I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July! We spent the holiday in Missouri , and Kaylee and Spencer were so much fun. I was at the farm complaining about the bug bites all over my body, and my dad’s sympathetic response was “So, you think you are going to Africa?”
Yes, I’m going to Africa (along with Andy and 8 other people), so I’m going to try out the “blogging thing” for our trip. I have had a lot of people ask for updates, so I finally decided it might be easier to blog about this trip instead of repeat everything multiple times and most likely leave things out! Hopefully I can provide a few updates while in Africa, but there are no guarantees on the internet availability. I’m expecting that we will be completely out of touch the two weeks we are gone…hopefully I’m pleasantly surprised. Andy and I don’t plan to take our phones or laptops, but I know some people on our team will be taking their laptops, and I’m hoping they will share!
The purpose of this trip is to expand a water tower by adding a second tank. Initially, we were supposed to spend our time putting on a new roof at Bethel Bible College and doing other repair work; however, the roofing materials have not arrived in Koutiala, so our mission changed to building/expanding upon a MUCH NEEDED water tower. We will also try to do some repairs on the roof at Bethel Bible College as well as other repairs/maintenance work. I believe a team from a church in Iowa (not certain I’m remembering correctly where the church is located) is going to Koutiala later in the year to build the new roof. We will visit the Koutiala Hospital for Women and Children and will be asked to give blood (again pushing me out of my comfort zone).
Everyone tells us that we will come home from this trip completely changed. What we think of as living in poverty in the U.S. doesn’t compare to poverty in other parts of the world. We are going to be in the middle of unimaginable poverty. Mali is now the 3rd poorest country in the world. Steve (our team leader) has told us many times that while these people have nothing, they are extremely happy people. I think our world gets so obsessed with “things” that we miss out on the important parts of life. We will not be able to communicate well with the people in Mali, but they all know where we are from, that we are Christians, and they see the work we are doing for them without expecting anything in return. I believe Christ Community Church sends a team to Mali yearly, and I know there are several other churches that send teams regularly. Other facts about Mali are listed on the side of this blog.
Everyone tells us that we will come home from this trip completely changed. What we think of as living in poverty in the U.S. doesn’t compare to poverty in other parts of the world. We are going to be in the middle of unimaginable poverty. Mali is now the 3rd poorest country in the world. Steve (our team leader) has told us many times that while these people have nothing, they are extremely happy people. I think our world gets so obsessed with “things” that we miss out on the important parts of life. We will not be able to communicate well with the people in Mali, but they all know where we are from, that we are Christians, and they see the work we are doing for them without expecting anything in return. I believe Christ Community Church sends a team to Mali yearly, and I know there are several other churches that send teams regularly. Other facts about Mali are listed on the side of this blog.
We’ve had all our shots (Steve likes to call them inoculations because he thinks it sounds less scary – I disagree). I hated that part of this trip! I am actually going back this week for my second Hep A/B shot of the series. Here is the list: Yellow Fever (we must show proof of this to be allowed in the country), Polio, TDAP (tetanus and other stuff), Hep A and B, Meningitis, and Typhoid (took this orally – couldn’t handle another shot!). We will begin our malaria medication soon as well. We have to take it before we leave, while we are in Africa, and for a few weeks after we return. I'm taking a mini pharmacy with me on this trip. I have an emergency diarrhea prescription, Imodium, Benadryl, Tylenol, Dramamine (for me of course), and anti-itch cream for the many bug bites we will probably have (I seem to attract bugs). Speaking of critters, sounds like we will be sharing our rooms with several lizards. We were told to expect to see them frequently in the guest house.
We will be staying in a guest house during our time in Koutiala. There are several bedrooms in the home that we will be sharing. We are told that there is air conditioning, but it's very expensive to run. We are not supposed to run it for long periods of time, but instead, try to keep the windows open. Also, at the end of our time in Koutiala, we leave money to help pay for any costs incurred by our stay. We were also told to be prepared to have no power periodically, so we are each supposed to pack a flashlight and extra batteries. Steve said that we'll awake to the sound of the Muslim Call to Prayer, and when we hear it, it will be very evident that we are no longer in the U.S.! I believe it will be around 95-100 degrees while we are there. The women (all 2 of us) must wear long skirts or dresses while there (can't show our knees), and the men must wear pants (no shorts). The mission compound has a pool -- I believe the only pool in Koutiala. Steve said that you can look up Koutiala on Google maps, go to the satellite image, find the house with the pool, and that is where we are staying. When I tried this, I couldn't find it, but you can try if you are interested!
I am currently trying to cut back on coffee as I am not sure it will be available in Koutiala. As typical for me, when I decide to do something, I want to do it all at once. So, I completely cut coffee for two days last week, which resulted in terrible headaches and crankiness! Today I have my coffee sitting in front of me, but I hope to at least cut back this week. Ironically, soda will be available to everyone, which is something I no longer drink.
We will be staying in a guest house during our time in Koutiala. There are several bedrooms in the home that we will be sharing. We are told that there is air conditioning, but it's very expensive to run. We are not supposed to run it for long periods of time, but instead, try to keep the windows open. Also, at the end of our time in Koutiala, we leave money to help pay for any costs incurred by our stay. We were also told to be prepared to have no power periodically, so we are each supposed to pack a flashlight and extra batteries. Steve said that we'll awake to the sound of the Muslim Call to Prayer, and when we hear it, it will be very evident that we are no longer in the U.S.! I believe it will be around 95-100 degrees while we are there. The women (all 2 of us) must wear long skirts or dresses while there (can't show our knees), and the men must wear pants (no shorts). The mission compound has a pool -- I believe the only pool in Koutiala. Steve said that you can look up Koutiala on Google maps, go to the satellite image, find the house with the pool, and that is where we are staying. When I tried this, I couldn't find it, but you can try if you are interested!
I am currently trying to cut back on coffee as I am not sure it will be available in Koutiala. As typical for me, when I decide to do something, I want to do it all at once. So, I completely cut coffee for two days last week, which resulted in terrible headaches and crankiness! Today I have my coffee sitting in front of me, but I hope to at least cut back this week. Ironically, soda will be available to everyone, which is something I no longer drink.
Check back in a few days for a blog update. I’ll try to post something every couple days until we leave!
Below are a few pictures of Kaylee and Spencer (my niece and nephew) enjoying fireworks and other pics from the weekend in Missouri.
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Below are a few pictures of Kaylee and Spencer (my niece and nephew) enjoying fireworks and other pics from the weekend in Missouri.
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