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.