Mali 4

Ok.. the number might be wrong, but I'm not sure where I'm up to.

We are staying in Bamako and enjoying (?) the crazy heat. The house we are staying in is very nice, however power is often off and today we have no water supply. This is creating some team humour as we discuss toilet protocols etc. Air France managed to lose our luggage, which arrived 48 hours after we did.

During the week we have met with some great people at the OCHA (United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Aid) and UNDP (United Nations Development Program). We've recieved good updates on the security situation and been able to establish our role within The Salvation Army region here.

The Salvation Army have only been in Mali for 6 years. Given that it is a country that is 95% Muslim, you would think that it has been hard going. However there are already three Corps in Mali and two in Burkina Faso. Also, an outpost has started in Chad! There are six officers, four in Mali and two in Burkina Faso. There are also candidates and cadets, but they are sent to the Congo for training and then usually to another country to learn more about The Salvation Army (e.g. Congo or Zimbabwe) before returning to Mali to work. The first of these 'returned' officers is due back next year and will make a big difference to this small region.

They are very entrepreneurial. The local women's ministries team have opened a small supermarket to raise money for their work!

We will learn more tomorrow about the Corps when we visit. I am preaching at ACI2000 Corps in the morning and then we are to attend a welcome meeting for our team at the Sogoniko Corps in the afternoon.

To sum, it's been a fun couple of days as we settle in. Our flexibility has been tested as we accustom ourselves to the African way of timing things, telling stories and building relationships. We are hot, sweaty and dirty, but managing to keep good spirits. Thank you for your prayers.