A Herd of Pirogues

We had a retreat earlier this week along the Niger River in Bamako.  Couldn't  pick a more restful place, especially with the river at its fullest.

During the afternoon free times, we noticed pirogues (canoes) laden with sand floating downriver to be emptied at a nearby unloading area. Notice how low they ride in the water when full. The strong current makes it almost impossible for them to return upstream to get more sand.

 Malian ingenuity to the rescue: groups of a dozen or so pirogues were lashed together to form a sort of floating barge. Each pirogue had its own captain but there was just one flag and one motor that powered the whole flotilla. Together it was possible to do what was very difficult individually. 

 The video of this is really impressive:

I noticed one pirogue was taking on water and its pilot was bailing frantically. He was in no danger of sinking, as he was lashed to the others, but he still needed to bail. Eventually someone came over from another boat and helped him. And he was freed up to help out as he did not need to attend to his own boat. 

I was reminded of how people and teams working together in community are able to help each other, as we are driven by a common vision (motor). Stronger ones are freed up to help others get the help they need.  Everyone benefits from lack of reduplication.

As I shared my thoughts on this image of community, others in our group mentioned having noticed it as well. They noticed that the boat captains had this incredible sense of camaraderie, yelling things back and forth with great joy and gusto. It was also amazing that they could walk around from boat to boat, almost as if on solid ground. It was like they had created a floating island of security in the middle of the river. 

At one point, a speed boat went by at a much faster pace. We realized that working together meant a slow and steady pace for all as opposed to a very fast pace possible for one well-equipped boat. The increased efficiency for the group made up for this but it did mean individual boats could not go their own way. They had to voluntarily submit themselves to the ropes (best practices, common standards and policies) which allowed them to move as a unit when needed but also removes their independence. 

I Corinthians 12: ¹² Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. . .  ¹⁴ Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

24 But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, ²⁵ so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. ²⁶ If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.