May 7, 2009
We are back in Madagascar!
I know some of you have been wondering about our status, where we are living & what's going on in our lives. Here is the latest on our situation.
As you are aware, we left Madagascar in mid March & went to live in Nairobi, Kenya for a month. The reason: to get away from the violence and uncertainty of the political crisis in Madagascar. That meant packing up our homes, packing bags & catching the first available flight to Kenya. While in Kenya we were able to be with our other Assemblies of God missionaries based there. They were gracious to host us in their homes, help provide us with housing and transportation, and encourage us along the way. It's a great blessing to be a part of a large missionary family! There was even the opportunity for us to minister in some churches & teen challenge while we were there. For our girls they were able to continue their school studies as we home school our children. We were able to also enjoy some of the experiences in Nairobi that are different from our country. All in all, it was a time to release the stress and rest , as well as prepare for the future.
Now we have been back in Madagascar for a couple of weeks and some might assume that our return means that the problems are over. But unfortunately that is not true. We returned because the immediate threat of danger had passed & we felt that we needed to be back with the church that we love and support.
Since returning the violence has continued. There have been over one hundred wounded in street demonstrations, plus dozens who have died during these violent clashes in the streets. On more than one occasion, we have been very close to where the violence was happening, but each time God protected and kept us from harm. There have also been many arrests of political leaders, strikes by different organizations, as well as daily demonstrations continuing throughout the island.
In addition, because of this continuing crisis. Unemployment is on the rise in a dramatic fashion. Many factories and businesses are closing. And tourism, which is very important to the island, is almost nonexistent at the moment. This means that robberies, theft, and other forms of criminal activity are on the rise as people become more desperate.
The international community (United Nations, Africa Union, European Union, USA, etc..) is working very hard to bring the different political entities together to start negotiations that could lead to new elections to establish a democratically appointed government. Until now, they have not been successful.
The good news is that the church continues to move forward! Our Bible school has continued its training program for new Pastors and next month we will have graduation ceremonies for our newest leaders. We are continuing to send out new Pastors and their families to plant new churches. Evangelistic crusades are being planned; training events are moving forward. We have new adult Sunday school materials (the first ever in this churches history) that are being printed by another member of our missionary team and will soon be available to our churches to implement in their churches.
Of course, the political climate is effecting us. We have to be careful when we travel and where we go to. We use a lot of precautions as a family. But we are determined to continue life as normal as possible. For example, Carey & I have wanted to take more language studies to continue to learn the Malagasy language. While we already speak french, learning Malagasy is necessary if we want to continue to be more effective in our ministry here. So for this month we have started a refresher course to review what we had learned before. And then starting in June, July & August, we will start studying 4-5 days a week intensively the Malagasy language in the hopes of gaining some more comprehension of this ancient language, as well as speak it with more confidence. Also, the girls continue to participate in their activities. They get together weekly with other girls for girls clubs, Bible studies & youth group. They also continue to take their piano lessons. And as often as possible there are other little girls running around our house having sleep-overs with our girls.
So, how can you pray for us?
Pray that God will grant favor and wisdom to the international community as they work to bring about negotiations that could produce a solution to this crisis.
Pray for the different political leaders on all sides of this crisis.
Pray that they would all seek to do that which is best for their country.
Pray for the people of Madagascar who are suffering the most right now. In addition to the political problems, we have had cyclones that destroyed crops and villages in some parts of the island. And we have other parts of the island facing famine due to drought conditions.
Pray for our church as they seek to continue to work to advance the Kingdom of God and give hope to people during this time. May God provide, protect and enable them by His Holy Spirit.
Pray for the Bible school graduation that will happen on June 6, as well as the continuing printing and distribution of Sunday school materials. We truly believe that training is the hope for the future of this church.
Pray for our continuing safety and provision. We need God's wisdom to know when to travel and when not to. We also need God's continuing provision as we watch the costs and availability of resources becoming more unstable.
Pray for Carey & I as we study the Malagasy language. Learning another language can be an exciting and fun process, but it can also have its frustrations and challenges.
Pray for the girls as they finish up their school year and look forward to a few months of vacation. They (and Carey) are ready for the break.
As always, thank you so much for your consistent prayers and support of our ministry. You enable us to continue what God has placed in our hearts!
Blessings!
Jay