Caleb's Cliff Jumpin' Experience

Fun in the Sun...in Oct, almost NOVEMBER!

Today, the team woke up early and headed off on an adventure. We travelled about an hour past Siby, on roads that only allowed one vehicle at a time, and that required a 4-wheel drive..talk about rough roads...you haven't been on one, until you hit these roads : ) Anyway, we arrived, and spent a couple of hours at the waterfalls, swimming, and such, and then headed off the the "Natural Bridge" and hiked up the mountain, and saw some breathe-taking views from the top. God's creation is truly amazing!

White Girl Robbed

Oh boy! Well folks, the countdown is on. I think it is to about 27 days until we are back in the United States. I really dont feel like I am ready to be back in the States, but I do know that God still has some work to do on me in the States, so I must come home. Although, I do believe that the Lord Willing, I will return to Mali someday to serve! I really do love the people, and have a second family here. So these last 2 weeks have been really busy! Last Saturday, Sarah and I got up early and headed to the bus station, to catch a bus to Bougouni for 2 days, but ended up riding with some people who were going half way, and met Joseph Camara, and went the rest of the way with him. We arrived in Bougouni Saturday night, and I watched Spider Man 2 with the family ;) and then on Sunday in the afternoon, several of the ladies got together and had a craft time with lots of the supplies that my mom sent( THANKS MOM!) and I worked with the children, while Sarah was with the women, and after I finished with the kids, I joined the women. I had about 25 kids under the age of 10, all to myself...quite interesting, but fun : ) On Monday, Sarah and I headed out to Koutiala, which takes 2 bus rides to get there, a total of about 6-7 hours. We arrived, and visited Scott and Tessa Angelo, fellow team members in Koutiala. On Tuesday, we got to go to the CMA hospital, and I got to weigh babies, and Sarah measured them. It was a very enjoyable day. Then, on Wednesday, I got up around 5:30am, and we arrived at the bus station to head back to Bamako around 6:15am. We got our tickets, and then waited for others to start to board the bus. Around 6:30am, people started to board, and as I was getting on, there was a man, who pushed his way inbetween Sarah and I, and was pushing me up into the bus. He acted like he wanted to sit next to me, but I gave him a disgusted look, and put my bags inthe seat, because that is where Sarah was going to sit. Well, he stepped into the seat behind me, and threw his coat over top of the chair. I pulled my bags out, and held them as Sarah sat down, and I saw him go off the bus...but I wasnt really thinking anything...but Sarah said I should check my purse, and I did...and to my surprise..he had stolen my wallet. Inside of my wallet, was a lot of my money, a photocopy of my passport, bank card, driver's license,and other cards. I ran off the bus, and went to the man who had helped me get the tickets, I knew him. I tried to speak to him in Bambara, saying that this man had stolen wallet, but he didnt understand, so I called Joseph Camara. He translated, and the search began. I knew that the guy had already run off, but wanted to report what had happened. So, they said that they were going to announce it on the radio, and phone the police. So, about an hour later, we left town. We were about 5 minutes outside of town, and the driver turned the bus around, and we went back through town, and stopped at the police station. By this time, all the Malians on the bus are talking about what had happened, and how this white girl lost a lot of money...news spreads quickly. At the police station, they made everyone get off the bus, and searched everyone, and patted them all down...I felt awful, because I knew that the guy had run off the bus. The police spoke to me in french, and got all of my information, and what exactly was stolen. So again, another hour went by. We left Koutiala 2 hours late that morning. We arrived in Sikasso, where we were supposed to catch another bus to Bougouni. It was a total God provision thing, because the bus was already leaving, but stopped and waited for us to arrive in Sikasso, thank you Lord. You are good! We hopped on and were off again. And the only reason we had any money to travel, was because the night before I took some money out of my wallet and put it in my coin purse, otherwise, we wouldn't have had any money. Again, another way the Lord provided! So, I had been up for about 7 hours, had only slept for about 5 hours that night, and we had been on a bus for approx. 4 hours, when the bus broke down in the middle of a town. Sarah and I had no idea where we were, and we just started laughing, to keep ourselves from crying : ) We all had to get off the bus, and there was a shop owner that gave us a bench to sit on, which was very nice. About an hour later, they had fixed the bus and we were off again. Sarah and I just laughed, thinking about how wonderfully the day was going...we couldnt imagine what was going to happen next : ) We finally arrived in Bougouni around 3:15pm, and met Joseph, who brought a suitcase that I had left to us at the station. We were tempted to stay overnight in Bougouni, but decided to press on and get home. So, we were off again. We made it safely, with no more adventures, to Bamako, around 6pm that night. So, we had a full 12hr. day of travelling on Wednesday. To give you a little idea of what these buses are like...well, there we were sitting next to one another, sweat dripping off every inch of our bodies, allowing our arms to stick to each other. Honk! In a high pitch scream-like noise, the horn on the bus alerts the oncoming oxen that the bus is not going to stop for them, even if they are crossing the road, the bus swurves to miss the cattle, and almost tips over. Dust which had settled on the floor of the bus, was now floating in the air, so as I took a breath, I inhaled a breath of dust and dirt. Let me just tell you that by the time Sarah and I arrived in Bamako, we decided to see who could take the longest shower ;) Oh, the adventures of just one day in Mali. But, I love it! We arrived home, and thanked God for providing, and getting us all the way home. We prayed for the man who stole my wallet, that the money would be a blessing, and that they would atleast find my wallet. We serve such a BIG God! The next morning, the Koutiala Police called, and said that they had found my wallet, no money, but everything else! I was so thankful! God is so good! He know exactly what He is doing! : ) So, Sarah and I decided that we are going to take a little break from bus travel...atleast for a little while.

Thursday and Friday I had my Bambara class, and then worked at the Tea House. Here I am today, a day off, and I am trying to catch up on some emails, blogging, etc...I think that the team is going to order pizza tonight...yummy! I made sugar cookies this afternoon: ) and for the first time ever, I made cinnamon rolls from scratch yesterday, all by myself:) and they turned out pretty good: ) Mali is making me into a new woman ;) It is funny how I had to come to Mali to learn how to really cook, but it has helped me alot...although, I still am learning how to cook Malian style, which is a just a little different...I mean, the only difference is that the stove is outside ; )

Anyway, I hope that all who are reading this are doing well. I know that I asked for prayer for some family friends not to long ago, and Joel Wentworth received a transplant, and is doing much better, his body accepted the liver, and he is doing well...long road ahead, but God is still using him. Keith Bartos passed away about a week ago, so please be praying for that family. They do have the hope and assurance that Keith is in Heaven, because Keith had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, but please just pray that God will give them strength everyday to keep relying on Him. I serve a BIG God, and I know that He is always there, and I am so thankful for that! I don't know what I would do without Him in my life! Thank you God for being in my life, and always being at my side!

Here I am with Managali. She is Joseph, Abel, and Kadiatou's mother. The grandmother of the Camara family! Quite a special lady : )

Craft time with the children. I was working with about 25 kids, under the age of 10, all by myself...doing some crafts that I have never done: ) quite interesting...but fun: )

Go Huskers!

Just a random picture of me. I am wearing a new outfit that I had made in Bougouni. This was taken right before I was heading to a wedding.
Scandelous, I know...here is a picture of my leg...if you look closely, you can see the white and then the red...I miss the Huskers so much, that I thought I would color my legs to show my support, even though I am in another country: ) Actually, today the team went swimming..I will post more pics later, and well, our legs(the girls) are always covered, but today at the pool, they werent...and so we all got burned...:) A little painful, but it was a nice, relaxing day at the poolside in October. : )

Some new pics

This is Courtney and I, back in August, before Courtney returned home to the U.S.A
This is Abel, with Rebecca(She is Bourama and Maya's baby girl...They pronounce her name like this-Air-Ray-Bay-Kah. She is a cutie! : )

Here I am painting Tanti's and Kyria's fingernails and toenails.

Oh the fun we have : )

Here I am getting my hair done with Maya. My faithful fans sitting around me : )

"When God puts You on hold"

Here is a copy of a devotion, from a K-Love book, that I read the other day, that describes my life at the moment : )

"A well-known Bible teacher tells of a pilot friend who received word from the control tower saying, "You're cleared for 5,000 feet." When he got there he had to hold for further instructions. Next came the words, "You're cleared for 10,000 feet." Gradually the controller took him level by level to 35,000 feet where he was cleared to fly to his destination. God spoke to this Bible teacher and said, "I wish you would trust me like that. Instead you want to go straight to 35,000 feet in one thrust!" Try to understand this: God sees the end from the beginning and He has already mapped out your journey. He knows that if you rise too quickly there are dangers. You may be in the cockpit, but God's in the control tower. And His Word to you today is: "Trust me and I'll get you safely to your destination." God's plan for your life can't be rushed. When you try to move to quickly you end up in a tug-of-war with Him. And you lose every time!

Before God could trust David to lead the nation He first had to see how he'd handle his father's flock. It was here David built a relationship with God and developed the qualities that would sustain him through the tough times ahead when he was king. God will let you practice in a place where your weaknesses can be worked on, your gifts developed, and where your mistakes won't affect too many others. That's because He cares for them too! If God has put you on hold today, it's because He loves you and wants only what's best for you."

**If you are in the same boat, just remember that God only wants what is best for us: ) We just have to trust Him! : )

Oh so busy!

This is Tasha, Sarah, and I with our friend Ramata. She can speak English, I met her at a conference that we went to. We are at the Broadway Cafe. A fun, little American style restaurant. Papou, Kyria, and I playing with Papou's new helicopter! I just love these kids!

Family and Friends,

Oh boy, it has been forever since I have written! SO many things have been happening, and God has been changing, molding, and shaping my heart. He has been teaching me so many things, the main thing has been to trust Him, and to trust Him in ALL things! He is so good, and I am so thankful that God is in my life, trying to imagine what my life would look like without God in it, would be hard. He is just so good. Even when things seem unfair, or challenging, He is constantly reminding me that He is here with me, and wants the best for me! Mali has been amazing, God has shown me so many things while I have been here. I love the people, I love teaching English. Tasha and I taught English three times a week during September, and decided to continue on teaching throughout October. We are teaching on Mondays and Wednesdays. Then, on Tuesdays and Thursday, I have Bambara lessons, with a private tutor. She does not speak English well, so she is really helping me learn both French and Bambara at the same time : ) The team also opened an American Tea House this last week. It is a way for Malians to come and practice their English. They come and have a cup of coffee or tea, and sit around and have conversations in English, God seems to be opening many doors. Many people here in Mali are Muslims, despite that, they are usually quite open to hear about Jesus Christ, so please be praying for open doors, and that the team will have open hearts to minister to all those who come. I am no longer going to Bougouni every weekend. The team came to me, and said that they felt that it is unfair for me to be in both places, they either want me to put all of my heart into things here in Bamako, or all into things in Bougouni, but not split. I didnt really know what to think, I told them that I would have to pray about it. That night, God gave me a peace about everything. Even though, I would rather be in Bougouni, because of all of the relationships that I have built there, God gave me a peace in my heart that I would be back in Mali one day to minister to the people here, but that I wouldnt ever have the opportunity to minister to those on my team, that I have now. I will still go and visit for a day or two in a couple of weeks, but I will not be going every weekend. It hurts my heart to not be able to see the Camara family and the women from the church, but I am just praying that God will continue to bless them all, and attend to their needs, and strengthen their faith. I know that I can still continue on my ministry there, even if my prescence is not there, and I can do that through prayer! So, I have begun to pray for the women everyday, just that God will draw them all closer to Him. God is so good! I love the Lord! Even when things are hard, He says to consider it pure joy, because He is still with us, and He is going to help us develop perserverance, and will give us wisdom, if we ask it of Him. (James 1:2-5) Right now, I have several family friends going through some really hard times, some going through losing loved ones, and illnesses, and I am constantly reminded that God is faithful. Even when things seem unfair, and we do not understand why things are happening the way they are, God is still there, and He is in control. He wants ONLY the best for those of us who have a relationship with Him, He wants to hold us close, have us solely rely on Him. So, I pray that those of you reading this blog, if you are struggling with losing a loved one, sufferring from an illness, or maybe life is just plain rough now, I challenge to draw near to Christ, stand on His promises. He is always there! Always! If you have never experienced His joy, because maybe you have never decided to have a personal relationship with Christ, I pray that you will seek Him. He wants to be in a relationship with you. The Bible says that, "For God so loved the World, that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him, shall NOT perish, but have eternal life." John 3:16. The Bible also says, that God sent His Son to die for our sins, and that He was buried, and that on the third day, He rose again. Which means, that if you believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins( because the Bible says that "For ALL have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God") So, if you believe that Jesus died for your sins, and then confess those sins to Him, and ask Him to be in control of your life, you give everything up to Him, He will come into your life and change everything! He will give you a peace and a joy that you cannot experience otherwise. He doesn't promise that all of life will be easy, just because you have Him in your life, but He promises that He will ALWAYS be with you! If you are reading this, and havent ever made a decision to have a personal relationship with Christ, please ask me about it, I would love to tell you more about how richly God has blessed my life, because of my relationship with Him. He is so good!

Well, tomorrow I will be getting up early to make cookies for the Camara family, because Joseph is coming to Bamako for a meeting, so I said that I would send some goodies home with him. After I bake, I will then be heading off to teach English, and then head to the Tea House in the afternoon....busy day:) I am looking forward to Saturday, I can sleep in, and maybe relax...; ) It is a nice thought anyway...we will see! Anyway, thank you for praying! I hope you enjoy seeing some new pictures below!