love Madagascar

The first invasion was noticed upon my return from a 2 week training. I was very tired. Excited to be in my own house, sleeping in my own bed, taking a shower in my own shower. So, you can imagine the shock (and horror) of finding poop scattered all over the floor of my shower when I arrived home. After many google searches, I determined it was, in fact, a rat. *I would like to give a disclaimer and say that up until now, there has been no rat presence around my home. A bottle of bleach and half a bottle of VIM (comet type cleaner) later, I had a clean shower, a clearer head and slept semi-peacefully. Until, I woke up the next morning to that dumb rodent had used the toilet in my CLEAN shower AGAIN! So, a friend sent me the instructions to a trap they had made and used with success. So, I made said trap, and CAUGHT THE RODENT! I was so proud and excited that life could get back to normal. So, I took the trap out of my shower, put it on the back porch, and cleaned my shower (with 2 ...

Two weeks ago, it rained for 2 days straight. If you need to know anything about Madagascar, its that most of the roads here are NOT paved. This means there usually isn't a road that isn't full of potholes, crevices deep enough to hide soldiers in in the event of war, and red clay that just makes everything worse when wet. This particular time, I had been traveling to a different city and didn't know that it had rained. This is problematic only on 1 road that I travel weekly. My national partner and I gear up and head for the village. On the way, I realize that the road was still very wet from the rain. This road has 2 main problem areas. The first being a small hill that is completely slick (meaning no rocks or crevices) red clay. Got up that hill. Thank goodness for 4wd! The second problem area, not as exciting. This is a picture of this specific hill when it's dry This hill is high. It has two main crevices and what isn't in the crevice are rocks. There i...

A typical week can be an emotional roller-coaster. Just ask anyone on the field and they will probably tell you about how the power got cut and they forgot about their wet laundry in the washing machine and how it frustrated them. Then they will tell you about the hard day that they had and cried their eyes out for most of it. And then (as if that wasn't enough), they will share their joy with you about the 1 person that accepted Jesus, because sometimes you can share and share and share and only 1 person sees their need for a Savior. Sometimes its just too much. Need after need is brought to you, expecting to be fulfilled. Anywhere from "foreigner, my house is falling apart, fix it" to "yes! Tell us about Jesus because the people need to know hope that will change their lives." There is not enough you to fulfill all the needs. There is not enough money or time or words. I love what the Lord has called me to. I love that I live where the people are friendly ...

Madagascar. If you have heard of Madagascar, you have probably only heard of it from the movies Madagascar. Other things you may find interesting are that 90% of the flora and fauna found in Madagascar, is found no where else in the world. Madagascar is the 4th largest island in the world! Can you believe it? And you thought it was a tiny island off the coast of mainland Africa...well think again. The population of Madagascar is around 25 million. The Antemoro people make up about 1.5 million of that and live on the southeastern coast. Did you know that Madagascar, on some lists, ranks in the top 5 poorest nations in the world? I see poverty every day. And lest you think it is only in the village, poverty is everywhere. I see poverty monetarily and poverty spiritually. Can you remember a time where you saw both types of poverty in one person? Can you remember a time when you saw it every day? I'm not saying it doesn't happen in the United States, because it does. But the ...

I have been visiting a specific area to the west of Manakara for about 4-5 months now. I have made some good contacts in this area and enjoy the honest answers I get to questions I ask about Malagasy culture.  There is one specific village I have been visiting every week for the past 4 weeks now. The first time I entered this village, I met with the mpanjaka, or king, of the village. He was very warm and inviting and kind. I was instantly drawn to him and knew he would be a good soil to sow seed. The next few visits, there was a funeral and he was not there. However, his wife was each time. We visited with her that week and weeks following. You could instantly see the walls that had been built up around her heart. Walls that were built with culture and decorated with animism. Fast forward to this week. We went, armed with stories from scripture, because we knew those are the only things that can extinguish the walls the enemy has built in this couple's hearts. We arrived, and t...

I'm not about to sit here and tell you life is peachy on this side of the world. Truth is, life is not always "peachy", no matter where you live. Distance doesn't really change the fact that trials will come and try to rob your joy. It's in those trials that you must dig deep and find the joy that sustains you. Life in a country like Madagascar is not easy. The days are hot and LONG. Boy are they long. It seems that the hotter the day, the longer each one is. I don't know how that works exactly, but that is a fact of life here. With hot days come sun that will burn your skin within moments of stepping outside...unless you're the type of person that doesn't burn. In which case, you can keep that tidbit to yourself, because it might make me give you a very large and exaggerated eye roll. Culture wears on you. Things are done slowly. Never the "good" way of doing them...aka the American way. There is no way to blend in. I will always stand o...

"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...