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 cafĂ© 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.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
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1 comment:
That is awesome guys!! Keep up the good work!
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