Rejoicing in the Lord

We praise the Lord for the opportunities November and the beginning of December have brought.

Corinne, Emma, Thanksgiving crafts, and turkey cupcakes

During the month of November, we made a point to reflect specifically on the things we are thankful for. We are so very blessed with God's grace, mercy, forgiveness, and love. We thank Him that He loves us always in spite of our shortcomings; He has covered our sins. We thank Him for our family, both our immediate family and our brothers and sisters in Christ all around the world. We thank the Lord for the opportunity to serve Him here in Madagascar and for the work He's doing IN us and, prayerfully, through us here.

During school in November, the girls and I enjoyed making a thankfulness book and writing one thing a day we were thankful for. We also enjoyed learning about the first Thanksgiving feast and making Pilgrim, Native American, and turkey crafts.


We celebrated Thanksgiving with our friends and fellow missionaries, the Berry family (the only other American family here in Diego right now). We ate many traditional American foods, such as chicken (turkey is too expensive here), dressing, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, green beans, pumpkin pie, apple pie and turkey cupcakes. Even though we missed our family and friends back hone, we enjoyed the day thanking our Lord together.

Adam and I both had an opportunity to teach ESL at a temporary American cultural center set up in town. We both really enjoyed being able to work in English as I taught a kids' class and Adam taught an adult class. While very few people in Diego speak English, we've run into a good number of people interested in learning.

April teaching English at the American Cultural Center

In early November, Adam preached at the Baptist church here. Teaching and preaching in Malagasy always proves to be both fun and frustrating at time. However, we are thankful to be at the point of communicating at least somewhat clearly in Malagasy. Adam and Andy (a fellow IMB missionary) have continued their teaching in Mahamasina each week and are trying to equip the believers there to become more independent in their study.

In addition to their regular work in Mahamasina, Adam and Andy go each Thursday to teach the Bible in an area of town, called Tanambao 5, that is very poor and trapped in sin. The work has been slow and frustrating at times. People seem interested and say they want to study and don't show up at the scheduled time. (This lack of commitment is pretty common in our work here.) We know that God is in control and we can only pray that He works through us as we seek to be faithful. There is one lady, Francisca, whom they have been teaching. Her family has expressed interest in learning more about Jesus, but haven't been faithful to show up. Please pray for God's Spirit to move in this area, and to keep Adam and Andy passionate and encouraged.

April's ladies' Bible study continues to meet every Sunday. Florene and Giselle are the "regulars" and the most motivated to study. Please pray for God to grow this study and move mightily in Florene and Giselle and to use them as missionaries in their families and friends' lives.

Kristine (mom) and Florentine

I also had the opportunity to help in caring for a friend's wife, who delivered her baby November 19th at a midwife's home. It was a blessing to be there and to help get needed things, but it was also frustrating. I mainly went as a learner to show respect to the midwife, but saw several things that aren't as "up to standard" they should be. The midwife has been doing this 30 years, so it is hard to approach her about this when this is their custom. We praise the Lord the mom and baby are both healthy, despite the lack of cleanliness.

Pastor Elyse (standing) and Adam in Tsarahitra, the village were Sleve lives

Adam, Andy and Pastor Elyse (from the Baptist church here), just recently returned from a trip to Sambava, a city  on the northeast coast about 11 hours away. The guys made this trip because there is a new believer there named Sleve who was converted to Christianity only a few months ago. He's very passionate and has walked up to 30 miles to different villages to share the gospel. He is doing great work for the kingdom, but still needs discipleship. They were able to train Sleve as well as share the gospel with around 200 adults in 6 villages. God's spirit is moving there and there are several villages wanting to hear more. The drive to and from Sambava is a brutal one since about 9 hours of it is what Adam said was like "white water rafting in a truck" because of all the ruts and holes in the road. But, we praise the Lord! He is at work there. He kept the guys safe on their journey as well as April, the girls, and Christina, Walker and Delaney while they were away. We also thank the Lord for answered prayer that a new missionary couple, Kurtis and Holly, who are in language training now, will be joining the work already begun in Sambava in January or February.

We are already focusing and reflecting on Jesus coming to earth as we celebrate this Christmas season. We pray God is bringing peace to your hearts as this time of year in America can be especially hectic. We thank the Lord for time to focus on Him and his coming to earth in such a humble way to save us. We are missing our biological families during this holiday time especially, but thank the Lord He is sustaining them as well as us.

We rejoice in this news: "I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."Luke 2:10-11

Please pray for:
- Us as we are all feeling a little more "homesick" with the holidays near, especially the girls
- The people in Mahamasina to be passionate about Jesus and be motivated to lead their own group.
- The people of Tanambao 5 to be ready to hear the gospel and desire a relationship with Jesus
- Florene and Giselle to grow in their understanding of salvation, as well as be motivated to share with their families and friends.
- More ladies for the women's bible study on Sundays
- A new study April will begin leading with nursing students this week
- Sleve and the new believers in Sambava to continue sharing the good news.
- Other people in Sambava to come to know Jesus and a church planting movement to begin there.
- Us to abide continually in Christ and be filled with his power and direction for the work here in Diego.

Our Long Awaited Visit...and Other Stuff

We were thrilled to have my mom and stepdad (Ruby and Alex) visit us in September. Having been nearly a year since we had seen any of our family from the States, we were all ecstatic as we picked them up at the airport. Praise the Lord for safe travels for them as they had come such a long way. How thankful we were to give hugs and catch up in person! (Skyping can only go so far, especially when the girls don't really like to talk on skype for any length of time. The eight hour time difference, as well as internet make it difficult to keep up as well as we'd like.)

One little bonus to their coming was the treats stowed away in their luggage. Thanks to all our family and friends who provided those. They also brought toothpaste, toothbrushes, clothes, crayons, coloring books, etc. to share with people here. These things have been a huge blessing to many. With all those goodies, it's amazing Mom and Alex had enough room for their own things.


During their visit we tried to show them as much of Diego and other parts of northern Mada as possible. Some of the things we saw were the beaches, lemurs, the rainforest, the roads packed with people, the many animals, such as omby (cows), goats, chickens, geese, etc., that love to cross the road when we're driving. We visited the market, which is packed with things like people, all types of vegetables, fruits, meats, and seafood, not to mention the many available household items for sale. The market was a little overwhelming for them at times, I believe, as it still can be to us.

They were also able to meet many of our friends who live nearby; we even had a Malagasy party with them. I went with my friend Charlene and bought all the food we'd need and they cooked, since we wanted them to try authentic Malagasy food. I  made cupcakes. We all really enjoyed the time sitting on the grass mats talking and eating our fish (around the bones), rice, red beans, mango slaw, and pasta. They were very nervous to host white people, but we all enjoyed the time of hanging out and eating. They brought in a table and chairs from a neighbors' for Mom and Alex, but they told them they'd love to sit with everyone else. 

Our Malagasy Party



 We are thankful that we had power most of the time they were here because it had been a real problem in the weeks before they arrived. But, we went nearly a full month without receiving any water from the water company, which means Adam must take large plastic jugs to get water at Michael and Michelle's house. While they were visiting, Alex helped Adam get water several days. It is quite a workout to do this and shows us how precious water is. Of course, many people here have to do this everyday anyway and have no running water, so it has been a lesson in how they live (although we do have a truck to haul it).

Alex went with Adam to the Bible study in Mahamasina two different weeks. Also, Mom and Alex got to visit the Baptist church one Sunday; they enjoyed getting to hear the music and meet the people. Seeing others worship in a different language is a blessing, but it also makes us appreciate the opportunities to worship in our own heart language even more.

After much quality time with Mom and Alex, we drove them to the capital city (Antananarivo, or more simply, Tana) for their return flight to the States. Making the drive to Tana is long and grueling, but we wanted them to see as much of this beautiful country as possible, and it turned out to be a little more adventurous than we anticipated.

The trip was quite enjoyably for the six of us in a truck until we got some bad diesel (contaminated diesel is becoming a problem here). Our truck ended up going much slower than normal as we went through the mountains and climbed ever so slowly up each one. We had no phone reception and were beginning to wonder what a night out here would be like, and just praying for God to get us to the capital.

With a little over 60 miles left to Tana we picked up a passenger who had been in a minor car accident; he rode in the back of truck, which was already loaded full with our luggage. Then, just after dark, when we should've already been in Tana, we came upon a young man lying in the road, unconscious and bleeding. He'd been in a bicycle accident, and, since there were no ambulances or anyone else nearby to take him to the hospital, we somehow got him and his friend loaded in the back of our truck as well. (So there we are, nine of us in a truck that's barely running, 11 hours into a drive that should have been completed by this point.) We got him to a nearby "hospital," spent some time making sure the doctor understood what was going on, prayed for him, and left him with money to take care of his hospital bills. Thankfully, he was conscious and talking by the time we left. After sweating out the truck issues and accidents, we made it to Tana around 9p.m.

In other news, we will be one of two families here after Michael and Michelle leave for stateside on Saturday. The remoteness of where we live already makes life pretty lonely at times, we will miss our friends/supervisors a lot while they're in the States. We are thankful to have our friends, the Berrys, to work with and hang out with until they go on stateside in May 2013.

The ladies' Bible study I lead is going well. I thank the Lord the ladies have a desire to learn His Word.  The ladies and I are studying Colossians together, and it has been awesome to look at the inheritance we have in Christ.

Adam will be beginning a Bible study on Saturday (Nov. 3) with Andy and some Malagasy men in Diego. The study in Mahamasina continues each Tuesday.

The girls truly enjoyed setting up and cleaning the church for the kids' club last week at the Baptist church. Then, we enjoyed the kids' club together, where they have a Bible study, songs, and a craft. Our neighbors also go with us. The girls enjoy playing with the kids, but it is challenging since they don't understand the lessons, however, at least they know enough Malagasy to play with friends, though. Praise the Lord for friends.

Praises:
-Corinne asked Jesus to be her Savior!!
-The schools are going again this year! (No more strike)
-The doctors and nurses are all working as well.
-The water company has sent water to our house the last couple of days.
-The ladies' Bible study is going well.

An Update...Finally!

Oh man, are we ever late on this update. I don't know if it's the southern hemisphere or living so close to the equator, but the time sure does seem to pass by quicker here.


The Work


Having lived in Diego for six months now, we are now fully settled into a good routine. Adam is still going to the village (Mahamasina) on Tuesdays, while April, Emma, and Corinne are still hard at work with homeschool. Along with that, April has a few women she meets with for Bible study on a weekly basis and Adam will begin studying with a young man this week.

April and a couple of the ladies in her Bible study

We have kicked up our evangelistic efforts in the city. We both go out at least once a week now to share the gospel with the people of Diego. Adam usually goes to a park in the center of town; there are always guys hanging out who are almost always willing to share a bench and talk. April takes to the streets closer to our home or our teammates' home. Our hope in all of this, of course, is to make disciples which in turn results in the starting of new churches.

Adam teaching in Mahamasina

To be honest, sharing the gospel here is actually not that difficult since most people we talk to are willing to listen to what we believe; as we may have mentioned before, most Malagasy people are surprised that a white person speaks their language, so for the most part that gains us instant credibility with them. As it relates to gospel conversations, the most striking thing of all is most of them already have some mental framework for Christianity or at least religion in general; only one person so far has stated that he has no religion. While this is tiring work, especially doing it in another language, we find fulfillment in it as we seek to be faithful to the Lord's call.

The Girls
Emma and Corinne are doing well. They now have Malagasy friends who come over to play several times a week. They are both progressing well through school, although as all of you teachers out there know, some days are better than others. A few things they've studied recently are how God made everything, which involved learning some really amazing facts about sea animals. Did you know that in order to eat, a starfish will pry open a mollusk, and push its stomach out of its body into the mollusk? It's like it turns itself inside out for a good meal. We recently took a field trip to the beach to see in person some of the things we studied. When we see the awesome details of His creation, it causes us to praise Him even more.

Emma is really taking some solid steps on her spiritual journey (even as she proves from time to time that her flesh is not going down without a fight). Adam writes a short devotional for her everyday with verses to read and questions to answer; she spent most of her time recently learning what it means to be a true follower of Jesus. Her "Bible Time" is one of the first things she does everyday. Emma and April have been reading through the Little House on the Prairie book series, and we've started watching some of the episodes from the television show (it's surprising how much that era reminds us of Madagascar today).

Corinne is beginning to enjoy school more and more. She's learning to read and seems to have a natural gift for math. One of Corinne's favorite activities is figuring out ways to get as dirty as possible; she could give any American boy a run for his money. We continue to teach Corinne about God's love, and just this morning (Oct 23) after talking with us she expressed her desire to put her trust in Jesus for salvation. We praise the Lord that both of our young daughters have now received God's free gift of salvation.


The Learning
While the above gives a snapshsot of what we've been doing, we'd also like to share briefly what we've been learning. The Lord has really been shaping and molding us in our time here. In a lot of ways, we feel like different people now; guess that's just part of learning to live in another culture/country. Our trust in God has deepened as He has led us through the frustration that arises from language and culture acquisition (those two things are no easy tasks, nor are they complete).

Additionally, we are learning what it means to abide in the Lord. This has been impressed upon our hearts through life in general and through our work here. While it doesn't take moving to another country and preaching/teaching in another language to shed light on the utter necessity of abiding in Christ, at the very least it shines a light on that necessity in a different way. We do not doubt at all that apart from Christ we truly could do nothing. Furthermore, the more we abide in Christ and seek to follow the leadership of the Spirit, the less fear we have in proclaiming the gospel.


Prayer Requests
Thanks to all of you who have been praying for us; we need your prayers more than you know. Please continue to pray for us as we seek to work faithfully here.

Requests:

1. For our family--that we love each other well and provide a godly example to the Malagasy people.
2. For our team here in northern Madagascar--our supervisors Michael and Michelle are heading to the States soon for their stateside assignment. Pray for rest and good visits with family and friends. Our other teammates the Berrys, like us, are still learning language and seeking to develop relationships with Malagasy people. Pray we would be effective in our work.
3. For Emma--that she would continue to grow in her faith and that she would keep working hard in school.
4. For Corinne--that she would grow strong in her new faith and that she would continue to do well in school.
5. For our work--for April's Bible study with the ladies. Adam is beginning to study with a young man on Sundays. Also, please pray for our evangelistic efforts and for new works to begin.
6. For the Malagasy people--that many would see their need for Christ and put their trust in him.

Oh, The Time is Flying By

On July 25, 2011, we started our work as missionaries with the IMB, meaning we just passed the one year mark. In some ways, we are at a loss to describe exactly what the experiences of this past year have meant to us. Even in what is usually a fairly benign exercise, that is, writing a blog update, the emotional weight of this past year's events rush back in like it all happened yesterday. So while this post is specifically our update for July 2012, we hope you won't mind us throwing in a short reflection on this past year as well.

Undoubtedly, what stands out most is God's faithfulness to us. What we've experienced since this time last year has served to deepen our trust in Christ and give us a perspective we wouldn't and couldn't have otherwise. In all of the emotional up and downs -- stemming from an unexpected pregnancy and subsequent miscarriage, uncertainty about our deployment to Madagascar, leaving family and friends to move to foreign soil, culture shock, occasional homesickness, the joy of making new friends, learning a new language, etc. -- God has been the constant. One day we will understand the fullness of God working all things into good ends for us, but in the meantime we can testify of God working this past year, all of it, for our good. There is not a second of our lives that has slipped past His supervision. We are witnesses of God keeping His promises. We are recipients of His grace. To God be the glory.

Now here we are, nearing the end of another month; we have been busy since our last update with language study, preaching/teaching, homeschooling, traveling, and just living day-to-day life in Diego, and below you'll find a little taste of that.

Emma and Corinne are continuing school this summer to build up some time off when the grandparents make their visits later this year. While she sometimes gets frustrated with some of the work required of her, Emma is (almost ridiculously) smart and if she's not playing with Corinne or some of the neighborhood girls, more than likely she is reading a book. Corinne is settling into her school schedule now and beginning to enjoy kindergarten more, but she's as curious as ever. Emma is a thinker and highly organized while Corinne is more free-spirited and as affectionate as she can be. Watching the personalities of our girls develop is such a blessing. These two girls of ours are different in so many ways, similar in others, yet we marvel at God's handiwork in making them who they are.

April has been staying busy with homeschooling, which can be quite a task with a 3rd-grader and kindergartner. While presenting its own set of challenges, homeschooling has been a good experience and we are thankful for the opportunities it brings to lead our children in their education and spiritual growth. On top of that, April has helped with a Kid's Club at the Baptist church on several Saturdays. Along with some other teammates here, Michelle and Christina, they have taught the kids that they are made in the image of God, led them in singing and playing games, and even taught them how to wash their hands and brush their teeth properly. April has also had the opportunity to share with several women that she's met near our home, and she just recently started studying the Bible with two of them. We praise the Lord for the relationships He is giving us.

The first three believers to be baptised in Mahamasina

Adam has continued to help with the work in a village called Mahamasina. If you've read our updates before, you know Mahamasina is where we have a new church beginning (our supervisor began working there about 18 months ago); just a couple of weeks ago three new believers were baptized in a creek there. We praise the Lord for His work in this village. The next Tuesday after the baptisms, Adam had the opportunity to lead the Bible study in Mahamasina for the first time. Then, just a few days after that, Adam preached in the Baptist church for the Sunday morning service. These teaching/preaching experiences are still a little nerve-wracking and can have their awkward moments because of language, but God has been faithful to accomplish His work in spite of our shortcomings.

Once again, we celebrate the Lord's goodness and faithfulness through this update, and we thank you for your work in prayer on our behalf. We would love to hear about how you are doing as well as some things we can pray about for you. Here are some things we'd love for you to pray about until our next update:

1. Our continued learning of the dialect here. We praise God for how far He has brought us, but ask for further ability to speak and understand.

2. The people of Madagascar to be prepared to hear God's Word and surrender their lives to him.

3. Opportunities to meet more people and share God's Word with the goal of forming new groups to study His Word.

4. Emma and Corinne's continued adjustment and for them to have a desire to play with and even try to speak with Malagasy kids. The Lord has brought them a long way, but it has been more of a struggle for them here in Diego than it was in Antsirabe.

5. The strikes at the schools and hospitals are resolving some. We praise God for that, but there are still a number of teachers, doctors, and nurses on strike.

6. Wisdom as we seek to use our time wisely. There are so many things to do, and not near enough time to do them all.

7. Our other team members here in northern Madagascar: Michael and Michelle Allen; Andy and Christina Berry, and their kids Walker and Delaney.


P.S. Guess we can't let this update pass by without introducing the newest members of our family: Chloe and Little Jerry Seinfeld.

Chloe (left) and Little Jerry Seinfeld (right)

June Update

Corinne and Emma learning how to scrape out the insides of a coconut with their new friend, Le Pa.

Adeline teaching me how to pound "ravitoto"...hard work

Adeline had to take over after a while. =)

Wow! It has been a busy, exciting, and challenging last month and a half here in Madagascar. We had our "cultural training experience" during the middle of May. The first few days were in a village called Mahamasina; we stayed in a hut and while we saw a few foreigners, most of our time was spent with Malagasy people. The last few days of our training were at a Malagasy pastor's house here in Diego, which is basically an extension of their church building. God used this time of training to teach us more about Malagasy culture and give us more of a burden for the people here. April and the girls also had several opportunities to help with cooking Malagasy food, which included pounding leaves into mush and shredding coconut. None of this was easy, and every meal took several hours to prepare.

We got to ask many questions about culture here and how they do things. Many people here still practice the "fomban' drazana", which essentially equates to ancestor worship. Each year, they go in to the tombs of their deceased family members and  rewrap the bones in a clean cloth. They do this as an act of worship and a time of prayer to their ancestors. There are also ceremonies that are held to evoke the spirit of the ancestor and have them come into a person to speak to them about how to handle a certain problem. Many people have heard of Jesus, but still believe their salvation depends on good works and praying all the time. We also had a very long discussion with a Muslim man who simply could not wrap his mind around the fact that Jesus is the Son of God and at the same time He is God. That is just a small picture of the work we have before us in our time here.

The girls really enjoyed getting water from the well and Emma loved washing dishes in a bucket and helping wash clothes by hand.

We also were very burdened for Diego as we got to visit a hospital here. There was one large room with all kinds of patients, even ones who probably needed to be in isolation. The patients' families usually come and bring their food. While we were there, we didn't see one doctor or nurse (side note: all the doctors and nurses of  the government-funded hospitals are now on strike because the government can't afford to pay them). We had the opportunity to share the gospel and pray with the people there.

Since our training, we have started language here, which has been a challenge. Much of the northern dialect is different from the official Malagasy, not to mention the fact that the Malagasy people here in the north use a lot of French. We have a pretty grasp on the Malagasy grammar, so we spend nearly all of our language time studying vocabulary.

Our team here in the north has teamed up with the Baptist church here in Diego for the month of June to share the good news of Jesus and information about the church. This month is the 80th celebration of the Baptist church being in Madagascar. Each Saturday, they set up a booth and share with as many people as possible. Also, this week, the Jesus film will be shown for the second time. Through these things, several people have given their lives to the Lord. April had the opportunity to go out with the Baptist pastor's wife and visit several contacts we made through hospital visitation and the showing of the Jesus film. During that visit two young ladies put their trust in Jesus for salvation. We are very excited about the work of the Holy Spirit here.

We have started kindergarten curriculum with Corinne and third grade with Emma. We are enjoying most of our school time together, although it does provide its own set of challenges. I am enjoying teaching them basic Bible truths through every day illustrations like the idea that Jesus is the sun (the light of the world) and we the moon (also a light to the world), but only because of the "light" we receive from the sun. They are learning and growing a lot these days.

Corinne and Emma in our school room

In the midst of all the busy-ness we have had our share of challenges. Adam was sick with a bad throat infection that kept him down for several weeks. We were without running water for over a week because of issues at the water company. This proved to be a good cultural learning experience as we had to make numerous trips to fill up water jugs. Also, we typically have multiple power outages each day. All this to say, it has been time of stretching for us. At the same time, even as we "struggle" in these small ways, it doesn't compare to the hardship of most of the people here. So we are thankful for what we have, but above all, we desire to grow closer to our Lord in the trials of life, knowing He is able to sustain us and give us the strength we need. 

On a much more disturbing note, we had heard that there are people here who sell or "rent" their children to visitors for their pleasure, which, of course, bothers us greatly. The present administration--in place because of a coup back in 2009--has done very little to police the problem (you can read the latest US Embassy report concerning this issue here: Report on Human Trafficking in Mada). We aren't sure exactly what we can do about the problem at this point, but we are praying about how we might be involved and follow the biblical mandate to "do justice."

We can't thank you enough for your prayers!! God is surely honoring them. It was awesome to hear from a friend that at the end of a particularly challenging week, their VBS had prayed for us that day. Please continue to pray for us as we seek to be faithful in the work to which God has called us here in Madagascar.

Praise the Lord for:
-2 new believers in the Lord...Jenny and Epiphane
-new friends
-restored physical health
-running water again!

Please pray for:
-The Malagasy peoples'  hearts to be ready to hear the gospel and to surrender their lives to Christ.
-Our team here in the north as we share the gospel and seek to start new churches.
-Us to have strength, boldness, and opportunities to share Jesus' love.
-Us to learn the new dialect quickly.
-The girls to adjust well and make more friends.
-The government teachers, doctors, and nurses are almost all on strike now, as they aren't receiving all the money they should. Please pray for the many people this affects. The teachers have been on strike for at least a couple of months now and the doctors and nurses just went on strike.
-Jenny and Epiphane to grow in their relationship with the Lord.
-The human trafficking problem to which the current government is paying little attention at this point. Something must be done.

April/May Update

To say that time is moving quickly here in Madagascar would be an understatement. Our last update, which I'm ashamed to say was well over a month ago, had us finishing up language school, preparing for a trip to South Africa, and gearing up for our move to Diego. Well, all of those things have happened, which means I'm happy to say this update is coming from our new home in Diego.

We finished our study of what is referred to as "official Malagasy" on March 22nd. This proved to be a bittersweet time for us; no doubt we were excited to be done with our first five months of language school, but it also marked the end of our time in Antsirabe. There are aspects of Antsirabe that we will miss, especially the great friends we made and the opportunity we had to study language and hang out with the Hailes (precious missionary friends we had seen nearly everyday since the end of last July).

Our language teachers Andry and Madame Lalao

April and I giving our "goodbye speeches" at a local school

After the completion of language school, we spent nearly three weeks in South Africa for a conference held by the organization we work for. We anticipated great things for our time in South Africa, such as a short return to civilization, malls, McDonald's, interstate highways, and most importantly, the opportunity to worship in our heart language. We were not disappointed. However, we were thrown off our plan a bit as we were forced to stay in Johannesburg a week longer than expected because I had to have a follow-up doctor's appointment concerning my back. This pushed our move to Diego back one week, but we did receive good news about my back; the doctor saw no serious issues based on x-rays and mri, but apparently, driving in Africa can cause back pain. Who knew?

Sheer delight

In what was a blur, we returned to Madagascar (April 14; Emma's birthday), packed our belongings over the next few days, and left Antsirabe for Diego on April 23. We drove to the capital city, Antananarivo, stayed overnight there, then for the next two days took in views of Madagascar we had yet to see as we wound our way to Diego. Overall, the drive from Antsirabe took about 21 hours over the course of three days, and we traveled on some of the worst roads I've ever seen. Needless to say, my back was more than a little sore when we arrived in Diego. But we made it, the moving truck made it, and we are pretty settled into our new home.

Scariest bridge I've ever driven on

April and the girls taking a break from the truck.

A Madagascar sunset

To be honest, it's a little hard to believe that we're actually here in Diego, although the heat and wind are good reminders. The beach is a pretty nice indicator, too. We are excited that we have finally joined the other families on our team, the Allens and Berrys, here in northern Madagascar. We look forward to working with them.
 

Didn't take us long to make our way to the beach

The Northern Madagascar Team

We are doing our best to jump right into the work here. I went last week with the Allens to Mahamasina, a village about 2.5 hours south of Diego. There is a small group of believers there that is really close to becoming a church. Michael is teaching core Christian doctrines right now and there are two Malagasy men who have the potential to step up and lead this small group. Hoping and praying they do.

Michael teaching the small group of believers in Mahamasina

April, the girls, and I went to the market last week looking for mosquito nets among other things, and while we were there we met a lady named Isabelle. As usual, she was pretty shocked that a white foreigner knew Malagasy and wanted to converse with her. She stated that she would like to meet with us to study English. This gave us the opportunity to let her know why we are here and to share the gospel with her and the others who were around. She admitted she didn't know the story of Jesus well, so we said we would meet with her to study the Bible and help her with English. April and I met with her last night for the first time, and it was a good time of explaining more about salvation from the Bible and from April sharing her testimony.

The next two weeks we will go through Malagasy cultural immersion. This week we are staying in a tiny hut in Mahamasina, while next week we will stay with a Malagasy family here in Diego. During this time we will get a lot of practice speaking and listening to the northern dialect, plus we have assignments to complete that will clue us in on Malagasy lifestyle, religion, healthcare, politics, etc. We are looking forward to this time of learning.
 

Our home for the next few days

That about does it for now, but we do have some things you can be praying for.

1. The Allens and Berrys, our teammates here in Diego.
2. The small group of believers in Mahamasina.
3. Isabelle, the Malagasy lady we met with last night. Pray that the Spirit would open her heart to receive the Gospel.
4. More missionaries to come to northern Madagascar. Right now, I believe there are 3 "job requests" with our organization here in the north that need to be filled.
5. April and the girls as they continue to homeschool. Corinne now joins the fray as a kindergartner.
6. Our time out this week in Mahamasina and next week with the family here in Diego.
7. Our study of the northern dialect.
8. Wisdom for April and I as we seek God's direction for what is in store for our family after this first term, which ends July, 2013.
9. Pray for us to be filled fresh with the Spirit each day, full of joy, and ready to share the truth about Jesus boldly .

March Update

Hi everyone. Thank you so much for your much needed prayers. Here's a little update about what's going on with us.

What we've realized over five months is that daily life here is rewarding but also very draining at times. There are needs all around us...spiritual and physical. However, I can tell you that God's strength and peace have been so evident in our lives. Before our arrival in Madagascar, I definitely had moments of wondering how I would do being surrounded by so many needy people. I really struggle sometimes with the hard things of this world like poverty and disease, but I am truly thankful to the Lord that He has given me everything I've needed to handle these situations well.

This past month has been good as we've focused on language a lot and have been practicing more and more since we finished up grammar a couple of weeks ago. Yea!! We got to go share our testimony at the same school we taught at last month. Adam and I both shared with two classes of 60-80 kids each. They seemed to understand us and we answered some questions, at least we think we did. We are so thankful for these opportunities to share even though they seem so overwhelming when we are preparing. A lot of the time we feel like we aren't ready, but we know He can speak clearly even when we mess up and we know His strength is made perfect in our weakness.

Adam and Adam Hailes (our missionary friend going to Tulear when done with language school) have been doing a bible study with Andry, one of our language teachers. This has been a great time for all of them, both for language practice and for discipleship. Suzie Hailes (Adam Hailes' wife) and I have begun having a bible study with Andry's wife and her friend. At first, we felt a little apprehensive about this because the biblical language is even more challenging with so many words we still need to learn and we are really busy with all we do. Andry and his wife truly desire to learn and grow while we are here, so we are trying. We are excited about their dedication and desire to learn the Bible.

We had two "Friday Clubs" during February. We discussed salvation one week and this week I shared my testimony and talked more about salvation. They listened really well and I pray God is speaking to them through the time we have. They love playing here with Emma and Corinne, and we enjoy them as well.

We have visited a Catholic school and orphanage with our language teacher a couple of times now. It is heartbreaking in some respects because all the kids there are really poor. The kids who live there have no family or family too poor to care for them. We would've taken one little boy home if we could have. He was so precious. He is 1 1/2 years old, but he's still the size of a 6 month old; we are sure he has some sort of physical problem, although we don't know what. Usually, the kids live there until they are around 5-6 and then go live with extended family or in a government orphanage. They were at least clean, well fed, and appeared to be well cared for. While there, we talked to the older kids as they played games. Other trips include visits to a soap maker (nothing like U.S. soap and it doesn't smell like it would make you clean), a pousse-pousse maker, and a scale maker, which is all a part of our language school and practice.

We will be going to South Africa at the end of this month for a meeting with all the Sub-Saharan African missionaries. We will be there for about 1 1/2 weeks, return to Antsirabe, pack up our belongings, and move to Diego on April 16th. Our schedule is as full as we want it to be right now, but we are excited to begin the work in the area we came to serve.

Please pray for :

-us to finish strong in our language studies so that we can communicate God's love well.

-the girls' continued adjustment here and adjusting to a new place soon.

-our supervisors, Michael and Michelle Allen as they train us and share God's love in Diego.

-the Berry family (Andy, Christina, Walker, and Delaney) with whom we will also be working in Diego.

-Andry, Zoe and their children as they seek to grow in their knowledge of and love for Jesus and His Word.

-the neighborhood kids we see often and share with about Jesus.

-the government of Madagascar as it is corrupt and there are so many very poor, jobless people.

Praise God for:

-His provision of grace, strength and peace for us.

-how far we've come in the Malagasy language.

-how we've all adjusted to live in Mada so far.

-new friends we've made so.
-the opportunity to share God's love this month.

--April

Amazing things about Madagascar

There are many things about Madagascar I've wanted to share....many of the things you just don't see in America.

--The Malagasy people are friendly and mostly very hard working. They are amazingly resourceful and use every part of a thing without wasting. Every part of the cow is used, including the horns, out of which they make beautiful things. We have visited a place that makes jewelry, salt and pepper shakers, spoons, games, etc. out of the horns. Their process is very interesting: they boil them and use wax and molds. Then, when they polish it, they use an old washing machine motor and put cut up jeans on it as a polisher. Also, there are people who use cut up cans to make toy bicycles and pousse pousses. They use out of date IV tubing for the tires.


--Many of the men pull pousse-pousses (rickshaw type things that may be used to carry people, furniture, motorcycles, or even dead pigs) all day with bare feet running on hot concrete, rocks, and through mud holes. They must have built in leather on their feet from years of doing this.

--It is more common to see multiple people on bikes than singles, I think. Many times one person steers and sits on the middle bar behind the handle bars and the other one pedals. Adam and I tried riding together (once) and gained even more respect for them as it is super difficult...and painful...and hilariously funny. We have seen three people on a bike before and Emma spotted 5 people on a motorcycle the other day (3 kids and 2 adults). How do they do it? It's not very safe, but in most cases, they are doing what they have to to get by and get where they need to go. It is amazing that we have only seen one accident with a motorcycle.

--Many people live in the mountains and come down to the city to work, which is miles away.

The ladies carry large loads of clothes, sticks, baskets of food on their heads...while climbing up or down a mountain! Amazing! We have even seen kids carrying pretty large loads balanced on their heads.

--Sometimes we even see kids run through the neighborhood playing without supervision many times, even little 3-year-olds with their brothers and sisters. I hate to see this, but they usually seem to manage quite well.

--Did you know that it is perfectly normal to have a whole herd of omby (the cows here that usually have humps on their backs) going down a main street in the middle of traffic?

--The bathrooms here at some places are outhouses with a hole in the ground...usually with no toilet paper. We carry tissues and try to go before we leave the house. This is quite an adjustment. Yes, we do have a regular toilet and so many other places do as well.

--Most Malagasy people eat rice 3 meals a day (if they are able to afford 3 meals)

--We do see chameleons pretty frequently here. We have had 3 different ones in our yard. The first was a small, colorful guy. The girls and I put him in a box, then I read that they can eat 18-20 bugs a day and knew he would be better off in the yard; he disappeared that day, never to be seen again. We had another one that hung around awhile and we watched him a lot. The girls named him Paschal. He was a slow mover, always easy to find. He died. We are sure he died peacefully. We currently have another one, but haven't seen him in about a week. They blend in so well. They are so cute and their eyes can go two different ways at the same time. One will look up and one will look down. Their little feet have only two little parts like pinchers. We love to watch them climb and walk.. Sometimes they have meat and vegetables in sauce to go with it called loaka.

--There are places everywhere that sell meat. Chickens, cows (again, every part of it), pigs (also, every part) either hanging on hooks or laid out on the counter in the open air all day long. We go buy it in the morning usually and haven't gotten sick, praise the Lord.

--Adam just got to ride in his first taxi-be here...a small station wagon. There was a middle seat built for three and they insisted that it was a five person seat. There were 4 adults already crammed together, but those running the show asked them to make room for one more. Adam and the other men said there was no room, but they made them get out and showed them how to stagger by a few sitting toward the back of the seat and a couple on the front edge of the seat. So, yes, five adults in a middle seat is possible, but terribly painful.

swimming in a language

"So, how did we do?" That was one of a number of questions we asked our language teachers after this morning's visit to a local school. The answer, "Milomano ianareo (You guys are swimming)." This answer provided great encouragement following the plunge we had just taken into the deeper waters of the Malagasy language.

I had almost forgotten the feelings that arrive in waves shortly before teaching or preaching the Bible. Nervous energy, excitement, a heightened sense of unworthiness, a moment of utter helplessness, the queasiness of an upset stomach that is magnified by the terrible fear that there might not be a good toilet (and even if there is a good one, there is no guarantee of toilet paper), followed by a renewed resolve and strength to fulfill God's call for the moment. Only this time it took place in a different country with a different culture in a different language. The variables may change, but the one constant is a faithful God who sends out His sowers and produces the results of their sowing.

This morning we went to a school to teach the Bible to Malagasy students. We have been in language school for only a little over three months now, so it felt like we who are still doggie-paddling in the language were being thrown into the ocean. My class consisted of about forty 12-14 year-olds (we call them Jr. Highers in America). What an interesting time it turned out to be! I prepared a lesson based on Romans 5:1, in which Paul states, "Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." With notes and a Malagasy Bible in hand, I taught on this verse and other supplementary verses for about 20 minutes. After this, I prayed and then asked the question I dreaded most of all: "Misy fanontiana? (Are there any questions?)" You see, after three months of language school, I feel pretty confident in my ability to say what I need/want to say, but my understanding when others speak remains a point of frustration. My ears still can't hear as fast as they can talk.

Thankfully, one of our language teachers was with me during this time, because, surprise of all surprises, there was a Muslim student in the class who had A LOT of questions. I knew I was going there to teach the Bible; I didn't know I was going there to argue for the deity of Jesus with a 13 year-old Muslim. His biggest question concerned how Jesus could be both the Son of God and God at the same time. My goodness, I'm still in language floaties and I'm having to do apologetics in Malagasy. But the Holy Spirit is faithful and good. After praying silently yet fervently, I asked the young man who he thought made the universe. As expected, his answer was God. So I read Colossians 1:15-17 and John 1:1-4 to show him that the Scriptures clearly teach that Jesus Himself was actively involved in the act of creation, which, as he stated, was a work of God alone. As is the case with most Malagasy Muslims, he left the conversation unconvinced, but I was thankful for the opportunity to share the truth of Scripture nonetheless.

However, there was encouragement even in what was overall a frustrating conversation. I found out later that this young man is from Diego (the city we will relocate to in April) and he was speaking in the northern dialect, which partly explains why I could understand so little of what he said. This morning the Lord was giving me but a small taste of what we will be dealing with when we move in a couple of months. My heart breaks for the people of northern Madagascar, many of whom claim Islam as their faith, even though it gets diluted in the traditional religions of Madagascar. Muslim or not, there remains a stubbornness and hard-heartedness in the people of northern Madagascar through which only the Lord can break.

Lord, take their hearts of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Write Your laws on their hearts, and cause them to walk in Your ways. You be their God, and make them Your people.

I'm not sure the magnitude of this morning has hit me yet, probably because my brain was melting in the aftermath, but upon a quick reflection, I see that the Lord gave me the opportunity to teach His Word halfway around the world in a language not yet my own; that is pretty awesome, and overwhelming. We're in the deep, and whether it be by doggie-paddle or breaststroke, we're swimming.

The Latest from Mada

Life on the Red Island keeps us plenty busy during the day and leaves us plenty tired by the end of the day. Thanks to all of you who pray for us as we seek to shed the light of the gospel here in Madagascar. We apologize that we haven't stayed in better contact with updates over the past couple of months, so here we are attempting to make things right with you by giving a brief review of 2011's end and 2012's beginning.

About Our Neighbors

Many of you have prayed for and asked about the family with whom we spent a lot of time in our first couple of months here. As you know, we had just started discipling Lantu in December when, without notice, she and her family left Antsirabe. We did find out that her two oldest sons, Zaka and Yasina, stayed behind to watch over their home until the family was able to return. We were happy to hear that they would return at some point, but that was around the week before Christmas, and now with one full month of 2012 behind us, they still have yet to return. We don't know exactly what the situation is, but we are taking this to mean their residence in Tana is permanent.

Christmas in Mada

As you can imagine, Christmas-time is a good bit different here than in America. We enjoyed our little Christmas tree and the few decorations that were available to us (thanks Michael and Michelle). This much can be said without reservation, listening to Christmas music is a lot more enjoyable when it's not forced on you 24 hours a day like every radio station in America. While we did our best to maintain some of our home culture's holiday practices, we could not simulate typical American Christmas-time weather. (By far this was the warmest Christmas we have experienced; Adam even got his first ever December sunburn.) We had a Christmas party with our workers (i.e. night guards and nanny) and their families. That was great fun as we had about 30 guests in our house. And guess what? Even Malagasy people like to play Twister. On Christmas day we opened gifts, went to church, then joined the other missionary families here in Antsirabe for lunch, games, and presents. Quite a day!

Language School Fun

We have been in language school for a little over 3 months now, and the difference between when we began and now is amazing. We are learning a lot, but even as we do that, we realize there is so much more to learn. We are still doing 16 hours of school a week with additional study and practice time outside of that. One of the challenges/joys of school is that we have reached the point where we are now taking weekly "field trips" for language practice. Of course, this is challenging because in a lot of cases we are put on the spot by having to talk about ourselves, what we are doing, and then answer all sorts of other questions. But there is great joy in this as well; we have visited a school for the blind two times, an orphanage, and a couple of weeks ago we visited a school for the deaf and mute. Witnessing a blind child read braille or a deaf child accurately read lips is truly a wonder to behold and a beautiful testimony to God's grace. This past week we went to a school and taught from the Bible for the first time in Malagasy (we have separate blog posts describing that experience, go check them out). All that to say, it is a privilege to learn a new language for the purpose of sharing the gospel in another's heart language. It's not easy, but worth it.

Friday Bible Club

In a place like this it doesn't take long for the

neighborhood kids to find the foreigners. About a month ago, some children started hanging out near our house, at first just to see if we would talk to them or not. Not long after that, April invited a few of these children into our front yard to play. Word travels fast when access is gained to the front yard, and soon more and more kids were showing up almost daily, yelling for Emma to come out and play. Those of you who know April are well acquainted with her gracious hospitality, so what was becoming a little overwhelming, that is, having persistent boys and girls stand outside our gate while letting us know clearly that they want in, has become a "Friday Bible Club." Now the kids know that every Friday at 3pm our gate is open for about two hours. We have snacks, crafts, sports (sort of), and a Bible story; this past Friday we had 16 Malagasy children in our front yard. It is amazing to see how content and happy they are with a piece of paper and crayons, especially since most of them don't attend school.

The kids range from 3-12 years old and most of them are extremely dirty, so we make sure they get washed up in our backyard sink while they are here. We have given some of them clothes, but they usually wear the same dirty ones every day and save their new clothes for a "special occasion" even though they would be basic play clothes to us. Of the adults present in their lives, we have only met one grandmother so far. It is very different since they have no adults in sight taking care of them. We sent them home with Malagasy tracts and we pray that they will understand Jesus' sacrifice for them.

Emma and Corinne

Emma is doing much better in homeschooling, although we still have some really challenging days of her missing "a real class" with other students her age. We have greatly enjoyed reading and discussing books together; we read Little House on the Prairie just recently. Emma usually does really well playing with the Malagasy children. Sometimes, though, she gets tired and would rather her play-time be with Corinne only. We are excited because she has learned quite a bit of Malagasy vocabulary. Also, God is really working in Emma's heart (we've had several long conversations about repentance, faith, and following Jesus), but she's not quite ready to give her life to Him. Please pray for Emma to understand God's love more fully, and not to lean on her own understanding.

Corinne is adapting much better now. She's had some hard days of being angry about living in Madagascar, but last night she told us she was getting used to it and that "tomorrow, I think I'll like it." She plays with the Malagasy children some, but at other times she doesn't really want to. Her imagination is growing like crazy. She does great playing with dolls on her own when April is teaching Emma. She and Emma love playing together most of the time and we believe our time here has brought them closer.

Well, that about does it. Two months of life wrapped up in a few short paragraphs. Again, we thank you so much for you prayers. Hopefully we will do a better job in the future of keeping you updated.

--Adam and April