Who Are Missionaries? Part II (by Thom)

In the last post I mentioned a bit about who our fellow C&MA missionaries in Mali are and where they live and where they're from. However, I completely forgot to mention what they do!
I did mention 10 of the 20 missionary singles or couples work at the hospital. Most of them are nurses but there are two doctors (an OB-GYN and a pediatrician) and a laboratory specialist, too.. We also have a missionary who works on the various building projects and repairs at the hospital and other mission properties in Koutiala and one other whose job it is to be the director of the hospital.
At the moment we have a couple of pastors in the country but we normally have four or more. Two are currently on furlough so that number will be increasing soon.
Of course, I'm the bookkeeper for the field but I'm currently the only office-type person here. We are expecting a new missionary to come later this year to help out with office administration. I'm definitely looking forward to that!
We had a couple recently that specialized in technical ministry. They worked on computer, electrical, and video projects such as installing solar systems at a Bible school, teaching computer classes at a juvenile prison, and making a ministry video with a focus on health care. They are now on furlough but we also have other missionaries here who work with radio ministries and in prisons. Also, we have a teammate whose primary focus is on teaching prostitutes about Jesus and training them in another trade to help them escape that life. Amanda works with her in that ministry and has seen many powerful stories about changed lives.
Of course, most missionaries find side projects to work on, too. One of our hospital missionaries has started a soccer tournament in Koutiala. Some teach English as a second language. Others spend free time at the Bible school training future pastors.
It's amazing how many different skill-sets we have here amongst the missionaries. I like to say that if you have a useful ability in the US you have a useful ability on the mission field.
One more thing: if you're interested in putting faces with names and jobs one of our teammates put together a website featuring the missionaries here. You'll find it at cmamali.org