Give thanks in all circumstances, for that is the Father's will for you in Christ Jesus. I Thess 5:18
As we think about the heat, there are several things that we are thankful for.
One is that we have a spa that would be the envy of many of you. Which one of you has a state of the art bathroom with heated towel rods and warmed floors? Ehh? Not only that, but we have permanently heated towels and toothpaste, and commode seat. No more cold throne! Then there are the shower walls!! Late in the afternoon, we almost have our own sauna. The sun hits on two sides of the building in the afternoon --the corner where the shower is located-- and those walls get hot to the touch. If you lean against it you would be uncomfortably warm. :)) There is no need for a water heater, at least at this time of the year, as the water comes out of the spigot on that heated wall at very comfortable temperatures (sometimes you need to let the first, hottest water run off before stepping under the spray.) Oh, and I also use the nicely warmed olive oil that is provided to pamper my hair. :))
Another thing is that we DO appreciate the shade so much more. Do you know how much cooler it is in the section of town where there are mature shade trees along the streets and on the ground there is grass planted (and watered) ?? I am working on finding out what trees are the best to plant here at the base to enrich the living in future years. The guard at the gate would be so much more comfortable if he was shaded by a lovely fica or mango tree. The walls and our roof would be 30* cooler at days end, and think of the fresh fruit we could have. Not only mangos, but lemons, oranges, banana and papaya. Those last 2 plants would not provide much shade, but still would cool some, and enrich our/their lives with food. (By the way, did you know that the banana is not a tree but is the world's largest herb? A single plant grows for a year or more, bears it's fruit and then is cut down as it will produce no more.) When I have done my research about what trees to plant and how much they cost to buy at a local nursery, I will put out a plea for someone to fund this particular project. I will get to dig in the dirt and care for them-- getting them established, and someone there at home can have the satisfaction of having given another gift that will continue to live and grow and hopefully benefit the boys for years to come.
(Those of you in Franklin Co area can be glad for a nursery like our friends Elmer & Lydia Fisher have at Lurgan Greenhouse. Boy could I put their knowledge to good use here!)
There is no arguing that it is HOT! As I sit here at my computer at my table, the thermometer has topped the 100 * mark again, 20 minutes after I experimented with it by wrapping it in a wet towel, and succeeded in getting it to drop below 80*. (I told you evaporative cooling works--try that experiment with your kids some hot summer day. Really amazing!) And while I was wet from a cooling shower a few minutes before that, the sweat is now running down my face and dripping off my chin, and my shirt is wet over about 1/2 of its surface, reminding me that I need to turn the fan on.
A-h-h-h-h! That is better!!
I also need to say a word of thanks to the many friends and supporters who have given of their time and their financial resources to enable us to come and be here in Mali for this 15 months. Know that you are an integral part of what you read here. While we may ask for your help from time to time with special projects that we see would benefit here, we also need the continued support for day to day living expenses. Thank you!
We are blessed.
Count YOUR blessings today and be amazed at the glory of God, and of His faithfulness.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Overdose on Mangoes
We have certainly been enjoying the fresh fruit (read mangoes), but now Julie and I have to back off. Having eaten mangoes everyday, I think, and some days more than one, we have developed some rash. That is not good and it itches like crazy between my fingers, but I immediately suspected the mangoes. I remember my mother getting a terrific reaction to mangoes soon after we moved to Florida in 1959. Someone gave us a large quantity and said you could just eat them like apples, skin and all. SO we did! Mom's face swelled up and her throat closed so much that she feared her breathing would be cut off. We soon discovered that the oils in the skins are intense and can be toxic in large quantities, so, thanks to that early history, we knew from the beginning here that we should not eat the skin. (There is another evidence of God's preparation in my life-- who would have thought that I would ever need that knowledge again!) At first I thought it might only be because Julie and I have been the ones peeling and preparing the fruit, so we gave that job to Ray, at least to peel them. It has gotten better, but we want to be wise and not have a re-occurrance.
Bananas are also readily available, but 3 times as expensive as mangoes. Apples are here in Mali too if you are downtown, but 2 to 3 times more expensive than bananas-- you didn't know that when you are enjoying your apples you were eating "exotic fruits", did you? A "manguru" costs about 10cfa for a samll one, and 40-50 cfa for one that would easily fill a 2 cup measure. Bananas are 400cfa/kg (8-10 small bananas), and 3 apples cost us 400 cfa. The exchange rate is currently about 450 cfa/US dollar. NOW-- you do the math! :))
We slept out on the roof one night last week, but have decided not to repeat that experience until we get some mosquito nets. We have not SEEN mosquitos but Julie and I both had what appeared to be bug bites-- that are itchy-- so something got to us. It was considerably cooler out on the roof, under the stars, than inside the oven that the apt becomes after the sun has been shining on its masonry walls all day. When I got up and went inside at daybreak (6:00ish), it was still like walking back into an oven-- well at least an oven that has been turned off for a little while. Ah-h-h well! Until mosquito nets we will stay inside at night.
We have screens on the windows and the fans have been able to be running MOST all night, many nights now. We are also hoping to soon get some floor fans that we can place at the windows to blow the cool night air in on us. The ceiling fans move the air, but when you first turn them on (say in the afternoon) you can feel the heat being drawn down from the ceiling. It would be nice to let the heat rise and replace it with the cooler outside air. We will see! Maybe all that reading and studying that we have done with alternate energy and self sustaining lifestyles will pay off here as well.
I have actually been doing a lot of thinking about the things that we have learned in that "conserve energy" search over the years. Does anybody have the Mother Earth News complete dvd archives, by any chance? :)) Maybe I should write to them and ask if they would be willing to donate a set to us to teach the principles here in Mali. THey had some marvelous articles in the early days-- 1970's, when Ray & I were charter members of the magazine. One of those was an evaporative cooler/refrigerator. I am putting that principle to work here by wrapping a wet cloth around my water filter to pre-cool the water we draw to drink. It will cool the water to about 80*, but I need to refresh the water on the cloths several times a day. My next project is to build a small box as a cooler, putting that evaporative cooling to work for more items. Our electric refrigerator is a very small countertop model, and without consistant electricity, ....!! I have been using a wet cloth on top of it to help to dissipate the heat from it's motor, and that hopefully takes some of the strain off of it. I know that the top of it can be cool to the touch rather than hot, like it is after the cloth has dried out.
If bananas, bread, tomatoes, butter, etc could be kept at 80 degrees F, instead of 95- 100 degrees, it would be a great help. Wouldn't do much for the meat, but the fruit would last an extra day or two or three, and the butter would not run off your knife. It would also help to keep our ointments and even toothpaste a bit cool so that they are not so runny. Neosporin is difficult to use if it runs off of the wound like water. We are keeping that in the fridge. LOL
We continue to be amazed at our adjustment to the heat. Many westerners seem to mind it more than we. Thank you for your continued prayers and thanks to God for His provision.
Be blessed and be a blessing today!
Bananas are also readily available, but 3 times as expensive as mangoes. Apples are here in Mali too if you are downtown, but 2 to 3 times more expensive than bananas-- you didn't know that when you are enjoying your apples you were eating "exotic fruits", did you? A "manguru" costs about 10cfa for a samll one, and 40-50 cfa for one that would easily fill a 2 cup measure. Bananas are 400cfa/kg (8-10 small bananas), and 3 apples cost us 400 cfa. The exchange rate is currently about 450 cfa/US dollar. NOW-- you do the math! :))
We slept out on the roof one night last week, but have decided not to repeat that experience until we get some mosquito nets. We have not SEEN mosquitos but Julie and I both had what appeared to be bug bites-- that are itchy-- so something got to us. It was considerably cooler out on the roof, under the stars, than inside the oven that the apt becomes after the sun has been shining on its masonry walls all day. When I got up and went inside at daybreak (6:00ish), it was still like walking back into an oven-- well at least an oven that has been turned off for a little while. Ah-h-h well! Until mosquito nets we will stay inside at night.
We have screens on the windows and the fans have been able to be running MOST all night, many nights now. We are also hoping to soon get some floor fans that we can place at the windows to blow the cool night air in on us. The ceiling fans move the air, but when you first turn them on (say in the afternoon) you can feel the heat being drawn down from the ceiling. It would be nice to let the heat rise and replace it with the cooler outside air. We will see! Maybe all that reading and studying that we have done with alternate energy and self sustaining lifestyles will pay off here as well.
I have actually been doing a lot of thinking about the things that we have learned in that "conserve energy" search over the years. Does anybody have the Mother Earth News complete dvd archives, by any chance? :)) Maybe I should write to them and ask if they would be willing to donate a set to us to teach the principles here in Mali. THey had some marvelous articles in the early days-- 1970's, when Ray & I were charter members of the magazine. One of those was an evaporative cooler/refrigerator. I am putting that principle to work here by wrapping a wet cloth around my water filter to pre-cool the water we draw to drink. It will cool the water to about 80*, but I need to refresh the water on the cloths several times a day. My next project is to build a small box as a cooler, putting that evaporative cooling to work for more items. Our electric refrigerator is a very small countertop model, and without consistant electricity, ....!! I have been using a wet cloth on top of it to help to dissipate the heat from it's motor, and that hopefully takes some of the strain off of it. I know that the top of it can be cool to the touch rather than hot, like it is after the cloth has dried out.
If bananas, bread, tomatoes, butter, etc could be kept at 80 degrees F, instead of 95- 100 degrees, it would be a great help. Wouldn't do much for the meat, but the fruit would last an extra day or two or three, and the butter would not run off your knife. It would also help to keep our ointments and even toothpaste a bit cool so that they are not so runny. Neosporin is difficult to use if it runs off of the wound like water. We are keeping that in the fridge. LOL
We continue to be amazed at our adjustment to the heat. Many westerners seem to mind it more than we. Thank you for your continued prayers and thanks to God for His provision.
Be blessed and be a blessing today!
Monday, May 23, 2011
Sunday School in English
We were thankful for the cool evening an night time temperatures last night that the rain brought. Following the rain and overcast sky most of the day, our solar batteries were not well charged and electricty went off before midnight, taking fans and refrigerator cooling with it. Nonetheless, for the 1st night since we are here, we were glad to have a sheet to cover our shoulders, and the thermometer read below 80 this morning!! Thanks for the refreshment, Father!
Here on the base, breakfast on Sundays is a special treat: bread and jam. Someone goes to the boutique and buys enough "baguettes" ( a loaf of french bread) for each one to have 1/2 a loaf. (the little ones get a 1/2 portion) There is hot drink for dunking and 2 jampacks for each. Usually there is cocoa, but this morning it was a solution of hot water with some sweetened condensed milk added, a "cambridge tea" like the little ones got in our homes while adults are drinking coffee. In fact, Ray and I did bring our coffee down from our apartment with us,, and Julie too. :))
Christian Spindler, the young Austrian team member here, joined Ray & Julie & I to go into town to the English speaking Sunday School and Youth Meeting that is held at the SIL Headquarters. THat was a refreshing thing for all 4 of us. We three Americans really enjoyed the discussion and the freedom that being able to speak in our native tongue brought, and Christian enjoyed being with some western young people as well.. (Another thanks-- we have so much to be thankful for, and so much that we have taken for granted at home.)
We met several people that we have communicated with by email in these last 2 or 3 months. John & Julie Clark, both teachers at Bamako Christian Acadamy where Julie will attend in the fall, greeted us warmly. We spoke again with TIm Herrick, introduced to us by Dr Dave Byer of Macha Hospital connections. Other members of the English speaking community were wonderful resources as well, sharing favorite eating spots for these newbies to try out. We chose to go to one of the newest of those-- a Restaurant called l'Nid that Rob Baker spoke of. This new eatery was reccommended for good salads, among other things, and we found it clean, airconditioned, and with good food.
Following our lunch, we stopped in at the smal supermarket that is in that same neighborhood. It has many of the things that we, as Westerners, were looking for. We can get plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables here at the local Yirimadio open air market, what ever is in season is there in plenty, But we were glad to be able to get some canned goods (fruits and vegetables that willkeep a while) tomato paste and peanut butter, flour and butter. (I don't think that I ever paid over $2 for a small can of green beans tho :())
Here on the base, breakfast on Sundays is a special treat: bread and jam. Someone goes to the boutique and buys enough "baguettes" ( a loaf of french bread) for each one to have 1/2 a loaf. (the little ones get a 1/2 portion) There is hot drink for dunking and 2 jampacks for each. Usually there is cocoa, but this morning it was a solution of hot water with some sweetened condensed milk added, a "cambridge tea" like the little ones got in our homes while adults are drinking coffee. In fact, Ray and I did bring our coffee down from our apartment with us,, and Julie too. :))
Christian Spindler, the young Austrian team member here, joined Ray & Julie & I to go into town to the English speaking Sunday School and Youth Meeting that is held at the SIL Headquarters. THat was a refreshing thing for all 4 of us. We three Americans really enjoyed the discussion and the freedom that being able to speak in our native tongue brought, and Christian enjoyed being with some western young people as well.. (Another thanks-- we have so much to be thankful for, and so much that we have taken for granted at home.)
We met several people that we have communicated with by email in these last 2 or 3 months. John & Julie Clark, both teachers at Bamako Christian Acadamy where Julie will attend in the fall, greeted us warmly. We spoke again with TIm Herrick, introduced to us by Dr Dave Byer of Macha Hospital connections. Other members of the English speaking community were wonderful resources as well, sharing favorite eating spots for these newbies to try out. We chose to go to one of the newest of those-- a Restaurant called l'Nid that Rob Baker spoke of. This new eatery was reccommended for good salads, among other things, and we found it clean, airconditioned, and with good food.
Following our lunch, we stopped in at the smal supermarket that is in that same neighborhood. It has many of the things that we, as Westerners, were looking for. We can get plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables here at the local Yirimadio open air market, what ever is in season is there in plenty, But we were glad to be able to get some canned goods (fruits and vegetables that willkeep a while) tomato paste and peanut butter, flour and butter. (I don't think that I ever paid over $2 for a small can of green beans tho :())
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Preaching in 3 Languages
Then, while Ray and Julie played Skippo, I sat down to finish preparing for the afternoon service, where I was bringing the message. It is not the first time that I have "preached", but it is the first time that I have been translated into 2 other languages. I saw that in India with Pastor Samson, but I was only speaking a few words of greeting there.
Service started only a few people there, with Paul Traore enthusiastically leading the congregation in worship songs. IT gets quite energetic! (I'll try to download a short video.) Drums pounded out a rythym and more came in thru the gates that were opened on both sides of our base. Soon 25 or 30 children gathered at the doorways, in addition to the couple of dozen people inside. Some of the children moved in and sat on benches, others stayed just outside. At one point the guard had to shoe' a curious donkey from the yard. Perhaps he was curious about all the ladies in their lovely colors. THey do look beautiful!
I spoke to the people about the God that we know-- Totally Trustworthy and Reliable. Claudia first translated into French, then Paul took it into Bambara, which is the language of most of the people here. I was told afterword that the message wasn't very long, but it was good. Many of the children left when the music stopped, and about a 1/3 of the adults had fallen asleep by the time we finished. I figured it was long enough! I also learned that the pastor is to greet each one who comes up with a "God Bless you". So I got it in Bambara and was able to repeat it a number of times, but I am afraid that the phrase did not stay in my brain by days end.
-- Please pray that memory will be supernaturally recharged and "sticky" I need new language phrases to stick better than they have been.
Soggy "Sougula" May 20, 2011
Saturday May 21 2011
Today we had salad for dinner! Hooray! This morning when Fanta and I “ambata sougula”(otherwise known as walked to market) she bought a large quantity of lovely, green looseleaf lettuce, along with the usual fresh meat from the butcher, the soup cubes, the “tomati”, "concon" (cucumber) and onions. (That is about as much Bambara as I have learned, except for the days’ greetings, and don't count on my spelling being correct. There are 3 or 4 extra vowels and an extra consonant or two that we don't have in English.) At first I thought that Fanta was buying it for Claudia, as she bought some tomatoes and cucumbers for her last week. But 4 bags of greens makes a LOT of salad, so I asked and she pointed to herself and spoke something that I did not recognize.. .You know, it is absolutely amazing how much communication 2 people can have when neither understands more than a few words of the other’s language. Fanta speaks only Bambara (HER second language behind another Malian language, I found out today) and I speak only English with a little bit of French (with way too many Spanish and Pennsylvania Dutch phrases mixed in.) … Anyway, she was getting all that lovely salad to make African Salad for all of us.
“What is that” you ask? Africa Salad is greens topped with a mixture of tomatoes, onions and cucumbers and dressed with a rather salty vinaigrette. Quite tasty actually, especially if you have had no salad for 2+ weeks, and didn’t think it was a possibility. We thoroughly enjoyed it, eating it with our hands right along with the boys. (I hoped that we looked a bit more dainty than we probably did. LOL)
Oh, and another thing about market this week: It was WET! Or at least I was before I got home.
Saturday dawned overcast and with the very threatening promise of rain, but Fanta sent word that she was ready so off we went. There were few stands open and even fewer shoppers when we arrived. The open soccer field, usually dotted with the bright colors of villagers clothing as they are coming and going from all directions, was virtually deserted.
We went directly to the stand of Fantas favorite butcher where she was first in line as he and a helper were unwrapping and hanging their meat for the day. He cut her 2 nice looking loin chops that I was admiring—until he proceeded to whack them into niblets, deftly chopping thru meat and bone with the wicked looking scimitar he wielded. He added a few bits of meat and fat from another portion, wrapped it all in a piece of brown paper that his assistant tore off an empty sack, tucked it into the infamous little black bag used everywhere, and handed it to Fanta. I decided to speak for a portion of meat off the fresh hind corner (I had seen it freshly hung and hadn’t seen many flies on it yet.) My 500 cfa coin bought me a couple quick swipes with that same scimitar, yielding about a ½ lb package of fresh beef for me.
Tomatoes, cucumbers, white yams, and Irish potatoes for me; a quantity of onions, okra, (greener) tomatoes, and seasonings for Fanta, and the market began to bustle as people apparently decided that the rain was going to hold off after all. A few more stops for those lovely mangoes (1 of them yields 3 generous servings), some bananas, celery and carrots, that lettuce I mentioned, and a bottle of vinegar and we were ready to head home. Just in time, because the rain began. Fanta wanted to offer me her wrap, fearing that I would be cold (as she was) but I was enjoying the refreshment of the rain. And then it turned into a downpour that would have done credit to a small Niagara. We bent into the rain, sloshing thru several new formed streams that coursed down the roadway.
At least the walk home was a whole lot cooler than last week. Then I was dripping with sweat by the time we got home in the 100 degree heat. By the time we got to the gate today my only dry spot was an inch or so under the Hale shopping bag that I held clutched tight to my chest. Drenched again!
I certainly am thankful that I come with ‘wash and wear’ hair. Thank you God for that!
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