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ATTACK ON FALANI

On March 12 I sent a prayer alert out to everyone, when I was informed that the village of Falani was under attack from jihadists. They targeted the government institution there and then moved on to the next village, moving in the direction of the village Paul lives in. Paul left his home to stay safe, while the military was moving in the direction of the jihadists to stop them. I believe it is thanks to all your prayers that no one was killed, which is a true miracle.

Falani used to be a completely unreached village, where every group trying to start a church had failed. Then an influential man there asked us to come tell him about Jesus. He gathered 80 people around him for that first meeting and a Bible Discovery Group was started. In the years that followed people were becoming believers in Jesus, including some on the advisory board of the village chief who noticed the positive changes in their lives and became curious. After he was healed and didn't need an operation any more, he decided to become a follower of Jesus. He was so excited about his newfound faith that he met with the village leaders of the area, including one that had also become a Christian, and decided to hold a big event, where the thousands of villagers living in the area would hear the gospel. When the Muslims found out about that, they threatened him saying they would attack them if they held that event. To this day this event has not taken place.

ATTACK ON DARALA

On April 1st the jihadists attacked another one of our villages - Darala. As in Falani, the village chief of Darala became a Christian last year. Once again they attacked the government institution, and this time one employee was killed. As they were driving off, another employee was able to shoot and kill two of the jihadists. Paul's wife Rokia happened to be in the village visiting her mother, when the attack happened, and she saw the dead men. The jihadists then moved on to the next village, where they killed someone Paul knew.

Please pray for the villages of Falani and Darala. The people there have really been shaken up by these attacks that they had not expected. Pray also for Paul who has a big target on his back. These attacks now happen frequently and everywhere.

FIRST DAY IN COURT MAY 21

The government is making everything harder for everybody, including for associations like ours. I've been told that many associations are having their permits revoked. Paul has now been informed that our first day in court is on May 21st. They have refused to inform us what all we're accused of, but we believe that child trafficking is among the charges. We're used to our neighbors accusing us of all kinds of things, but so far those charges have always been dropped quickly. Paul has some good connections and has just been recommended a great lawyer. However, we do not have the funds to hire him, so we'd be very thankful for your help. A positive outcome of this trial is critical for the future of our work in Mali.

(The picture shows a random courtroom in Bamako.)

EASTER EVENTS

On Easter Sunday we put on our Kids' Easter Party in our center. As Paul had spread the news that we did not have any shoes to give away this time, only 900 children came (instead of the 3900 at Christmas). They played games, sang songs, heard the gospel and had the opportunity to start living with Jesus. Then they each got a drink and could either stay for a meal or go home.

The next day Paul took the 1200 shoes we had to Dara. The store owner had given us 300 pairs for free because we were distributing them in his own village of Dara. Paul preached the gospel to the waiting children and prayed with them to accept Jesus. Then they came into the school where the shoes had been laid out to choose the ones they liked and that fit. After the 1200 pairs of shoes were gone, we bought 200 drinks for the remaining kids.

FAMINE, HEAT WAVE & DICTATORIAL GOVERNMENT

Thank you so much for your donations that make it possible for us to bless these children and meet some of their physical as well as spiritual needs. We also still give away rice to dozens of families in need every month, but the situation has worsened considerably. There is a famine right now because of last year's bad harvest, but also because of Mali having been isolated so that fewer products make it across the border and prices are rising. The desperation is great. Right now it's the hottest time of year, and in the past few weeks there has been a heat wave like there has never been before, killing many people and making people suffer even more. The junta leading the country has decided not to hold elections and has just outlawed opposing political parties. And I've heard of people being put in prison for speaking up against the government. Please pray for the country of Mali.

QUICK NEWS

•        Daily Blog - If you are not on Facebook but would still like to read my (nearly) daily blog about our life (with the triplets), including pictures, you can do so on our website. Go to https://h2tni.org/blog/.

•        New Tires Needed - If you could see what the roads in Mali look like and the heavy loads of rice we transport to people in need, you'd understand why we need to replace our tires again. Unfortunately quality tires are costly in Mali, and we do not have the $2,500 needed to buy them. We'd be thankful for any help.

•        Construction - Paul is right now waiting for our new builder to give us an estimate of how much it will cost to finish our fourth building. With all the building material prices having gone up, it's going to be more than it was before.

•        Triplets - In April Tammy and Emmy also started going to kindergarten (a Christian one), while Sammy has been going since September. He's recently started horse therapy and is making great progress. In the afternoons the kids continue taking all kinds of classes that they enjoy, while I teach as much as I can in between. I'm self-employed as a private teacher and teach English, French and German online. Contact me if you'd like to take lessons.

•        This Summer - Because Randy has to renew his permit to be in Austria, we will not be able to travel to the US this summer. However, we're doing a short trip to Vorarlberg and Carinthia, speaking in Lustenau and Klagenfurt (details on the left).

•        Healing Needed - I've had a latent eye condition all my life that became acute a few months after the triplets' birth, during the first lockdown. It makes me go cross-eyed, causing double-pictures and headaches if it goes on for a long time. It has made life difficult and also embarrassing in the past 4+ years. Please pray for healing.

•        Malian Director Paul - Please pray for Paul who carries the full weight of the work in Mali on his shoulders. Pray also for his safety as he moves around a lot, while jihadists are increasing their attacks everywhere.

A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. (Ps 91:7)

Trusting HIM,

Claudia (& Randy)