A native to Madagascar (obviously), Mika (pronounced like
meek), is 26 years old and will turn 27 on September 26th. He was
born in the capital city of Madagascar, Antananarivo. He grew up in a city
called Fianarantsoa, which is about 5 or 6 hours away from Manakara. His father
was in the military, so he and his family moved around quite a bit when he was
growing up. He is married to a petite woman named Hary and has 2 children, Tony
who is 2 ½ years old and Mevasoa who is almost 1 year old. Tony means calm, and
of course, as many 2 year olds are, is not calm at all.
The past week and a half, most of our days are spent with
Mika. He teaches us for 2 hours in the
morning and 2 hours in the afternoon. The mornings have been dedicated to
learning vocabulary and numbers and the afternoons are dedicated to learning
more about the culture of Manakara. Today was a special occasion. I knew I
wanted to write about him and let you all have a real person to pray for, so we
interviewed him. We asked him all sorts of questions like, “what is your
favorite movie?” It’s Pearl Harbor, if you were wondering. His favorite song is
Voice of Truth by Casting Crowns and his favorite American food is chocolate
chip cookies!
Mika has a quiet, meek (no pun intended) spirit, and
absolutely loves the Lord above all things. He became a believer at 17 years
old, which he said “God had already softened my heart towards the message, so
it was easy for me to accept.” He now lives his life, providing for his family
by teaching Malagasy. His real job, if you ask him, is to share Christ with
everyone he meets. His dream job is to be a missionary, which I believe, he
already is.
I asked Mika what he wants our friends (that’s you!) in
America to know. He pondered the question for a few minutes and replied “give
your life to Christ and live for him, don’t just say you’re a believer. Live
every moment for Christ.”
I think we can all learn a lot from Mika. I know I already
am! Learning what it looks like to be a missionary where God has you, in the
job He has you in, the family you have, the friends you see every day, in
everything you do. Mika is making a difference in Manakara, what are you doing
to make a difference in Orlando, or wherever you live? Being a missionary isn’t
always about going across a body of water. Being a missionary means riding your
bike for 3 hours into the jungle to share Christ in a village that has never
heard. Being a missionary is walking to your next door neighbor, knocking on
the door, and sharing the hope that changed your life. Yes, we can all learn a
lot from Mika.
He is our brother. He is part of our family. Now you have
met our very dear friend and family member. The body of Christ in Manakara is
growing, can you feel it?
Mika’s favorite Bible verse:
“And if it
is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve,
whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River or the gods
of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will
serve the Lord.”
Joshua
24:15
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