A week in the life...

It has been a crazy week.  I got back to Toliara a week and a half ago.  I stopped by my leaders house a few times in the next few days, and we chatted about the things we had both learned and the ideas we had, but didn’t get down to anything specific since I was just settling back in.  With a short-termer visiting for five weeks to help Pete start this surfing ministry that was the focus the last weekend as the boys took a trip down south.  In the mean time I hung out with my host family, getting back into life with them, worked on language, and visited my Malagasy friends here in Toliara. 

With the boys gone Kara hosted a girls night.  By Wednesday, a week after returning I was anxious to start ministry, so I was thankful for the opportunity to teach English using a Bible verse with the drumming girls.  Then Thursday and Friday were crazy because the new AIM Mada Boss came along the former boss-turned assistant and the AIM International Head came for two days.  Thursday morning I went over to my leaders’ to meet everyone, which was followed by a trip to their hotel, then lunch at my house with my host mama.  After that we had ice cream at a local shop with the Southern Baptist Missionary head here in Toliara, which was followed by a chill dinner at the Italian restaurant in town.

 After a full day the plan was to head out to the coastal village of Belitsky in the morning.  Although, I often join Pete and Kara in praying for Belitsiky I view it more as Pete’s ministry, and to be honest after he placed a pair of missionaries in the village who ended up leaving I think he is a little afraid to share the responsibility.  With this mindset, and the fact that every other time I’ve gone to Belitsiky I have been shattered afterwards (it’s really hot with the sand and the sun beating down), so I was expecting to follow the group a little, take a swim, eat some lunch and head back to get ready for ministry at my house that night.  If I had been a little more prepared to engage in ministry on this trip I would have been more effective as a silent prayer warrior, so I regret my lack of preparation in that way, but the time turned out to be a blessing and a jump start back into prayer for Belitsiky.

By 10:30 I was pretty tired and a little worried about making it through the morning, so I ducked out to get a coffee.  When I finally found my way to the hut selling coffee I had a wonderful chat with the locals while I sipped the perfectly sweetened beverage.  I had learned from Pete that a foreign group had built the village a school.  I was quite curious about the new school and enjoyed talking to the people about it.  Sitting on the sand, looking at the ocean, drinking coffee and enjoying the company of the people I was reminded of what a great place Toliara is for ministry.  The people are so open.  They are very willing to invite you in, which is a huge step towards ministry.  I will write more about the next steps for Belitsiky later, but I was encouraged as I spent time in this quiet village. 

With a bit more energy from my coffee and the wonderful chat with the people I headed to find Pete and the group.  I found them sitting with the president of the village and his wife.  After a wonderful chat it came out that the wife has had a stomach ache for some time.  The doctors have diagnosed it as nerves and I expect it has to do with the President’s belief in God juxtaposed with the villages use of witchcraft.  Just guessing from what Pete has said, this has been a battle for the president and she being his wife would feel it, even physically.  It was wonderful to put in God’s hands especially with her willingness to allow us to do so. 

Next, we visited an older man who has been sick for a while.  About a month ago Pete had prayed for him while he was writhing in pain.  I remember hearing this story from Kara while in Kenya and prayed that if it was his time to go that He would have the chance to know Jesus whether through healing for in another way.  To see his bright eyes and the energy he had to talk to us about his pain it was clear he was doing better.  After a little inspection as to his ailment the cause is likely an infection in either his kidney or bladder.  When we offered to pray for him his answer was astounding.  It turns out that the witch doctor had told him that the reason he was sick was that a spirit wanted to live inside of him, so if he was going to get better he had to make a contract with the spirit so it would go away.  As a result he felt he could not betray the contract and allow us to pray for him.  Our reply was that it didn’t seem that the contract was working because he was still sick.  It is stories like this that really make us think.  From what Pete has said, when he was prayed for believes in the village there has been miraculous healing, but when he prays for those under the witch doctor there is not healing.  It seems that the people who have given themselves over to the devil don’t want healing from God, and although He could do it anyway, I think it goes back to our free choice.  We are still praying about it and hoping to understand it better. 

Our final house visit was that of the couple who had recently lost their 12-year-old son to Malaria.  When Pete had talked to them a few weeks back they were completely put off by Jesus in their pain.  This had been a prayer point of mine during my time in Kenya.  Today as our Malagasy Mada leader talked with them there was much more openness.  We were able to pray with them and it was encouraging to me to see that God has been working in their lives to heal them from this tragedy.  Healing like this will take a long time, but to see such openness only a few weeks after the fact is amazing.  For me, it gives testament to God’s work.       

It was a blessing for me to see the people Pete and Kara had sent word about while I was in Kenya and to see what God was doing.  As we drove out of the village Pete showed us the shell of what once was the church in the village.  The people had started to build it upon the president’s request, but since he and one other were the only ones who ever attended the pastor ended up leaving.  There is still a lot of work to be done in Belitsiky if the people are going to be ready to attend church regularly.  We have been praying against the strong hold in the village and for a pastor.  Please pray with us.

After heading home for Friday with a quick rest I set to preparing for an English movie ministry night on my balcony.  As one by one the young adults arrived it was wonderful to see them again after more than a month.  I loved watching the movie with them hearing their reactions to what was going on.  As the movie finished their first question was “are we going to meet in the morning for Bible study.”  With a week or two left with the short termer, Pete has focused Saturday mornings on the surfing ministry, which some of the guys are attending. So, with a few others busy the consensus was to wait a till the following week.  The next question was when we were going to study next.  Although we settled on meeting back next Friday as week away, I was able to plan to meet with two of the leaders early in the week.  With Pete back from surfing and our bosses gone today I hope to get some much needed rest after a busy week and start in on planning early at the beginning of the week.  We have a few ideas for young adult ministry to work out and I think it’s good that we have the beginning of the week to plan as we look at meeting later in the week. 

Pray with me as we plan that God would be in the prep for both us and those who come.