Koutiala

This last weekend we made a trip up to Koutiala to visit some missionary friends there who attended language school with us in France. They are involved in a new Christian hospital that was just recently opened this past year. The drive was about 5 hours and we enjoyed the scenery. It was really fun and exciting to see what the Lord is doing in other parts of Mali.

Please pray for the hospital, they are scheduled to open the pediatric wing this next year. In Mali the death rate among women who give birth is 1 in 20. One in five children will not live past age five. Already, since opening, the hospital has received a reputation for quality care and many women are seeking help for their deliveries and other health issues. They are maintaining ratios equal to hospitals in the U.S. Patients all receive a presentation of the Gospel.

Currently, the hospital staff is praying for a two week old baby who was delivered at 22 weeks weighing 1 kg/2.2 lbs, unheard of in Mali, after her mother had lost 10 previous pregnancies. She's a premie named Grace and we're believing God that she will live! (Sorry I forgot to take my camera when we visited the hospital, but don't worry, we're planning to go back)

Here are some pictures of the landscape we saw along the way....this is West Africa!

Niger River....the boats you see are very typical of fishing boats here.

Balboa Trees are plentiful in the high desert of Mali



Many animals, such as these, freely roam the land and often block the narrow road. Caution is an extreme must when driving.....

The Kids

Yesterday we spent some time at a local orphanage again...here are some pictures. We had a wonderful day with lots of students who came. This was the last scheduled day at the orphanage for the students, however we will probably go during the summer as we can. Many travel on vacation during the summer so the program to "hold the babies" runs through the school year with both of the schools that Bridgette and T.J. attend. T.J. attends the American International School of Bamako and Bridgette attends Bamako Christian Academy which is a small Missionary Kids school with American curriculum. Thank you for your prayers for their educational needs. God has been incredibly faithful. Many students and their families will be returning to the states and not returning in the fall. We are praying for those families that God is bringing to Mali.

Pray for the babies of Mali, there are many challenges that face the people here. Many families simply do not have enough money to feed another child and so they are left or their parents have died leaving them alone. This particular orphanage tries very hard to find some family members to place the children with.

Bambara

There is a natural bridge located outside the city limits of Bamako. It looks a lot like Prescott, Arizona. It was fun to see a place that reminded us so much of Arizona!

We are currently studying another language that is spoken here in Mali called Bambara. We began our classes two months after we arrived and will complete this introduction next week. Learning another language has been a challenge as it is being taught in French, but God is so faithful and we are learning!

Here are a few words for fun:
Jesus - Yesu
Lord - Matigi
Good morning - I ni sogoma
Good evening - I ni wula
Goodbye - K'an ba
Yesterday - ka bo
Today - bi
Tomorrow - ka na
Monday - ntenen
Tuesday - tarata
Wednesday - araba
Thursday - alamisa
Friday - juma
Saturday - sibiri
Sunday - kari
car - mobili
pen - biki
children - denw
man - ce
woman - muso

Say hello to your family: Ka n b'u fo!

Do you understand Bambara? I be bamanankan men wa?

Whose idea was it to build the Tower of Babel?