Father Drawing His People to Himself

A day in the village goes by slower for there is only so much a white person can do and only so much the women in Ou’s family would let me do. My skills are limited in cooking, talking and washing clothes, leaving me with limited activities to do.  However sitting around in the shade was the activity they knew I could do very well…and that is exactly what I did through most of my days. During my time sitting in the shade there were moments where I would watch the women work around the compound, other times where somebody was around to talk with me and other times I seat alone.

During my moments of seating alone I always had a choice…do I just sit here, do I get up and try to help or do I read my B1ble. Day after day I always had a choice to sit and do nothing or sit and read my B1ble. After a few days of getting comfortable with the family I finally made the choice to seat in the shade and just read my B1ble.

Then one day as I was sitting on the porch reading my B1ble one of the young ladies came up to me, looked over my shoulder wanting to know what I was reading. The young lady was able to read a little in English and began to read Father’s W0rds out loud. Another night Ou’s oldest daughter came up to me and asked “Who is the G0d you believe in?” Another time Ou’s oldest son came up to me with a big smile realizing that I was reading the B1ble and decided to seat beside me.

Not being able to speak the language limited the conversations about our Father; however, I discovered that the lack of language does not limit the ability to demonstrate His righteousness. I learned during my time with Ou’s family that it is not about the words that I speak, but the actions that I do. It was not me asking Ou’s oldest daughter if she believed or wanted to believe in J.s.s., but it was her seeking to know the G0d that I w0rship and pr@ise and read about every day.  It was not me asking the young lady if she wanted to know what I was reading every day, but it was her coming up to me seeing for herself what I read day after day, even trying to read Father’s W0rd in English.

As I write this I look back in amazement on how G0d draws people to Himself. We are chosen by Father to be His servant, to demonstrate His righteous, to pr@ise His name and to bring glory to His name. We surrender our lives and lay down our own desires so His power through us draws His people closer to Himself. Through all my time that I spent with Ou’s family I saw that it was not during the moments of cooking or talking with Ou’s family, but through the moments I would read my English B1blie that Father drew this family closer to Himself.

J.s.s Is On Televesion

Night had settled in, the work was finished for the day and my new family had just brought out the television to watch together. The whole family was surrounding the television watching a weekly show as Ou, KF (Ou’s oldest daughter) and I were talking on the porch. Talking with Ou and KF, I was not paying attention to the television. Just as I was about to say “Ou I am going to bed” she excitedly looked at me and said J.s.s is on the television, J.s.s is on the television. Knocking me out of my chair, she snatched it up and moved it so we could sit around the television. And just as Ou said a broadcast of local M@lian P@stor was on the television talking about J.s.s. Throughout the whole program Ou seat beside of me in a different world. Her eyes were fixed on the television and anybody that tried to talk to her was ignored. Every now and then she would look around excitedly speaking to her husband, to her sister-in-law, the children… really to anybody that would listen saying “These are good words, these words are very good!, Kadia (my M@lian name) this is who you believe in J.s.s!” Ou never moved throughout the whole show…watching and listening intently to every word the M@lian P@stor was saying.  After the show Ou stated “Kadia, Ada and I are the same. We are all the same.”

Please pr@y for Ou, her understanding of J.s.s and what He has done for us. Pr@y for the opportunity for L0ri and I to speak with Ou and find out exactly what she believes. Pr@y for Father to open her mind, heart and eyes to His W0rd.

My Children Do Not Have Many Words

“My children do not have many words” is the way Ou, our friend on the street, described her children to me.  She then went through each of her seven children by name emphasizing in more detail that some of them talked more than others. Being a person that does not speak many words in my own language I wondered what the week was going to bring being totally immersed into the B@mbara language. A language where I could understand and hear only a small amount of what they say to me, much less try to structure a sentence and speak to them so they might understand. The language barrier seemed even more daunting as I realized that if I don’t speak many words and her children do not speak many words than this could be a long week.

However, the first morning her oldest son Ada (who L0ri and I discovered was a follower of J.s.s and the child who talks the least) began to talk to me. He spoke to me slowly so I could process what he was saying and he would repeat things multiple times if I did not understand. Every time I would speak to him in my broken B@mbara sentences he would be patient to listen to me and try to understand me. Throughout the first two days Ada would talk with me, walk with me around the village introducing me to his friends and sit with me during the day. He was always patient, full of joy and kindness and always had a smile on his face. The two days that I spent with Ada I could feel our Father’s presence surround us. The days were filled with opportunities to talk about our Father together and pr@ise Him. The words to speak came freely for me those first two days. Father opened my ears to hear the language and freed my tongue to speak their language to be able to talk with Ada. I thank Father for the time to sit with Ada, to talk with him, to laugh with him and to spend time together reading Father’s W0rd.

Please pr@y for Father’s presence to be surrounded and felt by Ada each day. Pr@y for Father’s strength and courage to consume Ada as he a witness to his family daily of J.s.s’s love to us. Pr@y for the opportunity to spend more time with Ada sharing stories of Father’s W0rd.

Mango Mania

IT'S MANGO SEASON....my favorite time of the year! I think I am becoming a mango since I am consuming them daily! Mango chunks, mango by the spoonful, mango seed sucking, mango skin scraping, and best of all... 

MANGO SMOOTHIES!!!
I am so thankful that I am finally able to be here from the beginning of mango season and will be here till the end...or at least longer than I have ever had the privilege of enjoying them. As the season goes on, I am discovering some really great things about mangoes. The longer the season goes on the better the mangoes become!! The first ones are so great but they don't begin to compare to the mangoes that come behind them. Every mango tree produces it own special mango...no two trees produce the same kind of mangoes. Every mango has its own special flavor...no two mangoes taste the same. Then a very special thing I discovered one day while savoring every bite of this big, beautiful, and delicious mango...even within the skin of one mango every bite has a different flavor...no two bites are the same. That is when it happened ...I was amazed at my G0d...the Creator of all things. I have often marveled at the extremes He went to when He created so many varieties of animals, plants, birds, fish, and even people. I have experienced the reality that there are no two people just a like... although I have some friends who are twins that at times challenge that reality... to discover the reality of G0d's design for mangoes ...His attention to details on that particular fruit made me realize G0d's mango mania was even greater than my own!! I love that about G0d...He is even crazier than we could ever be about His people, His creation, His world!

A Captured Heart

With great joy and excitement...anticipation and expectation, we walked to the storehouse for the 150 bags of grain. We had come to complete the task Father had given us...demonstrate His righteousness and distribute His provision of grain for those on whom His compassion has rested. My focus was all on the grain and the fun of showing G0d's love to 5 villages where His Presence is rarely seen. As we arrived at the storehouse, there she was ...a woman whose presence immediately captured my heart. She sat on a mat with three small children sitting around her...two of them twins of less than a year. It was so hot and she was trying to find relief sitting there on the porch. She sat quietly, almost unseen by most. My eyes were immediately drawn to her beautiful face wrinkled and worn by life's hardships and the intense desert sun. My heart was captured and filled with desire to just sit down beside her. Those who normally pass her by did so again, yet I could  not. I stooped down to greet her, but she spoke a different language. She was from the desert and had spent her life in the north. She was here now with her son who was guarding the grain for us until it could be distributed. After 88 years of life, she was here...in this village on this day...at this time. She was here for a purpose and she captured my heart for a reason.
After looking at the grain and talking about the plan for distributing it, I just couldn't leave without stooping once again to talk with this woman. One of the translators sat with me as I tried to honor this lady the best way I knew how. I asked to pray for her...she didn't seem to understand but she began to tell me about a time in her life. She spoke of some white people who came to her family. At first she said her family were slaves of these white people. My heart immediately broke and I said, "I'm sorry." She immediately said, "It was a good thing. They told us about J.s.s and showed us a movie about His life. They did many good things for us." My heart rejoiced! Again it was captured! I felt compelled by Father's love as I looked into the eyes of this tired, struggling friend. I was compelled to speak to her about believing in this J.s.s they had shared with her. Compelled to tell her that she can call on Him for anything that she needs and she can depend on His Presence to be with her in these last days of her life. Compelled to tell her that with Him she has no reason to fear death, that He will walk with her. When she calls on Him, He will listen and He will come to her. Her response..."I do believe!"
Pr@y for Father to open her eyes to His Presence with her daily. Ask Him to sit with her on her mat each day and cause her mind to remember all she saw and learned of J.s.s through those who shared Him with her family. Pr@y for J.s.s to hold her hand each day as she struggles with sickness, the heat, and the struggles of old age. Pr@y especially for her son and his family to see the f@ith and belief of this woman who has been granted long life so that she could declare with her mouth "I do believe!" Pr@y for him to embrace J.s.s and lead his family to do the same.

Bread of Life

Jesus fed the 5000 men and their families...with just 5 loaves and 2 fish! Then when those same people came looking for him across the lake the next morning, all they wanted was to see another miracle. Jesus' reply was "I tell you the truth, Moses didn't give you bread from heaven. My Father did. And now he offers you the true bread from heaven. The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." The people said, "Give us that bread everyday."  Jesus said, " I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."

We give thanks to G0d for sending us the Bread of Life...everyday those who believe in J.s.s and what He did by giving His life on the cr0ss receive food and nourishment for life!! We celebrated the giving of life...the breaking of the Bread of Life for us this past weekend--Easter. What an incredibly fitting time to be giving out grain in the name of J.s.s to those who need Father's provision for them. On the Saturday before our Easter celebration we handed out grain to families from 2 villages. We opened our time of giving out grain with the prefect, the mayor, and the village chief. Each one spoke a word of gratitude to those who had given the grain. Then we were able to direct that thanks back to our Father who is the Source of ALL we have.  The chief said, "Today is like a Fete for us." A fete is a huge celebration--a day set aside to sing, dance, and remember something important. It was an important day. In the words of one man as he received his bag of grain, " What is this!! These people do not know us, yet they have done this great thing for us!" One man, shouted over and over as he walked up to get his grain! One woman could be seen running from the back of the crowd when her name was called! It truly was a time of celebration--A FETE...even a feast! Over and over words of gratitude rang out as we mingled through the crowd. Donkey carts and hand carts were loaded and taken to their homes. It was a joy watching them work together to get their bags of grain home! Then there were some moments of solitude...one was especially poignant for me. Some of the grain had spilled out of the bags as they were being rolled out of the storehouse, down the steps and into the open for each person. During the course of the morning, I saw a woman sweeping up each precious grain... grain that represented the Bread of Life. Another poignant moment came on Monday after our Easter celebration. It was the second day of distribution and the 3 villages who came were from very far away. Some came by horse cart, donkey cart, moto, and bicycle. Two very old women came by donkey cart very early in the morning. They were there by 8 am. They received their grain and began the long journey home. That afternoon as we drove to go and greet 2 of the village chiefs, we saw them with their donkeys by a large pool of water. This was at 5pm and they were barely half way home. It spoke strongly to my heart and I thought of all they had been through that day to receive a bag of grain. It reminded me of all that J.s.s went through for us to have life...the Bread of Life! On that same journey to visit the village chiefs, we saw 3 men on bicycles. Some of the same men who had come so early in the morning to receive their bag of grain. Three of them had come together because they would have to journey home by bicycle with 100 kilos of grain. Father's voice was LOUD in the truck at that moment..."Pick them up and take them home." We did just that! We loaded 2 half sacks of grain, 3 bicycles and 3 men into the back of the pick up and took them home. What joy filled that truck as Father continued to demonstrate His righteousness! Finally, the truck Father had provided for us...was doing what it was meant to do...demonstrate His glory...His righteousness to those who have yet to experience and know Him.

Thank you so much for your partnership in the Gift of Grain project! Thank you for your prayers for us and for those who have received the grain!! Please continue to pray for them and for G0d to multiply each sack of grain just as He did the 5 loaves and 2 fish. One sack of grain on its own cannot come close to meeting all the needs, but with G0d all things are possible!!

I give thanks to our Father for each of you and for your partnership in His work!! I give thanks to Him for allowing us to use ALL of the money giving for this project to purchase, provide, and transport grain to the 110 families who received it!

To HIM be the GL0RY...

lori

Listening to Father's Word

As the team arrived back to B@mako from the village we knew that our time was not finished to share Father’s W0rd, declare His name and demonstrate His righteous among the people in M@li. The time that we had left we desired to spend with our friends, that we have come to love, on the street. Through all the time that L0ri and I have spent sitting on the street speaking B@mbara as well as selling peanuts and ice we have never had the opportunity to share with our friend, Ou, Father’s W0rd. Excited to have this opportunity to have a translator with us we all thought of certain testimonies, our favorite v3rses and stories of Father’s W0rd to share with her.

It had been over a week since we have seen or greeted our friends. Arriving on the street we saw their faces light up, eyes get big, excitingly waving embracing us in hugs. Always taking care of us Ou and friends seated us in the shade and out of the sun before beginning the introductions of our friends and catching up after being gone for so long. As we wanted for our translator to arrive, we joked around, sold some ice and peanuts and simply sat with her trying our best to formulate sentences so Ou can then translate to everybody else.

As the time kept passing and our translator did not show up, we realized we would not have an opportunity to share with Ou our t3stimonies, our favorite v3rses, or stories from G0d’s W0rd. So we decided that we would give Ou an mp3 player that had the N.T.  in Bambara. Not knowing exactly how to communicate with her we simply handed her the mp3 player, showed her how to place the ear phones into her ears and turned the mp3 player on as we attempted to explain how to use the device.  Once we turned on the mp3 player, she instantly began to listen intently to it. It was like Ou was in a different world and we did not exist anymore because she was listening to Father’s W0rd.  

Ever since we have given her the mp3 device she has listened to it every night. One day I have even saw her wearing her ear phones and carrying the device around while selling ice on the street. Father showed us that it wasn’t our t3stimonies or our favorite v3rses or the stories that we had planned to tell that He wanted Ou to hear. It was His W0rd starting with the book of M@tthew that He wanted to share with Ou.

This moment made us realize that all we ever need is Father’s W0rd…nothing more and nothing less. He tells us that My W0rd is all you need to know that I am G0d. It is not my testimony or my opinion on a particular v3rse or my opinion of a story of G0d’s W0rd that leads the people of M@li to Father. It is only our Father’s W0rd and nothing but our Father’s Word that guides them. This day Father wanted to lead Ou to Himself through His Word not through our words.  Pr@y with us as our friend Ou continues to listen to the N.T. every night. Pr@y that Father will open her mind to the stories that she is hearing from His W0rd.  Pr@y for the opportunity talk with her about Father’s W0rd.

c@therine