Church in Zamblala

  Francois (on the left) just started his maintenance therapy for leukemia and he has been at Koutiala Hospital for the last 7 months!  My patients with leukemia typically go home after the end of the first full week of treatment, but in Mali the infectious risks are much higher and several of the oncology kids have come back to the hospital with severe illness after going home.  Francois has been living at the hospital with his grandfather this entire time.  His father has been working and his mother has been taking care of the house and the other children.
On Sunday, we gave Francois and his grandfather a lift back to their village which is about 45 minutes away from Koutiala.  The village of Zamblala is also the birth home of Aclay, one of Bretts nurses from the hospital.  He came along for the ride as well.  In Malian culture, you can tell how much you care for a person by the distance that you accompany them along their journey.  The people of the village had heard that we were coming and wanted to show their appreciation by bringing us to the front of the church in Zambala and by preparing a feast for us after the service.  Zambala has the largest Christian church in Mali.

Francois finally reunited with his grandmother after 7 months!

Francois with his grandparents.

Grain storage huts that were the traditional home structures of the past in this part of west Africa.

The church in Zamblala.

Church parking!

Brett was asked to speak about the work of Koutiala Hospital and more specifically about the healing process for Francois.  I wore my traditional African shirt that we picked up my first day in Koutiala.

Gathering after church.

Brett and Sheri are fluent in Bambara and spent some time talking with families after the service.

This is my favorite picture of the trip!  A group of kids gathered around Brett and Sheri's car after the service.  Notice the little boy in the sling worn by his 7 or 8 year old sister.  The kids were all wearing their best clothes.

This is the old church of Zamblala, but it is no longer big enough to hold the congregation... a good problem to have in a predominantly Muslim country!

Sheri with Francois' mother and 2 sibs.

Francois' house.  It may not be that noticeable, but the family had perfectly swept the dirt yard for our arrival.

Beautiful twins in Zamblala.  Twins have a chance to survive in this harsh environment, but an elderly man from the village said that he had never seen triplets survive.

Our lunch was rice with a brown sauce and a mixture of pork and duck meat.  We ate with our right hand (left hand used for the toilet) and tried our best not to make a big mess!  The food was very good and 36 hours later I'm still feeling fine:)

Preparing tea for the guests.  The Malian men like to see how high they can pour the tea from the kettle to the cup (looks like a shot glass) and then back again.  Typically, you have 3 rounds of tea after a meal, while all of the guests sit around and talk.

Onions stored in a cool area near the house.  These onions are grown in the hot season and then will be kept in this location to be used for the rest of the year.

Goat pen in the background.  You can see one goat leaning through the slats.

Typical mud buildings...this opening leads to the chicken coup.

Fat baby!

Saying goodbye to Francois.  Notice his bluejeans with the pink flowers on the bottom.  Malians are not worried about appearance... the boys do not care about wearing pink.  In fact, most of their American clothes come on large shipments from Goodwill.

Gifts for the road from the family.... 2 chickens and a plastic bag full of eggs!

Check out this termite mound we saw on the way back to Koutiala.  Now I know why there are so few wood structures in Mali.

Holding the chickens right before their release into Brett's yard.  Jeremy will take care of them soon!