Today we took Elder Kamenan to the airport and said Au revoir! We will miss him here in Bamako. He returns home to San Pedro, Cote d’Ivoire in a few days. He’s been a great missionary!
An hour or so later, we welcomed Elder Kouassi, who will be our next Bamako missionary. We are so happy to have him join us here.
Of course, we think this is the best assignment in the mission, and these Elders are the most lucky of all!
When old people go on missions, we aren’t sent to the Missionary Training Center first to learn the language. We work with a tutor for a couple of hours a week for a few weeks, then we take the plunge and learn on our own.
I want to preserve the pages from my little brown French book that has gone with me just about every day while we’ve been here. These are the words I did not know when I wrote them down. Now I know them. It’s one of the many miracles of missionary life! I hope this beautiful French language stays in my brain. I’m sure it will stay in my heart.
At the end are some notes and recipes and lists that have also become a part of my missionary life here in Bamako and in Abidjan.
Our wood carving friend, Pascal, his brother, and their helpers have been very busy working hard to complete all of the carvings we’ve ordered for missionaries and friends before we go home. Tonight he delivered a huge Nativity that was special ordered by a friend of ours. It’s quite spectacular. Take a look:
The people in this Nativity set represent all of the ethnic cultures of Mali.
It’s going to be a little tricky getting these home, but we’ll make it happen.
We’ve been delivering Nativity sets to Abidjan for the missionaries at every opportunity.
I’ve spent many years living in Africa eating delicious pineapples. There is an art to cutting them fast, efficiently, and with the least amount of waste. Here is how I do it.
After easily twisting the top leaf spears or crown off, you cut off the ends of the pineapple, top and bottom.
Then you slice the pineapple into slices, 1″ or less thick.
Now it is easy to cut off the outside using a small serrated paring knife. It’s easy to cut close to the rind and divot into the thorn spots, wasting very little of the pineapple flesh.
If you miss a few spots, go back and cut them out quickly.
Then I cut the slices like a tic tac toe, around the center core.
I can cut a pineapple in just a couple of minutes this way. It’s fast, easy and efficient.
Today we had our weekly District Meeting with the Elders. We love these meetings and discussing all the good people we are working with.
At the end of the meeting, we presented these 2 Elders with their Chiwaras with thanks for their service in Mali. The Chiwara is the symbol of Mali and it represents exactly what these Elders are doing here.
This is the view from the entrance to the church. We hope that before we leave, the signs will be finished and installed so everyone knows who we are and where to find us.
Today we met with the sign maker again and finalized all of the details. The down payment has been made. The work will commence today!
Today was a beautiful day in Bamako! Emmanuel Ngalle entered the waters of baptism, joining his wife, Sylvanie and 2 oldest daughters who were baptized 2 weeks ago. What a beautiful family! What a blessing to our Bamako Branch!
Esther and Judith gave talks on Baptism and the Holy Ghost.
Sharing the good news of the day with Elder Koffi in Cote d’Ivoire, who helped to teach Emmanuel and his family and Florence and her daughter Beatrice.
We had a great Sunday in Bamako. Here are my Bamako Branch friends.
Today in Primary:
The children LOVE singing, especially the chorus of “Nephi’s Courage!”
Here are some of the songs we’ve learned:
The youth class:
The adult class:
Working on ministering assignments with Valerie, our Relief Society President.
When we arrived in Sounsounkoro this morning we learned that a woman in the village had died, so many of the women wouldn’t be attending our closing ceremonies for the water projects. These are the women who were hard at work preparing a meal for the village after the funeral this afternoon.
They were preparing huge pots of chicken and stew and rice. Everyone contributes to these village funerals, helping to provide for the grieving family. What a blessing to be a part of a village!
Chopping fire wood:
I love the sense of community in the villages. They love and care for one another here.
I always had a hard time imagining Mali with fields of green. We were in Covid lock down in Abidjan last year during the rainy season. This year we are here and we are loving the cooling weather and the rains. This is a time for plowing and for planting. In the rural areas of Mali, villagers are hard at work in the fields planting. The main crops here are corn, millet, cotton, peanuts, okra, beans, and some garden vegetables.
The village of Sounsounkoro has warmly welcomed the Dogon refugees from the northern parts of Mali who have fled from the terrorists. These refugees (internally displaced persons, or IDP) have been given land on the north and the south sides of the village. These two camps are a couple of miles apart.
When the Ouelessebougou Alliance and LDS Charities made plans to help these IDP camps, they determined that both the north and the south camps needed wells. They also decided to put in a well for the women’s garden in the main village, to help sustain the host village there.
After visiting the first two wells we drove to the third one on the north side of the village. It was too far for most of the villagers from the south to join us, but a few were able to come by motorcycle. These villagers had been waiting for us all morning.
These are some of the first women we met months ago when we first visited these refugee camps and learned about their struggles to get water to their homes. They’ve been traveling a long ways to get water. Now they have a beautiful well in their own village. What a difference this has made!
These women also sang and danced for us. That is how they express their gratitude. We are so happy for them.
Again, we were presented with 2 chickens and also some kola nuts.
The beautiful gifts we received today:
These are our wonderful Ouelessebougou Alliance friends. We’ve been coming to Ouelessebougou since 2010. I’ve been associated with the Alliance since 1989 when I returned from Nigeria. I love these dear friends. Anounou has been directing the Alliance for 20 years now. Today was his last official day before his retirement. We are so grateful to him and to the others for the difference they are making in this corner of the world.
After the main celebration in Sounsounkoro this morning, we went to the second pump well provided by LDS Charities and the Ouelessebougou Alliance. This well is situated in the women’s garden. The villagers have prepared a large area which will be planted after the rainy season ends. Women’s gardens provide work and produce for the women and their families. Without a water source near by, these gardens are impossible. This well will be a great blessing to all of the families here.
The garden is in an enclosed area to keep the animals out.
The village elders and the Mayor of Ouelessebougou, again expressed their thanks to LDS Charities and the Ouelessebougou Alliance for their kindness.
This is the area that will be cultivated for the garden after the rainy season.
Anounou visiting with village leaders.
I am happy thinking about these children growing up in a place where they now have access to water year-round.
Our Cote d’Ivoire Abidjan East and Bamako, Mali Mission 