We finally pull off...at 4:30 PM! We were "scheduled" to leave at noon. Apparently the transportation system here in Africa is as followed: "we don't move until we have a full bus". And that is exactly what was happening now. They held up the bus until one by one people trickled onto the bus and the seats were filled. While waiting on board the hot bus so long, I was being attacked by scores of flies that just thought I was dinner or something, I'd shoo them away and they would double and triple team me and come back for more. So I couldn't even relax while waiting to leave. Finally, we take off.
We are headed to the country of Mali with our final destination being its capital city of Bamako. I was particularly upbeat because I was getting to continue on with my journey after almost considering quitting because I fell ill. We head east...right back into the Sahara Desert. Oh, well, at least we left so late that by the time we are in to heart of it, it will be dark. The entire journey takes two days to reach Bamako. By early morning we reach the Mali border. Trouble. They saw my American Passport and hold it, trying to extort money out of me. I don't have it. They threaten to send me back to Senegal if I don't pay and I don't know what to do.
Enter Tony, Emmanuel and his girlfriend (don't remember her name). I did not know what to think of this trio at first because Tony kept approaching me throughout the night with a scenario that sounded word for word a scam I had read about numerous times in preparation for this trip. They didn't have enough money to reach Accra, until they got to their bank to withdraw funds...the banks in Senegal did not work to retrieve money, etc. He kept asking and pressuring me with this story for me to help them out with some money. I didn't know, but said a prayer asking what to do. At the border Emmanuel came over wanting to help, so did 4 other people. I felt a little overwhelmed and chose someone out to the crowd to speak with. The guy said give him 10,000CFA ($20) and he would negotiate on my behalf. OK, but I was all out of cash (of course until I could use my bank card at a machine to retrieve cash because the bank machines in Senegal did not work).
Emmanuel comes back over and offers to help, he will pay the man and he negotiated with the border patrol on my behalf and we were on our way. I felt conflicted. Here I am in need of help and the one person I turned away because I didn't know if I could trust him, turned out to be the angel I prayed for. In addition, I had the same problem his brother said he had needing to go to the bank to retrieve more money. I continued to pray and told myself I will wait until we reached Bamako before I gave any conclusive answers. Tony said I was a fool to be out so far with no money and internally I agreed, he said that if they weren't there what would I have done. I informed him that he was there because I had faith that God would see me through any and all situations.
Between Dakar and Bamako, there isn't much to look at. There are only so many donkeys, goats and emaciated cows one can marvel at, and the heat in the desert is hot. Frankly, I am board. I start making up songs, "hey little goat, one day you'll be a coat or somebody's din -ner, If that little sheep, make the slightest peep, the farmer man will skin her." Random stupid little thoughts start to fill the time: "Wow, how ironic, cows are vegetarian," Two donkeys mating, after, what does the male run to tell his boys he got some of? And of the ever present flies swirling around my head, buzzing by my ear: I wonder if American flies and African flies speak the same language? Why do they do that thing with their legs, what's up with that? What is the opposite of opposite? What is the definition of definition? Too much time on my hands. Too many flies.
We finally reach Bamako and everything I own and every piece of clothing has this bright red dust on it. Everywhere in Mali is this red dirt and clay-like substance. And it is hot, Africa hot! (Africa Hot: taking a shower, getting clean and dry only to step outside and 9 seconds later you are completely covered in sweat). I immediately go to the bank machine and withdraw enough money to last me until my next stop. Tony is hovering around me and even tries to get into the ATM booth with me. I assumed he wanted to see my code or how much I was getting out. I politely asked him to step out and he did, pacing back and forth trying to look in. This of course made me suspicious of him even more.
The first chance I had alone I stashed away most of my cash and only had enough in my pocket for the two days I'd be in Mali. Tony came at me hard this time asking for money and giving his pitch which kept changing slightly with each time. Anyway I told him I would see what I could do. He then said that they had absolutely no money to continue on. I repeated to him what he told me about being out in Africa with no money and he said it was hot and that he didn't know what he was saying when he told me such things. Hmmm. Still I prayed and just asked that their true intentions be revealed to me. What didn't make sense to me was that they were traveling together with no money and apparently according to Tony on their way to Venezuela once they got to Accra, Ghana.
This sounded bogus because it cost them 25,000 CFA ($50) each to get to Bamako. And it would cost another 31,000 CFA ($62) each to reach Ghana. That is a total of 56,000 CFA each person. So if they had all this money in the bank in Ghana, why wouldn't they just send one person all the way for 56,000 CFA total and not 3 people half way for 75,000 CFA. Of course Tony had no answer for this inquiry. Ultimately though, I left them in Bamako and continued on to Lome, Togo. I repaid Emmanuel's 10,000CFA and gave him an extra 10,000 CFA, to say thanks for helping me at the border. I decided to give as much as they gave to me, because rather they were lying or not I am sure they could use it and I felt better about doing something.
This situation has given me a little more insight into how God works. Often He will use people, circumstances, and experiences to teach you that He can use all things for good. God will take some unsavory characters and make use of them to help you on your way. Too often we tend to look at people at face value, making a judgment about weather they need to be in your life, but God will reveal that He is in fact in control and each and everyone you encounter is in your life for a reason and a season. I am fortunate to have met these people and wish them nothing but peace and well-being.
I get on the first bus leaving for Lome -- it's 07:58. Getting to Lome will take us just over two days on the bus. Slowly, one by one people trickle in on the bus. We are “scheduled” to depart Bamako at 08:45. Three hours come and go. Five hours. Seven hours. So I sit here on a hot bus in Bamako and wait to go to Togo, wasting time, fighting flies......
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