We have been having problems with our mailchimp program we normally use to send out newsletters. Instead of waiting any longer for resolution, we decided to put this update on the blog!
We arrived in Mada on April 10th
after a long two day journey! The kids slept
on the plane & did really great! Andy was surprised when
he was handed the car keys at the
airport & asked to drive to our hotel in Tana! He did so well (especially for not driving
stick shift for the last ten years)! Ruth was very grateful that she didn’t
have to driveJ.
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| Our first view of Madagascar from the plane! |
We spent 3-4 days in a nice hotel
to get acquainted with our hometown
after language study.
We were also able to get to know our supervisor & logistics
coordinators & their families during our time in Tana. We are so blessed to
be working with such awesome people!
Then we drove to Antsirabe (3 ½
hours from Tana) where we got to see our new
home for the next 8 months or so. The kids immediately
befriended our Malagasy guard
since they are often outside playing while he works. We were
all excited to have a place to call home & to be able to get settled in
alittle bit before we left for Zambia.
Our first 12 days in Zambia, we
stayed at the Baptist Seminary in Lusaka (the capital city), where our family
shared a dorm room. Five days a week, we went on Daily Field Assignments (DFAs)
where two people were paired with a Zambian helper (translator/guide). These
assignments were to help us to learn African culture better &
be systematic in our approach to ministry.
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| Zambian village near Petauke |
Our next 12 days was spent 6 hours
away in a camp outside of Petauke (a small town) where we slept in tents. Each
day we had to pump our own bath water & heat it on the fire & then we
could take an outdoor bucket showerJ. Andy & I were paired together for DFAs this
time and God blessed us with many opportunities to share our testimonies, Bible
stories, pray with people & ultimately share the gospel. We saw 8 adults come to faith in Christ
Jesus!
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| The Phiri family |
Then our
family spent a weekend (3 days & 3 nights) in the home of a Zambian
family. Our family was wealthier than
most families with a 3 bedroom home, western toilet (minus the top seat), TV
& computer. We all stayed in one
bedroom with a full bed & bunk bed. Over
the weekend, we must have had 25-30 visitors come to the house since the cousin
of the family (who lives in the same house) was getting married Saturday
morning. We were able to attend the
cousin’s reception which was quite a cultural experience! For lunch & dinner, we ate n’shema (which
is a dense white food made from corn), rep (a type of greens with onion &
tomato), usually a little bit of meat (either goat or chicken), &
sauce. For breakfast, we were given
bread with our choice of butter or jam.
Our final 3
days in Zambia were spent at a resort with real showers, full western toilets,
a nice pool, & wonderful food!!! Here
we were given the chance to tie everything together that we learned the
previous 3-4 weeks. During our time in
Zambia we learned so much about what our ministry should look like & how to
avoid certain pitfalls once we start our work in Madagascar!
Thank you so much for praying for us as we learn the Malagasy language! We will send out another update soon about our time since we arrived back in Madagascar in late May.
Please be in Prayer over the next couple weeks for:
- Praises:
- for the people in Zambia who now follow Jesus Christ
- getting settled into our new home in Antsirabe, Madagasacar.
- Requests:
- Growth for the new believers in Zambia, and that they would find a strong church home where they can be discipled, and that they would have access to a Bible in their heart language.
- Ruth, Eli & Zoey will fly to Johannesburg, South Africa for the beginning of Ruth's maternity leave on June 17th. Andy will join them on July 8th when his paternity leave starts.
- for Eli & Zoey as they adjust to having a nanny while we study Malagasy, going to South Africa, & having a baby sister arrive.
