Tantara

Cool stories from the Madagascar missions retreat these last two weeks:

The first week there were two single gals, myself and Kelly (from a team on the island off the northern coast of Mada).  I turns out we were at the same Urbana (a missions conference in the states).  It's pretty cool to see that both of us are now on the field because of the connections we made with aim at that conference.

There was a team ministering on another island off the coast of Mada over the last two years.  Part of their ministry was working with a local band to write 10 or more songs straight from the Bible to go along with the stories they used to disciple the people on the island.  The team leader brought the band members to our retreat to play for our worship and to share their songs.  Although the band members were not Christians they listened to the devotionals each morning and would go back to their room and discuss what they had heard.  After two years of learning about God this week all 5 of the members decided to accept Christ during our devotional on communion.  They publicly confessed before all of us that they want to move forward with Christ rather than to go back to their old ways. What a praise and an encouraging end to our conference.

It turns our our speaker and his wife were missionaries in Malawi where missions started for me. They planted churches in the northern city three hours from where I served.  Now they live as missionaries in the neighboring country of Mozambique.  We had an instant connection because we both served in Malawi but also because of my knowledge of the major flood that hit both Malawi and Mozambique last January.  It was amazing to hear a first hand account of what the people there went through with the flood.  I know I have a kindred spirit in the pastor's wife.  

It has been amazing to hear so many different English accents this past weeks.  The count is at 13 with Igbo-English, Jaba-English, Korean-English, Australian-English, Sakalava-English, Malagasy-English, Portegese-English, Bete-English, German-English, British-English, American-English, Yoreba-English, and Jjb-English.  Mada is full of people from all around the world who serving as missionaries for God's kingdom.

Back in Toliara, we found out that three members of our Bible storying group in the village of Ankalika are related to people in Belitsiky, the coastal village were we hope to start another Bible storying group.  Those in the existing group were invited to visit their relatives with Pete and to pray for God's work to stir the heart of their family and others in the coastal village.  How cool to partner with the Malagasy for their family and people.  

Although there were not a huge number of youth at the Wednesday club at my house in our absence, 2 people did come.  What we learned this past week is to start with a few to reach the many.  We have been armed with many more ideas on training leaders and encouraging discipleship.  I look forward to returning to share with the youth at my house.