Bamako, baby ;)

I am in Bamako, the capitol of Mali. Here for vacation, tagging along with a couple who is part of the West African Leaders Conference for the mission.

It's hard to believe that this is my last month in West Africa! (for now, at least) It's been a treat to take time out before the busy end of my term, to relax, reflect and kick back, even exercise! I know that this will help energize me for the work ahead, the goodbyes, and Christmas.

This has been one of the best experiences of my life...but for different reasons than one might think. They are mostly internal reasons, and have to do with transformation and new understanding of what God desires and how He has been faithful to shape my life to jointly pursue His purposes. It has also been very challenging in ways I did not expect. God has begun to teach me, change me, and produce new things in me. These newly learned things would not have manifested without following the sense of call to serve in Cote d'Ivoire. The challenges have caused me to lean and depend on Him even more, but I understand better the reality that our lives are for His glory and Kingdom.

"For such a time as this" - it is a theme in the book of Esther, and although very much different, in a small way, I feel that phrase applies well to my time here. It applies well because I see how God timed my arrival to meet certain needs, and possibly to be a catalyst for the growth and needs of others. It is in serving one another in love that we become more like Christ. How I long to do that better.

On a lighter note, wandering the streets of Bamako has been a blast!! I just love visiting a new place and absorbing its energy and culture. In that way, every city is beautiful, with its own unique nuances. Bamako is like an overgrown village, but is still very much a city with a hum and buzz of people all about. The traffic is quite dangerous, so you have to be quick in crossing the streets and look out for motos (motorcycles).

The Niger River is a lovely sight, even during dry season when it is low. It somehow makes me feel far off, as if seeing just a portion allows me to travel up it to distant lands. The blue gray aura and tiny dots of just a few lone people out in the water, rowing long, thin canoe-like boats is beautiful. It gives me a strange sense of nostalgia, even though I only had a chance to look at it briefly. I hope to see it again someday!

The other day, I ambled out to search for a bakery. Without a drawn map, I couldn't find the place people described to me. There are so many stalls (boutiques)! Finally, I popped in at a small clothing boutique. I felt like I ought to greet, and look around before asking for directions. Somehow, I ended up buying a boubou (spelling?) which is kind of a loosely, shapeless and lightweight dress that is brightly died, often tie-dye, and may have embroidery on it too. The woman not only gave me a great price, she had it shortened for me in a matter of 15 minutes. One of the guys who help out at her boutique was able literally to be my guide, helping me cross the busy traffic, to get to the bakery nearby. What a deal for 6000 CFA, I thought (a little over 12 USD). It was so much fun, and interacting with the woman selling the dress was a hoot. If I understood correctly, she wanted my address in the U.S., I kind of laughed and told her it was very far. She kept saying, "Have faith in me!", and telling me to come back to buy again this week.

The artisan centre in town is hopping with merchants, and targets tourists. There are so many different souvenirs available. Artisans who work in leather, silver, etc., work on site and can make a purse to your description in a few days time. The sellers work very hard. But, you can also bargain with them, and you really should bargain. The first price is usually too high and it is easy to get them to lower it if you try. I was purchasing a few souvenir gifts and decided not to buy some small Touareg knives. Our group left the centre and even crossed the busy street. After just crossing, the seller was yelling and caught up to us, he wanted to sell me a different set of knives that were bigger/better than the ones I turned down. With all his hard work, I decided to shell out the asking price ($5 each), which was a pretty good deal.

I got to sit in on a session of the West African Leaders conference. A long-term couple in Mali, about to retire soon, shared their lessons learned over the years. it was great to hear what they had to say. All of them that I've interacted with have given me some new insight.

Another soul-lifting thing was that I got to listen to a portion of Handel's Messiah performed by a group of locally collected people. Many are missionaries, and I was impressed with the singing abilities of those involved, with such a random collection of people. It blessed me to hear the powerful strains of this incredible piece of music sung with spirit, and feels like a lift-off for the Christmas season.

Well, this is it for me today! We're having Chinese tonight, yay! The simple joys :)