Finding a new support system

We have come back to Mali in different circumstances without all the structure we had in place before. We are our team, along with the teacher her for the boys. That’s it. There were many things about a team that were helpful. Someone prepared, or at least found, a home before your arrival. Many of the maintenance needs were met internally by another teammate. We could ask where to find x or y and where to find the best of z. The team had gatherings, and whether the fellowship was good or not, at least it was fellowship in your own language. There no doubt was some sense of comradery in that we were all not in our homeland together. We could not have originally come to Mali in the state we are currently in. We needed the ex-pat team and more certainty of our job description.

7 years later, though, we understand the language and culture more and are not bothered by the well-meaning promises of work to be completed by a certain time or the said work being done with the precision we would demand in America. We could move into a house with walls and running water, even if there was no kitchen or a wall that closed your house off from the outside. We could rely on the ever faithful and patient Malians who have stood by us graciously.

I gained much respect for the Malian people over the years and even more so this past year. Malians are wise, incredibly patient, and loyal in friendship. Loyalty so thick you can feel it. I have often wondered why we are even going to “help” since they seem superior to us in wisdom, maturity, and grace. They teach me more than I can ever offer. It is truly an honor to learn and work alongside these beautiful people.

The Malians have been our support, our community, our team. I know my neighbors better here than I ever did in Koutiala. They are my friends. One dear friend from Koutiala actually moved into our neighborhood. She has been a source of great encouragement to me. She is a heart friend with whom I can share openly and honestly. My boys play soccer several times a week with other boys in the neighborhood. They are sweet kids and are patient with mine when they don’t understand or aren’t in the right place they should be. They are friends to my boys.

Our Malian leadership has wholeheartedly supported us. They have encouraged us. They have helped us with real needs. Like when we lost our bank card and had no more money. We were able to borrow $1,000 from someone, which is not a small thing, and he was looking to get us more. They have shown us where to get this and that and helped us learn to navigate Mali from the inside instead of through an ex-pat community.

Our jatigi (host) in Segou has been amazing. He is the brother of the husband of my best friend from Koutiala who is now in England. Just because his brother is our friend he has helped us settle into Segou. He found our home. He negotiated our rent. He found our nanny. Our plumber. Our mason. He teaches our boys French. He has gone far and beyond his call of duty. We will be forever grateful.

When we needed an electrician, we asked the plumber. He brought the guy he works with. We found out later that both work for the hospital in town. They are top notch guys with the best skills in town, thus why they work for the government hospital. And they are now our guys. They have traveled with us to the village to work on the house out there. One weekend we traveled to the capital. Our guard called and said that our power had been going off all day. I had a moment of panic- what was I going to do? We weren’t returning for another day but all our food would be ruined if the power stayed off until our return. I felt helpless. I had no team member to call and ask to check on it. But then, I decided to call the electrician. He went to our house well after normal working hours to check on our house. Just because I called. He didn’t even charge me later because “we work together,” meaning we help each other out. I was simply floored by this and once again felt such gratitude to those whom we get to work alongside.

I definitely understand the benefits of a team. And honestly, there are things I miss about not having one and days I wish we were a part of an ex-pat community. But I am so thankful for our Malians friends and coworkers and the opportunity to receive help from them. I truly like asking for help from my host country instead of other visitors like me. Relationships are deeper and truer.

Even if we did have a team again one day, I don’t want to go back to the way it used to be. Sure, it was often easier, to describe your problem in your own language to someone who understands, but this is so much richer.