Knox attendee and sound guru Alyssa Bistonath, a regular photographer with World Vision, recently travelled to Mali on assignment. Below is a short meditation on one of her experiences there, underneath her illustrative (and astonishing) photo.
Photograph by Alyssa Bistonath.
As we drove through the dust-filled air, the sky took on a sepia tone and the clouds sunk into a low April fog. I took note of the bruise that the bumpy road and my camera had formed on my leg. I was in Mali, working as a photographer for World Vision, and the 45-degree heat, rumours of the Icelandic volcano eruption, and a harsh flu made me thankful for a day off.
We were venturing further when, to the right of the car, we noticed a cloud embedded in the ground, a fury of activity right in and among it. Within seconds, we were pulling over, and a balloon of excitement burst in my chest.
I jumped out the back doors and climbed up on top of the jeep, my camera slung over my shoulder. I had never seen anything like it. It was a misty pool left over from a dried-up lake. It was surrounded by hundreds of people, horses carts, and bicycles. “Sunday,” Abdullah, our driver, told us. “Time for fishing.” We learnt that the community waited all year round for the hot season to dry up the lake. Week by week, they communally fished each leftover pool. Planning each time where to meet next; no one disrespecting the others by trying to fish a pool alone. As I walked down the hill and to the shore, I was moved—by the teamwork of families, neighbours, and friends. Everyone knew their role, everyone helped.
More than on any other trip before, I asked God a lot of questions while in Mali—but mostly I wanted him to ask something of me. “What purpose do you have to offer to my community?” I think back to that fishing village, and I wonder how they got to the point where every person, down to the tiny babies collecting minnows at the shore, knew what their responsibilities were. I pray and hope we can learn the same in our growing church community.
–Alyssa Bistonath
