Lisa again. Update

Hi. Everything I wrote yesterday is true. However, the doctor just told us that the blood test results came back yesterday, and that they immediately started treatment for Amoebas. This explains stomach upset and fever that wasn't going away with anti biotics. (Anti biotics work great on Bronchial infections, but don't kill amoebas so well.) If this is indeed the solution, the doc said she could become out patient on two conditions: 1. She can eat without being sick. 2. The fever is stable without IV meds. So to me this is good news. They'be been pinpointing her symptoms, and now this seems to have a good answer for all of them.

Can you imagine how sick she was? Malaria, bronchial infection turned to pneumonia, and Amoebic dyssentry. No wonder she got dehydrated so quickly, and no wonder it has been difficult to treat the many symptoms that all those sicknesses bring! Wow.

All is not done yet, but we seem to be on a good tack, now.
Praise the Lord!
Tom & Lisa

PS: Wanna come visit? We'd love to show you some great ways to get sick in Mali.
No, seriously, I'll restate that we have experienced such a healthy time this last 2.5 years in Mali. We've been a lot healthier than when we were in the Ivory Coast.
This sick spell has been tough for Lisa, but overall we've been healthier. All of us.

Thanks for stopping by! You have encouraged us so so much!
Tom & Lisa Seward

The more complete story of Lisa's recent bout with malaria

Hi. We've had an interesting last two weeks. Lisa was sick. We treated her for malaria. She took her 5 day treatment, but still feverish, weak. So called the doctor in Kadiolo. He listened to her airways, and said she had a bronchial infection, so prescribed her antibiotic. Her passageways cleared over a 4 day treatment... But fever still persisted. By this time Lisa is getting dehydrated. So doc put her on IVs and added another anti malaria treatment in case the first one didn't get it all. Lisa weakens, had a bad night. We called the doc in the morning, and he said to evacuate to Bamako where there is better lab access. So our colleague, Tom Requadt drove us all to Bamako. We had to be ready in case we needed to leave Mali for treatment.
Lisa was admitted to the hospital. Clinique Louis Pasteur. This place really has taken good care of Lisa. They gave her an injection series against malaria because her fever was still spiking. They declared that her airways were clear. And they began an agressive IV treatment to rehydrate her. So it is now Thursday. Malaria treatment is done. They've discovered water in her lungs, probably the source of this fever... So while her airways are clear, her lungs were drowning a bit... So she has a new anti biotic treatment going, and hopefully, she'll be good as new. It does not look like we will have to be evacuated from Mali, thankfully.

Here is a pic from Lisa from a few months ago.

As you can imagine, I couldn't get a good pic this week.

She was too sick to shoot. :-)

We really felt an outpouring of love and prayers from so many of you this past week. Email, facebook and skype really helped us feel closer to all of you. And the mission community here in Bamako really reached out to us. Wycliffe missionaries invited Ben and Caleb to take part of their conference kids' program this week. And when there was no more guest house room in Bamako, a GMU/Avant couple opened their home to us. We thank the Lord for all of you.
Sometimes circumstances need to beyond your control to enable you to stop, and accept love and care from others.... Phone calls and text messages from christians in Kadiolo have not stopped.

Also, this week is womens' conference. They started on Monday. Lisa was supposed to go with Emily. Emily did go, and we had 42 women who went. This is the women's ministry high light of the year. Pray that these women learn from camp. There will be many sessions. Many of these ladies can now follow along in their Bibles in the sessions.
Here is a pic from last year when Lisa & the kids made necklaces for their moms...


Thanks for praying and for stopping by. We really felt your prayers this week.
God Bless
Tom

Prison!

Prisoners eagerly enjoying the film.

The man in the foreground (right) is the one interested in meeting regularly.

Me, changing the vcd to the 2nd disc of the film.

Greeting/talking a bit between.

Hi. This week I accepted an opportunity that I had never taken advantage of before. I was asked by the team to help project a film in prison here in Kadiolo. Our church has been involved in prison ministry here for a long time, but this was my first time to go.

You need to understand. Prison in Mali is not like prison in America. No tv, No Ac, no towels, no uniforms, food once a day, if you want more, your family has to bring it to you.
Very very rustic meager conditions, okay?

So we arrived at the prison. I'm told we are going to have a meeting room to show this film in.
NOPE. They opened the door to the prisoner's courtyard. There were about 60 men in there. 5 bedroom/cells. 4 toilet/shower rooms. And the courtyard was about 8 yards by 20 yards.
These men are here on 2,3,5,10 year stretches.... Wow. And the guard opened the door to this courtyard, and let us in. We went in, set up our equipment, and he locked us in!

So we began to speak with the men. They were so so so respectful. And so thankful to have visitors, even in the name of Jesus. They loved our film. It was amazing. It was not like a prison film where they shout obscenities. One of our team was Lydie, a young woman. She was locked in with us, too. (That may not have been wise...) But nobody spoke out of place to her, and no one approached her in any way. I was amazed, and pleased that we didn't have to deal with that kind of problem.

We showed the film, in french. I'd say about 80% of the prisoners raised their hand saying they understood french. It is the story of a man who sells his soul to a witchdoctor for money, but then finds Jesus, and defies the witchdoctor. Powerful film if you're plagued by witchdoctors.
They thoroughly enjoyed the film, and marvelled at the heros' courage to defy the witchdoctor. And then he didn't even die! Jesus must be truly powerful.

That was quite the experience for me. I'm praying about doing more prison ministry.
One man approached me afterwards, and said before he was in prison, he was not a believer, but now he is catholic, and a believer. He was dissappointed the priest did not visit. Our visit was such an encouragement to him. I'd like to visit him more... and see where the contact leads.

God does surprise us constantly doesn't He? I thought/imagined what the prison would be like and in some ways it was worse, in the important ways it was better.
I can't help feeling moved by the openness I saw in those men. How many free men are closed to the gospel? And these men were eager to meet a believer and hear.... wow.

Thanks for stopping by, and hearing our thoughts. :-)
Tom & Lisa

Headlights in the dark

Headlights in the dark? Why?

So here is a story from the other day. As you know we ride the bus often. But usually we pick each other up in Sikasso because it can be a huge pain to travel the 1.5 hrs from Sikasso to Kadiolo by bus.They don't go direct, and often this short leg can be 3-4 hrs.

So the other day Amy (one of the girls who works with One Story in a nearby village.) was coming down from Bamako. Our car needed a new battery, so we weren't able to go pick her up in Sikasso.She took the bus Bamako-Sikasso without much trouble at all.

But had to wait in Sikasso a while, then they left for Kadiolo. She found out that the bus wasn't coming to Kadiolo. Even though her ticket said TO KADIOLO right on it. So they wanted to leave her and the rest of the passengers in Zegua. (Zegua is about 6 miles from Kadiolo.)

So she got her backpack, and arranged with a couple of other Kadiolo passengers to take a taxi bus over to Kadiolo. "When are you leaving?" She asked. "Right away" they reply. 2 hrs later,not leaving yet, 3 hrs later, not leaving yet.

She calls me, what to do. It is night time by now. So I asked Pastor Youssouf if a moto-taxi might be safe.He said "why not??" So we told her to negotiate with a moto-taxi. (A moto taxi is a motorbike you can pay to take you somewhere.)So she called back, and said, ok, we're leaving now... It was about 10 pm. Very dark, etc.

I was uncomfortable with her travelling alone with a moto taxi guy in the dark. So I got on my motor bike, and went down the dark road to meet them. I got about half way, and I saw a motorbike coming in the distance. Not them. Then another, and Yes it was her with her driver. But his motorbikes' light was almost out. Very dim. So I rode alongside until we got back into town so he could actually see the road. I was glad that she was ok, and we paid the moto-taxi guy generously for travelling so well with her. (We paid him double what he asked....)

So the story ends well, Amy went to bed in her own house and was able to get a good nights rest, we had her over for lunch the next day and got her full report on Mali travel. :-)Fun....
The above pic is what it looked like on my motorbike that night....

Here is a pic from Christmas of Lisa and I.

We're wearing the Christmas fabric that one of the other missins had made this year.


Thanks for stopping by, Tom & Lisa

Computer Class

Look at the pretty ladies!

The women were so excited to find out we have a church who wants to help them do womens' camp this year. Of all our years out here, this one is maybe the most difficult one financially for a lot of them. We spoke to several who would not be going without our help. (And even with the help, may not be able to afford the required $4 co-payment.) So some of them will have to receive extra help. But we're going to be able to help as many as 40 go this year. So that is very exciting. So ladies from our church, our village churches, as well as our "sister" church in town will all be able to go.. Thanks to a Las Vegas church who were interested in helping women's ministries.

Computer Class

This is another satelite ministry going on. A local business school hooked up with Ernie to do computer training. So we have their class, about 60+ kids, come to the church to be taught windows and word and excel basics on a projected screen. It does seem like an inefficient way for them to learn, but without the projector, they have to look at 1 monitor.... Hopefully many of them can learn, and enter the computer world. Anyway it is another way to meet students we wouldn't otherwise meet, and begin to make relationships that can lead some to Christ.

Also, this is hot season. If you were going to buy your ticket to visit us, March & April wouldn't be the most comfortable months to come. Although apparantly, snow has hit hard again in US. My Canadian friends talk about -37 C. So maybe a little heat would be okay. We have a little heat. 102-111 afternoons. Heats up by 10 am. Evenings are still okay, but eventually you sweat all night too...
Yep, Mali is the life!! :-) Please send us a little snow?? I keep telling our african friends that I'm praying for 5 cm. Just enough to cover the ground. They keep saying they will die.

Thanks for stopping by, We are encouraged by your prayers & interest!
Tom & Lisa Seward

PS... Lisa and I are on facebook. If you're on facebook, and we haven't contacted you yet. Sorry. Hit us up and invite us to be your facebook friend!