MADAGASCAR MISSION

Exploring new places is something I love to do. Whether hiking in the mountains or hiking in a city, discovering new places and seeing new sights is fun. Fortunately, my wife Brandi, also enjoys finding and exploring new places. Living in Madagascar has given us many opportunities for finding and exploring new places as well as new cultures.  This week we had to come to the capital, Tana, to get our pictures and fingerprints for our visa’s. Brandi and the kids then flew to the US to visit her parents as her mother is working towards recovery after her brain surgery several months ago. Friday, I found myself with a day to go exploring the city before heading off to another city for some intensive language study. There were a few stores I wanted to find and so I set out around lunchtime after taking care of some other tasks. Taking a local bus I headed out into new territory hoping I would at least come close to where I was trying to go. Thanks to people on the bus I found t

Some days do not turn out at all like you expect. Today was one of those days. Having determined to be more intentional about my Malagasy learning this month, I had set aside today for study and practice. After doing some errands in town I stopped at a place near the market and settled into a table and began studying. After an hour and a half or two hours I needed a change of scenery and decided to take a walk. Since it was lunchtime, I decided to eat some local Malagasy food and practice what I had been learning. Something simple, rice and sauce hopefully with some meat with it, and I wanted to eat at a new place to meet some new people. However, every place I stopped was already out of rice for lunch. Really, they ran out of rice at the four places I stopped. How does this happen? The Malagasy eat rice every meal. Every meal. If they don’t eat rice they think they have not eaten. I could not understand how this could be. It was only 12:45pm, I really thought it would not be

3 conversations: this last week, I had 3 great conversations with 3 very different people who the Lord has sent into our lives. Emma is in her 40's and has had a life full of disappointments, many of her own doing. She is a sweet lady with 2 grown sons and a brother who are less than kind to her. As time passes and she and I get to know each other, I get to hear her story. This week she shared some very valuable cultural insights with me.. In turn, I shared with her the best thing I have to offer her, the love of Christ. Just being able to share with her how God intends for a family to function and what His plans are for people versus their own. Pray for Emma, that she will be comforted and provided for by the Lord. Radu is our night guard, also from the south. He is a believer and a nursing student at the university here. A real good guy. Just a jovial disposition. Every week, we get to know more about him and he stays longer in the daytime lately. I think he just w