Rehoboth School update

Greetings from Mali,

It's been awhile since our last update on this African Christian school project, and since we currently have progress:

Kayes Christian School UPDATE early 2014 

Louis teaching on our former house veranda

 From my recent letter to David N., a friend serving in Burkina Faso who has trained under Arnold P. on how to make the compressed-dirt-bricks with the PBM machine and build with them:

“I think we're ready for you, David, finally!  The Lord has provided in His faithfulness a few gifts, and we have enuf in to start making bricks and build, even, at least one classroom; maybe all three.  Do pray with us for more funds, we have about $4,500 of the estimated $18,000 needed for this phase.

“We had a meeting last nite here in Kayes of our school committee to talk about construction with the PBM compressed-dirt-brick machine.  We would like you, David, to come over in March to help lead the training in brick making and maybe stay long enuf to lead the building training by doing a model classroom.  Possible?  If you are tied up till April that would work, but it's hotter!  It might take two visits to accomplish things in order and time wise.

“The training will involve three different teams:
a/ the school project to eventually build a block three 9m x 7m classrooms in the city on the property I used to live on.
b/ Then another mission/group wants to build a small chapel in a small village 20 km away, and then:
c /my colleagues, Andrew and Mary, want the training so they can maybe build a school in another village yet. 
Once we all have understanding of the processes and differences from local building these projects can proceed using the PBM machine.”

We're hoping to build some Christian school classrooms in Kayes, Mali this year.  We have mentioned before that we have a special machine to turn out compressed-dirt-bricks from a ministry called PBM.  We had one training session in early 2012 and made a test chicken coop, so now we want to go further.  A friend currently in Burkina, David, will come and help train the team again.  He agreed just this past week!  Then once about 8,000 bricks are made another friend, Mr. Arnold P. of the P in PBM will come from Virginia and help us build!  We'll try to train in March, make bricks in April and May and maybe build in June/July.  Hopefully Rehoboth Christian School can have place to add a 5th grade in October.  If any from your church want to come help build with mud-bricks and tin roofs in Mali, welcome!  Just ask for details.  
See   http://pbmin.org/   for info on the machine and Arnold's ministry.   

Paul giving an address at the school conference

In the past six months the teachers of the Rehoboth Christian School, and even Luc Kodjo, the Director, have attended and learned about Christian education from the Association of Evangelical Christian Schools in Mali.  Able teachers from France, Mali, & South Africa have indeed helped our staff and we have seen improvements in quality and passion for the kids.  One of the meetings was right in Kayes in February and many in the churches participated and learned together.  We thank those who have enabled us to fund some of this and for your prayers.
Websites of interest concerning the Association of Christian Schools Intl:   http://www.acsi.org/   and  http://acsieurope.org/home/Partnerships/44/en/1  

Points for Praise -- Both ministries actually work out of the same building!

·         Greenville College, IL, (where our son Ben studies) is giving the UWM-Mali field and the Radio Espoir Africa FM97.7 Kayes a 16 channel mixing board & a needed computer as they replace equipment.  Should arrive in March!
·         Operation Mobilization Special Projects has given UWM-MALI and the Sower Association’s Rehoboth Christian Elementary School in Kayes $2,000 to help build a new classroom.  With new classrooms the school will be able to add 5^th grade in the fall.  

A final note previously mentioned in these Kayes school updates: 

Arnold & Jean making bricks in Kayes 

The school is being built on land the Mali government conceded to the UWM in the 1970s.  The churches are strongly counseling us to gain a complete title to this property so that it could not be taken and used for other development purposes of the city.  It is used now for a Christian radio station, a church, the Rehoboth School, and one missionary family home.  I had worked on this process starting in 2008, and found the fees for this would come to about 7 million francs, around $14,000, for our 7.04 acres.  This seemed pretty high, but actually reasonable as land prices are rising, even here.  Delays in receiving gifts prevented us from paying this fee, and when in March ’11 I finally offered the new land office boss ½ of that payment, he informed us that we were ‘late’ and that the fee schedule has risen, too!  Now we owe ~14 million cfa, or $28,000!  I followed the calculation, had it double checked by a friend in that office, & it is justifiable (unfortunately).  We know the Lord has the funds we need; please pray with us that all will come when needed.  Having 3 ¼ million cfa on hand we paid this as a down payment in faith in 2012.  Construction funds are above this, but we believe the brick machine will enable large economies here.  UWM School & Training Facility fund Project Number:  63-627

God bless,

Jim & Jenn

Poverty persists in MALI

Riding a taxi the  other day here in Bamako, MALI,  I  observed a number of young people working at odd jobs along the street.   But as  I reflected on the quality of the job or workplace, it  struck  me as examples of the deep poverty and underdevelopment persisting here.

A girl making french fries, waffles, or beans under the hot sun:

A man selling toothpaste and toothbrushes that he carries all day:

A girl selling bags of bissap drink, nice and cool, but a long day for her:

Just before we left Mali last  year I had visited the Moor village of Duduya with a friend to say goodbye for a time.   My friend wanted to see his cousin Souffi, so we stopped by their huts.  Like normal a young girl approached us with water to drink and we were offered seats and started chatting.  I noticed the girl, about four years old with a big smile, limped. As she went back to the water jar to place the big cup I saw that her legs were bowed and that she didn't let one leg touch ground.  Asking I learned that she had been run over by a moto or donkey cart at two years old, and they said the legs had "healed" like that.  

This village is only 10  miles from the local hospital.  Souffi  himself has suffered for years with a foot fungus or infection they call "gale" that causes deep cracks in the skin and hurts when he walks.  He's a farmer obliged to often be in his fields. A few times  I have  given him special creams, but with out good long term treatment,  maybe even closed shoes and socks, they will not heal in the extremely dry climate that cracks all our feet at  some point during the year.

I felt powerless.   In just two days I would be leaving MALI for a long term away.  To help her requires a visit of the  hospital for x-rays, probably a re-breaking of the legs to set them properly, and fixing the dislocated hip, a set of procedures taking months in the hospital and much money (tho not near the money it would cost in the western nations). I know how to follow-up such needs, but time was ended for me, and I was powerless.

There was even a new small mud-walled clinic being  built by the village folk, I even met the new nurse setting up shop. I asked  if  she was doing a health census and  if she had noticed  the little girl.   Yes, she replied.  Has something  been done?    I have no idea, and I have little contact with them from way off overseas.  I felt, feel, powerless, in the face of such poverty.  Ten miles to a village person is as far as Tombuctoo to us. They fear and hate going to the local hospitals as most they send there die.

What can be done?  Do  we care?  Often when confronted by a community problem such as bad roads, leaky bathrooms, muddy markets, etc, a Malian friend might say to me, "That's not my problem."   Well it is, in fact.  We live in community, whether we are in the streets of Baltimore, suburban Philly, or in a village of Mali.  Community defines and helps us.  We are all living together, for decades even, and we are responsible to each other, and each other's family.  Did my friend go to help, he had the means to do so, it's his cousin's family, but ... somehow I doubt it.

Now that I'm back in Mali, once I go visit Kayes, I will go see my little girl friend and see how she is.  She is in my community.  Can we help?  Of course.

What can be done?   Preaching of the gospel includes social dimensions of fighting for justice, helping the prisoners and widows, defending the babe in the womb, etc. as well as proclaiming the Shalom offer of Jesus the Christ to all peoples.  Our love must be seen in order to be heard.  We live in community, we are indeed responsible, it is our problem.

Friendly boys begging for food or coins to take back to their Muslim marabout teacher:

What can be  done?

What we did in 2010: by the numbers

1: woman of the Soninké tribe discipled through weekly Bible studies and baptism preparation. (Jennifer)
1: Christian FM-radio station launched by a Malian Christian NGO with help from UWM (we have provided facilities and electricity, and helped them to find equipment); they currently broadcast about 18 hrs/day.
1: semester served on board of Dakar Academy. (Jennifer)
1: graduate class for education degree. (Jennifer)
1: son graduated from Dakar Academy, with honors.
2: new missionaries recruited for MALI, in a seconding agreement with WEC.
2: evangelism and medical teams to the Moors (about 15 participants all told, to 8 villages altogether).
5: meetings of the Malian Assoc. of Evangelicals attended by Jim, where he is serving on the Committee of Reconciliation to head off a split in the organization.

6: men taught in Bambara language Bible school (in partnership with Norwegian Lutheran Mission).

10: meetings with the local Christian school committee (see pix).
10: ESL teachers whom Jennifer observed and trained in Bamako during 2 weeks in January.
15: meetings in churches last summer, and we were featured at the Missions Night of the Annual Conference of the Church of Christ (Holiness), an African-American denomination, in St. Louis.
22: visits to disciple new Fulani believer in Kayes (who came to Christ through the controversial "Common Ground" method of evangelism). (Jim)
27: women trained in leadership seminars (in partnership with Marcie Harris). (Jennifer)
28: years celebrated married to same spouse!
35: Christian Fulani leaders hosted in MICCAO annual conference in Kayes for one week
30: visits to Fulani villages for outreach and supervision of the well project in Duduya. (Jim)
40: meetings with the Kayes Pastors' Cooperative for prayer and planning of joint evangelistic events. (Jim)
49: shows of original Star Trek watched!
52: beggars helped on our front porch by prayer, food, Bible reading, cash, work, clothing, loans, empathy, medicine, counsel, etc.

75: visits drinking tea to do friendship evangelism among mostly Fulani friends, often playing Bible story cassettes or mp3 players like the Megavoice. (Jim)

150: radio broadcasts managed in the Fulani & Moor languages (on 2 different stations).

12,000: miles traveled June-August in the USA & Canada to facilitate partnerships, raise funds, promote ministry, and keep in touch with supporters including many visits with churches and dear friends.

Another working visit

The Kayes bridge is open again, so at first opportunity I drove across and out to the Fulani village of Duduya again to see progress on the well.  I’m pleased to say they’ve deepened it by over 7 meters since restarting in late July, and, even better, there is ankle deep water each morning  :-)  The main diggers, Nyama Djonson and his apprentice, were deep down in the hole when I arrived around 11 am, and didn’t come up until about 1 pm, then went down again for an hour or so to set the charges, and we got to watch the explosion around 3pm.  We visited around homes while waiting for work progress.  Being the middle of the day most men were out in fields or out with their cattle, so we greeted mostly the women and I played with the kids.

I had brought out the local Malinké pastor, Marka Fofana, as he’s expressed interest in working among the Fulani and also seeing the village for some time.  I had Madu Aan, a local Fulani teacher, come along, too, to have more time with him and understand his growing faith.  We played a couple Way of Righteousness tapes while there to village friends.  I want him to learn a way of witness that comes naturally from the Bible using the stories in the Bible order.  Two other men were along, long time friends who have not yet heard the gospel in their hearts, Baba Dramera and Vieux Diarra.  Please pray for each one mentioned.  On the way out I picked one bad section of muddy road where trucks had made deep tracks, and got stuck, but having four men along to push backwards while I put it in low four-wheel drive, we were soon moving again.  There was deep water in two other places, but that’s not a problem for the Isuzu!

The chief, Hamet Diallo, was pleased to see us, but since this was in the midst of the daily fast during this month of Islam Ramadan, nothing was cooking.  They gave some of us milk to drink, and later some rice and peanut sauce came along anyway.  I had to hold up my hands and hold my nose; oh those peanuts they love to try to make me eat!  Some more sour milk came to stir into the rice, so I had a snack anyway.   Rain threatening, we headed back to Kayes by 4 pm.  Oh, it is so nice to just go and come back in one day now!

bloggin' & diggin'

Just been playing around this evening with blogging.  Google has created a pretty good one here on blogger/blogspot and there's a lot of things I can add or modify to make it my own.  I even added the countdown clock for our anniversary next month!  I'll add some more posts from my journal and even from my devotional notes.  Danielle's has some cute things like favorites .... or what if ... or I'm thankful for ..., so I can try that kind of writing, too.

We had a quiet day after last nite's big rain.  The well digging has made good progress this week, but the men are on their Friday day-off today.  Benjie took this shot two weeks ago when we first got the compressor to Duduya and tested the equipment.  They've deepened by 6m the hole of hard rock since then.

Today was also the beginning of Ramadan, so for the next 30 days people will be asking me daily "i sunnen be?"  or "adda hora?" in Bambara or Pulaar to find if I'm also fasting.  I gave a Wolof friend a cassette in his language about fasting; I might have some of the same lessons in Pulaar, too.  We want folk to understand that true fasting is in the heart, Isa 58 speaks of this, and that physical fasting is only good as a discipline and way to focus on God, not for any actual accrual of gold for the kingdom of God.

Big boom in Duduya

What a trip! It's not the mud, nor the rain, nor the African roads, but the ferry crossing of the river at Kayes. Sekou and I were all loaded up to visit the Fulani village of Duduya to see progress on the well and to bring in some supplies, fuel, and tools. On a good day I've made it from my house to the village, only 20 kms (15 miles) over the dirt road in less than 40 minutes. Monday it took three hours just to cross the river, and a further hour to navigate the mud and stream crossings. I had thot in the morning we'd get out there, stay for lunch, and come home by night fall ...... Well, when we finally got all organized and loaded and to the river at 2:30pm, I realized then I'd be staying the night in the village.

The bridge has been closed since May for rebuilding and resufacing, and now that the old ford is hidden under water, all vehicles, motos, people, and goods go by ferry or local pirogues (sail boats). Because one ferry couldn't handle the traffic the Malian military brought in a second larger one real fast recently. But, because the banks are steep the trucks keep getting stuck or even fall into water at the edge! At least five a week have break failures and crash into something as they slam downhill. At last we were permitted to load onto the wide military ferry, but then had to wait while the soldier's trucks hooked cables onto a tractor trailer in the water and righted it, to the cheers of hundreds of on-lookers! I picked up Ousman Diop at his aunt's home, finally connecting with him in spite of repeatedly missing each other, and got moving to Duduya.

The road was muddy, very muddy, but my four wheel drive made it, even at one stream over two feet deep, PTL. The village, especially Mr Hamet Diallo, their chief, and the well digging team were all very glad to see us and the supplies. We checked out the well, a whole five meters deeper than two weeks ago, and heard they've even had a bit of a trickle into it, PTL. The chief decided to butcher a goat for us; that takes a while to cook, so Ousman and I visited around to see friends. The first Brazilian team had come out here with me often, so the ladies especially were asking how is 'Fatimata', 'Kumbel', and 'Asiata'. They were ticked pink to hear that two of them have since married. Everyone also asks about 'Baril' the Malian Fulani evangelist, and about Solomon, the Beninese Pastor who was with us a while.

Back at the ranch, indeed for about three hundred cows sleep there at night in the village center, as well as innumerable goats and sheep, we chatted over tea and listened to the radio while many in the village dropped by to greet. I pulled out the Bible scarf with about 40 Bible story pictures on it and asked them if they knew the stories; many did. It was good way to get a some conversation going about the gospel. Ousman and Sekou were also both quite interested in the MegaVoice players with bible stories and chanted Psalms. The goat was finally served around 10 pm, and soon after we had mosquito nets up for a long rest. The diggers even gave some of their nets and mats as we hadn't been prepared to stay.

I was up by 6:30 and found that the diggers had already started the compressor at 6 am and two were down in the hole digging away for the next two hours! Then they spent an hour setting the nine charges and being sure the wires were all connecting. Finally about nine they came out, the men cleared away the pulley support, moved the compressor away and then touched the wires to a battery ... BOOM! Some pieces flew out as big as a soccer ball and one as big as a sewing machine box!
Got lots of pix :)  


I had expected to leave after the boom, but the chief told me another family had sent over a goat for lunch to honor us, so we had to stay, again .... it takes awhile: lots of tea, chatting, and resting. The diggers slept over an hour while the dust settled and air got back in the hole, afterward as they were to descend, clear the debris, and drill some more ... they wanted to do one more explosion by night fall. Ousman & I had ample time to chat about his theo studies in Cameroon and his upcoming marriage to a Cameroonian Fulani believer he's engaged to marry soon, etc. 
                                        The photo show Ousman helping skin our meal:

We headed out just after 3pm, made the river bank in Kayes Ndi just after 4 pm since the roads were a bit drier, and then waited and waited for a stalled truck to be pulled up hill, for another barge to unload, and for our ferry to load, problems in both directions for some vehicles. I noted that there was another truck in the water on the Kayes Ba side, another victim of bad breaks :( We cleared the Kayes side at 6:30 pm, and I left Sekou off at his home and returned home for a needed shower and Jenn's supper and an old TV movie to zone out.

It was a good trip overall, in spite of the ferry and mud, pleasing to the village to see us, and pleasing to me to see the progress, and a good time with Ousman and having some chances to witness a bit of our Savior and the Kingdom of God to the Fulanis.

May they have both well water soon as well as living water from above.

project: schools in MALI

letter to Rev. Mark Vaughn, VA
I just got confirmation this am that the three men will definitely be going to the teacher training program next week. The letter, attached, in French, is a thanks for providing the cash for their travel and class fees and housing. Luc Kodjo, who wrote and signed it, is the high school psychology teacher who will be going along with David Sogoba of Campus Crusade, and Job Diarra an elementary teacher. I'm glad you all will be praying for them to better understand a Christian philosophy of teaching that the YWAM program offers in the next six weeks. YWAM gave us a minis-seminar last summer, first in my home, and then at the church for a day.
Several families of the Kayes church have asked the mission to help them set up a private Christain school in Kayes. This would be only the third or fourth in MALI other than Catholic schools! They formed an official association, Semeur (= seedsower) and have made application to the school department to open a school. They have even paid an architect out of their own dues for plans! They're hoping to open a pre-school this fall and add a grade a year! The UWM has agreed they can build on land of the mission, where I currently live actually, and we're welcoming this initiative of some of the most talented men of the church. We noticed they needed more understanding of what makes a school Christian so we suggested this YWAM program. Once they had the mini-seminar they we're very interested in the more complete program in Koutiala, the other side of MALI. So, off they go on the 15th until mid-Aug. PTL!
We'll be talking more about this project (among others) as we visit churches this year as it will demand quite a commitment form both the UWM and the Association Semeur to see it through. The total cost is far more than we've ever tried to see the Lord supply, well over $100,000, for construction and school supplies, so we need to find partners to help. I'm even dreaming that Teen Mission Intl, TMI, will accept to send a teen builders team over to help us once or twice. The Association Semeur has let us know they can manage the construction planning and work (some of them already have done such for other projects), so that is a load off my shoulders.
I'm also dreaming that some churches would accept to send some teachers along to help, in French, teach the kids over the next few years. The Mali church intends to supply all the teachers, but they wouldn't mind help from overseas. We'll be contacting French speaking churches in Switz, Belgium, and Quebec that we know, too. They also expect school fees to cover all the operational costs after an initial start up. One other neat aspect of their plans is that if there are profits from running the school they will use that for evangelism in the Kayes area!

Looking forward to chatting with you all,
God bless,
Jim & Jenn
UWM - MALI

from Jim's Journal on July 7th, 2007 -Meetings and Visits

Last evening I put in ten hours of ministry! And that was after a morning of email, money, visitors, computer maintenance, and typing a bit! We held a further meeting about the radio possibility in the Kanyaga area, and so Klaus, Siggi, Levi, and I understand better what is possible and what is available in equipment and money. We might meet with Oumar and Mamadou Traoré this afternoon so that all actors will finally meet and know each other.

After that I went to chat with Houseni and a friend for a while and then attended the ministerium’s once a month Friday night prayer meeting. Only five were present, not even the hosting pastor, and with two from outside Kayes, so we were a bit disappointed at attendance. I feel it was a good time of payer and worship led by David Sogoba anyway. Houseni has an ongoing leg problem which hurts quite a bit and limits his walking a working. He’s already been to a guerisseur a couple years ago which probably did him more harm than good. One doc says there’s a crack in the femur bone that might need replacing. He’s getting cortisone shots regularly now, too. Perhaps a pin or screw would help? We prayed, but I want Him to know there’s no guarantee and also that he must obey the Lord and seek His face not just religion. I get very frustrated at these friends who turn to faith healers and not to the Lord first. May the Lord manifest His power and grace among my friends. His friend was Mamadou, Amadou Ba, who had helped me a couple years ago to translate the booklet ‘ElHadji’s Journey to Faith’ into Pulaar. He’s a teacher living in Atesan, near Duduya, so we might go see him soon.