Matt-Little Big Town

     I usually write on Mondays, but due to some unforeseen exhaustion I've had to push it back to Tuesday morning. Despite the little schedule change I still want to update you on our view of the town since yesterday's adventure.

     Monday marked the start of our HandsOn work here in Manakara. For the past couple weeks we had been taking a crash course on the Malagasy language, but yesterday we finally went out into the town to make observations about the people and their way of life. What surprised most of us initially was the actual size of the city. So far in our stay, we have explored the beaches of Manakara and the marketplace, which spans for probably 3/4 of a mile. But when we walked the town yesterday, we viewed a huge portion of it that we never knew was there. We walked up and down dirt roads for probably a mile or so outside of the immediate center of town. It looked like we had crossed into another city, but Jeremy and our translator Mika assured us that we were still in Manakara. The streets were lined with thatched roof huts or small houses. There were wells few and far between and some of the people had small storage containers of water outside their house. Whatever modern houses we saw were owned or rented out by foreigners who had made Manakara their residence or a vacation spot. Trash lined the sides of the streets and the rest of it was scattered in the people's yards. But enough about their living situation as I find it of more importance that you learn about the people.

     During our walk, I saw many children and young people walking around with shirts that were tattered and sometimes barely covering them. All of their toys were made by pure innovation and will power. Children as young as 8 years old (just a guess) were watching their younger siblings as if they were the parent in the house. They fended for each other and helped one another get food on the streets.  The rest of the population could be found near or at the many food stands around the town. These stands were a hub for social gatherings and from the looks of things alcohol. I don't want ya'll to get a bad image of the people here (such as them all being drinkers all day long) so don't take the last statement the wrong way. The only reason I said that it looked like they were alcohol venues was because the backs of the food stands were usually lined with a variety of liquors or beers. For the most part, the people just seemed to congregate in areas where other people were. They enjoyed conversation with each other and many 'people watched'. Their way of life however appears to be an 'if I can just make it another day I'll be okay' type of deal. They don't seem to have any ambitions or thoughts on success that would cause them to push past the here and now.

     So in all of this.....I have a few prayer requests for the people here of Manakara. Please pray that the people will be receptive to the saving grace of Jesus Christ and will be eager to learn about him. Pray that the people will not be so focused on making it another day (physically) and be more focused on the realization of what eternity may hold for them. Pray that our team will be prepared through prayer and the word to spread the gospel even with the language barrier. And more than anything, pray that God will be glorified in all of our efforts here so that we don't get puffed up heads about us being here.

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In Him,
Matt