Monday, January 18, 2010

Travelling in Mali

Link to the bus video on youtube here -Click-

Dusty was with us for the month of December. It is always fun to see Mali through the eyes of someone visiting for the first time. So much of what is "weird" to a visitor is common place to us.
So this video is Dusty & Tom's bus ride down from Bamako to Kadiolo...
It has been edited so you wont see all 9 hrs of this particular trip... :D (The bus ride can be much faster than this, but unfortunately this trip was not an example of Mali speed.)

But watching this video may give you an idea of what it would be like to visit! And may be fond? memories for those of you who have rode our buses... Pastor Mike, Emily, Dusty, Joannie, Jason, Ashley, Susan, Amy, and others who may have had this dubious honor and neat opportunity.

Enjoy, and remember to pray for us as we travel often in this fashion...

Thanks for stopping by,
Tom & Lisa

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Motorbike gets new home.


Pastor Youssouf hands Pastor Daouda keys to his new motorbike.

I had explained to Youssouf that I was ready to give my old motorbike to the Pain de Vie association. I asked which pastor should recieve it. (our pastors each have a motorbike, and have a small fund each month to pay for gas and maintain it, but have no replacement fund.) I had pastor Daouda in mind... because his motorbike was easily 15 years old, and in the worst shape of all of our local pastor's motorbikes.
Youssouf replied Daouda... I grinned and said that was who I had in mind. (we had both been out to Daouda's church a couple of weeks earlier for a baptism. evidently we both noticed Dao's bike was tired... and needing replacing..)
So pastor Youssouf called pastor Daouda, and it was agreed that he come to my house the next day for a meeting. He and Youssouf came that next morning.

The meeting started out with... "Pastor Daouda, do you know why we called you to the meeting here today?" Dao says "no"
I explained how at the end of this 5 year term in June I had intended to give my motorbike to the Pain de vie, expecting that I would give it in June. But that the car sale included a new motorbike in the selling price, freeing me up to give my older motorbike now instead of later in the year. I explained how I had approached pastor Youssouf, and we had both identified him as having a need for a motorbike, and it was agreed that he recieve it. I explained that I cannot give a new motorbike every three years, but God enabled me to do it this time... So I gave him the keys, the ownership papers, the tax papers and all. He about fell off of his chair. He was so happy. It was my old motorbike, but it only has 7000km on it, about 3500 miles.. it has a good 3-4 years left on it if treated well. It was all up to date.
We prayed God's blessing on Pastor Daouda's ministry, and the motorbike he would now be able to use... He drove the bike away... so pleased....

It is a blessing to be able to encourage the servants of God.

Thanks for stopping by,
Tom & Lisa Seward