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!
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