Doni Doni (small, small)

Still Going...

Little by little we are making progress in completing the story set for the Maninka people. Though some days it seems like it's not going anywhere at all but as they say here in Mali - "doni, doni" - small small, or in better English terms little by little. It was that way with language learning, it was that way with learning culture and adjusting to life here, and it's that way for the stories.

We continue to face the same struggle with the test group that we've had ever since we started this project - finding women to listen to the stories. In the last couple of weeks we've asked several of our women friends if they would be interested to listen to stories. One, at first pretended that she couldn't understand what we were asking, but then later told someone else to tell us that she can't listen to the stories with us. Then there were others who allowed us to play a story for them, but wasn't listening as we played it and wouldn't answer questions. There are some who are afraid of what others might say or do to them if they find out they're listening to Christian stories, and there are others who don't believe they're capable of understanding something that talks about God even though we use every day language, and then there are those who just flat out aren't interested.

But there is the other end of the spectrum where there are people who are interested and are willing to listen to Christian stories, and for those I'm grateful. We've recently started testing with one of the women in town, and praying about a couple more options we want to look into in the next couple weeks. We've also completed a testing session with one of the men test group, who heard all our stories from Beginning to Revelation. We have another one that only has three stories left to listen to and they'll have listened to the entire set. Please continue to lift up these story groups that the Word of God will really speak to them.

Extended dry season...

I know every year around this time I ask for prayers for rain. This particular year seems to be a terribly tough and dry year. It is near the end of July and we still haven't gotten any big rain and their food supply from last year is running out. Many who have started planting at the beginning of what's suppose to be rainy season have had crops die and are having to re-plant. We've gotten a few little showers, and we're thankful for it for it's better than nothing, but we still need more. Please pray.