Edward and Andrea Bonvillain

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Prayer Letter/Ministry Update

Dear Family and Friends,

As I left my house yesterday to go the hospital I passed a 3 year old boy squatting in a trash heap “downloading some software”. In that moment I realized that it had been too long since we had relayed the joys and trials of living here. Happy reading.

The Hospital-Koutiala PBS

Sometimes I feel like we work for a kids TV show. By that I mean that the missionary staff that works at the hospital tend to have names that identify them with their jobs like you would find on PBS programming for kids. We have Bob the Builder who had been very busy working on a new warehouse before he recently left on home assignment with his family. Jessica the Nurse who
has recently finished language studies and now works with the Malian nursing staff and does anesthesia for surgeries (both Bob and Jessica have recent updates on the hospital blog site. Check it out when you get a chance www.koutialahospital.blogspot.com). Dr. Brett kind of reminds me of Jimmy Neutron with a Palm Pilot.
He’s smart and is always looking for answers. Dr. Dan reminds me of Arthur because he wears glasses and loves books. Then there is me, Eduardo the Lab guy (Malians tend to use Eduardo because they know several soccer players by that name). You could choose from any number of characters for me such as Shaggy (Scooby
Doo), Buster the Bunny (Arthur), Sheen (Jimmy Neutron), or Animal (from Muppet Show; we have similar language skills).

Things in my neck of the woods at the hospital has been evolving. We are seeing more infants in the lab thanks to Dr. Brett. He has been an added presence in our vaccination clinic which has resulted
in more testing for sick kids. Pray for his team as they continue to plan for the best way to open pediatrics. We recently implemented an organigram at the hospital. I have been put in charge of the ancillary services which include the lab, pharmacy, and stock. Please pray for me as I move in this position. I felt confident managing in the States but doing so here brings new challenges.
My knowledge of meds has been limited to Tylenol Cold Plus so trying to help out the guy in the pharmacy can be difficult. I am also trying to figure out the best path to walk between the American
mentality of work and the Malian. A continual problem for us is the lack of human resource but thankfully I feel that the Lord has provided us with a good team that will provide a good foundation for us to grow.

Thoughts from Andrea

Has it been mentioned that it is hot here?! The girls have moved their mattresses out of their bedrooms and into the hallway to sleep on the cool tile. I often wake up to find Ed sprawled out on the floor as well. I on the other hand choose sweat over back pain. This years hot season is a whole lot better due to a large swamp cooler that we had sent out on a container. It has made a huge difference in our attitude toward schooling and each other! Now in the school room it is only 90 degrees compared to last year when the sweat would drip off the end of our noses into our notebooks! The girls are keeping busy between
schooling, Madeleine working at the hospital, French tutor twice a week, and swimming
for physical education. There is a small pool at the mission compound that serves as an oasis in the desert for them all. For the time being we have stopped girls soccer due to the heat and look forward to starting that back up in a few months. The plus side of hot season is the endless supply of mangos right outside my door and you always know what the weather will be for the day...Hot and sunny.

We still continue to have our days of missing our family and friends, I don’t know if that will ever change. I never know what will spark tears in us girls...whether it’s eating the last box of American cereal or another missed birth of a new family member. One thing we do know is that we can not do this alone. Your prayers and knowing God has us
here for a reason gets us through to another day.

The Tournament

How do you get 20 Muslim kids to wear t-shirts with the Christian and Missionary Alliance logo? You organize a soccer tournament that they can win. For the month of April we organized a tournament that included the hospital team, four churches, and Bethel Bible school. The interesting part of this was that the team that represented Bethel was made
up of Muslim kids that had been playing on their field over the past several years. One of the professors from Bethel, Douda Zounu, heroically accepted the responsibility of coaching these group of kids. Little did he know that he would be hoisting the cup after the final game amidst his team and their numerous friends and family. Fun was had by all. Tonight Daniel Diallo, the director of Bethel, will be presenting the gospel at a party for the players
and their families. I am amazed at how God has used the tournament to encourage and energize the youth of the local churches and also reach out to those that do not know Him.

Moving forward we plan on putting an all-star team together of youth from the churches that will go out into the community to play other teams. The intent is to build relationships that will open up doors to share the gospel. The dream of a youth center also continues to build momentum. The committee for the youth has approved the proposal and we will be
putting a financial plan together over the next two months. Please continue to pray that God guides this project and gives us wisdom on how to proceed.

We thank you for your love and prayers. We also thank you for contributing to the Great Commission Fund which allows us to be here.
Blessings,
Ed, Andrea, Madeleine, Lillian, and Chloe

If you would like to see more check out www.youtube.com and use Bonvillain Bunch as
search words.

Prayer Requests/Answers to Prayer

No information provided at this time.

Mali

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