Please come with me on a tour of the neighborhood in Sebenikoro, a suburb and poor cousin of Bamako, the capital of Mali. We will be tagging along with my friend Maly “Bibi” Sangho, director of the Ase Mali Orphanage. I arise while it is still dark to meet with her for prayer. She greets me at my bedroom door and asks me whether I … Continue reading Praying Through the Neighborhood
A child flies a kite made from discarded plastic bags. Toddlers stretch their arms toward me, their eyes begging for me to pick them up. A never-ending drum beat advertises a wedding celebration a few houses away. Scores of people gather in a neighboring house for the six-month-anniversary prayer gathering to remember the deceased, the women cooking huge pots of rice and beans over charcoal … Continue reading Flying Kites in Sebenikoro
“Be still, and know that I am God.” For many of us in ministry, this can be a challenge. There is so much to do! But if I take it to heart, if I turn from the clamor and haste for quiet moments in God’s presence, I find that I cannot do without the silent, slow pauses that restore my heart. Some years ago I … Continue reading In the Labyrinth But Not Alone
August is worth looking forward to every year, if only for the fresh tomatoes. I grow a couple of plants in my garden, but I have to go to the farmer’s market if I want to get enough to make a marinara sauce. At least I can harvest enough of those beauties to feed my most recent summer addiction: bacon/basil/tomato sandwiches. Someone put me onto … Continue reading Relax. Have a Tomato.
Photo: Indielou Dougnon, right, is a director for The Luke Society in the Kayes region of Mali. He travels to villages and hamlets to do vaccinations and pre/post-natal care and evangelism, in addition to the urgent care conducted at his clinic in Aite. (This piece was originally written for the blog for The Luke Society.) The wonderful journal of Christian spirituality, Weavings, is discontinuing its … Continue reading Sustaining Compassion
Photo: A visit with my dear friend, Bibi Sangho, in Mali. It was days away from a much anticipated trip to Mali when I awoke to the news that there was a terrorist attack in Paris, where I had planned to spend three days enjoying time alone wandering the streets of the Marais district. The layover in Paris had to be canceled. Disappointing, but at … Continue reading Favor, and True Wealth
saint sinner seeker 