As we cleaned the church, I heard so much laughter coming from the street below. I looked out over the upstairs balcony and enjoyed watching these boys having some acrobatic contests! They drew lines in the dirt to see who could walk the farthest on their hands. So fun!
After a morning of basketball we took a taxi to go help clean the church for our visitors tomorrow. We were hot and tired before we even started. Pres Sekou was there, working hard. He wanted the entire building clean for our guests. It’s a lot of work to clean the ground floor, which we do each week. It’s double the work to clean upstairs too. We worked hard for about 3 hours, removing the dirt and dust from the last week so we could mop all the floors and make the shine.
Aaron asked me how I got chocolate on my teeth. Chocolate?? It’s dirt!
We also scrubbed the courtyard. We were exhausted and hot. The water felt good. When I think that no one coming will have any idea how hard we work to make this place clean and proper for them, I remember that Heavenly Father sees what happens and we are doing this to honor Him. No one works harder than our fearless leader, Sekou. Today we also had fantastic help from Ibrahima, Mbaya and the Elders.
During the last several years, Mike’s group has been cheering on a local basketball club here in Bamako. Several young boys have been recruited from here to play in Utah as they prepare to play collegiate ball. Some very good relationships have been formed.
This morning Mike and a few others came early to the school where they play to install some more exercise equipment for the boys here. They held a skills camp and then we had a game with a team of our boys playing a team of their boys (who are 15-18 years old). Several of the boys on our team played high school ball. It was a fun morning and we had a tent filled with spectators cheering the boys on.
Before the game started, the girls swept the court off. One of these girls played at Purdue for 4 years!
The game was very close and exciting. In the end, the white boys pulled off the win, but just barely.
I need to say something here about Ramadan. The temps today were high–way over 100 degrees. All of these local boys were observing Ramadan and fasting, that means NO WATER before, during, or after the game. Our boys were dying of heat and exhaustion and needed hydration all morning long. The local boys are tough and strong. I don’t know how they do it. But they do. I honor and respect their skills and perseverance.
I also need to mention that last night we had real RAIN. Our first rainstorm here in Bamako! It was loud enough to wake me up. I thought our air conditioner was broken and leaking, but it was the rain outside pounding against our windows. Oh happy day, cooler and wet days are coming. But not soon. We still have a month or more of very hot weather ahead.
On our way back to Bamako this evening our last stop was at Mike’s orange grove. He and a few friends from home invested in this small farm and are trying to make a go of it. He needed to check on a few things and there are some trees that need to be planted, but everyone was too tired and it was too late, so we just took a look around.
There are some workers who live here on the property and look after things. The orange trees are fed by water from a drip line that runs from the pump and tank. The trees are thirsty and everything feels hot and tired here. Mike is hoping for a good crop.
There are a few banana and mango trees here too.
Most of the trees that grow out in the bush around the villages are shea trees. Shea nuts are harvested later in the year and processed to make shea butter. Now is not the season for that, but the nuts are on the trees and in a few months they will fall and the women and children will gather them up, then roast them over fires, then crack and shell them, then pound and cook them into shea butter.
Here’s what they look like now.
You can see more about how shea butter is made in this post:
https://atomic-temporary-165396489.wpcomstaging.com/2019/12/31/making-shea-butter-in-bassa/
Our Muslim friends pray 5 times a day. During Ramadan, prayers seem to be especially important, especially on Fridays.
Here’s a look inside this village mosque. The men use the front of the building, the women use the back. They are separated by a curtain. You must take your shoes off before entering and women must have their heads covered. It’s cool inside and it’s quiet, reverent. I love being among these religious friends who turn their thoughts toward God as I also try to.
Today we visited the village of Moussadiebougou, one of our Ouelessebougou Alliance villages. We’ve been doing work with these friends for more than 30 years. They were ready and waiting when we arrived. Having these relationships makes all the difference in the world. These villagers were happy to participate and help with the work. Before we came, they had all the trenches dug and the pipes to the far away garden buried. It was amazing. We were among friends here and they welcomed us warmly.
We arrived before the group coming from Semana, so I took a wander around the village. It’s been awhile since I’ve been here. I love visiting with the people and watching how they do things.
This is a smaller village of about 300 people and they have great leadership. They have a health committee and an education committee. Their young men were excited to learn about the water filtration project that will be a huge blessing.
The weather here in Mali is so hot right now. And everyone is fasting because of Ramadan, so that means No Drinking or Eating during the daylight hours. It’s amazing to see the faith these friends have and how diligent they are in their devotion to Allah.
Here are the village leaders as we waited for the rest of our group to arrive.
There is a charcoal farm in this village. It’s fascinating to see how they make the coal for their cooking fires. This young man was bringing a load of wood in from the bush.
Branches of uniform sizes are also cut and gathered.
The wood is sorted by size so it will burn uniformly.
Then the piles are covered with dirt and the wood is set on fire inside so it will burn slowly and smolder. You can see the smoke coming out of the air holes in the sides or top.
When it reaches the right temperature and has burned enough to turn to coal, the piles are opened and the charcoal is cooled so it can be bagged.
Then it’s ready for use.
These clay ovens are for roasting shea nuts.
The villagers were making their way to the village center where we were gathering.
A fine collection of pestles for the motars.
I met this nice woman who was taking a break from her sewing business. My kind of friend. I told her I also sew.
And I said hello to this boy who was having some lunch. The children don’t fast during Ramadan.
The waste water from the compound bathroom goes out of the compound.
Mangoes are hanging and ripening in the trees.
The group has arrived from Semana! They were hot and thirsty. We brought some cool drinks for them.
The children and the village leaders welcomed everyone.
Some wanted COVID vaccinations.
The engineering team went to work on the water filtration system.
And others went to work in the garden, preparing for the drip lines.
Here’s the tank with the solar panel and the bore hole.
This is the water line that was run to the garden.
Our Ouelessebougou staff came along today to oversee things. This is Teningnini and her husband. They both received vaccinations.
Today was Friday mosque day, so at 1:00 everyone went to pray here or at the big mosque in Ouelessebougou.
Curious onlookers.
The garden had this well. We kept dipping into it to dump water on our heads to stay cool.
Once the rows were dug and the driplines were buried, the women selected the seeds they wanted and decided which would go in which row.
Planting begins!
Today was a great day. It’s good to be here. It’s good to help. It’s good to make a difference in sustainable ways.
We had a couple of hours this morning in Ouelessebougou while the rest of the group finished up at Semana. We were happy about that because Friday is market day in Ouelessebougou and we were happy to take Aaron to the market to see what real life is like here where so many of our friends live. When you go to these local markets, you get to see what things are used in day to day life. I think it’s fascinating and an exciting place to visit.
These photos are just in the order I took them as we walked through the market areas. The sellers usually have the same stalls each week and after a while you get used to who is where selling what.
These first few photos are as we walked along the main paved road to the market area.
Weighing bags of corn or millet.
Three motorcycles up on top. How did they get there??
Fried dough balls. They smell so good!
Boys with carts help unload the trucks on the main road and take goods into the market for selling.
This is the fruit from a Baobab tree.
These are the little stools everyone sits on.
Garden seeds for sale.
Dried fish or shrimpy things.
Dah, millet, corn, fonio, beans, and things used in cooking.
Dah is a Malian ingredient used to flavor sauces. The leaves are cut, dried in the sun, pounded, sieved and then used in cooking. It’s full of nutrients. They also use this grain of Dah plant.
A wheelbarrow full of soap balls.
More soap used for doing laundry.
Deep fried fish.
Meat for sale. The big carcasses are hanging in shops out on the main road.
These are calabash bowls. Aaron bought one for $1.00.
These are thermos carriers for food, made to look a bit like baskets.
This round pot is a traditional jar for water storage. The pottery keeps the water cold. Many of these are made in the village called Bassa.
These are for sifting food, made from tin cans and screens.
A fabric shop!
Plastic containers for laundry and carrying water.
These cooking pots have numbers on them that tell you how much cooked rice it will hold.
I brought African spoons like these home from when I lived in Nigeria many years ago. They are our family favorites. Aaron wouldn’t leave without buying a couple for gifts.
They make the best fans here!
Serving dishes.
A shop in a wheelbarrow!
These fancy wire baskets are where the women put the dishes and cooking utensils after they are washed, like a drying rack.
The brown tubs are used for laundry with the washboards.
These are dates, eaten especially during Ramadan.
That was a fun outing! A feast for our eyes!!
We were up before the crack of dawn to load the bus with supplies and aid this group brought to distribute in Semana. There were 20 in the group, including a few adults. Most are students from Utah.
Semana was about a 3 hour drive south from Bamako, much of it off-road and on donkey cart paths. We had to unload once while the bus navigated a bad dip in the road.
We drove through areas of plowed fields harvested last year. The farmers are waiting now for rain before planting season begins anew.
This is a Baobab Tree, one of the most stately trees of Africa.
When we finally arrived in Semana, the villagers turned out to greet us with song and dance.
Greeting the village elders.
The village welcomes the group.
Villagers arriving to join the excitement.
Unloading the totes and supplies at the school.
This group was here to install a water filtration system. In the last week or two, a contractor drilled a borehole and constructed this water tank here in Semana. We came to finish the job. Solar panels on top provide the power to a pump in the borehole (well). Taps were installed to feed the water to the school latrines and a school garden.
The engineers in the group, including Aaron went to work assembling the filtration system to purify the water.
Other worked on the drip lines for the garden.
While that was happening, some of the kids did eye tests and screenings. Eye doctors will be coming over in a few months.
Here are some of the beautiful faces of the school kids. They are the future of Mali.
Washing the blackboard with a wet sponge.
Oh, these eyes!
This afternoon Rose taught about 100 women and girls about Days for Girls. They were thrilled and excited to get kits that will help them manage their periods each month and stay in school.
These kits are The Best Gifts Ever.
Late this afternoon, John, Aaron and I left Semana and drove back to Ouelessebougou, about an hour or more away. We spent the night there in the Ouelessebougou Alliance compound, our home away from home. Aaron is the last of our family members to spend time there.
The rest of the group brought foam pads and slept in and around the school in Semana this evening after a long hot day of work. They were exhausted and still a bit jet-lagged.
We have been looking forward to this week for a long time. Our son arrived this evening with a group of 20 humanitarian-minded friends who have come to Mali to offer some relief in 3 different villages here. This group is led by our Orem neighbor, Mike Clayton, who has created an NGO that focuses on water projects, among other things. We are thrilled that Aaron was able to join them.
It was also great to see some old friends again. This is Ousmane, the driver. We’ve known him for maybe 15 years!
A happy reunion!
Mike Clayton, Aaron and John:
This group of 20 brought over more than 60 totes of supplies and aid.
They also brought over 100 COVID-19 vaccinations to share with friends and villagers here.
Some of the projects they’ll be doing this next week include eye screenings for the ophthalmology expedition coming later in the year and ear exams which included flushing and cleaning children’s ears.
Aaron will be staying with us this next week and we will all join this expedition group each day. This is going to be fun. Aaron brought his Dad a few treats, including a box of Sees Candies for his birthday last week! We’re all trying to fatten him back up!
Our Cote d’Ivoire Abidjan East and Bamako, Mali Mission 