Send offs

In the Samogho culture, greetings and send offs are extremely important. They demonstrate the importantance of relationships and the value one person has to another.
The evening after we arrived in the village we heard drums playing. Wa told us they were about to dance the women out of the village so they could go to a neighboring village to celebrate the weddings. She asked if we wanted to go and of course we could not miss the dancing! We climb the hill and met the procession coming our way. The women were dressed in their best and ready for the big celebrations to come. An older woman led the line of women playing some bells and two men followed her playing the drums. The village walked them to the outskirts of the village to send them off
On Sunday night when the women returned, they were greeted and welcomed home with more drums and dancing! We joined in the fun and celebration. Yes, we were drawn into the center of the dance circle and did our part in celebrating the return of the women to the village! What fun and joy we had together. Bintu stayed in the courtyard but had her own celebration and dance with Wa!
Wa had planned to go to her home village on Monday, but decided to wait until Tuesday since we woud be leaving that day too. She was going to leave early because she had a 40 mile walk ahead of her and the hot weather has come early to Mali. She was unable to leave early because one of the women going with her was not ready. It turned out to be a great thing because we were able to walk these women out of the village, to send them off for their journey with the honor and value of their friendship expressed. It was a blessing to walk out with them and to pray for them as we sent them off on the long journey. There were 3 women and a young girl leaving that morning and 6 women and 4 children sent the off!
As I thought about these send offs and celebrations, it reminded me of how Father sends us out to make Him known and how He welcomes us back. He always goes with us and doesn't send us out alone. His Spirit goes with us.

After....

One of our friends in the village has heard many stories and understands them well. As a teacher, she is able to grasp the meaning and even explain them to others. She makes sure everyone is able to retell them well. As we sat with her, we asked her where she was in relationship to walking the J.s.s road. She simply said, "After." We talked about how we are never guaranteed an "after". Please pray for Father to use the words that were spoken between friends to speak Truth--His Truth to our friend!

Desiring to be Good Soil

Monday morning clear direction came to us as a team... Tell the story of the four soils to the people in Wa courtyard...Isa, his wife, and Wa.
The three of us took a walk out to the fields before telling the story to look for the four kinds of soils...the hard path, the rocky soil, the thorns and weeds, and the good soil. We gathered some of each kind to take with us to tell the story.
Father had orchestrated the perfect timing. Isa, his wife, Wa and even Jak were available. We went over and sat with them, greeted them, and began telling them the story. As farmers they were able to grasp the story and understand it well.

We talked about which soil they would want to plant their seeds in and we talked about how our hearts toward God are the same as these soils. Each person including the team members were asked which soil they were. The good soil was the overwhelming majority. Isa said, "I want to be the good soil. The J.s.s road is the best road and I want to be on it. It is hard." With that confession, we talked about the difficulties and how we all begin our walk with Father as the soil with weeds and thorns. We had a great discussion about pulling the weeds and thorns and concerns of the world as we farm the soil of our hearts so that the seeds of God's word can grow and make us strong. Jak was able to share from his experience how he understands the struggles they face and to encourage them to believe and follow.
Please pray for this family and the challenges they face in choosing to walk with Father on the J.s.s road! Pray for courage in the midst of a lot of persecution from friends and family! Praise Father for the work He has done in the hearts of this man and his family!!! It truly is a miracle! Thank Father for the chance to share our lives, our friendship, our testimony with this family!

Under the Mango Tree

The mango trees are magnificent in the village. They provide an incredible refuge from the heat, a great place of shade to work in, and a peaceful place to hangout with friends. The hot season has come early this year so we spent a lot of time working, sitting, napping, and visiting under the mango trees. On Sunday afternoon, many of the women had gathered to just sit together. Bintu (Ann) told the story of Sarah to the women. It was so fun to listen to the discussion about a woman in her 90's having a child. It was tinder them grasp the idea that nothing is impossible with God. We all laughed with Sarah as we talked about Wa or Bintu having children at their age. We talked about how Sarah tried to take things into her own hands by giving Hagar to Abraham and how she became jealous after Hagar gave Abraham a son. The women grasped some of the truths about people and about God from this story. Pray that they will continue to think about Sarah, about God's fulfilling His promises to us even when we are impatient or doubt Him. Pray they will recognize that nothing is impossible with God!

Family Connections

We arrived in the village and began unloading. Since Bintu (Ann) was with us, many came to greet and meet her. We sat together with each person giving a very personal greeting to each of us. Almost immediately Bintu was able to introduce Wa and the other ladies to her family through the pictures she had with her. It is amazing how these pictures connected Bintu with the people! Family is so important in this culture...
Bintu was able to share her life experiences with Wa and some of the other women. She was able to share how Father had made a way for her to know Him through her great grandmother. As we sat with Wa that first night Bintu encouraged Wa in her faith as well as challenged her to be the same kind of influence with her children and grandchildren. Pray for Wa as she walks as a new follower. Pray for her growth and understanding as well as her commitment to walk in the ways of Father.

God's Promises

Our first evening in Kar was spent with Wa. She is the new follower as of November. She had recently heard the story of Noah, so she was asked to retell it to us. She had some trouble with the details but two things she remembered... Noah was saved because he was the only righteous man on the earth. The second thing... God's promise to never again destroy all living things.
Wa shared with us that night that those in her compound have agreed that the J.s.s road is the best way. Their are still obstacles for th to overcome, but we have seen Father working in these friends and pursuing a relationship with them for over 3 years. Many of you gave been pr@ying for them alongside us. Thank you! Father is working in the hearts of this family fulfilling His promise that His Word will accomplish His purpose wherever it is spoken!
God's promises...always fulfilled!! Celebrate His work being accomplished!

Back from Kar

Greetings from the Samogho!
If you have ever been to Kar, know that you were asked about, greeted, and remembered!
We had a great time among the people of Kar and I look forward to giving you the details. We got in from the village this morning and were without electricity for almost 7 hours. We had great showers to refresh us and then had some time to just rest. We needed it after a night of little rest. Between the loud music, the cows, the chickens, and the full moon, we didn't get as much rest as we hoped.
Thanks for praying for us, for the Samogho, and for all that Father wanted. He heard you and listened! Praise Him today for His work in the hearts of the people of Kar!