0700 we were at the bus station waiting for our bus. As we waited for our 0700 departure we finally got on our bus by 0915 and were heading out by 0930. Not bad for African time!
After a long.... bus (It was an interesting experience) ride finally we arrived to Douentza around midnight, when we arrived Lorna had prepared good food for us after eating we went straight to bed.
Jan 25
We rested and slept in until 10 then the girls went to the market to do some shopping, Rebecca joined them. Tito and Bradley had some men time in the wile the girls were out.
Later in the afternoon we meet the local children’s.
Jan 26
In the morning we went to the ywam base here in Douentza and we had worship with the staff there. The most of the day we spend looking and the work of the missionaries.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Jan 20
Tuesday the YWAM base Bamako had a meeting so the team had time playing, doing things together and having fun, Rebecca joined us. That the most of us discovered that there is a deck on the roof of the base. It is so nice up there! Nice view over the entire place. So we spent some time up there too.
In the night John invited us to his place to watch a movie. When we arrived Julie had prepared popcorn and brownies for all of us. We watched Evan Almighty and took a tour of there place and learned a lot about the area they live in. It was a very fun night......we all enjoyed it.
Jan 21
In the morning we had worship and intersession, then work duties with Daniel cleaning and organizing in the base. Later in the afternoon by special request of the team we went to the orphanage, this time for two hours instead for one. We all had fun playing with the babies and praying for them.
Jan 22
In the morning at the end of worship they prayed for our bus ride to Douentza. The rest of the afternoon we were packing our stuff and getting ready. In the afternoon Issouf drove us to the prison and there we had one drama. Daniel and John from the Bamako base joined us in the drama. Later Daniel preached to the boys and explained to them that we are leaving, but that the Douenzta base staff will keep visiting them.
Jan 23
This day was quite interesting. In the morning we were rushing around trying to get ready to leave the base(the bus was supposed to leave Bamako at 1 pm, so we had to leave the base at 12 o’clock Everything was happening so fast and we were a bit late, and then we tasted a bit more of African culture. About five minutes before we were supposed to leave the base and with all the team rushing, Issouf told us that we would not be leaving till the next morning. The staff at Duentza thought it would be better for us to travel only during the day time and not thru the night. So in the midst of us stirring around to get the bus loaded, all progress came to a halt. Suddenly all was so calm........we now had the rest of the day to just relax, we were not leaving anymore. We were all a bit stunned by the news and didn’t know what to say and so we all just laughed and sat down. After a while we just pulled out the playing cards and started playing UNO and SORRY all day. We were able to enjoy one more time of worship with the base that evening.
Tuesday the YWAM base Bamako had a meeting so the team had time playing, doing things together and having fun, Rebecca joined us. That the most of us discovered that there is a deck on the roof of the base. It is so nice up there! Nice view over the entire place. So we spent some time up there too.
In the night John invited us to his place to watch a movie. When we arrived Julie had prepared popcorn and brownies for all of us. We watched Evan Almighty and took a tour of there place and learned a lot about the area they live in. It was a very fun night......we all enjoyed it.
Jan 21
In the morning we had worship and intersession, then work duties with Daniel cleaning and organizing in the base. Later in the afternoon by special request of the team we went to the orphanage, this time for two hours instead for one. We all had fun playing with the babies and praying for them.
Jan 22
In the morning at the end of worship they prayed for our bus ride to Douentza. The rest of the afternoon we were packing our stuff and getting ready. In the afternoon Issouf drove us to the prison and there we had one drama. Daniel and John from the Bamako base joined us in the drama. Later Daniel preached to the boys and explained to them that we are leaving, but that the Douenzta base staff will keep visiting them.
Jan 23
This day was quite interesting. In the morning we were rushing around trying to get ready to leave the base(the bus was supposed to leave Bamako at 1 pm, so we had to leave the base at 12 o’clock Everything was happening so fast and we were a bit late, and then we tasted a bit more of African culture. About five minutes before we were supposed to leave the base and with all the team rushing, Issouf told us that we would not be leaving till the next morning. The staff at Duentza thought it would be better for us to travel only during the day time and not thru the night. So in the midst of us stirring around to get the bus loaded, all progress came to a halt. Suddenly all was so calm........we now had the rest of the day to just relax, we were not leaving anymore. We were all a bit stunned by the news and didn’t know what to say and so we all just laughed and sat down. After a while we just pulled out the playing cards and started playing UNO and SORRY all day. We were able to enjoy one more time of worship with the base that evening.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Second week
Hello everybody this is our second week in Mali and here are some of the things that happened this week……….
Monday we had the day off. So we went with John to downtown Bamako to look around and buy some souvenirs and fabric. The interesting thing about this day was when we arrived down town there were so many people in the street. It was so crowded we had to hold on to John so we didn’t get lost. Later in the evening some of us rested and some of us spend qbout 8 hours at the hairdresser to get braids in their hair...
Tuesday we had worship and intersession in the morning with the base staff. Later we had kid’s ministry in a kindergarten, we had a story and after that we played with them. The kindergarten didn’t look like anything you have seen before probably………it was outside under a thatched roof awning with wooded benches for the kids. There were over 25 kids and all of them come from families with one parent or no parents.
Wednesday our team conducted the morning worship and intersession, next we went to the European shop to buy food and it was like we left Africa suddenly. In fact it was like a normal European Shop………both in prices and how it looked inside. In the evening Issouf drove us to an orphanage on the other side of the Niger River. The girls especially loved spending time with the babies and they wanted to stay longer. In fact, everyone had a great time holding the kids and playing with them. I think some of them were ready to adopt a kid that day!
Later we had kid’s ministry in the park next to the base. It was a lot of fun. We had a couple dramas, a story, and a couple games.
Thursday in the morning we had worship and intersession with the base, like every morning since we arrived. In the evening the Bamako base staff and our team left to visit a prison for young boys(14-20). There we had a short program with a testimony and a drama and then one of the staff members from the Bamako base preached a short sermon to the boys about being able to make good choices and not bad ones all the time……the focus was on them being good people, but their choices they were making were bad.
Friday we had worship in the morning and in the evening. We spent the day resting and playing games around the base.
Saturday we stayed at the base and in the evening we had king’s kid’s ministry. We presented dramas, a story and some activities. The kids really enjoyed it.
Sunday was a long day! We went to the Issouf’s church in the morning. Then we had kid’s ministry in the park that afternoon. Bradley, Julie, and Rebecca went to an English speaking service for all the English speaking Missionaries in Bamako. Later that night Issouf and the team had a debriefing of our time here in Bamako.
Monday we had the day off. So we went with John to downtown Bamako to look around and buy some souvenirs and fabric. The interesting thing about this day was when we arrived down town there were so many people in the street. It was so crowded we had to hold on to John so we didn’t get lost. Later in the evening some of us rested and some of us spend qbout 8 hours at the hairdresser to get braids in their hair...
Tuesday we had worship and intersession in the morning with the base staff. Later we had kid’s ministry in a kindergarten, we had a story and after that we played with them. The kindergarten didn’t look like anything you have seen before probably………it was outside under a thatched roof awning with wooded benches for the kids. There were over 25 kids and all of them come from families with one parent or no parents.
Wednesday our team conducted the morning worship and intersession, next we went to the European shop to buy food and it was like we left Africa suddenly. In fact it was like a normal European Shop………both in prices and how it looked inside. In the evening Issouf drove us to an orphanage on the other side of the Niger River. The girls especially loved spending time with the babies and they wanted to stay longer. In fact, everyone had a great time holding the kids and playing with them. I think some of them were ready to adopt a kid that day!
Later we had kid’s ministry in the park next to the base. It was a lot of fun. We had a couple dramas, a story, and a couple games.
Thursday in the morning we had worship and intersession with the base, like every morning since we arrived. In the evening the Bamako base staff and our team left to visit a prison for young boys(14-20). There we had a short program with a testimony and a drama and then one of the staff members from the Bamako base preached a short sermon to the boys about being able to make good choices and not bad ones all the time……the focus was on them being good people, but their choices they were making were bad.
Friday we had worship in the morning and in the evening. We spent the day resting and playing games around the base.
Saturday we stayed at the base and in the evening we had king’s kid’s ministry. We presented dramas, a story and some activities. The kids really enjoyed it.
Sunday was a long day! We went to the Issouf’s church in the morning. Then we had kid’s ministry in the park that afternoon. Bradley, Julie, and Rebecca went to an English speaking service for all the English speaking Missionaries in Bamako. Later that night Issouf and the team had a debriefing of our time here in Bamako.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
First week of adventures in Bamako
Hello everyone our first update from Mali
Our outreach started in a very traditional YWAM style one or two hours before we had to leave. Annika decided to check her mail and found out our flight tickets from Oslo to Paris had been cancelled. Seems the snow in Paris got the airport backed up and flights were cancelled. So we went to the Airport in Oslo so Annika could fix our problem. We ended up getting transferred to a flight on SAS that took us to Paris at 8 in the morning and after a long day of travelling and standing in lines we made it to Bamako. The Fun wasn’t over yet …….. We waited for an hour and a half for luggage and ended up with one lost bag. At this point we had to go to the parking lot and meet our contact persons(Issouf and John). We told him about the missing bag and he took Bradley back inside to the AirFrance counter while the rest of the team sat in the van. Over an hour later Bradley and Issouf appeared and said they had to go back the next night to get our missing bag. We were finally on our way to the Base so we could get in our beds and sleep. Once we arrived, they offered us filtered water to drink and then showed us to our rooms. At 0230 we were finally winding down and getting into bed. The next day we didn’t get up till 1100-1200. We basically rested most of the day, but we got to experience our first Malian Worship Service with the base staff. On Thursday the 8th we went out into town to look around and get a glimpse of Bamako. In the evening before dinner we had our introduction to Mali with John. He explained the culture, facts about Bamako, what to expect, the do’s and don’ts while we are here, the three seasons, the health problems, the economy, and the religion. On Friday morning we had another first experience with riding the local transportation to do ministry at a Christian school. We jumped into a gutted van for 9 people that now seated 18 people. That was interesting! At the school we sang some songs with the kids and dramatized a story from the Bible. Then we played outside with the younger kids and played games with them. Then it was back to the base and we had to get on another van…..this time we fit 21 people in the same kind of van. This was even more interesting and very painful for Tito, Bradley, and John. I don’t recommend this kind of travel very often for guys. HaHa! Before we got all the way to the base we stopped at an internet café and got to email our families and let them know we made it to Mali. Then we had another worship service with the base staff in the evening. Saturday John and Julie took us to buy fabric so we could have authentic Malian clothes made so we can fit into the culture here. During lunch, we got to treat ourselves to hamburgers and hotdogs and Cokes. That was a fun afternoon with John and Julie. Then we had some kids come to the base and we did Bible stories and dramas with them. Sunday the 11th (today) we got up and went to church and sat thru a three hour service. It was translated from French to the local tribal language. During the service we got to introduce ourselves to the congregation. Then we sang a song for them. They sang for an hour before anything else happened. They shared wedding announcements, shared testimonies, shared about conferences and the choir sang songs, and then we heard the preaching. One thing that stood out for all of us is the men sat on the right side and the women sat on the left. The choir was even separated….women in the front rows and the men in the back. But, the service was incredible! Lots of dancing, clapping hands, tamborines, and praising God during the singing. After church we ate lunch and rested till 1600. Then we had to go play outside with the local kids for a Kings Kids program. We played games and did a couple dramas and told another dramatized story. There were around 20 to 30 kids that showed up. They seemed to enjoy themselves. Again we had to translate from English to French to the local tribal language. That is all for now. We will keep updating you every few days. Please continue to pray for our team. Especially for our health, our unity with each other, and all the opportunities for ministering to the people here.
Our outreach started in a very traditional YWAM style one or two hours before we had to leave. Annika decided to check her mail and found out our flight tickets from Oslo to Paris had been cancelled. Seems the snow in Paris got the airport backed up and flights were cancelled. So we went to the Airport in Oslo so Annika could fix our problem. We ended up getting transferred to a flight on SAS that took us to Paris at 8 in the morning and after a long day of travelling and standing in lines we made it to Bamako. The Fun wasn’t over yet …….. We waited for an hour and a half for luggage and ended up with one lost bag. At this point we had to go to the parking lot and meet our contact persons(Issouf and John). We told him about the missing bag and he took Bradley back inside to the AirFrance counter while the rest of the team sat in the van. Over an hour later Bradley and Issouf appeared and said they had to go back the next night to get our missing bag. We were finally on our way to the Base so we could get in our beds and sleep. Once we arrived, they offered us filtered water to drink and then showed us to our rooms. At 0230 we were finally winding down and getting into bed. The next day we didn’t get up till 1100-1200. We basically rested most of the day, but we got to experience our first Malian Worship Service with the base staff. On Thursday the 8th we went out into town to look around and get a glimpse of Bamako. In the evening before dinner we had our introduction to Mali with John. He explained the culture, facts about Bamako, what to expect, the do’s and don’ts while we are here, the three seasons, the health problems, the economy, and the religion. On Friday morning we had another first experience with riding the local transportation to do ministry at a Christian school. We jumped into a gutted van for 9 people that now seated 18 people. That was interesting! At the school we sang some songs with the kids and dramatized a story from the Bible. Then we played outside with the younger kids and played games with them. Then it was back to the base and we had to get on another van…..this time we fit 21 people in the same kind of van. This was even more interesting and very painful for Tito, Bradley, and John. I don’t recommend this kind of travel very often for guys. HaHa! Before we got all the way to the base we stopped at an internet café and got to email our families and let them know we made it to Mali. Then we had another worship service with the base staff in the evening. Saturday John and Julie took us to buy fabric so we could have authentic Malian clothes made so we can fit into the culture here. During lunch, we got to treat ourselves to hamburgers and hotdogs and Cokes. That was a fun afternoon with John and Julie. Then we had some kids come to the base and we did Bible stories and dramas with them. Sunday the 11th (today) we got up and went to church and sat thru a three hour service. It was translated from French to the local tribal language. During the service we got to introduce ourselves to the congregation. Then we sang a song for them. They sang for an hour before anything else happened. They shared wedding announcements, shared testimonies, shared about conferences and the choir sang songs, and then we heard the preaching. One thing that stood out for all of us is the men sat on the right side and the women sat on the left. The choir was even separated….women in the front rows and the men in the back. But, the service was incredible! Lots of dancing, clapping hands, tamborines, and praising God during the singing. After church we ate lunch and rested till 1600. Then we had to go play outside with the local kids for a Kings Kids program. We played games and did a couple dramas and told another dramatized story. There were around 20 to 30 kids that showed up. They seemed to enjoy themselves. Again we had to translate from English to French to the local tribal language. That is all for now. We will keep updating you every few days. Please continue to pray for our team. Especially for our health, our unity with each other, and all the opportunities for ministering to the people here.
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