love Madagascar

"People are dying every day with the only knowledge of God that will send them to hell."  David Platt Death in Madagascar happens every day, just like it does in America. Madagascar's population is estimated to be a little over 25 million. According to a UN estimate, every day, about 88 people in Madagascar die. That is about 32,000 each year, according to their estimate. There are so many rituals when it comes to death here. So many times, when I hear of a death in a village I've visited, I wonder how much time was spent preparing that person for the judgement that came upon their death. There are many rituals that are done to ensure the safety and survival of the people still alive here on Earth. Appeasing the ancestors is a huge part of life, and in many cases, these rituals are done daily. Makes John 14:6, "Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me'", constantly reside in m...

When you go into a village, as a foreigner, it is important to follow the rules of culture. Many times, being a foreigner in a place so far outside of the norm, can get you into trouble. I won't go into the deep details of why Malagasy people in the village are hesitant towards white foreigners...but let your imagination take you to Pocahontas and you have a similar idea. Most villages are so far out, it is hard to get to them. This is the exact reason much of Madagascar remains untouched by the Gospel. The villages are hard to get to and a lot of learning is still to be done once you arrive at these far off places. A village is just a bundle of a few modest Malagasy homes within a small area. Sometimes, though, villages can stretch from the main group of homes to one outlying home that can be kilometers away. Visiting these outlying homes requires lots of travel by foot...something I am not well adept at doing. Through bushes, sand, rocks, and sometimes water, the people on ...

Well, I think it's about time I updated you on our trip to visit the very rural village of AKZ. This village is located near the rain forest and is about a 1 hour hike through streams and mountains. I was stretched...both physically and mentally...but loved every minute (even loved it through my tears of pain). We arrived to the entry of the hiking trail around mid morning. I don't know what I had prepared myself for, but it wasn't what I saw or expected. The first mountain was downhill...easy peasy? NO. It was downhill, on dry clay. There were quite a few times I think I saw my life flash before my eyes. I do need to mention that, I had prepared a rather large pack. It was full of belongings that I needed to survive a week in the village. Upon our arrival, the sweetest Malagasy family showed up to accompany us. The eldest daughter, who was petite, about 25 years old, and not wearing shoes, insisted on carrying my pack. Before leaving, I weighed my pack at 26lbs. ...

Madagascar is a beautiful country. Her people and landscape are beyond compare. I think I love this culture so much because they like to laugh as much as I do…which is a lot. They have holidays for whichever way the wind blows…which allows for long weekends off of language. This particular weekend, many people celebrated Ascension…our language teacher had some errands that needed to be done, so we got a 4 DAY WEEKEND!!! Please, do not underestimate the excitement in those 3 words. We had been longing to get out of Tana for a little R&R, and when this long weekend presented itself, we QUICKLY (and I do mean quickly…like 20 minutes after we were told) jumped on a plan to visit friends in another city. We traveled right after class on Thursday to make the 3-4 hour journey south. We stayed the night in that city and ate GREAT food…then continued straight (there is one road in Madagascar…and it only goes straight…) for 5-6 more hours to Fianarantsoa. There is a large universi...

In every person’s life, they have a list of people that have helped them on their way. Outside of the Lord, these are people that have helped shape me into the person I am today. After taking some time to remember each person’s defining moment in my life, I thought it would be best to honor them in a blog. It’s the absolute least I can do…but you need to know these people. And my hope is, that you will find people just like them, to challenge and stir you on to love and good works. (Hebrews 10:24 ) Without a doubt, first up is my parents. I seriously have the best. We went on our first trip as a family to Wales. It was fun…and a VERY long time ago. My parents have always been the type of people to teach us that everyone is equal. My dad can tell you countless stories of living in the South and how that has shaped him. In a way, it shaped me as well. My parents have taught me that there is no one too far from grace and it doesn’t matter your skin color, accent, or home country...

On any given Monday through Friday, you can find me, from 8am until 12 noon, sitting at this table studying Malagasy. Lately, I have been able to go through each class without my head hurting or my eyes filling with tears. Let me be the first to tell you that learning a language is NOT easy. Not to mention when you found out you are actually almost blind. Yeah...glasses happened too. Some days it feels like I will never learn the language. But there have been small victories of being able to read and write properly. There has also been the understanding of being spoken to. Speaking back is a different story. By the time I formulate my sentence in Malagasy, the person I'm speaking with is already 3 steps ahead of me and onto a different topic. I wish Malagasy had a "southern" region...maybe then they would talk slow enough for me to fully understand and participate in conversation. In an effort to step out of our usual routine, Sunday afternoon, Megan and I decided (...

When I returned from Madagascar in 2013, it was said to me, more than once, that I had just been on a long trip. An extended vacation if you will. I was astonished at this, mainly because I felt like I had just been through a war. The war wasn’t physical, although sometimes it was just as draining physically. It was a mental and spiritual war. One that would be remembered forever and would eventually lead to where I am now. Before leaving in January, I also heard words that were very sweet, very encouraging, but also big shoes to fill. I heard things like “you’re so brave!” or “you’re my hero!” Such big encouragement to carry. The size of those words is indescribable. So, there you have it. Two different extremes. One that knows without a shadow of a doubt what the cost is to share the Gospel among people who have never heard. The other that makes it sound like a fun vacation. Well, allow me to set the record straight. Workers on the “field” go through mundane days and excitin...

Megan and I during one of our many evenings without electricity. It has been quite a first few weeks here in Madagascar! It is amazing to me how the Lord speaks. He always knows what to say when you need to hear it. This whole drought thing is for the birds. Let me tell you how blessed you are in America to have a constant stream of running water coming from every faucet (and sometimes places you don’t want) in your house. You probably also have constant electricity, unless you didn’t pay your bill on time. Sometimes God uses these reminders to show me His faithfulness. There have been quite a few evenings where we have been without electricity for whatever reason, and it is DARK. Its not the kind of dark where you can still see a little…it is can’t-see-your-hand-in-front-of-your-face DARK. I was in the kitchen finishing up dishes late one night, and the power went out. I knew Megan was down the hall…with a flashlight. So, here I am, standing in the kitchen, hands dripping wet...

Rain. Or lack thereof is what is happening in Madagascar at the current moment. You will see gray clouds looming overhead, but nothing falls out of them. And if something does, its for seconds, at the MOST minutes long. Drought, is certainly here in the capital city of Antananarivo. I haven’t been in the city long, so I don’t claim to know much of it. What I do know, is that the streets are crowded with cars and people alike. During lunchtime, you can see the “sidewalks” filled with little kids in their blue smocks, going home for break. A few hours later, those same children fill the sidewalks again, going back to school. The cycle repeats itself every day. Since it is currently Saturday here, the pace is quite a bit slower, which my little town Madagascar heart loves. It is a welcomed relief from all the hustle and bustle. When I’ve been driving around, I’ve noticed many Malagasy people staring. This is not an uncommon occurrence, because of my very pale white skin. However,...

When coming to a new year, many people make all sorts of resolutions. I'm going to lose weight.                                              I'm going to read more.                                                                                          I'm going to call my mom more. And then, these resolutions are made, and what happens? They are as easily forgotten next week as they were made yesterday. I often feel as if New Year's Resolutions are silly. Most are just lip service and don't actually happen. But, a word for the year? THAT i can get behind! Last year, my word was diligence.  I had this word about 2 weeks before the actual n...