So what do we expect in Madagascar???

I know that so many people have the cartoon in mind when they think of Madagascar. Well here are some things we know we will be experiencing.  The island is the 4th largest in the world.  Think Texas plus.  There are incredibly varied ecosystems from one end of the island to the other.  Yes there are lemur monkeys of various kinds that live in the forests but there is so much more.  The people are diverse and welcoming from what we have heard.  There are lots of incredible insects and beautiful chameleons.   

French is the official government language because they were a french colony so our french will definitely be used.  But the people speak Malagassy, which is what we will learn.  We will live in the town of Diego Suarez at the northern most tip.  It has a deep water port and so they export goods like rice, fruit, and sugar cane.  The people live on a diet of rice, beans, lichi berries, various other fruits and fish.  The fishing industry is how many feed their families.  There is a monsoon season for 5 months of the year and the other 7 are dry with a sustained temperature of about 85 degrees.

There are several other people groups living in our area from India, Pakistan and China.  It is about 60-70% muslim from the stats we have seen.  We look forward to teaching and training the local Malagasse church in reaching out to near culture peoples.  Lew will be training pastors and looking for ways to share Jesus in other ways in the local community.  I will be homeschooling our kids and looking for ways to be impactful in the community living our daily lives.  There may be opportunities to teach english and as well as teach the Bible anywhere we have opportunity. 

There are also other missionaries who come into our town to restock.  I am really looking forward to ministering to them as well!  And you never know what doors the Lord will open up for us that we could not possible imagine!!  It will be a hard life for all of us but we will also be excited to see how He grows our faith and increases His kingdom.  He doesn't call any of us to an easy life, but an obedient life serving Him where He wants to use us.         

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