Healing 2 The Nations International ~ Mim Heisey ~ Blog June 2011

Monday, June 27, 2011

PIZZA!! And More

We are having a bit of a crisis with one of the boys who “wanted to be king”, so I needed to be more accessible to enforce discipline, and knew I would not get to doing a blog today. Enter Julie, who I recruited to write my blog post for me, since we did have a rather unusual day yesterday. She did a great job—I hope that you enjoy her ghostwriting:))

Yesterday we had the grand idea of making a special lunch for the boys, pizza and salad. Well, it was a good idea, we just weren't as prepared for it as we should have been. Making a meal for three is a whole different job than making French bread pizza for a dozen hungry men and boys, plus a few children (who almost ate as much as the big boys), and the cooks, of course. So, we planned to go down and get the pizza ready to bake in Hawa's (Claudia's) oven at 12:00. Around 11:30 or so I went down to the outside kitchen with all of the salad makings to cut up the veggies and get it ready. We'd already washed all of our veggies (fresh from the two hour trip to the market Ray and I took this morning) in bleach water to purify it and had let the lettuce soak in vinegar water for several minutes as a double check. This was my 4th or 5th trip to the market, but Ray's first. He found it fascinating as I do. Ask the price, translate the Bambara in your head, multiply by 5 to arrive at the REAL price, then convert to US$$ so that you have some idea what you are being asked to pay. (Don't forget that they are taking kilo, not pounds so multiply the quantity by 2 also.) WHEW! It makes my head hurt just writing it. Fanta, our main weekend cook, was a great help, and it was nice to be in a community market, where we are known, not really the big city. We purchased jaba and tamati, salati, and concon for the salad. Then there was the misisogo and some jege, tulu and frononton (I think I spelled them right. If you want to read along in Bambara, you can go to the SIL website and get a downloadable Bambara Lexicon. :-)

Back to the Pizza saga. Meanwhile, Julie stayed upstairs in our kitchen and chopped up and sauteed the onions and peppers, and kept an eye on the lentils I'd also put on to cook (when you don't get meat everyday, you have to get protein somehow!) Before we knew it, it was 12:30 and we hadn't even gotten the bread ready!!! How in the world did the time fly?! I came up from salad preparations just as Julie was getting things ready to go down with the pizza makings and start on that. When we had everything (or so we thought) downstairs in Hawa's kitchen. Julie started cutting the baguettes while Eva put the three big salad bowls together. For regular rice meals, we use large serving (community) bowls (or tasa in Bambara) to feed 6 people at the table. Those bowls were what Eva used for salad, and it was a LOT of salad. While they did those jobs, I prepared the tomato sauce with garlic, oregano, and mixed herbs, and then also got the salad dressing made (no bottled dressings to grab. Vinaigrette made with soup cubes is the order of the day.) About the time we realized the cheese was still upstairs and needed to be grated still, Fanta came and helped us. Ah, it was very good indeed to have another helper. Julie ran up and got the cheese grater, and a bowl; Fanta began the time consuming job of putting tomato paste on the bread. When we had the cheese down, and all grated, we could finally put the lentils/onion/pepper topping mix on the tomato pasted bread along with the cheese and get the first round going in the oven.

Oh my, and I didn't tell you about the pans yet. We had only two actual pizza pans, and that just wasn't going to work. So we also used a broiler pan, the lid of the broiler pan, and two small cake pans. We may not have had a Pampered Chef kitchen, but we used what we could find. When the first batch of bread pizza's were ready to serve, Eva took over the sauce spreading for Fanta, and Fanta delvered pizza out to our waiting customers. My, oh my! They were like hungry wolves!!! Granted, it was 15 minutes past lunch time, but still! We kept the pizza coming as quickly as it would bake, and they kept asking for more until it was all finished (We kept our servings back for us and took it up to our apartment when lunch was all done to eat in a little peace & quiet :) They finished up ALL of the salad, and ALL of the pizza we served them. Though, at the end they were somewhat picky and scraped some of the sauce off. Ah well, as Americans we like our pizza sauce more than the rest of the world. When we went up to eat, Fanta was wonderful and cleaned up all of the dishes and dirty utensils we'd used in making the pizza. That was quite refreshing to not have all of that to clean up after you'd been stressed making lunch. (Honestly, I don't know how Virginia Hockenberry, and Linda Winger, and many other ladies do it all, preparing for, cooking for, and cleaning up after huge amounts of people)

So, it was a learning experience! We'll change several things the next time we do it, but... now we know.

Thanks Julie! Great writing! A quick report for you all on what is really important: the lives of our boys! This evening, at the end of a long day of face-offs, I got a BIG hug from a disciplined, and calm young “king-in-the-making”. God is good and His grace is never ending. Aren't we all glad of that?

Thank you all for your continued prayers. We are seeing the results of them in daily life, and are often reminded of the way God works through His people. We are so glad that you are all a part of this with us. As always, Be Blessed and be a Blessing to those whom your mighty God brings across you

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May 11

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Friday, June 24, 2011

Anniversary

Today is the 74th Wedding Anniversary of Jacob and Fannie Heisey! Congratulations Mom and Dad! Thank you for the lifelong example of Love & Respect that you have lived out before your children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Being your Realtor for several years, it was my privilege to see you at work in a business setting. I was often amazed to see mom come to the table and sign the papers, because "whatever Jake says is ok, is ok. Where do I sign?" If more wives gave their husbands that kind of respect, I wonder what marriages we would see healed? Just a thought!

Today we got chased by a storm again. It is amazing to see them come up so quickly. One minute there are a few clouds, then the storm pours over the ridge like a waterfall of black tire smoke, and with it comes the wind which picks up all kinds of trash and grit and flings it in every direction. The everpresent little black plastic bags fly like birds, dipping and swirling over walls and above the trees. You better run for cover or you will get wet! Julie was out on the roof deck, skyping with a friend when she saw the black cloud pouring over the ridge. Not yet knowing the speed with which they come, she told her friend that in 15 minutes or so she might have to go, if the storm came. Barely were the words out of her mouth when the wind picked up and she had to scramble to get inside and shut all the windows. Even so, the grit and dust beat her, and making its way inside coated everything with that fine red powder. Meanwhile, Ray was shutting and latching the shutters that serve as weather protection on many of the buildings here. We will learn!! When there is a little strengthening of the clouds, you go IMMEDIATELY and shut all the windows and get inside... or else you hunker down and protect your eyes and face from the ferocity of that initial windstorm. Now you see why they wear those layers of cloth. They come in very handy if you are caught outside in a storm!

Be blessed and count your blessings today. I know you have many!

Mim in Mali

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May 11

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Thursday, June 16, 2011

Hello's, Goodbye's and a Departure Feast

Time flies! We have been in Mali for more than 6 weeks already. So much we have learned, so much we see that we need to learn ! And how little we seem to have gotten “done” (with apologies to those of you you are wondering when we are going to write again. :))

I am sure that Christian Spindler feels that flight of time also. It has been one whole year since he came to Bamako, and now it is time to return to his home in Austria. There are preparations being made for a gift that he will provide as a farewell to the boys and staff here at Healing 2 the Nations base. A sheep was purchased, fed some good food for a day or two and then slaughtered for a feast. These times are bitter sweet. There will be a celebration and time of giving thanks and words of value to the one who is leaving, and also giving thanks and words of encouragement for the future to the ones who are staying. Christian was a blessing with his wisdom and perceptions, much beyond his years, and he will be missed.

When an animal is butchered we say you should figure that you lose about 40% of the 'live weight' to the 'hanging weight' of useable meat cuts -- in Pennsylvania. Not so here! Virtually every part of the animal is eaten, except the squeal, although I did see one of the boys take the entrails, out away from the building, and empty the stomach contents onto the ground. (Ray & I thought that that would have made good compost to enrich the garden soil.:)) During the day, I saw several small pots of fatty looking inner parts being cooked by one or another of the older ones, and then eaten. The head was set aside for tomorrow, I am told, to be roasted over a fire before being consumed. (not by me!) Our cooks were given the bulk of the meat, and the bones, to prepare a feast for the whole Healing 2 the Nations family. That was served for dinner this evening, 2 pots of meat and "gravy", one spicier than the other..

t was hard for me to sit at the table and eat meat when the street boys are wandering in and I know they will be eating only prepared rice. Tonight I saw a new thing. When we finished what we wanted and left the table, the bones, from which we had eaten the meat but not all the fat and gristly parts, were left laying on the table. Several street boys, for whom meat is a rarity, swooped on them and proceeded to chew them more thoroughly. I could not stay to see if they were shared equally between them. How could I say “share” when we had eaten our fill and they were hungry. That is a lesson and quandry that I am still working on. How do I live with integrity in this place where there is a multitude of needs, more than I can ever provide for. For that matter, how do we all?? A point to ponder!

Traditionally, the best cuts from the animal are sliced off and prepared for the giver, I am told. (Also the liver, by special request of Christian.) Rokia, who is Paul's fiancee and a wonderful cook, deep fried the liver, made kabobs roasted over a charcoal fire, prepared some other pieces of barbequed meat, and then presented them to Christian on a platter of fried potatoes, decorated with tomatoes, onions and slices of hard boiled egg. A lovely presentation and delicious! I know it was delicious, because Christian generously asked if he could bring it up to our apartment to share with him. He also knows from experience that there would be more than enough for one! Rokia had made a farewell dinner for him earlier: a lovely vegetable salad and a beautifully presented platter of fried fish.

Just a few days before Christian left, Eva Durst arrived! She is a lovely young lady who is planning to give several months of her time and love to us here at Healing 2 the Nations before completing her nursing schooling. Also from Austria, she was here for 6 months in the early part of 2010 and we are certainly glad that she has decided to return, tho I know she is not happy that her suitcase did not arrive with her. Hawa (that's Claudia's Malian name) has returned as well, flying into Bamako on Air France on Tuesday evening—and is also without 1 piece of luggage! Such is life.

We count our blessings: We have suitcases, and more than one!

Be blessed and count YOUR many blessings today.

Mim,
for the Heiseys in Mali

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May 11

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Tuesday, June 7, 2011

SPRING CLEANING!! (sort of ;>)

I did some spring cleaning today - well, sort of.

This week the boys are unexpectedly home from school several days--something about the final exams. If I have it right, the 9th graders are taking exams, and to prevent cheating opportunities, they cannot have them sitting 2 and 3 to a bench like they usually are in the classroom. So all the other classes have no school and their rooms are used to spread out the test-takers. Makes sense!

Most of our boys are in the first 3 grades, even though they are older than you might think of when you say 1st grade. Most did not have opportunity to attend school as young children, and some are struggling to learn now. We will need to see what ways we can come up with to continue their education over the summer so that they do not regress. Maybe those of you at home who are teachers can help us with some ideas. We do have a couple of boys who are in grades 4 & 5 but none above grade 5.

Before heading to the States on her trip, Claudia had asked Ray to see about putting a back on the open shelf that is home to their books and papers in the family room. The shelf was full: books, loose papers, empty book covers and parts of books all stacked haphazardly on its 3 open shelves. Some had slid off to the back of the shelves and were laying under the desk, others tottered precariously close to the front edge, waiting their chance to slide down and join their friends on the floor. All was covered with the fine, rust-red dust that covers everything here, thick enough to make mud pies out of the bottom of my cleaning bucket when I was done. Imagine, if you will, an old bookcase that is out in the back shed, or in a corner of the barn loft, and has not been dusted for several years. Add to that the fact that these are books that are shared with a dozen children, and they do not have my concept of careful care of all things literary.

I decided that a cleanup party was in order while I watched over their "Marinade" time for Christian, who wasn't feeling well. I began sorting, stacking by types: full (seemingly complete) books, empty book covers, book parts and what looked like salvagable pages. Coloring and workbook types, all well used, I thought, went in a separate pile, and the torn pieces that seemed to me to be beyond salvaging I put in the small trashcan on the other side of the desk.
Since my children regularly accuse me of keeping things that are not worth keeping, and being hopelessly conservative when it comes to saving anything that looks even remotely like a book, imagine my suprise to be confronted later in the afternoon by a serious 7-year-old, who came to me, holding the offfending trashcan. It is Bakary's job to clean the living room this week and in the process of carrying out his duty, he saw the papers there. With an expression of gentle reproof on his face, he proceeded to sort thru the discarded paper, removing about 2/3 of the pages that I had thrown away, shaking his head and saying "No, Mimi,.. no, Mimi...no, Mimi" as he rescued each one. These he placed back on the table to be returned with the sorted books to the shelf.

What a lesson in perspective that was for me! I DO remember thinking that the stack of books that I had sorted and put back together looked woefully smaller than the jumbled stash had looked before I started. What looked like an abundance when disordered and piled up in dusty disarray, shrank when stacked in neat piles, and I thought about the multitude of bookshelves that my own children and grandchildren enjoy.

We will work to put the broken books back together (using some more of the duct tape that Ginn and Garrick gave Ray for a Christmas gift-- what a treasure trove that has turned out to be. Ray has already used up the black tape, rebuilding 5 Bible covers that were falling apart with wear.)

I can also solicit help from some of you to send me books (preferably French, or maybe even Bambara) to help fill the shelves as we go along. (Ain't Amazon wonderful!?!?)

That got me in the clean-house-mood, and I began to think about finishing the job of cobweb sweeping that Julie and I had started in the big room earlier. Not knowing if it would last more than a few days given the climate and dust storms we have seen, I still determined to try, and have been pleased with the results thus far. The children may not notice, but I do!! So I have stretched to wipe cobwebby ceilings in the boys familyroom and bedrooms, and will wipe down some walls while they are at school again. Big improvement!

(For you to be able to grasp the problem of the dust here, I think I have an illustration for you. Are you familiar with powdered tempura paint? Picture a handful of rusty, red colored tempura powder being thrown in your front door, and each window, with a strong fan blowing behind it. Then repeat that experiment at least daily! That is partly why there is dust on books and shelves, ...... and canned goods..... and storage containers....and EVERYTHING! Add a plethora of granddaddy long leg spiders who weave their gossamer webs across 10' tall ceilings and you'll begin to get the picture.)

Till next time, be Blessed and Be a Blessing.
Count your clean house twice!

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May 11

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Monday, June 6, 2011

Our Boys

Let me introduce 2 of our boys to you today.

I have just been realizing that I have written a lot about the land and the climate and such things, and have told you all very little about our boys here. We have been here at H2tNI just a month now, and already we are discovering unique and particular strengths in each boy- some on the verge of young manhood.

There is Bakary, the sweet, helpful, servant hearted one. Just 7 years old, and on the street from a very young age, he yet has a sweetness that is winsome. Two weeks ago his daily job was to clean the tables after each meal. One particular day we had a fish sauce with rather bony pieces of fish, and many bones and smelly scraps were left on the table when we were finished. Having lived more than a year or two in fly territory, I saw that the tables really needed to have a good scubbing if we were to avoid being entirely overrun with those nasty, pesky insects. The floor wanted a washing too, with all the sticky rice and scraps that had gotten spilled there, so I thought that I would help him do that. We took the tables outside and I showed him how to make a paper "dustpan" to take the spilled rice and crumbs to the trash cans out and away from the buildings, rather than just to sweep them on the ground right outside the doors. Then we washed the tables, rather than just brushing them off. He took the little broom from me and vigorously completed the job. Not only that, the next 2 days, when I was not there to help, he washed the floor again- an extra job, above and beyond his required duty. It was a delight to see.

I have several times observed his quick attention to see a job that needs done and just go ahead and do it. He has helped our little 3 year old Jonathan, come and offered to help me carry something that I was carrying, offered to work with Ray at a task. It is a trait that I so admire in my husband, and have benefitted from many times. :)) Pray that others will recognize that gifting and honor it in Bakary.

Then there is Karim, one of the quieter ones. He, too, is observant, and has a real gentlemanliness about him that is special. When we have travelled in the truck (a real experience on these rough and dusty roads, I can tell you), he has noticed when a large truck was coming to pass us, and reached across to shut my window to save me from the worst of the dust and dirt that rolls in the open windows. He also would reach out to steady my shoulders when I was trying to get a picture while we were driving on a particularly rough stretch of that same rugged and rutted dirt road.

It seems to me that this intense 14 year old is designed to be an accountant or have a detail conscious job. He is extrememly neat and precise with his writing skills, and accurate with his math. He does not answer as quickly as some of the other boys, but I wonder if that is more because he is being careful to have a right answer, well thought through and sure, than from any lack of understanding. Pray with me that his skills will be appreciated, and that he will come to realize his worth for who God has made him, valuing his carefulness as a treasure.

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Sunday, June 5, 2011

No Water And No Spare Tires!

What an adventure today has been!!

There had been a sprinkle of rain again last night and sleeping was comfortable with the fans running. Electricity was still on (just, we discovered:-))when Ray got up at 6am to find there was no water! Upon exploration he discovered that Joseph had known where to push the reset button for the pump and he heard the gurgle of water just beginning to flow up to refill the empty water tank. And then the electricity went off and the pump stopped! No electricity means no pump working; no pump means no water. Ray decided to try again to get the generator working, taking apart the filter where he had discovered yet another leak, all to no avail. That means no electricity for several hours at least, until there is enough solar collection to refuel the battery array past the cut-off threshold for producing electricity. OK! .... We had no water stored for such an emergency-- we will learn to be more prepared!

We had planned to attend the English speaking Sunday service in Bamako this morning, as it was a special wrap-up for the season and farewell for those departing Mali this summer. Just a 1/2 hour before we needed to leave, a donkey cart arrived with several of the yellow plastic jugs that one sees everywhere, oil jugs that have been pressed into service in their second career as water containers. We brought some of that water up to the apartment in our bucket, heated some on the stove for Ray to shave, got our basin baths and were on our way!

It was a lovely service with a full house in the upstairs (airconditioned!!) conference room; children, youth and adults gathered together this morning for worship, prayer and farewells. John & Julie are experienced at such gatherings and led us well, mixing in a "spelling test" (I am a "C", I am a "CH"...) to keep the little ones' interest as well. (I have never sung the version that replaces every word with an "icken" ending. "I am a Chicken, I am a Chicken, I am a Chicken Hicken Ricken Icken Sicken Ticken..." Very interesting! Chris Clugh would have been proud of us!)

After a time of prayer for one another, we finished by singing Sound of Music's Farewell song. How fitting! "So long, au revoir, auf wiedersehen, goodbye"-- in the many languages represented by these missions families.
One new friend invited us to join them at a small restaurant they know, where the food and service are good, and the prices reasonable--important considerations for eating out here. It was on the other side of the river--meaning away from home, and less familiar to us, but we decided that following them should enable us to get there with out getting lost. As we started across the bridge, one of our tires went flat! We had no choice but to proceed til we reached the other side, and pulled off onto the shoulder at the first available spot, a place where banana plants extend from the road to the river.

What to do?

Since we carried no spare (a flat earlier this week had not yet been repaired), and could not reach anyone at our base by phone (Paul has no phone at the moment, having had trouble and not yet getting it repaired) we called the contractor who is building the next house on the base, and he promised to go and try to make connections with Paul for us. Thankfully, Christian was able to communicate with him in French, and our experienced missionary friend communicated the need for our vehicle to remain at that spot til repairs (offering a small stipend for watching service), and we proceeded to the restaurant for a good lunch of boeuf kabobs and vegetables, washed down with a sweet, richly coloured hibiscus drink. We received a call from Paul before our food arrived at the table, and with Christian explaining the crisis, resolved that they would come and replace the wheel for us. Miraculously, they were there and gone before we finished our meal and we returned home without further incident. (Did I mention that we stopped to pray and ask God for His intervention in the midst of it all? :-)) Thank you, God, for your care of us.

Electricity was on again when we returned to the base in mid afternoon. We all got showers, talked to our kids via the wonders of Skype and Magic Jack, did work on our computers, and ate a supper of Malian spaghetti with the boys (boiled spaghetti noodles dressed with some oil and enough tomato and onion to slightly color it).
At 8pm a horn is blown. A Bible story and questions for all the boys takes place in the dining hall where we have all eaten, and where the street kids will sleep on their foam mats.Afterward, the resident kids and all the staff (except the gate guard, who is responsible for the street boys) go to the Livingroom for the Family meeting to end their day. Paul listens to the memory verse that each one is to pick from their reading of the day's assigned Bible Chapter, asks if there is any discussion of the days events, and prays a prayer of blessing over each one. I have been trying to "Catch them doing good", and compliment one of them on a good job done that day. Of course, with my lack of Bambara skills, I have to explain it to Paul who then passes it on to them in their native tongue. It has been fascinating to see them drinking up that encouragement. I must not let that slip away.

We finished the evening by playing a game of Quirkle with Joseph. Thanks to the Roxbury staff for buying that game for us. It is a great game that is not much hindered by language, once the rules are understood.

Be Blessed and be a blessing today!

My thanks for the day? I am thankful for an everpresent God, a protector and teacher who knows my name.

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Sunday, June 5, 2011

Another Level Of Learning!

I have been trying to get some pics uploaded but not getting there very fast, so I'd better get back to blogging and catch you all up on things.

We are in Mali for a month already! Wow! How much we have learned. How much more we have to learn. It is sort of like parenting, you think you are making good progress, then God introduces a new subject or at least a new level of learning and growth. BOY, DO WE HAVE A LOT TO LEARN!

We have learned a little about the Malian way of thinking--about the importance of relationship over "fact". We have been told not to ask a yes/no question: an african cannot say "no" to a guest! He will have to give you a "yes" to fit in his culture of politeness. He will leave thinking he has done well, and go and do as he has intended all along. We will leave expecting the "yes" to be carried thru, and be disapointed and frustrated at the outcome.

Just yesterday we got a new perspective on that. If you say "I will give you this money if you will use it for (a specific project), will you receive it?" to one of an African mindset, he will say "yes, I will do it!" However, once the building is built, or the money is in his hand, he will feel that it is up to him what it will be used for. That is not our way of thinking, is it? He is being polite and giving you the answer that you want to hear--right now, to make you happy. His way of thinking is to build the relationship above all other considerations. Our perspective is often about "The Facts, ma'am! Just the facts!"

We come from a black & white, right and wrong culture. Most Malians come from a shame and honor culture perspective. Both have their pluses and minuses, but until we understand each the other, we will be at a loss.

Be Blessed and be a blessing today!