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CONSTRUCTION OF THE ROOF HAS BEEN PICKED UP AGAIN!

Simon answered, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets." When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. (Luke 5:5-7)

Recently I heard a pastor preaching on this passage, and the Spirit of God was moving in the church. Most everyone went to the altar to seek God, and while I did, I saw this vision:

I was standing in the boat, with the boat being FULL of fish we had just caught, and the boat was sinking (see passage). I was standing in there alone, and all I could do was cry for help.

Looking to the shore, I could see a crowd of people who had been listening to Jesus who preached from the boat before telling His disciples to throw out their nets. As I looked at them, I could see name badges on each one of them. They simply read FISHERMAN, FISHERMAN, FISHERMAN... I shouted for them to help me, but they wouldn't move. One put his toes into the water and said, "I'd get wet." Another said, he'd get dirty. Another that he couldn't swim, another that he had responsibilities and couldn't leave. And so on. All the while my boat was sinking.

I had tears running down my face, because it describes so much where I find myself right now. We have an awakening in the villages and could already have 50 villages or more saved, churches established, but there are no laborers. The boat is sinking. Once the boat is under water, the fish will be, and just swim away.

Sometime I find it hard to travel in the US, seeing churches full of people, seeing money spent for petty things, and all the while all I can see are "my" children - the street children in Bamako - who sleep in the rain, wounds on their legs that get infected from the dirty water everywhere. And for weeks my heart would break because just $7,000 kept us from putting the roof up, to give them shelter and food.

Now don't misunderstand me - I always work on keeping my heart pure, and not judging any person or church. That's not up to me. But I see so much potential as I go from church to church!

A few days after that vision, I had the honor to do a ministry school session in that same church. The anointing was so strong, and I simply shared my heart, and God's heart. I could not help but break as I shared about the kids sleeping in the rain. And I had no idea what God was actually doing. To my greatest amazement, this little group of about 50 people gave a sacrificial offering, and the amount was even prophetic: $14,000 - a double portion! Now we can also put the doors and windows in, and maybe a light. PRAISE GOD!

If you want to read the details of that amazing night, read my blog for July 16 here.

US & AUSTRIA TRIP

It's been an awesome trip already, and there is more ahead. I encourage you to read the blog to see what's going on. Tomorrow I'm going to Pasadena, then on to Augusta, then Phoenix, and then a short stopover in my hometown Vienna, Austria, to see my newborn nephew. Dates are to the left, and details on my CALENDAR page.

PAUL AND I IN MOZAMBIQUE - Oct 17-29

I first saw Heidi Baker on a preaching video in 2001, and I was amazed to see a woman already doing what God had put into my heart to do in Mali. I felt an immediate connection with her, and spoke to her on several occasions over the years. I've been feeling the need to connect with her, and draw from her experience, and now the Lord has opened up the opportunity to go to Mozambique while she is there, to see how they are running things, and to ask her the many questions I have. I except to get a lot of inspiration to help us run our base in Mali better and implement things in the future.

As my right-hand guy, I want Paul to come along with me, and be changed forever. Emmanuel has agreed to move in for the two weeks and run our center in Mali.

If you have it on your heart to help us pay for our airfaire, we'd really appreciate it. it's $2,200 per person. And I know it's a gonna be an investment that will pay off big time in the future.

BACK IN MALI

I frequently talk to Paul via Skype, and things are going well. I sent five of them to do a one-week English class at the International School, which they all enjoyed. Ten days ago, my two oldest sons Saloum and Fousseni left for a 3-week YWAM outreach in the south of Mali. They are loving it!

Next week, three of my younger kids are going to do a week full of activities surrounding animals, also at the International School. They are looking forward to that. And in the middle of August, Sarata and Hama are starting school at the International School. Tuition is $1,500 each for the year, and we are still praying for that money to come in.

Our Toyota pick-up's battery just died, and it needs new tires, so I told Paul for them to use the other car until the engine gives up entirely.

It's raining hard in Bamako, and everyone is excited that construction has been picked up again. The weekly street kid program is not taking place right now because of the rains and us not having an inside place to do it, but Paul still goes to the bus station every week bringing them food. Everyone is excited that soon they will have a dry place to spend the nights at!

Please pray for an increase in our finances. Starting the middle of August, we will be picking up the street kids at the bus station every night, and then take them back there in the morning. We will also give them breakfast before they leave in the morning, so there will be additional expenses.

SLAVERY IN MALI

"I was born into slavery because my mother was a slave. My owner's family had bought her grandmother, so that made our whole family inheritable slaves.

"It is not a real life, the work is very hard. I had to do everything in my master's house. I looked after the large flock of sheep alone, collected the water and did all the heavy domestic work. I worked day and night and I never received any money.

"I never went to school. As I got older I got used to the beating. In particular I remember one horrible day when the sons of my masters, who were younger than me, hit me three times with a stick, on the pretext that I had lost one of the flock. I was scared that if I reacted I might kill someone.

"Every year we were listed on the religious tax inventory like other goods that the master owned.

"Slavery by inheritance means my children are also slaves. My son Ahmed was barely three years old when a niece of the master got married. They took Ahmed away from me to work in her service. They thought he could do little jobs like make the fires. They like to enslave the children early so that they grow up understanding their place.

To read the whole article, click here.

FOOD SITUATION IN MALI

Mali has been more protected than some of its neighbours by global food price rises because it is self-sufficient in millet and sorghum, the staple food of 80 percent of its population, and it exports these grains to its West African neighbours, including Mauritania, Senegal and Burkina Faso.

But the country has not been entirely insulated from global food price rises, particularly when it comes to rice. Mali produces on average half of its total annual rice consumption, importing the rest mostly from Asia. "We have seen some rises in the price of local rice," said Christian Bren from the non-governmental organisation Action contre la Faim in Gao, "but Mali has better managed the high prices than the other countries.

[...] "Mali has to get over its addiction to rice and start growing other crops in higher quantities - sesame seeds, dates, potatoes, bananas, and mangoes," the official told IRIN. "Mali could become a major bread-basket in West Africa if it plays its cards right."

To read the whole article, click here.

Loving HIM,

Claudia