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THE HUNGRY ARE FED

For many years we have been helping out widows and families in need with rice, and it's so rewarding to see their faces light up, and their thankfulness, as hungry bellies get filled with food, and often also hungry hearts with bread from heaven. Amazing what difference one bag of rice costing $35 or 31€ can make! And this year we have given away more bags than ever, because of rising needs due to Covid, the coup and the floods. We thank organizations like CCARA who make that possible, as well as every one of you who have given. Today I want to share a few more testimonies with you:

This is Korotoumou from the village of Sebela we have talked about a lot recently. She is a widow and has six children. She lives off farming, but this year her harvest was destroyed, so she had nothing at all to feed her family with. When Paul gave her a bag of rice, she was so thankful! She said that it was God who had sent Paul. So Paul told her about the God we serve, and she immediately decided to follow Jesus. She was a very devout Muslim before and had always refused to come to the Bible Discovery Group she is now a part of.

Minata is also from the village of Sebela. She is a widow with a several children. Like Ruth in the Bible, she would come into the fields after the workers were done to gather whatever was still left. However, that was not sufficient to provide for her and her children. These past 4-5 months her neighbors have been helping her out with food scraps so they could survive. She was overjoyed by the abundance of 50 kilos of rice.

This is Mariam from the village of Sebela. One day her husband left the house and never returned, so she was left alone to take care of her five children. An Arab Muslim organization was helping her out with food. When they found out that she was attending our Bible Discovery Group, they stopped supporting her, saying that she had become a Christian. And yes, they were right, she has decided to follow Jesus, and Jesus heard her cry and provided a sack of rice for her.

Korotoumou is from the other end of Yirimadio, the part of Bamako our base is in. She has six children. Her husband died in a motorcar accident two months ago. Her landlord then kicked her and her children out of their home. They found an abandoned house and simply moved in. They had not eaten anything for three days when somebody told them about us, so she decided to find our base and talked to Paul. Paul went to her home to verify her story, and gave her a bag of rice. Because of their dire situation, the children also had to stop going to school. What if we could find six sponsors for those children, so they could return to school? Any takers? A sponsorship is $60 or 50€ per month.

ANOTHER THWARTED ATTACK

It was in 2007 that the government gave us our land and we started building, moving onto our base in 2008. We have had a lot of challenges since, from the government trying to reduce our land or take it away, to the neighbors causing us trouble repeatedly and planning attacks several times. The two main reasons most neighbors don't want us is because we're Christians, and because we bring the street children into their neighborhood.

Just recently one of the few neighbors favorable to us (his wife attends our church), informed us of an attack of our base being in the planning stage. Most Muslims in Mali are very moderate, often both Muslim and animists, and have a positive few of Christians. But the number of extreme Muslims is rising, and we do have a few in our neighborhood.

So a few neighbors decided to take action and invited every household in our area to a meeting to plan the attack of our base. They were trying to get as many people as possible together, so they could overrun us and destroy everything. After Paul found out, he spent countless hours talking to neighbors, and was able to get them to abandon their plan.

My first reaction was to think of Elijah in the Bible, when Ahab got annoyed that God constantly revealed to Elijah what he was planning. Please continue to lift us up in prayer, as well as our neighbors. He is the One who has raised the work in Mali up, and who will see it through to the end!

TRAVELING TO MALI THIS WEEK

Last time I told you about our trip to Mali, to spend one month there, including Christmas and New Year's. We're leaving Vienna this Wednesday morning, have to spend the night in Paris, and continue on the next morning, arriving in Bamako on Thursday afternoon. I'm so excited to let you know that the Lord has heard our cry and sent us a wonderful lady to travel with us!

Barbara is from Germany, and has already stayed with us twice since we moved to our new home, to help us with the babies. So she knows us well, and she has lived oversees before, and has raised several children herself. She's going to be a huge blessing and help, and now the trip to Mali does not look quite as daunting as before.

We leave Mali on January 5th, and arrive in Vienna on the 6th. We're thankful our church helps us out with pickup with a van, but we still need someone to come with their car, to transport some of us and some of our luggage. Please contact me if you could help us out on the morning of the 6th.

What's been happening with us? Tammy and Emmy have mastered walking, are climbing more and more, and have discovered the fun of opening drawers. They are also starting to talk more and more, and so is Sammy. They recently had a big checkup at the hospital and scored really high. As for Sammy, he continues going to physiotherapy and making progress, often surprising his therapist. They're now fitting him with a special chair and leg braces for the night. I was shocked when the doctors told us they thought he'd never walk, but we're standing in faith that we will see the day when he will. Please pray for him. Pray also for HEALTH, as Emmy had a cold last week, and Tammy and Sammy have one right now. Everybody needs to be healthy to travel.

Tamara day 439                 Samuel day 439                Emmanuel day 439

CHRISTMAS IN MALI

I cannot wait to hug my spiritual son and Malian leader Paul, as well as all our other children in Mali, especially the baby born in August that I have not met yet. I'm so looking forward to spending these next few weeks with them, and making this Christmas season special again, after such a sad Christmas apart last year. On Christmas Eve we will all go out to a restaurant to eat, and then gather in our living room to celebrate and exchange gifts.

We're also planning on doing the Kids' Christmas Party, and last year nearly 600 children showed up for that, who get to play, eat, drink, get candy, shoes or toys, as well as hear the gospel. Another day we'll be going to the village to hand out hundreds of more toys and clothes there. We also have a special Christmas and anniversary service on our base.

Please pray for wisdom to know what changes if any we need to make in times of Corona. "Cold" season has started in Mali, which causes the virus to spread more easily and quickly, and numbers in Mali are rising as well. We have already been told there is a good chance we will have to quarantine upon our return to Austria.

QUICK NEWS

•        Security Situation - Since the coup, and then the interim government put in place, things in the capital have calmed down, though many do not like to see so much military in government positions. We're thankful that jihadists were not able to take advantage of the situation like they did during the last coup. However, while one key leader was recently killed, they continue attacking military and UN installations, as well as villages. Thank you for praying for the country, and our safety.

•        Support - Thank you to all those who stepped in recently when we had hit rock bottom financially. I know that Corona has affected many, including us, as we lost supporters and could not travel.

•        Amadou - Our oldest Amadou has finished school (still waiting for exam results) and has come on staff to help with the children and be Paul's right hand man. A week ago Paul took him to the hospital, and he had to have an emergency operation to have his appendix taken out. Everything went well and he's recovering now. We have had a lot of medical bills, not just for him, but also several other children.

•        First-Grade Teacher - We are still looking for a French-speaking first grade teacher to join our team. There is such a need for a good, Christian school where the children are treated with dignity and learn something. Many of our Muslim neighbors would send their children to our school. Please pray we'll find a teacher!

•        Malian Director Paul - Paul has been leading the ministry in Mali by himself for quite some time now and he's tired. I know our presence will lift up his spirit and rejuvenate him. Please pray for him.

•       Volunteers - Do you want to come change an orphan's life? Do you want to heal the sick? Preach the gospel to those who've never heard? Come to Mali for a season and let God change your life. No language skills needed, but French skills are helpful.

The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I have been saved from my enemies.(Psalm 18:2-3)

Trusting HIM,

Claudia (& Randy)