Day 2557. It sure was a short night last night but Sammy was up at 7 am anyway. Emmy got up a little later, and Tammy even later. I got up some time after 8 am, a while before my alarm went off. I had breakfast, then went upstairs with my computer to get ready for my 9:30 am student. I taught until 10:30, then again from 11 to 12 pm. Then I continued working on the computer until I got hungry and had some food. Randy and the kids had already eaten our leftovers.
The kids wanted to go to the pool but there simply wasn't any time. I took a shower and lay down for an hour to take a much-needed nap. After I got up, I got dressed for tonight's meeting. I then noticed that my Malian clothes were ripped, so the Mom of the house where we're staying was so kind to quickly sew it back together. Thank God!
We left at 5:40 pm to get to the church by 6 pm; the meeting was to start at 6:30 pm. The pastor was the only one there. It was good to see him again; we had first met him early July. I gave him the flashdrive with my pictures, we tested the mic, and he showed me where I could put our stuff. Then we sat down, and the kids played with him. Eventually we went to the kids' room where the kids were going to stay during the meeting. There were also other kids there. Then I returned to the sanctuary.
People slowly started coming. At about 6:40 pm the pastor started by leading worship for 15 minuts. It was great, and I knelt on the floor. Then he handed me the mic. I started introducing myself, quickly telling my story, then sharing testimony after testimony of what God has done in Mali. The people were enjoying it, as was I. After I was done, the pastor got back on the guitar, and I prayed over everyone, then I invited them to come forward if they wanted prayer. The pastor's wife went first. Randy and I were praying for her, and we could see the Lord touch her. Then another lady came forward, and God touched her as well. Nobody else came for prayer. The pastor then asked everyone to come around us, and he prayed for us. Then the meeting was over.
It was afte 8 pm. I went straight to our table to talk to people there. People signed up for our mailing list, and I sold a few books. Everyone was really nice, talking to us and then the kids, once Randy had brought them there. Eventually I packed up everything, and we had to say good-bye to the pastor and his wife. It was time to go back to the house to have dinner with our friends and hosts. It was nearly 9 pm by the time we got there.
I was pretty hungry as I'd eaten very little all day. A home-cooked meal was therefore very welcome. The kids were having a great time playing with the youngest girl of the house. Randy and I sat at the table eating, and we got the kids to eat some too. We then all got desserts as well. Then it was high time to get them to bed; it was after 10 pm before they were in bed. Randy stayed with them, but I had to take my computer to the kitchen table to teach from 10:30 to 11:30 pm. Once I was done, I returned to our room where I found everyone asleep, including Randy. Yet for me, work wasn't finished yet. I finished up with the stuff for my student, then started working on today's pictures and report. Now it's nearly 1 am, and I need to go to bed. In the morning we start our journey home to Austria.
