“Who lives there?”

Happy 1 yr Birthday Alleluia!

Perspective.  That is the word that we have found ourselves struggling with often. Perspective is something that changes from person to person, it changes depending on recent circumstances and it changes depending on your upbringing and your worldview.  

So what kind of perspective should we have as true followers of Jesus?

          I was very excited, but also nervous to pick up our new friends at our local grocery store.  I had met Diamondra at this same grocery store several times as she had been my cashier.  Now we were having her and her husband and their two small children over for dinner.  The evening went very well as we expressed our joy in getting to know them and then Ruth shared her testimony with them while Andy talked to them about the importance of baptism after salvation.  They seemed very receptive and expressed that they had already made the decision to follow Jesus and that they would love to get together with us to study the Bible. 

I was thankful that the evening had gone so well, but why did I feel bad after they left?  What I didn’t tell you was that when our guests first entered our house, Diamondra had said several times that our house was very spacious.  Then she proceeded to tell me how very small their house is because it only has one room, but that they are looking for another house.  After we ate dinner, she was looking outside at our shed and asked me, “Who lives there?”  I felt sick to my stomach; how can I tell this sweet girl that that ‘house’ is where our stuff ‘lives?’  And not only that but we have been looking for another house that is bigger because we have had a lot of problems with our current house and it is also not big enough for all our stuff.  Though I did not tell her the latter half, I stumbled over my words to tell her the truth of the situation. 

So tell me how does one live as an American in one of the poorest countries in the world where most people earn about $1/ day?  That is the question I pose to myself often.  I know we will never fully realize what it is like to be Malagasy and live the way they live, but how then shall we live with this knowledge?  And so I ask that you would pray for us to have wisdom in everything and to have God’s perspective on daily situations so that we would not get caught up in having to have all that we are used to having as Americans while being sensitive to the Holy Spirit in matters of where our money is spent because frankly it is not good just to give it away without much prayer and wisdom.  Also, pray that we would always be thankful for everything and be content in every situation because that is the right perspective we should have!

Other Happenings this month:

Alleluia turned 1 year old!  We celebrated on three different occasions: with our missionary family, with just our immediate family and then we also celebrated with our close Malagasy friends.  Allie enjoyed her cake/ cookie each time!  

Celebrating Allie's birthday with our missionary family 

Saying Goodbye.  This is Caleb (our supervisor's son), he has grown up in Mada and is now transitioning to a whole new world in America as his parents & his older sister follow God's leading in their lives to go back to America after living & ministering in Mada for 10 years!  Please pray for them to have wisdom & guidance to follow where God would lead them and also for comfort as they have left many friends here in Mada.

She didn't like her cake at all;)

This sweet family (Rina, Zo & their son, Nambina) works for us but they are more like our family than our employees.  Please pray for Rina as he has recently begun his own Bible study with 5-7 men.  Zo is our helper at the house and Ruth will be beginning a Bible with her and some of our neighbors and possibly others that we have met different places.

This is Rina and her daughter, Rianala, please pray for her as she is going to school to become a missionary to her own people.  She has two daughters & very little money to live on, let alone go to school.  Pray that God would provide for all her needs!