Saturday, February 26th

Great day!  Where do we begin?  We will just give you highlights - and there were many.  Greeted by chief at Zirablenkoro village. Visited women's association garden microfinance project in village.  What an amazing welcome - greeted with dancing and singing.  The garden was beautiful and producing many different vegetable which they use for feeding village and also selling.  We all took a turn at pounding millet - not any easy job - the villagers laughed at our efforts.  We took tons of pictures and videos and the children as well as adults were fascinated to see themselves.  Big highlight - handed out some frisbees, bracelets, etc. Soccer balls were presented to Chief who then approved the children to play with them.  To say the kids were excited is a complete undertatment.  (at times we felt mobbed but older children would regain control)  We had a great time playing with children - who are absolutely adorable!  Poor doesn't begin to explain the conditions - no electricity or running water, lack of basic needs, etc. Risk of disease is tremendous.

Visited with another women's group (Love Association) who produce shea butter and oil for many purposes.  They start with the bare nut from the shea tree.  Again - so amazing.  This also was a microfinance project.  A microfinance project is a group of women who take out a loan from World Vision to finance the start of a business.  The women work to pay back the loan, use the proceeds from selling the shea butter to finance their operation and buy supplies for their families.  This teaches women to become independent and empowers them to have an income and better support your families.

On way back to Bamako, we stopped to exchange some money.  $100 US = 47,000CFA mali money.  Went to a local market in search of traditional dress.  Fitting a large passenger bus into a mini Cooper sized parking spot  was terrifying, after hitting the car to our right and missing the car to our left by a hair, the local men picked up the Mercedes to the right and moved it over!  We parked and walked a block in both car and human traffic that puts NYC congestion to shame.  Exciting for 4 white girls from ND!!  Thank goodness for our driver Abraham and Mali WV donor liason Jean Calvin AKA Gene, John, Jean Paul, JZ, and Jean Claude.  These two men protected us and negotiated for the prices of our dresses;  no EASY feat, lots of loud negotiating with the Sengali merchants, shaky knees, sweaty palms, and heart palpatations (on our part)  we walked out of the market with beautiful traditional dress!  We don't believe our husbands would have gone to those great lengths to buy us an outfit. :)

Returned to our hotel to eat supper and reflect on our wonderful day...we are exhausted from the heat and overwhelming emotions of the day.  It is very warm, 90's with a dusty breeze!

Afer all this, another "God" moment for our World Vision team.....after visiting the clinic yesterday, we identified the great need for a new birthing bed.  The beds there were ancient....outdated, and dirty.  As women, this was greatly disturbing to us.  We have been contemplating how we could  help provide a new birthing bed.  As we were sitting down for our dinner, a lady approached our table...it was Angelique, a USAF Major presently working in Africa as an International Health Specialist.  She had met Jen the evening prior in the hotel lobby.  We somehow came to discuss visiting the clinic, their need for a birthing bed...and another God moment occurred.   Anqelique state the US often phases out old equipment, and sometimes they are able to designate old equipment for certain causes.  She will attempt to find a used birthing bed to help us provide to the health center.  WOW!!! God works in mysterious ways....

Just have to add a bit about the wonderful woman from World Vision in Seattle who is leading our trip.  Millie Vanderpool is a truly wonderful leader and an uplifting Christian with tremendous faith.  We have grown to love her already.

Once again, we feel SO BLESSED to serve our churches and communities in this way.  Thank you...