Matt - The Heavens have Opened

     Today was just like any other ordinary day in Madagascar....unpredictable. From the moment we stepped off the plane to this very day that I sit here and write to you we had yet to see a rainstorm. If you haven't caught the trail that I'm about to lead you down I won't leave you hanging. That's right....we officially experienced our first Madagascar rainstorm! Soon the rain will start to come more frequently as the dry season ends and the wet season begins...this is both good and bad for the people here and I'll try to explain why.

     The rainstorm we experienced today would have been categorized as a light drizzle throughout the day with an occasional downpour. If I would have been at home in Florida I'd have taken the opportunity to reintroduce myself to my comforter and the immense amount of pillows in my bed (a personal pleasure of mine!!). Too bad that isn't the case here for me nor any of the Malagasy people. What seemed like a deterrent for progress was just an inconvenience for the Malagasy. They all went about their day traveling for miles to sell food and things they made back home. The market was just as packed as before, but along with the many people bargaining for food was the lakes of water causing a small chasm between the road and the entrance to the market. Now I say this with a hint of exaggeration as it wasn't the worst puddles I've seen before, but I was astounded by the amount of water that had pooled in the market. What seemed like such a small amount of rain had turned into lakes and rivers throughout the downtown market. The water had overflowed so much so that the garbage tracks found in the market (little pathways between the walkway) had filled up and vanished before my eyes. I found this out the hard way as I made my way past some Malagasy people to search for bread and instead found my left foot plunged right into a mixture of rotten vegetables, water, and whatever else is found in the garbage track. When I tried to correct my mistake by continuing forward I found my right foot sinking into the same miserable track of waste that my left foot had recently experienced. The water made itself all the way up to the midlevel of my calf...so about a foot or so of water! And today was just light rain.

     Now to get to the good part about all this rain (cause this is really a great thing for the people here). Madagascar is starting to wrap up its dry season and for good measure as the fresh water supply that we use is running out. That means that the every day water used by the Malagasy is becoming sparse and they are having to search for water sources farther away. I visited a well today to gather water for lunch with our friend Mika and I was surprised to see the bottom of the well so easily. In order to get the water we had to place the bucket at the base of the well and tip it sideways. It was such a weird experience for me cause I have always imagined wells being abundant in water (mainly because we always have water in the U.S. and our movies portray them this way). So...the rain that we experienced today is very beneficial for the locals here and for us as we continue to make Manakara our home. Soon the rain will become an every day thing and the wells will fill up with the precious source that runs our lives.

     For me personally I find this to be just another picture of God's hand and provision for his people. When things look like they are going to be a struggle...God always answers with our exact need. It's the little things like this that cause me, and hopefully you the reader, to see that God is very near and always in control. His provision is always perfect and good. Remember this as struggles come up:

  God's understanding of the situation is far superior than ours and he will provide at the most perfect time when needs must be met.

In him,

Matt

Paige- Water Runs Dry

This morning I woke up and it felt like it was my birthday.  I was able to take a shower!  We had been without water since Monday night so you can imagine how excited I was when I turned the knob on the shower and something happened.   I could have cried I was so happy.  I went to sleep last night praying that there would be water in the morning.  I never prayed so hard to take a shower.  I actually don’t think I’ve ever prayed at all to take a shower, but I really needed one.  We lost water for that length of time once before, but for some reason it was more of an inconvenience for me this time around.  I wanted to do laundry, the dishes were piling up, I wanted to flush the toilet without having to fill up a bucket and pour it in the tank, my hands were getting dry from all the hand sanitizer, I just wanted the water to run. 

After I took my shower and thanked God for it, I had to do some self-reflection.  We attended a funeral yesterday for the son of our friend Anitha.  We mourned and prayed with her and her family and I was very thankful that we were able to support them during their loss, but soon after the funeral ended and we were on our way home, we all started asking if the water was back on.  I had to ask myself, “Was it that serious?”  I was pushed just a little bit outside of my comfort zone and I became desperate, while Anitha and her family were dealing with real problems.   The water certainly was not that serious.  So we didn’t have water for over 24 hours, big deal.  The sun still rose, the birds are still chirping, the earth is still rotating—the world hasn’t ended; we are still breathing and healthy.  Then, I pondered the question: “Is the Gospel enough?” When we were in orientation in Botswana we were asked that question often.  During orientation my answer was always an astounding yes, but I am embarrassed to say when the water ran out and I was put to the test, it certainly didn’t look like the Gospel was enough for me.  One lesson I have been learning over and over is to humble myself and be more grateful.  The people here have so little, but they are so sweet and genuine.  They are truly happy and content with what they have. I take a lot of things for granted and whether I have those things or not, the Gospel should always be enough, even when the water runs dry. 

For the Kingdom,

plc

Tiffany-Heart of the Matter

On Saturday, the day went on as usual, for me at least. Paige, Laura and I ran some errands, and I spent the afternoon with the kids at the church (I really love hanging with them!). On my way home, I was met in the street by Paige, Laura, and Mika telling of how our sweet friend Anita’s son died earlier that morning.

He was 8 years old.

I couldn’t help but think about the chaos that had happened that morning. I can only imagine the feeling she had when she awoke to find that her son had stopped breathing in the night, and was not going to wake up.  When we saw her later that day, she looked shocked, sad, and exhausted.

In America, we often need a justification for death. If you die unexpectedly, your family gets an autopsy done. We were able to see, firsthand, what happens when people die here. There is no autopsy. There is no justification.

Today, was Mikael’s funeral. We all showed up at a village right down the street at 2pm. After a few words, the wooden casket, with the tiny 8 year old in it, was carried to the street. He was put onto the back of a pickup truck, mom and dad in the front seat, men guarding the casket in the bed. The rest of us piled into car upon car. The ride to the church was uncomfortable. Bumpy roads and jam packed cars do not make for the most pleasant ride.

When we got to the church, all of us piled out of the cars. As we proceeded into the church, we partook in a service. I can’t tell you what was said…mainly because I can’t speak the language, but what I can tell you, is that almost the entire time I watched Anita. Hoping for her to glance my way so I could at least flash her a loving smile.

Anita looked down most of the service. As we all headed to the graveside, I still hoped that she would look up, but she didn’t.  When we got to the graveside, she stayed in the car. She watched out the window as they buried her son.

Since Saturday, I have had the burning question of “was he a believer?” I can’t answer that question.  I am not God and cannot see the hearts of men, but it brings this verse to mind:

“For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.” Romans 1:19-20

Did anyone even try to share with him? David Platt has a quote that goes something like this, “every day people are dying with the only knowledge of God that will send them to hell.” I am continually being wrecked by that quote. Jesus “is the way, the truth, and the life. And no one comes to the Father except through Him.” People are dying every day, with the only knowledge of God that will send them to hell.

Who have you told today? Who’s eternity is forever changed because you were obedient to the call “go and make disciples?”

Laura -- Emotional Roller Coaster

Today has been such a roller coaster of emotions for me. I’m not really quite sure how I feel. Have you ever just sat there in a daze with your eyes glazed over and just wonder “is this real life?” I had that moment several times today.

At 7:00am, our new friend, Olga, picked up Tiffany, Paige, Mika and me. First of all, we were picked up in a car. This was a real treat. I promise I’m not being facetious. We walk several miles everyday, so it was nice to have a break. Olga is a judge. In fact, she is the President of the court here in Manakara. Paige and I went to observe court on Thursday and we stayed around to meet Olga after court let out. She was so excited to meet us and asked if we could be friends. She didn’t have much time so we set up a meeting on Friday. On Friday, Paige, Tiffany, Mika and I visited with Olga and learned more about her. She has wanted to practice English for a while but had no one to practice with so she was so excited to meet us. She already wanted to plan a time to meet again...So, she invited us to her tennis lesson on Saturday (today).

Okay, so Olga picked us up in her car and we drove to the tennis court at Parthenay Club where we were greeted by the tennis instructor and two of Olga’s children. For the next 2-½ hours we all took turns playing tennis and it was a blast. Her 6-year old daughter and 3-year old son even played.

Olga is a very ambitious woman. She wants to become fluent in English and Chinese (she already speaks French and Malagasy).  She is very passionate about her work and always tries to maintain a positive and happy attitude. She said it’s important to be happy. From observing her in court, it is obvious that she cares about people and tries to help them. She cracked several jokes in the courtroom. On top of being a judge, Olga takes care of her 3 kids by herself. Her husband is currently working in the south.

After tennis, we walked over to the beach and Olga treated us all to coconut water (straight from the coconut). So delicious! After that, we headed to the market with Olga. We got to drive to the market, which was a first. We had to wait a while for the meat and Olga left her children in the car. She bought them some ice cream while we were waiting. Once we stepped outside, a beggar woman and her children approached us and Olga gave her some money. We finished up the rest of our shopping and she took us back home.

We made some lunch and then it was naptime. After naptime, I had plans to be productive, but I couldn’t stop thinking about this morning. This morning was so different. It was different in the sense that it was so familiar. I almost forgot I was in Madagascar. We played tennis at a hotel with a tennis instructor. Olga treated us to coconut water and to a tennis lesson.  We drove around Manakara in a car.

While I was trying to process all that happened today, there was a knock on the door. It was Mika. He said he had bad news. Anita’s son died this morning. Mika said it would be good for us to go visit the family in the village. Anita is a woman we’ve been getting to know. She is the cousin of Fonja, who works at Om Snack. Paige, Tiffany, and I put on our lambas (like a sarong) and we followed Mika. We met up with some members from the church and we all walked together to the village, which is right down the street from us. When we got to the house, we had to leave our shoes outside. We walked in and there were about 15 people sitting down around the bed where Anita’s son was laying. Anita wasn’t in the room, but we saw Fonja. We sat down next to the bed and Fonja came over and sat with us. The bed was adorned with flowers and pictures of him.It was a silent for a while. Fonja told us in broken English that he died unexpectedly. He was fine and playing yesterday and then he went to bed and never woke up. Anita walked in and sat down next to us. You could see the numbness and shock in her face. After about 15 minutes, a woman began praying. While she was praying, it was hard for me to stay focused on the prayer. I could hear the men outside building the coffin. Goodness, my heart just sank. They were building a coffin. A small coffin. After prayer, we sang several Malagasy hymns. During the hymns, several women broke down in tears. You could hear the pain and emotion. It gave me goosebumps. It was so difficult sitting there. After 30 minutes, Mika said we should go. We got up and shook the hands of the family, telling them Mahareza, which means, “Be strong.” We stepped outside and there was a lot going on. There were women cooking, men building the coffin, children playing, and women crying. We stepped into another house where the father’s family and friends were. It was very apparent that they all had been drinking. We sat there for a few minutes then shook their hands and left.

Life here in Madagascar is about living in community with one another and I think today was a great example of how community plays out here in Manakara. Ephesians 4:15-16 says, “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” We have been here for just a short time and we are already a part of this community. 

Please be praying for Anita and her family during this difficult time. 

Jiggers?...What?

It wasn't much of an eventful day here really, for me anyway. We went on an 8 kilometer hike into the mountains on Sunday. And about 15 minutes outside the village I decided it would be a good idea to trip, fall, and, gracefully I might add, sprain my ankle. So I have been taking it easy the past few days.  I spent most of my day indoors turning my ankle into a human ice cube and resting. 

Just when I thought the day was over and I was going to have to accept the fact that my day didn't necessarily consist of anything one would consider productive or action-packed, something exciting happened (well, what a nurse would deem as exciting anyway).

Jiggers...

It sounds like a weird dance move doesn't it? Jiggers...If you aren't aware of this term, be glad.  Madagascar was a magical, wonderful place until the reality of a Jigger unfolded its ugly head. It all started when Laura found an abnormality with one of her toes. Don't worry, I'll spare you the gruesome details. But I sat with her on the side of the bathtub in the bathroom as she performed a minor surgery on her toe. We weren't sure of what it was. Thinking maybe she extracted a fungus from the pedicure place here, or maybe something had crawled under the toenail, we decided that we weren't okay with either explanation and just wrapped it up and decided to take the ever so popular "wait and see" approach.

As dinner was being prepared, some of us were sitting around the table talking and doing team-like things.  Laura's toe was hurting more and more as the day went on, and at this time it was really starting to make her uncomfortable. It was a little inflamed and red. It just wasn't getting better. I'm not sure who it was, but someone made a connection that changed the course of our evening. Jiggers (aka sand fleas). We were warned about these heartless creatures  a while back and didn't think of them until this moment. We decided to educate ourselves and went straight to Google, and onward to Wiki-pedia.

We discovered that the next step of action was to attempt to extract the creature, but the key was to make sure not to puncture the egg sack. Yes, you read correctly. As the creature makes a burrow under your skin, it makes itself at home as it lays babies.  Matt and I (the eager nurses that we are) accepted the challenge. Rubbing alcohol, gauze pads, tweezers, toe nail clippers, and q-tip in hand we started our  quest for this rude inhabitant of Laura's toe.

As I held the flash light (or what they call a "torch" here) over Laura's toe, we were having a hard time differentiating between her toenail, the nail bed, her skin, and the thing we were now all eager to kill and destroy (egg sack intact, of course). We worked through dinner as Laura gripped the side of the chair she was sitting in. She was a trooper though, really. We realized that what Laura had done earlier that day in the bathroom was take the actual flea out.  And the unfortunate reality hit all of us at that moment.  She removed the culprit, but its descendants were left behind and incubating happily under Laura's toenail.

We could only do so much and we tried our best, but poor Laura had to rest. So we stopped, cleaned the wound, wrapped it up, and decided to give it some time. As we were putting the finishing touches on Laura's toe, Kai decided that it would be a wise idea to check each other's feet after seeing such a series of unfortunate events unfold in front of his eyes. As these words were leaving his mouth, he led the way and started to check his feet first. There wasn't even a pause after he had finished his sentence that the words "Oh no" left his lips. He too, was made a host by one of these ever so impetuous animals. Luckily, Kai's was much easier to remove and he walked away uninjured.

I apologize for such an extensive and detailed blog about a subject that most wouldn't find necessarily riveting to read. But it was an exciting day for the two nurses here in Madagascar.

God has been teaching each member of this team something different as we have been here in Manakara, Madagascar. We have been reading through Romans together. And this week was Romans chapter 5. During our weekly Bible study after all of this had taken place, Kai made a interesting point that we all needed to hear. Romans 5: 3-5 reads "Not only that, but we rejoice in sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." Kai shared that we should be rejoicing in all the suffering we endure here. Whether that be persecution, living life here without our American comforts, enduring a sickness, or even these sand fleas.  We should be rejoicing and praising God for every experience we have, despite how good or bad it may seem to us.

It's only a month in, and God is teaching us so much. We look forward to what He has in store for us next. But we are hoping that it will involve less creatures that take joy in making their homes under our skin. Please continue to pray for our team as this journey continues!

Matt - Is This Real Life?!?!

     Okay.....with the title of this blog post you'd assume that I have some crazy news about Madagascar and life here. In fact...I do, but it really has nothing to do with the Malagasy life here. An opportunity has risen to the surface as of late and I couldn't do anything but rejoice and take a stab at it!

     What is this you might ask???? Well...ever since I've been here I have stared longingly at the soccer stadium down the road from my house. If any of you have seen the movie 'Angels in the outfield' you'd remember the opening scene where J.P. and Roger (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) maneuver themselves into a tree to watch an Angels baseball game. Now place me in their shoes outside of a rundown soccer stadium during a game where the fans fill the entire stadium and I can here them yelling 'goal' or 'pass' (obviously in their language). For the last month, I have taken each opportunity to stand on the stadium's walls (with strategically placed foot holes made for me I swear!) in order to watch a soccer match. And each time I'm disappointed that I am not out there playing myself. I may not be the greatest soccer player in the world (which is completely fine), but I take every opportunity to play the sport when it comes. If the kids in the villages have a ball made out of plastic and rubber bands (all of them do) I tend to gravitate towards their field of play and discreetly slip my foot into the crowd hoping to feel the ball on my feet. 

     Now to give you the good news!!!!!!! :D Sunday afternoon I went on a hike with some people from our church to a village in Fianjanomby. During our long 3 hour hike I obtained some information on one of the member's weekly activities. Nida, the church member and my friend, plays on a soccer team for the city. They practice every day and have matches in the stadium on Sundays. Needless to say I dug deeper into this witnessing possibility and asked how I might be able to get on a team. With a smile on his face and sincerity in his voice he told me that I could join his team and I'd start practicing with them Monday!!!!! I asked Mika if this was a good opportunity of which he said, "Yes. Many of his team does not know Christ." 

     So here I am, on a Malagasy soccer team (Our name is F.C. Python....EPIC I know!!! Haha), with too much excitement to exclaim in one blog post!! I went to practice with Nida yesterday and it was a exhilarating moment for me. I watched as a group of 16 men or so came together to play the sport I love. I had no idea what they were saying, but the fundamentals were all there. In soccer verbal communication isn't always necessary as the mind maps out the course of play. So in that...I watched carefully to see how the members interacted with one another, learned as much Malagasy as I could, and played to my hearts content! They have accepted me as a member of their team and I hope to play well understanding who I play for (God...if that wasn't clear). They said my first game will be this Sunday so if ya'll could pray for humbleness and peace as I am very competitive and tend to get feisty during games. Also...pray for my team members: Farida, Severien, Rada, Rindra, Aristide, Andry, Erick, Frederick, Felicien, Urbin, Tahiry, Stanislas, Fiadanana, Angelo, Sebastien, and our coach Julien. They need Jesus just as much as the next person so I'm  awaiting the opportunity to present Him to them.

In Him,

Matt 

P.S. Never stop running towards the prize! Seek Christ with everything you have and he will make straight your path!

Tiffany-A Call from the Outside

The past few days have been somewhat of an emotional whirlwind. From going to a village where we met some new believers and I fell into a rice paddie....(slipped really....don't let me deceive you), and meeting some of the kindest, most genuine people....to playing with children....to staying home waiting for exhausted teammates that climbed a mountain....the emotions have been all over the place.

Saturday, everyone split up again. We are all venturing out into Manakara with our respective talents. It is really cool to see it happening! Laura and I headed to the church to play with the children (big surprise...right)! I had been told that on Saturday's the children of the church gather and have a sort of Sunday school. I thought I would be teaching a little english, but quickly dismissed that thought since it wasn't decided for sure. So, Laura and I went up there and waited. We got there early...which we should have checked before we left what time it was...but anyways, we got there and slowly the children came.

They all took their shoes off before they went in, sat in the "pews", and the lady that was in charge pulled up a chair and tried to get me to sit in it. This should have been my first clue....I declined the chair and sat next to Laura in the pew. One of the children got up from the back and prayed. I thought I was home free at this point! They knew my name and asked Laura hers, even though they knew hers, they were unsure. Still, I'm thinking "yes! I just get to observe!!" WRONG!

The lady in charge sat down and motioned to me to get up and start talking. Luckily, I can think quickly on my feet...the Lord has blessed me. I looked at Laura, made her get up with me, and we taught them Jesus Loves Me and This Little Light of Mine. After that, I asked if they had any questions. One question came from the middle, "Do you like Madagascar?" then the next "Why did you come to Madagascar?" then again "How old are you?"....I think you get the picture.

After we dialogued back and forth through a translator, we all decided that we were friends now. Since we are here to build relationships, and we told them so, we are now all friends! We have about 20 new little friends that go to that church that LOVE seeing us! After that, I asked them to teach us some games...so they did! This was their favorite part! After quite a few games, we went home. On our way out, the lady in charge said that we need to "come back every Saturday because the children are very happy!" We said our goodbyes and walked into our house.

Laura and I sat down at our dining room table so tired and talked all about the fun we had. Sitting in silence, waiting for our teammates to return back from their adventures we hear

"TIFF-A-NY!!" pause.... "TIFF-A-NY!!" pause.... "TIFF-A-NY!!!!"

I looked at Laura very confused...since it is very rare to hear your name shouted in a foreign land. We walked to the front door and no one was there. We walked to the gate....didn't see anyone....further adding to the confusion. I opened the gate, looked to the left....no one. Looked to the right....and at the next street corner I see two small children. As I looked closer, I realized that my sweet friends Fonza and Larisa had followed us home! I called them over, gave them both hugs. By that time, the kids across the street (the ones that Matt always plays with) had come over to give us some high fives. I ran inside, grabbed the soccer ball, and for the next few minutes we played soccer in the street.

It is so amazing to me, how God can show Himself in the smallest of people. In the gentle smile of a little girl, in the squeeze of a hand being held, in being tickled by a child, in a child's eyes that pierce your soul. God showed me that day, that everyone matters to Him. I knew that, but the reminder of it warmed my heart and made me love Him even more. The God that created the universe, cares about us, the littlest of people. There is beauty in that. There is peace. There is hope.

God is working in all our hearts. It is very evident to me that we've started to fall further in love with the Malagasy people here. And while we are fighting here, the war is waging above us in the heavenly realms. Please continue to pray for us! We covet your prayers and love that we have you all praying for us back home...or where ever you find yourself reading this blog.

B.Y.O.B (Bring your own bridge)

Africa...it never ceases to amaze me.

We woke up this morning ready for an adventure. Our plan for the day was to visit our first remote village. But the ladies woke up to the washer leaking all over the kitchen, dining room...and foyer. Who knew water front property would be so easy to come by here in Manakara, Madagascar. We attempted to manage the problem ourselves, but ended up leaving the problem in the hands of our awesome guard, Ligo (Lee-goo). 

Once we finally got on the road, it was about a 25-30 minute car ride on a beautiful, curvy road through the country side. We saw a few villages that were visible from the road.  It was nice to see a more rural side of Madagascar. I'm sure you're wondering why I titled this blog "B.Y.O.B." It's because we literally had to bring wood to build our own bridge. To get to this specific village, there's a bridge that is apparently broken more often than not. If you want a guarantee to cross the bridge, bringing your own wood to fill the gaps is necessary. We came prepared. However, the bridge was fixed and we didn't have to use the wood we brought. Praise the Lord. But it would have been an experience!

After crossing the bridge, we drove about 10 more minutes and parked on the side of the road. Time to walk. We walked about a mile before we came to our first stop. It was a beautiful walk through hills, rice paddies and other villages. At our first stop, we all were invited into the house of a Malagasy family. After we all piled in, there were about 10-12 people in a 6x8 foot hut. Our supervisor, Jeremy, gave a short message from the Bible. They were so eager to hear from the Bible, and wanted more after the lesson had ended. I suppose word spread that we were there because more people kept arriving every few minutes. And each time someone else came into the hut, we stopped, all shook his/her hand and then prayed. They were all believers, and it was wonderful to meet more of our family in Christ and spend some time with them. By the time we left, there were 19 people in this little home. 

It was a humbling experience. In our eyes, these people don't have much. But to them, they have everything they need. Most importantly, they have Jesus. But, they also have each other and they only desire what they NEED to survive. They didn't have a comfy couch to offer, or a cold drink. But they offered us what they had: a roof to sit under, amazing coffee sweetened with raw sugar cane, wonderful company, and a warm, welcoming smile. One of the women, Flojin (Flo-zeen), had four boys. She had an infant, about a month old, in her arms and we met two of her other boys. One of the boys was sick with a fever and inexplicable pain in his bones. This little boy, who looked the age of four, was six years old. He was malnourished, and in pain. You could see it in his face. He laid in my lap the entire visit. Such a precious little boy, I didn't want to let go. So if you could all pray for this family, and this little boy. Pray for their health. Pray that they are given strength and a joy and peace that surpasses understanding.

We left there after about an hour or so. We walked maybe another half mile to our next stop. We brought our own food, which consisted of enough rice, beans, potatoes and tomatoes to feed the team, our supervisor, two translators, and the family of the house we visited. Some of the family from the previous home walked with us over to the next hut.  When we first arrived, one of the men climbed a very tall coconut tree (maybe 20") and smacked down 4 coconuts and then chopped them open for us.  It's no surprise that Kai and Matt had to attempt such a task.  That gave everyone a laugh, they did great though. The women cooked the food we brought to PERFECTION, and served it to us in her home.  She was such a sweet woman. All the adults sat inside in a circle, with the food in the middle. She sat in the circle with us, serving us until we were full. Then she served herself, and the children outside, what we didn't eat. After eating and visiting a little more, we were off to our next stop...Victor's. 

We had heard about Victor from Jeremy and Bill Mitchell for months before we even left for Madagascar. We were so excited to meet him. Victor was one of the first village people to come to Christ. When we met him, you could just see the joy of Christ beaming from his eyes. The love of Christ was so apparent in the hearts of the people in that village, despite the fact that Islam was the predominate faith there. Jeremy shared a message to us and the people there from John 15, verses 1-5. Afterwards we all sang a hymn in Malagasy. Our team didn't know what were were singing and mumbled through it. But we knew we were all praising the Lord together, and that's what mattered. We asked Victor what we could pray for, for him and the people of the village. He asked us that we would pray that they would have the strength to continue to spread the Gospel and that more people would come to know Christ. If you all could please be praying for Victor and this village with that specific prayer request in mind. We didn't stay long. It was about a 45 minute visit, and we were off again. 

It was coming to the end of our day and there was still a 2 mile walk back to the car.

Today was a very big day. So many firsts. We saw parts of Madagascar we hadn't seen before, and we met more of our family in Christ. I think I can speak for the whole team when I say that today ignited a sense of urgency and excitement within us for this mission. We loved today, and CANNOT wait for more days like this! Please continue to pray for us. That we will always be sensitive to the Spirit. That God would grant us wisdom and discernment to see the hearts of these people. And that we will grow closer to the Lord individually, as well as a team. 

In Him,

Dannielle