The RIver Niger from Below



Ray waits by the moto while I explored along this old, one-lane

 causeway which served for many years as a passage across 

the River Niger below Bamako, but only in dry season. 

Now a sweeping new bridge looms over it and provides

 4 lanes of crossing,year round . 



Ray suggested this shot of the setting sun beaming thru a tower. We were exploring along the old casuseway on a Sunday afternoon.



A view of the Niger

By the River Niger

Here are a few pictures that I thought would help you see this part of Mali and where we have been. we have enjoyed getting to know some of its people and its places- both beautiful!

Independence Monument in downtown Bamako

Mim in Mali

"Bless and be a blessing to someone today."

Coup D' etat in Mali

There has been a coup here in Mali, and understandably,  things are unsettled.  The post that I had started earlier this week, "Christmas Child and Campaign Unrest", I finished & posted on Wed night, when we knew there was some unrest, but defore the coup became known.
Now, 3 days later, the information that we have is mostly the same as you can hear on BBC.  There were gunshots heard in many parts of the city over the first 2 days and nights, and some reported looting. We also heard it reported that some of the soldiers had confiscated cars at the bridges crossing the Niger River, ("keep your 4 x 4 at home", emails suggested) and demanded goods and fuel at boutiques or gas stations that were open. There has been a curfew announced that is to last til Tues am at 7:30, at which time Malians are supposed to be free to return to work. Some reports say that the curfew has been lifted during the day from 6am-6pm. It helps to know that there was a scheduled holiday on both Friday and Monday, so Tuesday morning makes sense.
YOU might even have acess to some things on U-tube and fb that is more than we know here, where we are confined to our base.  Following US Embassy reccommendation, we are 'sheltering in place', staying put but watching and listening.
BBC broadcast an interview today that they were granted with Captain Sanogare, the reputed leader of this 'military coup', which has also been referred to as 'action of renegade soldiers' or 'a mutiny'.

The Presidential Palace stands high on a bluff overlooking the Niger River and the City of Bamako from the North. There was a protest march announced to be taking place on Wednesday March 21, 2012, proceeding from Kati, a military base area N of the City and of the Presidenial Palace, and ending at the Presidential Palace. 
There was also 'a remembrance for the martyrs of 1991'  scheduled to take place in downtown Bamako on Thursday.  Our school decided to cancel classes for Thursday, since many parents had had difficulty getting across town to pick their kids up from the school in a timely fashion when this kind of thing happensed earlier. It really was more about convenience than about danger to students at that point. hence my joke about substituting 'Political unrest days'  for  'snow days'. ( Not so great , in retrospect.)
When the announcement of the coup came thru on Thursday, it all seemed surreal! This kind of thing does not happen in Mali, or not for the last 20 years at any rate.  Mali has been held up as a model of democracy at work in Africa, and the attendant stability is at least one of the reasons that it has been the fastest growing city in Africa for the last while.  Elections were scheduled to take place in just over a month, and there were probably 12 or 14 candidates vying for the position of President. so a coup to get to the will of the people rings hollow .

Sleep overtakes me, more tomorrow.
Stay with God, so that you can continue to Bless and be blessed!
miminMali

Building a pigpen!

Being forced to stay put due to the coup here, I used some of my 'extra discretionary time' as one friend put it.  Here are some glimpses of life that we have experienced in these past few weeks.

Ray & Adama marking off fence



Heather/Kadi and Ray w 'Fancy & Beau'

 Earlier this week I looked out of my kitchen window to see Ray marking off the upper end of our base  with  Adama.  Turns out  they were preparing to build a fence to enclose 2 friendly little pigs (whom Heather Riddle named "Fancy" & "Beau" during her tenure here in Mali) .and restrict them from rooting thru the gardens at the lower end.  Another reason may  have been to move their shelter and its attendent fragrance a little further from Claudia's front door. :))



The following morning Ray & Adama set to work early, and soon had the able assistance of half a dozen schoolboys who had an unexpected holiday.  (Near as I can figure, there were exams for one or 2 upper grades and extra classroom space was needed to spread the exam-takers out to only 1 student per desk.)  Eager hands (and backs) were set to work carrying stones from the stonepile to the assigned fence area.  Next thing I know, Ray is walking away with his shovel over his shoulder, looking for another job.  Seems that these guys knew just what they were doing, and with Paul (whose pigs these are) overseeing the job they set to with a will to complete the task. --with time for a little horsing around, too. :))

Now Fancy & Beau have a solid new enclosure along the inside of the west wall, where they can slop and grunt to their hearts content, as long as long as someone remembers to carry water to support their bad habits.

Julie has been spending all the time with the boys that she can.  They make Malian tea, an endeavor  which is very time intensive, and results in what you might call tea expresso, a very potent, sweet elixir that is poured from teapot to glass so as to make a foamy head, them slurped loudly. Best enjoyed at any time of day that you have friends to share it.  They also play a game very similar to the Parcheesi that I learned as a child. LIDO is best translated  "Dont get Angry" --which can happen when your friendly opponent sends you back home to start over, yet again .: ))



This palm tree & canal view reminds me of the canals out near Myakka Fla in days gone by.



Ray & I have taken a few rides on the moto to explore along the River, or up on the 'kulu' (hill) behind us, where building plots have been laid out with stone markers identifying owners and boundaries delineated with pebble lines.  I have also been fascinated to watch the gardens prosper along the waterways  in this season of no rain and hot dry air that seems to have 0% humidity.  The neatly laid out plots are watered by flooding the ditches between them at least once a day- works where there is easy access to water source, but that is not for the average person who only has acess to a handdug well for their household water needs.  While the bucket kits I ordered (to do more water efficient drip irrigation system for a home garden) never did arrive,  I have learned a few more things about gardening in this arrid place.  Perhaps some day we will be able to come back and I will make good use of that knowledge.

Stay true to your blessing.  Proclaim the goodness of God to the world in times of trouble as well as in the good times.  Then mayhap they will believe you and ask to know your Jesus.

(We are) Blessing the name that is above every name, and at whose feet all will one day bow.

Miminmali

Christmas Child and Campaign unrest.

There has been ongoing political and military unrest stirring in the north of Mai for some time now. Some say that it caused by the return of Tamesh soldiers that were Kadhafi mercenaries until recently. (Supplies of arms and men reportedly flooded across the desert when the Libyan leader lost power.) Others think that it is the recurring battle in the class war that has gone on for centuries, interrupted by colonialism for a period of time, and then by the 'independence' of a Malian state. (One people group were the vassals of the other 'noble' class before Malian independence gave everybody the same standing. Now the noble class wants their position back, and their vassals to work for them again in the old way. The 'vassals' are not so anxious to return to the 'good ole days'!

Whatever the cause, there now are large numbers of displaced peoples in Northern Mali (some say 200,000), who have fled their homes and villages and are either internal refugees, or are now in neighboring countries. That displacement complicates the upcoming elections:  If you go ahead and hold the elections as scheduled, a foul is called on the basis of the displaced peoples not having a chance to vote & be represented.   If you delay the elections, a foul is called by opposition candidates (there are over a dozen running for the office of Preident, I am told) for the current President holding onto power. Not a win/win situation seems to me! More like a 'can't win' for the party currently in power.

Pray for us here in Mali, and for others here in Western and Northern Africa.  God is certainly still in control, and we trust HIM.  We are also aware that that doesn't mean that all is 'hunky-dorry' or that there will be no trouble in our lives.  But we know that we serve the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, whom no one can serve a coup on.

On a different note! Some of our children received Operation Christmas Child boxes this week. Yes, I know it is a litte late for Christmas, but a gift is a gift anytime it is received. 3 littles who attend the one school were the lucky recipients, but I saw several others with the goods by the next day. That is the way it is here. The older ones can demand, and expect to get, from the younger ones. T I A! Everyone enjoyed seeing the electric tooth brushes vibrate, and each one got a special something that they will enjoy.  Thanks to all who have helped in this process in the states. 

When Ray comes back into the base on his moto, the kids sometimes catch him and he gives them a little ride around in a circle.  They love it, and he is smiling so I guess he doesn't mind it either.  THis is the most that I have seen on him at one time--usually ony 2 or 3.:))

Julie has been working with one of our boys on his daily Bible memory work.  It is such a delight to see him loving to learn, and especially to see him loving to learn God's word.   Each day he is trying to learn more than just the required one verse, and recently said to Julie, "When you are gone I won't have anyone to help me with this."   It gave her an opportunity to tell him that if it was up to her, she would be coming back, but sometimes those decisions are not ours.  She was also able to tell him that, just like she is missing her friends in the U.S. and has not forgotten them while she is here,  we will be really missing our boys here in Mali, and will not forget them when we return to America.  We will be looking for ways that we can continue to stay in touch with them personally and individually, not just with the ministry.

Well, I am falling asleep on the sofa, so I guess going to bed is the next order of business. I made an attempt to cool our beds by laying a wet towel over the sheet to evaporate while I have been on here. It really works pretty well and is dry again in 1'2 an hour!

Mim in Mali

Trying to continue to be a blessing.

Reminiscing over the past few months

 

Shot on Goal Practice

 We heard that many of you on the east coast(US) had snow and temps in the 30's at the end of October-- Julie even got to see it snowing via skype. And since then you have had only mild temperatures.  At the same time you were having 37* there, and a load of wet snow, we were having 37* and 38* temps here in Mali, too. The difference is that here that translates “HOT!!”, because we are talking 37* Celsius, not Farenfeit! Our weather has been hot and dry for a while now, with the prospect of more of the same until the rains come in May.  That is a LOT of hot and dry, and our heels and lips are needing extra attention. Experienced persons have warned us that we will need to work to keep ourselves hydrated and moisturized thru this next few months. (Our Malian friends already knew that, by the way.  We have seen them regularly applying shea butter cream to the face and arms of their little ones after baths. I expect they apply the cream to adults too, we just don't see that.)

Just now one of the boys called up to my window, “Mimi!”...” Mimi!”...“Ji suma?”(Cold water? -literally 'shaded water':))  One of the things that we have been able to do is to give the boys cold water,and even ice from time to time.  We wash and refill coke bottles half full of water, then freeze them in our apt refrigerator, before handing them out to be filled and filled again, til the ice is all gone. I've been training them to take care of and return the bottles so that they can have ice again.  (Most of them are getting it.) Cold water is a treat for them — and us!  Depending on the time of day, the water comes out of the faucet at 80-110*F/27-37*C, a nice temperature for washing dishes.  Its good clean water, and we are all thankful to have it so available, but having it chilled is also nice. YEAH for SOLAR POWER! Another thing for which to be thankful.

I could write a whole blog on what is in my fridge or freezer. Our refrigerator freezer has a kilo bag of 'farine ble''(wheat flour) in it right now, some cubes of 'lembuurukumunin'juice(little-sour-lemon),as well as some whole limes,  some 'misi-sogo'(beef)patties, a baggie of chopped 'foronto'(super hot chili pepper)and the ice bottles. The flour needs to be kept in the freezer to keep it from getting buggy (not at all nice to discover when you are beginning to make pancakes in the morning). I have sifted out the bugs and used the flour anyway. (I have NOT yet reached the veteran missionary stage of just using it bugs and all--”extra protein”. :)) The limes are an experiment to see if they freeze well, since I have discovered that what is in plenteous supply at the market this week may disappear and no longer be available next week.  We love to put a little fresh lime juice in a bottle of water as a refresher, so I'll stockpile some if they freeze well. 

The beef was purchased off the freshly butchered hind quarter hanging in the market Friday morning, and then ground into hamburger at my kitchen table.  That way we know what goes in it, and that it is fresh. The ground meat I purchased at the supermarket tasted too much of liver- and maybe other unsavories to my way of thinking!  I purchased the foronto this summer for a lovely red sweet pepper.  I had only seen tiny little foronto, and rather small green sweet peppers at the market, so was excited to see some red sweet peppers(I thought).  I had already learned the 'if you see it today, buy it, because it may not be there tomorrow' rule, so I bought 2 nice big ones. When I got home I proceeded to clean my purchases, wash everything in clorox that we might pop into our mouths uncooked, and sliced up the peppers for a snack. Imagine my surprise to bite into a sliver of 'sweet pepper' only to get bitten back by the heat.  My hands were a little slower to respond, but then burned for 2 days.  Hence, frozen, chopped foronto that we use a snippet at a time.  Thanks be to God for good water to drink- we had no refrigerator yet at that point, so it was not chilled but still appreciated.

Sometimes there is a Tupperware container of cookies there, or a second loaf of banana bread.  When you are heating the oven you want to maximize what you get out of adding all that heat to the kitchen and living areas, and bananas are always available. We have had them as a regular part of diet to supplement rice and rice!

 Unrelated:  here are 2 short tidbits that I thought you might like, copied from a friend's post to me some time back.
For all you single guys and gals: 
'A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ that a man should have to seek Him first to find her.'
For us all:
“When I say 'I am a Christian', I am not shouting 'I am clean living!'. I'm whispering, 'I was lost, but now I'm found and forgiven.'”
Be Blessed and be a blessing to those around you today.

MiminMali

Julie & Heather Riddle do Bible Story



 Heather Riddle & Julie Heisey