?Have We No Rights?

So for class we have to read a book called "Have We No Rights?" Basically, when one is on the mission field, as an American we think we have many rights- rights to comfort, privacy, time, etc.  The next few days I will continue to post some great stuff I really enjoyed from the book! It is soo practical for every missionary.


A standard of living.  What does that amount to?  How important is it really?  Does it matter if we sleep on the floor or in a bed? Does it matter if we eat with spoons or our fingers; wear silk or cotton; if we are poor or rich; eat rice or potatoes for dinner?  Does it matter if we live in the way we are accustomed or adopt the way of living of those to whom we go?


It may matter to us.  But what should be our attitude on the field?  Should we try to conform to the way of life of the people as much as possible?  "When we have become familiar with how they eat, how they sleep, how they work, how they play, what they like, what they dislike, what they hope, what they fear, how they think, how they feel- when we really understand them, then, and only then, will we be able to present the Gospel to them in an adequate way."


"I would love to live as the native do, if only I could; but I just can't take it!" Many say.  We can gradually get used to things (over years time).


Other people's ways, standards, customs--do we want to like them? Or do we cling to our own because ours are "better?"


Right to Privacy:

"How can you find quiet time to even pray?"  
"When things get too much for me, I just throw my apron over my head and I am all alone with the LORD."


How did Jesus react when He wanted to be alone but wherever He went there were multitudes?  Was their anger in His heart?  No, He welcomed them (Luke 9:11).


"If we belong to the day, if we are children of the light, why should any act of ours, or anything belonging to us, need to be hidden in the dark?"


"Let us remember, that people must come to know us before they can accept our message, or before our testimony has any value to them.  Why should I desire to keep hidden anything that has to do with myself.  If the sharing of that thing might help to draw someone to the Savior?" Eph 5:8  Remember, deny yourselves and pick up your cross DAILY!

cold rain

So whenever its going to storm we can tell.  Last night we sat outside and the wind picked up very fast so quickly.  Thats the first sign.  Then it got really dusty and all of a sudden it was sprinkling and pouring.  Of course on our tin roof it sounds SOO LOUD!  The rain was absolutely freezing cold.  I had forgotten what cold weather felt like.  Our room is usually hott at night but it was blowing it so much I was so so happy and thankful for it.  It is not the rainey season till June so every storm we get is a GIFT.  It even lightening and thundered last night (it doesn't always).  Then the power went out and was out all night.  Therefore, no fans.  Therefore, we our beds were wet when we woke up, oh and our hair, from sweat.....good 'ole sweat.  Gotta love sleeping in your sweat.  Then I slept till 11am, because I could:), and Michenzie and Chris made chocolate chip pancakes with syrup---they are SOOO AWESOME.  We have such a great team who can cook, I'm very impressed myself, and alot of it is made up with no recipe when we hardly have any food left.  Great job team, love you all!

 

goodies!

Check out this package i received the other day in the mail from my BFF- my mother! Isn't she so sweet!?  Well actually, I told her what to send!! Thanks Mom, you do more for me than I show gratefulness for! Thank you so much for this!

A new insulated water bottle, candy, lucky charms, 8 more tanktops!!, more drink packets, a dust brush for my computer and a box full of love!

heat and babies

I can't believe how the days have gotten even hotter here.  It has been hott, but normally we aren't dripping sweat in the morning at 9am already!!  So to work on our last big Cultural Anthropology project, we sat in our room with the fans blasting.  It's a bit cooler this way.  This morning we didn't have class, thanks to Uncle Joseph.  He let us off because of the half of our team traveling to Bamako for Easter.  Anyways, so we woke up to crying babies this morning.  And I just had to see what was going on---you know, its me!  So i put my clothes on and didn't even put my contacts in and just walked outside.  Matthew was sitting on these big bags of fertilizer (poop) and eating a mango.  He was a bit crabby and completely exhausted.  Then there was this other baby who is SOO cute but has so many fat rolls! So we call him the "old man baby"; we think he looks like an old man, but he's soo precious.  Anyways so the kids wanted me to put Matthew on my back so that he would fall asleep.  So I did, and he literally passed out while wrapped on my back.  At one point his head was hanging backwards and it looked so uncomfortable.  I can't get used to holding babies on my back...they don't seem to stay up on me because I don't have many curves (haha) so I'm always holding the towel up so it doesn't fall down all the time.  What a perfect morning.  Except it was so hot I was dripping with sweat..and I knew it was going to be a long exhausting day.

It is so hard to be motivated to do anything here.  Sure I can play with kids all day, but then to go sit down and study.  First of all I'm always so ansy here, even in the classroom I just have to stand up and walk.  Secondly its not easy to study and think when its so so hot outside.  

As Americans, we have so much stuff.  What we brought with us to Mali doesn't seem like much, but its alot!  Sometimes I'm so embarassed to carry my computer outside or to hold my nice camera in front of their faces.  I feel so unpleasantly wealthy and even very guilty at times.  What am I supposed to do with that feeling?  I've felt like this so much since the first time I went overseas.  My heart changed and my mindset of "stuff and money" changed.  I dont want to be that wealthy white american here.  But i can't change that.  It makes things all the more difficult!

meet Oumou

Meet Oumou.  This is the first time she slept on me all afternoon at tea.  I smelled like b.o. and sweat the rest of the day. :)  Her mom sits right outside our gate and sells peanuts with a bunch of other ladies.  It has now become a continuous thing, for me to walk out and bring her in to hang with me.  So here is how she works.  She's a bit whiny and stubborn.  She will not go to anyone else.  Once she is sitting on my lap, Michenzie, Chris, or Courtney are considered "scarey" by Oumou.  She screams and throws tantrums and elbows (Michenzie) if they try and take her away from me.  It's hilarious!  My thought was, "Yes, finally a child who loves me and no one else...just me!!" Yet that's not such a good thought.  I had to let her follow me into the bathroom to pee otherwise she'd scream.  Today she actually pulled my hand and walked me back to her mom outside the gate.  It was so sweet.  Tomorrow you will meet my bff from church! :D

i togo oumou

Her name is Oumou. Oumou.  I have photos and more moments to blog about tomorrow!

my heart

The longer I am here, the more I am falling in love with the Malians.  How unique and precious are all of God's children.  How creative He is in all His work!  He baffles my mind and I'm so amazed at who He is while I sit here and type this.

Yesterday, I was walking back from lunch at the Camara's house and all these children were hanging by the gate like usual.  Except there was one girl who I'd never seen come into the compound.  There are a group of women who sell peanuts at a stand right outside our gate under a tree.  I knew this was one of their girls because I had seen her sit with them before.  She was carrying a bowl of rice that she was eating...except there were so many rocks in the rice...it was dirty.  Her hair was all sectioned off into squares and wrapped into small buns- about 8 all over her head.  She was wearing a too-small blue and stained baby dress, and some very old ratty underwear.  I held my hands out to her and shockingly she held her hands out as well.  The hard thing is, there are a select few smaller kids and babies who will actually let us hold them, so I was shocked for her to want to come to me.  I picked her up and walked back around the corner where our house sits.  All of our chairs are usually set under the mango tree for shade.  I sat down with her and let her finish her rice.  I grabbed an apple and gave her part of it and filled up some water in a cup for her (water---"ji" in bambara).  She did not hesitate to take food from me.  But she showed no emotion the whole entire time I held her.  She would just look at me and back at everyone else.  Later on I took her inside of our house (we aren't really supposed to but there were no other kids around and she is young enough I think it was okay), and I let her use chalk on our floor (cement floor) and she was done with it pretty quickly and put it back in the bag and made sure i zipped it up properly.  I sat down with her on the floor and blew up a ball for her (world map on it) and let her hold it and play with it.  I walked with her around our house.  She continually followed me and looked oh so precious, and "perfect" in this house (if you know my heart, you know why I say this).  The second time God has reminded me of how much I want to be a mother; a biological mother- who knows! but a mother.  All I hear Him say is "love them".  I see Jesus in them.  When I went to pick her up to take her back outside, she FREAKED out! She didn't want to go outside.  She wanted to stay inside the house, and I was like "great look what I have done now".  So I fought against it and took her outside while she shook herself in my arms and cried.  We sat back down under the mango tree for a while and she calmed down a bit.  The dogs- Toupas and Sharbon, walked by and she flipped out again.  I let her keep the world map ball and walked her back to her mom right outside the gate.  As soon as she got back the bigger kids took the ball from her and started playing with it---oh how I knew this was going to happen!

Today I thought about her all day.  Oh how I wanted to go out and grab her and bring her back in, but I was busy with French and other things.  Later during the day, Christian and I were walking with "Grandma" and clean clothes back pass the gate and there were some kids so we started "karate" fighting with them for fun.  AND making so much loud noise.  All the "peanut ladies" walked to the gate and looked in at us and started laughing.  Then here comes this girl!  So beautiful, wearing such dirty, stained, and too small of clothing.  I wanted to bathe her and clean her up, give her a manicure and just hold her in new clothes.  I wanted to be able to say "she's mine" and I get to watch after her while she sleeps at night in the room next to me!  Oh how hard it is to wait for such a longing desire.  I found out her name today, but I don't know how to spell it.  I barely know how to pronounce it, but I will figure it out one of these days!

Thanks for reading.