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.