for the fouth, we had hamburgers, lit sparklers, then went to a nearby waterfall to a few hours of quiteness!

The rains are starting to come about three days a week, so the ground is starting to soften. People are starting to head back to the fields. Here are some pictures of us heading to the field to plant corn, a family near by with their stash of mangoes, and a snack that the kids picked for is one day in the field.

So June ended and July came... along with the rains! here are a few sights of what happens when it rains in southern Mali! Giant termites come out this time of year... so here's what you do! You catch them and put them in water so to kill them and to get the wings off... Then you put them on a plate... notice the happy face of the girl about the enjoy a snack! Next they go in the pot to fry up for the snack.

Sorry for the long delay in updating pictures! Here are some shots from the last few months. Our friend, Chelsea, works with the peace corp in a village about an hour from our village. They are the same people group, but with a slightly different dialect, so we have been able to chat with them and plan on going soon to share stories with them and with her! Pray that their hearts will be softened to the Truth. We went to visit her the other day. She is in the middle of digging a well. Here is a picture of her project.

Everyone seems to be having babies! Our good friend in town had a baby. Here he is two days old!

Our teammates, Krystal and Monica had a baptism in their village the other day! One of their family members decided to follow! Her are pictures walking to the site, telling stories from the Truth, and the ceremony.

You may remember my friend, Awa and her new baby, Ishua, from a few months ago. Here is he is enjoy a nap! He looks little, but he's grown a lot! And here is his big sister. We were having a discussion about the berries we collected in the field.

we recently visited a gold mine about 2 and a half hours away from our house. It was so sad. People have moved from all over (Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Ivory Coast, etc) in search of gold. Every day they crawl into holds 40-50 feet in the ground and bring up bucket of dirt, hoping to find gold. Woman and children then stand in mud all day long washing the dirst and looking for gold. They live in houses made of straw and trash bags. Pray that the Truth would come to this place that is so oppressed. Pray that they will hear the message " riches and gold i have not, but what i have is better!" (See Acts for some good reading!)

I'll let the pictures speak

My best friend, Awa, had a baby! It's he great!

the famous "karate man" pose! hi-yah!!!

DR. Nioya hard at work. Only one pre-exam question. "Have you bathed?"

winking lessons... we still need some work

Life is good!

some of our friends from the Drama Team and my teammate Tara who came to visit.

Any idea why the Americans are dressed like Africans and the Africans like Americans?

Me neither.

hiking out to a waterfall above an hour from our house. don't look to hard at the bridge, Mom. I made it across ok!

For the LORD God is a sun and a shield; The LORD gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly... Ps 84:11

Some scenes from around Mali over the past months... enjoy!

These are a few images from Easter .We had a drama team that performs on the radio come to the village. It was a great time. Over 300 people came to see the drama and heard the Truth. The following days, we were able to celebrate with some of our brothers and sisters in another town.

scenes from the village... " Dr. Nioya" hard at work

Sorting shea nuts

outside our house

henna... dressed up for Christmas! And shots from Christmas.... obviously, I traveled out of country.

building our studio in an old building outside of town... it was quite an experience

snippets from visit with mom and dad! it was amazing! thanks for the donuts mom and dad!

thus far... this is a summary of my trip to johannesburg... lots of food (among many other things), and my great friend, Kristy, came to visit!

our big independance day was the 22nd of Sept.

Above are pictures of the fet... including the "degbeh", mask of the dead, and women dancing.

kids in the village

man fixing the roof. notice he's squatting on the roof.... so cultural!

Life in the rice fields

My sister got married a week ago. I had to miss the wedding, but thanks to modern technology and friends who are computer/internet oriented, I was able to watch the rehearsal,wedding, and reception with my teammates/family here in West Africa. It was a great gift from the Lord.

so here are some pictures from the past few months.... hope you enjoy.

How Great is our God....

"The seas have lifted up, O LORD, the seas have lifted up their voice; the seas have lifted up their pounding waves. Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea- the LORD on high is mighty" Ps. 93:3-4

my teammate, Susan, and me... shopping for artwork

My friend, Awa, and me returning from the field... she was so proud that i carried this back on my head. She made me take a picture!

The village built a step for Susan and I outside our house... of course we had to write our name in the mud!

Sorry this update is long overdue! The months have been busy in the village. The Father has been faithful to provide friends, language, food, and so much more. For those things, I am so grateful. Please be asking for more grace as we work with our people and a vision for our work in our village. Pictures to come soon!

voting days..

we recently had elections here. the process in the village is quite interesting. Everyone who is registered to vote receives a card with thier name and a number on it. Then, you must go to the school house where you voting by placing your fingerprint next to the picture of the person you want. After you have voted, they dip your finger in purple ink so you cannot come back and vote again. After my friend voted, she grabbed my hand and put ink on my finger and said- now you can tell everyone you voted!

well, some things in Africa are definately not average.... for example.. mangoes. yes, this is one is the size of a 4 year old's head.. and ant hills... not average either!

in the village, the old women spin cotton into string and the old men spin it into fabric on a loom. One day I got a lesson in spinning and weaving!

we spent easter in a near by village with two of my friends- here we are! This is a picture of my teammate and I. My headwrap looks like one of those animals they make out of towels on cruise ships- a swan maybe?

My little sister, Brassa and I in the village- yea for headwraps!

enough said.... resting in the Father's hand. My new favorite thing from Africa.

so this is the way Africans carry their babies. One day I got a baby tied on me and was told "go- go- carry baby". So I did!

beaiti

this is the modern technology of plucking a chicken... they kill it, then burn most of the feathers off.... and pluck what's left... also, you can see a monkey hunters hut.. apparently, they sit and wait till the monkey comes close, then jump out and shoot it!

isn't God amazing! in the middle of this cotton field, there is a small trail that leads off.. you wander a little ways, then start to hear this rush of water... and you think.. no.. it is not possible! then you round a corner, and viola! beautiful waterfall that the CREATOR has dropped in the middle of a dry and thirsty land. isn't he GOOD!?!?!? Makes you all want to come visit now, huh?

at night, i sit outside my hut/house and sing. when you are the circus act in the village, often children will come to sit and stare at you. side note... then they will tell you you are white, then they will go around and point to everyone else in the area and say, "black,black,black" then point to you, and say white again- just incase you (the white person) are confused.... back to the singing- i sit outside my house and sing, many of the kids love to sit and clap or dance while i sing- of course i sing the good ole' southern: i saw the light and i'll fly away- they really enjoy that one. well one day, some kids came into my house and i started singing.... before i knew it, Susan and I had abotu 15-20 kids in our house, about 8 more outside, babies, teenagers,etc.... and then some women came over laughing, clapping, and singing! it was a great time. this is a pict of just a few kids in our house- pre singing!

this is my "little me"....we have the same name Nioya Ouattara. I call her "the one who eats my goat parts". She's great at eating left overs!

the big holiday, "the day of the sheep" has come and gone... it was around the end of December. We of course, ate sheep, and listened to music being played on tny bylaphone. Below are pictures of the "band". The bylaphone is made of gords of different sizes...that's what makes the different pitches. It is said that the bylaphone "talks" meaning that the different tones actually make different words... so when they are played in a certain order, people know what they mean.

new picts of my african outfits... enjoy! and you can see a nice shot of my headwrap. Most women in the city wear headwraps and EVERY woman in the village wears one. I will wear these outfits on nicer occasions. Most of the time I wear a panya (wrap around skirt/3 yds. of fabric) and a t-shirt.

this is me assembling part of the foam nativity set... i think this was mary's body... and who doesn't love a foam nativity set.. thanks mom
me and my mini christmas tree... thanks again mom!
the final product of the tree.. O Christmas tree.. and yes... I did sing some songs while decorating...

Christmas is celebrated all around the world, regardless of what religion you are. In the streets of Bamako, you can buy blow up Santa Clauses on the street and I must confess that I have been tempted to purchase one just for the fun of it. Even though Christmas looks a little different this year, some traditions are the same.. my family sent a HUGE box for Christmas full of fun festivites- from a mini Christmas tree to a foam nativity set. i plan on posting pictures in the next few days, but the internet is being funny today.... so stay tuned for more.

But as Christmas looks different this year, I am reminded that Christmas is not about me, nor the gifts, nor the traditions... but it is about the reason I live in Africa. It is about the Savior of our souls who is the incomparable Christ. People live in darkness alll over this world- there is a story that needs to be told. Live Bold. Live for the one who ransomed your soul. The ONE we love.

Amy

this is our Chief Outtara (Wa-tar-rah). I am named in his family- Nioya(knee-ah-wa) Outtara.

This is our language helper...she is five and is a HUGE help! Her name is Gatu.

and this is my new toilet!

and this is my room!

love- Amy!

hello to all!
I have made it one week in the village and now we are back in the capital for language training. things here are great and God continues to teach me more and more about Himself.
The day starts around 5:45 am, followed by tea and bread for breakfast. Then usually we pound some kind of grain (rice, millet, etc) for lunch and make a sauce for it. Everything is done from scratch, so it takes about 2-3 hours to prepare a meal. Then after lunch (10 am) we usually work some more, cleaning, pulling water from the well, sometimes in the field, doing laundry, etc. That afternoon we start on the preparations for dinner, then we usually eat around 8 pm... then bed shortly follows! The days are full and then we have language learning on top of it all! But He is so faithful and has provided some great help for us!
Please continue to ask for the people here that that would see the TRUTH.
Thanks for your prayers! Amy

Susan (my partner),me, and mango tree

yea! pictures!

hello all- sorry about the pictures... the internet is fickle here and the power goes out occasionally, which makes it a wee bit difficult to get it all together! we recently spent two days in a village visiting friends here, and it was a great time. I know that He is preparing me for the upcoming days. Stay tuned for pictures! One days they will come, I promise. I leave for my village in about 7 days!

Hello to all…. Life here never seems to slow down! We are in an intense week of training, but He is teaching us so much about the Word and it’s power. This morning, we went rock climbing- what a joy it was to get out for awhile have some fresh air. Below I have posted some pictures (finally… I know!) the market, my home for now, my partner and I, and adventures in rock climbing. Hope you all are doing well… I would love to hear from you when you have a chance! Amy

Hello to all…. Sorry about the postings of pictures! I promise they will come… it just may take awhile. The internet is in high demand here and the connection is pretty slow. But in a week or two, we will be moving locations, and the internet will be much faster… so stay tuned! Two days ago, we had a HUGE rain storm, which is very unusual for this season and place. Most nationals around here would say it was the last storm of the rainy season. It came upon us quick and it stormed for quite awhile. The wind was so strong. It reminded me of the bad storms we get back home when there are tornadoes coming. Chairs were flying everywhere! The funny part was that since we don’t get rain here that often, everyone decided to play in it. No injuries, just great fun. It rained for about an hour, and then the sun came out. I was reminded again that it is He who commands the rain and the winds and what a powerful Father we serve. I am doing well… loving it here! I had my first encounter with the pharmacy and de-worming pills last night. And yes, they worked successfully! It’s amazing what you can get here in just a week! But all is well and I am back to normal! Praise Him for that!
Amy

Hello to all!
I have made it to Africa and have been here almost 4 days! I love it here. It's definately a different kind of life, but He is reaffirming me everyday of this call.
We visited the market (i'll post pictures soon!), had time with my new brothers and sisters under a mango tree, and played football on the bank of the Niger River. The days are spent in training. It's about mid 90's here everyday, so it's really hot, and I am grateful for the breeze that comes off the river every now and then!
Already He has taught me more than I could have thought... I need Him is all I know!
More to come.. and pictures too...I just need to get them loaded.
AMY

Hello to all!
The journey is beginnging! I will offically head to Africa on Thursday. Thanks for all your thoughts and support! I will keep you updated as often as I can!
Amy