Fix it Evangelism.

Fix it Evangelism.
Here I am working with our neighbor, Bamba.He is helping us plant two mango trees, andI am welding/drilling on his donkey cart to put it into better shape.Sometimes what we say with our hands and feet is more easily heard than what we can say with our words. Bamba has become a good friend.He is over to say good morning, and good nightevery day. If he has new fruit or something to share with us, he shares. If I have a way I can help him,I try to help as well.Pray for him, and his 3 wives, and children,that God would call them to Himself, and they wouldknow Jesus...





To know Jesus is to know peace.
This became glaringly clear to us in a new way this week.Another guy named Bamba. We had asked for prayer for him,back in Nov 05. He came to us with a swollen, infected hand.He trembled as he explained to us how it was too painful to sleep.He looked like he hadn't slept in days.This week he came by again. He looked worse. He looked like ithad been months since he has had a good sleep. His hand looksbetter, but his body is emaciated, and he looks sick.He asked us for food. He began to tell us about his sickness,a bizarre story.
He went to the gold rush town. He was in the brush nearby, and a demon (His words) met him, and threw him on the ground. It would not let him up for a long time, then it brought him toa sitting position. It told him that it would make him suffer, but that it would give him a lot of money in return. Bamba explained thatthis is how his hand got sick in the first place, that the demongave him this sickness to make him suffer. He explained that nottoo long after that he found a gold nugget that was worth $60. (Almost two months salary.) He then told me he was not sure if the voice/person was a demon or of God. I said to him, "I know."I said God will not ask you to suffer for mere money. Money is a temporal thing, God is concerned with eternal things. If Godasks you to suffer, it is so your attention will be gained, soyou seek Him. I said that a demon will lie, cheat steal, do anythingin order you give allegiance to him. I said that the demon will nothonor his promise. I also asked "who is the real chief of this world?"He said God. I said, "then does the demon have the right to give you anythingthat God would not?" I said that he should be careful, and leave the demon aside.He should go to our Pastor Youssouf, and that Youssouf wouldhelp him know Jesus, know God. He should give his heart to God, andGod, whether he healed the sickness or not, would have a place for himeternally.
It soon became evident that Bamba is too worried that he might missout on the money the demon promised him to change his path. You should see this man, he literally will be on the streets, a crazy man unable to care for himself in a few months. He is really far ona destructive path. But this lust/craving for more temporal things isdriving him to follow this demon. Wow!
Bamba left me after that conversation, and talked to Pastor Youssouf,but he told Youssouf that I said to give him money. He ignored the whole part about leaving demons, and following Christ. Youssouf talked to me, anddid not give any money. (We had given him rice, and condiments to make a meal.)Youssouf and I were both amazed at his depth of self-deception.
Pray for Bamba the painter. He needs to experience the freedom and peaceof Christ in his life. I don't know if he will change before it is too late,but I pray to that end...

Sunday we visited the church in Fourou again. It is such a joy to see these believers. This is the group who began to meet in faith, before theyunderstood the gospel. They forsook their old ways, and began to meet with a bible in a foreign language to them, and a hymnbook in a language they understood. God rewarded their action in faith, and sent them Tom & LauraRequadt. Now they are learning the true word of God, members have been baptized,and new ones have been added.


What a contrast to Bamba the painter's story!!
Thanks for stopping byTom & Lisa Seward

Aug News & Notes

Hello everyone.

Hilary has completed her first week at boarding school, and is doing great! We are really proud of her. Apparantly, class scheduling was a bit rough, but finallyall of that got worked out. She is a freshman, but was able to place into french 4, a senior level class, because of the time spent in Quebec.(and because of her good work there in school!)

The boys are doing well. They've made a lot of friends, and their homeschool will be starting soon. We've been busy with getting the house ready, and it is mostly there.(It is not so easy without Menards, Lowes, and Home Depot!)
Here is Caleb with a few friends again...

Ibrahima, who has been a student in our study room, and a good friend, will leave soon.He goes south to Bouake to see his family, then he will go to Bamako for University.He's a bright young man, and is searching spiritually. He has accepted a Bible, andhas made a lot of progress throughout this year as we've had many converstations.He also had good talks with Lisa, Danielle, and Joannie throughout the year.We pray and covet for his salvation.

Speaking of salvation. A young man who has been here this summer for his summer vacation,made contact with Pastor Youssouf, and yesterday accepted Christ! He, too has passed his high school, and will be going up to Bamako for university. He came to church today, and was presented as a new believer. We pray for his continued spiritual growth.His name is Sedou Coulibaly. I didn't get a picture as I didn't want to be pushy.

Another bit of news, I got my Mali drivers license! It took a lot of visiting offices, and being turned away, and having to come back again,but finally I was able to get it taken care of!Thanks for praying, it is a big weight off our shoulders to have it finished!

As for the near future, we're looking forward to Ernie and Jan Eadleman coming back soon!It will be a joy to work with them again.Also, school will start up end of September, and the study room will be back in "fishing"mode... :-)

Thank you for praying for us, and for your interest in the ministry here...
Tom & Lisa Seward

Hilary's last Sunday in Kadiolo.

Hilary's last Sunday in Kadiolo.

Yes, this is the week that we've sent Hilary to Dakar for school.
This last Sunday I drove Hilary and Lisa to Bamako, where they caught a flight Tuesday.
Lisa will be in Bamako with Hilary until the 16th.
That left me to drive back down to Kadiolo with Ben & Caleb. Lisa will come down on the bus when she gets back to Bamako.



Pray for Hilary as this next few weeks will be difficult for her.
She's in a girls dorm with 11 other girls.
She is the only Freshman in her dorm, but not the only one at the school.
There are 5 Sophomores, 1 Junior, and 5 Seniors in her dorm.
She will be making a transition to dorm life, to regular school life after homeschool the last 2 years, She will be making new friends, and re-making acquaintences...

Pray for us, Dakar is a long way from Kadiolo. And while we are very proud of Hilary, and in many ways we know
she is well capable for this transitional task ahead of her, we worry like parents do. :-)

Ben & Caleb will be doing homeschool here in Kadiolo with Lisa. Caleb is starting 1st grade. He is ready to learn to read.
He spends a lot of time writing names of his friends everywhere we've been. Like Josiah, Mike, Eliakim, Gabriel, Lydia, Russell.
God has been so good to our kids over the years with the friends He's provided for them...

Ben will be doing well at his studies, too. He enjoys each Bamako trip because he has some good friends there. This last trip he was able to

spend an overnight with Keenan, two big grinning faces.


Drivers Licence.

I was able to get all the papers I need for my drivers license. So I'll go in next week. (They only do testing once a week in Sikasso.)
Hopefully, all my papers will be accepted, and I will leave with a Mali license. That would be great.

Internet.
I'm sorry about being slow on this blog update. I will be slow for the next 2 weeks, I think. I had to leave my laptop in Bamako for a reinstall of
Windows. I didn't want to try it myself, its had battery problems, and I was worried that the battery would quit mid-install. That would be catastrphic!
So we're praying that the computer comes back in good shape, and is ready to work again. So until it does come back I'm stuck at a very slow cyber cafe to do my uploads. (I'm not complaining too loudly,
because at least a cyber cafe is available. 2 years ago, it would have only been a dream to have a cyber in Kadiolo!)

Thanks for stopping by, and God Bless,
Tom