Our boys sleeping under the stars


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Sahara dust!



A tempestuous dust storm moved in this evening, lending its physical presence to the unsettled feeling of the last few days here in Mali.   Our reident boys, who eagerly looked forward to sleeping out under the stars this last week (they are on school holiday for spring break) took their foam mattresses outside after family meeting, placing them on the bare ground that slopes away from the cooking area between 2 main buildings. They soon picked them up and moved back inside again, apparently deciding to deal with the heat inside rather than the dust and wind outside.  Even the street boys, who have been sleeping out on the other side of the dinginhall these last weeks, all moved inside again as the wind howled down out of the north, bringing stinging sand and dust.  They are scattered willy-nilly on the dininghall floor, more than 20 of them tonight. The older ones have commandeered the few remaining mattresses and the blankets we recently bought for them, and both they and the yougest ones, who are laying on the bare tile floor, lay spread eagled or curled on their sides as best suits them, sound asleep.

Julie and Ray listen with our boys and the street boys to a Bible Story

 The coup that took place just a week ago today, continues. (How long do you say a coup d'etat exists before it is something else?)  We are hearing that world governments have unanimously condemned this military takeover.  ECOWAS (the West African Economic Union) has been joined by national gov'ts the world over in condemning this military coup by troops that are characterized as 'mutineers'. Most countries have unilaterally cut off their foreign aid to Mali as well, except for some ongoing humanitarian aid, perhaps.

There are new developments today that we pray will led to a peaceful solution.  ECOWAS is reportedly sending a delegation of 5 West African Presidents to meet with the coup leader, Captain Sanogo, and urge that he step down voluntarily and restore civilian rule. If that does not happen, they say that troops are at Mali's borders ready to move in to force that transition. We hope that it does not come to that.

We are thankful that we serve the GOD on whom no one can pull a coup!  He is the one on whom we rely and in whom we place our hope.



Shopping for coconut snack



We did go to the market nearby to get  a supply of fruits & veggies and some peanuts. Ray & Julie joined me and we took one of the younger boys with us.



Ray Julie and Bakary on the way to market(I am behind the camera)

  I have also done some different kind of planting recently:  we planted 'mud-pots' which will serve as reservoirs for the water to leach out below grade and thus more effectively water the roots of our fledgling trees.  As the

wind howls aound us,  it reminds me of some of the blizzards we've experienced  in colder climes, except that the sweat is running down my face and dripping off my chin as I write this, and instead of snow we have the grit of Sahara sand on our floors.  I think I could make mud pies on my kitchen counters this evening, even tho I washed them down at 7pm.

Nonetheless, we rest in that truth: GOD Almighty is in control.  He loves us and He calls us by name!  What better place could we be than to be where he has called us.

That being said, prayers gratefully accepted on our behalf, and on behalf of the people of this land tht we are coming to love.

miminmali