jouer au foot

On Sunday afternoon, a couple of us went to the soccer game over by the other church in town that IBR is with.  It was great to be able to get away from our house and do something different.  The game was between IBR and Torakabougou, but we lost again.  But this time it was 5-2 because we were actually really loud and cheering for our team.  These are just a few of the photos that I took that afternoon.  It was super hot and exhausting so we sat in the shade under a huge tree, and drank their water when ours was gone (I hope I don't get typhoid again)! (ha)  Since being in culture shock it has been harder to find the motivation to actually want to go out and do things so because I felt really good, it was a pretty darn good day. Then Sunday night, the electricity kept on going off and on and off and on.  There was no electricity all night and therefore no fans.  There are a few times where we actually slept inside with no fans, but we were tired of it...real tired of it, so we all piled our mattresses outside on our front porch and slept till 6 am and then moved inside and the fans were back on then.  Last night, the same thing happened.  Everyone was frustrated, even the students and Uncle Joseph.  But we didn't bet it would stay on all night so we all tied our mosquito nets outside and moved our beds out too.  It was so nice that night, except for hearing the donkeys and roosters right next to our porch!  It's true that when you are use to something and don't have it, it changes alot of things and can be very frustrated...like electricity.  Its hard when the water is turned off for a period of time as well.  Then I remember how thankful I have it here when it is all back on.  

Remember, to be grateful for everything you have, no matter where you live!

Photos above: Me, Abel, Michenzie; Courtney and Kadiatou- Court is trying to learn to drive the moto

more thoughts

So I have been going a bit crazy lately.  The other night I had another dream where I had a baby.  Most of it was very unrealistic and couldn't happen in reality but the part of it that felt so real made me almost be able to feel what it's like to have your own child.  I woke up and couldn't stop thinking about what it's like to hold the child you held for 9 months in your belly, and to then see her and say "she's mine".  It's kind of a crazy thing.  And the more I find myself filled with passion for children, the more dreams and other things come up.  

Somehow I know that children are in my future...somehow...

We've also recently hit culture shock.  The weird thing is, most people don't know they're in it and don't recognize it, so our professor was surprised.  But we talk about culture shock so much as we are trying to relate and live in an African culture, and we taught that at our 3 month mark everything would start changing.  And, it has.  We become more irritated with little things, people bother us, I want to sleep more than anything, I'd rather stay inside somedays, I find it really hard to be motivated to do anything, we are very "bored", homework is so much harder to do and we end up turning it in days late because we have no motivation, and then again the heat doesn't help still.  

In many ways it sucks, and I wonder why I'm here.  But I don't wish I was at home, because this is where God called me to be at this time and I want to be all here, all of me.  But in the end, and overall, I know I am learning alot and growing and it is going to be a GREAT experience and foundation for whatever I do later after graduation.  The edge program is very unique and I've never seen another program like this before.  We're learning how to live in community even if we don't like each other.  We're learning that we aren't just visiting here but we're actually living life here.  We find that everything we experience and see through our own cultural view, is completely different to what the Malians and seeing through their culture.  There's so much to learn about a culture before you start presenting the gospel respectfully.  It seems overwhelming to me, but when I continue to remind myself that I'm doing it for the glory of the Lord, everything is joyful again.  

I continue to love the relationships we are building here.  And if I miss anything, it's not where we live, it's not what it looks like, or the other small things, but it is the people.  

Thank you to those who read this, its encouraging to me.

special treatment

Today at our "malian" picnic, I had some more unrestful feelings come up, as well as the team did.  As an American, many countries (I don't think all) are given privilege.  We are given sort of a special treatment in whatever we do, in many ways.  Today especially sort of bugged me.  We went to the picnic in this small van that packed in over 20 people sitting on wood benches in the back of the van.  It was so much fun and I was laughing so hard I was crying, and all the girls were asking me why I was crying!  Every time we hit a bump, our wooden bench would come up or move so we started going forward onto the people from the other side.  It was very interesting.  We loved it!

When we left, we were given privilege to leave first (I think its because we also looked really exhausted), but they had this nice 4-door pickup Toyota (i think) for us to ride back in.  I'm talking, an American pickup, except it was stick.  The thing is, we didn't want that, that was to easy for us.  Instead we wanted to ride in the van with all the others.

Another issue that has bugged me a bit is that because we are Americans, we are considered "rich" of course, so when big events happen like this they expect us to pay more than our share!  So for gas to get us to the picnic, they made us 4 toubabs (white person) pay for HALF of the total gas out of all the 20-30+ people!  In many cases we find people asking us to pitch in or to help this person, but its more of an expectation that we will, not just a question of "you don't have to, but you can't".

At first it wasn't a big deal, because yes we have alot more money than them, but then again we are on a strict budget as a team (according to what we raised) and barely have any money left at the end of the month to buy groceries.  It has become more irritating now, as it continues to happen in small ways.  Because of the language barrier with some people as well, we sometimes don't have a choice in what we say and end up going with the flow.

?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!