As we came back into town today to go to the church, I spotted these interesting things by our branch meeting house. This first is a young man with a mending business. I especially loved his decorated bike. He rides through the neighborhoods clicking his scissors, hoping to be hired to do some sewing.
Oh my, we have the best bananas ever here!
These ladies have their washing area outside their compound a few doors down from the church. We see them all the time hard at work doing dishes and laundry.
And this is one of my fullest load winners this week!
Once inside the church building, we were joined by our dear friends, Esther, Judith and Desire, who often come by on Saturday afternoons to read and play on the keyboard. Today Elder Koffi taught Desire how to tie his tie.
And John and Pres Sekou counseled together, planning for church meetings tomorrow. We’ve had an excellent day.
You don’t often see pigs in this Muslim country, but on our way to Diatoula this morning, we saw a big fat one being butchered. The men in the compound we drove by were scraping the hair off the skin as we passed. After our day in Diatoula, the contractor friend we took with us asked us to stop at the pig compound so he could buy some meat. I was excited to see what we’d find there.
The men had portioned the meat and skin into 1 kilo piles to sell.
While Konate made his purchase, I met the women in the compound and they showed me what they were doing (women are Always cooking).
One of our LDS members was there helping with the pig.
They had millet spread and drying in the sun. Millet is one of the main foods eaten here, pounded and cooked into a porridge. Again, I admire these good people who live off the land and survive well.
Today was a historic day in Diatoula. The decision has been made to hold our church meetings here instead of at the chicken farm. We have more members here who will attend regularly and more here are being taught by the Elders. In a meeting held at the chicken farm on June 11th with Pres Bendixsen, everyone attending decided that moving the meeting place here would be the best idea.
Today we brought a tote full of church supplies to Julien, our group leader here in Diatoula. As Pres Sekou explained each item, I felt the importance of this transfer. There is a sweet and peaceful feeling in this village. I am sad we will not be here much longer to watch how the church grows here.
As we shared these things with Julien, one of the school administrators, Samake, took quite an interest in that book we call The Book of Mormon. He was given a copy and I could tell he was thrilled to have it.
Today was a wonderful day in Diatoula. What a gift it is to be here now.
Our visit today to Diatoula was to gather more information and to show another contractor on the school project as we gather bids. We are hoping to get this project underway before we leave.
Here is our good church member, Julien Kieta in his 5th grade classroom.
While the men and contractors studied the structures at the school, I took a wander in the village. Here are a few photos of things I saw there.
I stood for some time watching this grandma navigate her way home with a load of firewood on her head, followed by a granddaughter. This woman is probably about my age. Oh, the stories she might tell!
Chicken coops:
This is how latrines empty–out a hole in the back.
A child’s hand with henna:
A room full of onions:
Firewood and a well.
A radio played music in this compound. Not sure what it was plugged into. Maybe a battery.
Here was a little shop in the village behind the market place.
I also took a walk out into the bush. I’ve never seen it so green here. The undergrowth is thick. The ground was wet. I enjoyed the sounds of the bugs and cicadas and the majesty of these grand trees.
This morning as we arrived in Diatoula, the small market place was full and busy. The women were under their thatch-covered stalls at their tables selling their goods. I was so excited to mingle with them and see what they were doing and selling. As I visited with them they quickly welcomed me and enjoyed showing me their world. These women speak Bambara, so my French wasn’t very helpful, but that didn’t stop us from becoming friends.
This market is a fascinating visual feast that gives us a look at day to day life in a Malian village. As you look at what is sold here, you will see the ingredients that go into their cooking pots, the snacks they feed their kids, the things they use to clean their cooking utensils, and even what they use for body grooming and health care. I love learning about my Malian sisters and how they get along in places that are difficult. They make do and they are happy women. I have great respect and admiration for them.
Come with me now on a walk through this marketplace.
This first lady was peeling yams with a large knife. Then she cut them into wedges and fried them in hot oil on the little cooking stove at her feet. She sold 5 or 6 of these slices wrapped in a piece of paper, or put into a piece of baguette.
I loved watching families working together at their little enterprises. Someone always needs to fan the fire.
You’ll notice how the women here work close to the ground. They sit on low stools or at low tables or they simply spread their goods on the ground. It’s more mobile that way. Most women sell what they can carry in a headpan unless they have help.
This lady was cutting greens and selling ingredients for soups or sauces.
These greens are grown in nearby gardens, fenced to keep the animals out.
This man came on his bike with a cooler strapped on the back. He was selling fish that had been frozen.
I found it interesting that most of the quantities of food items were enough for making one meal. Without electricity or refrigeration in most of their mudbrick homes, food is prepared every day for that day.
These items include dried herbs and spices, pasta, bullion, dried fish, red pepper and salt.
They also had large cans of tomato paste they dipped out of and sold in little sacks, enough for a pot of soup or fish stew.
Here are some grandmas selling dough balls.
These are some of the vegetables that go into the cooking pots: onions, yams, a variety of eggplant, red and green hot peppers, tomatoes, carrots, cabbage,squash, palm oil, and greens.
Here’s the fabric lady:
Here are some medications and things for what ails you.
This young boy was selling popsicles! He had a cooler on the back of his bike with a sack of little frozen bags of juice. The kids bite off a corner of the sack and suck on the cold sweet treat.
This lady had some beauty care products, including lotions, soaps and shampoo.
Here’s another little store with medicines and matches:
And another store in a basket:
These are some cleaning supplies. The round balls are homemade soap. The packets are laundry soap. The dark gold bar soaps are also used for laundry.
This woman is selling jewelry:
This pretty lady was also frying yams and making little doughballs.
Here’s another doughnut maker:
Faces of the market:
As we approached lunch time, these market women needed to go home to feed their own families and the market started to pack up. Within a 10 minutes or so, the market was empty. The women carried their goods home.
During the rest of the afternoon, I visited several of the women in their own compounds, watching them work to feed and provide for their families. It’s all hard hot work. These women are amazing.
Here is my friend, the matron at the maternity clinic. She was having her lunch–beans from her garden.
Eating mangoes!
These little boys had a pouch of USAID food, ready to eat. They shared with their friends, squeezing a little dab on each palm to lick off.
These boys were having some porridge:
This young girl was bringing a pan of ground corn home.
I loved visiting Diatoula today. My heart feels at home in places like this. I long for the day when we are all able to understand each other completely and share the desires of our hearts.
There is a faint glimmer of green appearing in the fields around us. We’ve had a few random days of rain, enough to water the land and give hope. The rain has also filled the roads, often making them impassable.
Today we went to Diatoula, driving some of these impassable roads. Most of the roads start out as donkey cart paths (there aren’t many cars who travel here). When there’s a pothole in the road, a detour is made, and then another and another, until some of these roads are as wide as can be, and still full of water and ruts we were forced to go through or around.
It’s exciting to see some green popping up around us. Today we saw people working in the fields, with plows pulled by cattle, women bending over the rows planting seeds.
My good friend, Djiba sent me these photos this week of the refugee camp just outside of Ouelessebougou where we’ve partnered with LDS Charities to drill 3 wells, one on each side of the camp (a few miles apart) and one in the host village where the refugees (internally displaced persons) were welcomed.
What a thrill it is to see these children pumping clean safe water! And what a blessing this will be for so many families. I am so grateful to be associated with people who care and people who help. This is the most beautiful thing ever.
Our Cote d’Ivoire Abidjan East and Bamako, Mali Mission 