Womens Conference (Part 1)

Here's Part One of the report on the Women's Conference in Sikasso that two of our churches helped to support.
There were 24 women from the Pain de Vie (Bread of Life) Kadiolo and village churches that were totally sponsored by our gifts. They travelled to Sikasso with another five women from the CMA church in town, along with 2 women who went beforehand to help set-up. So, there was a total of 31 Kadiolo women represented at this year's conference, out of around 160 attendees. This was one of the larger conferences they've had, and the most women in the last several years. I'm sure our surge from Kadiolo helped to boost the numbers and also the enthusiasm of the women and organizers.



They gathered last Monday afternoon at the church and boarded their chartered bus, with many of their husbands and children cheering them on (there were a few tears, too). The men laughed about who would loose the most weight during the coming week. Something similar was said during the prayer request time at church on Sunday morning, so we invited all the husbands and kids left behind to come to our house for Friday supper (more on that later).




Because we had out-of-town guests until Tuesday, and a 2-week trip to Bamako starting the following Sunday, I couldn't go for all of the conference. But Wednesday, Tom and I and Pastor Youssouf went over for the day and got in on two of the sessions. We also ended up taking out houselady, Aminata, to the Dentist to get two teeth pulled out so she could stay at the conference. She was swollen and miserable when we arrived, and feeling worse from the extractions when we left, but there was no way she was leaving her first conference! I gave her our telephone numbers and some change in case she needed us to come and get her in the next day or two if she was too miserable to enjoy the event.

All the women wore their Kadiolo tee-shirts we had printed on Wednesday, including me, and they wore them for their evening session when they were scheduled to lead the singing part of the service.




We got a call from Aminata on Thursday and again on Friday saying she was doing much, much better and would come home with the rest of the women next Monday. She said they were having a wonderful time.

Meanwhile, Friday evening we fed 60 men and kids a supper of Riz Gras (sort of like Spanish Rice with meat), salad, bread, and cake. We borrowed plates and cups and a huge pot from the camp, and with the help of Lazarre (who wants to open a restaurant) and a couple of the single working women who didn't go to the conference, we pulled it off beautifully.



During the week, we noticed more of the church kids coming to our house to play, while their mamas were gone. Also, those single women left behind said that it was a difficult week dealing with the kids in the evenings after they'd already had a full day's work. Poor Freddy laughed about how the his watchband was loose around his wrist now (maybe he'll win the award for the most lost weight!). But overall, everyone was pleased that the women got to go.

We are now in Bamako awaiting Pastor Youssouf's report from the women's return today (Monday), so when we receive that and translate it, along with his photos, we'll post Part Two of this report.
The women's version of how it all went... :-)