Mission Madagascar

I’m still here in Tulear, but I’m scheduled to fly out mid-afternoon. I have my familiar friendly taxi-driver, Patrick, here to show me the city sights. Read the rest of this entry →

I’m “supposed” to be in Fort Dauphin right now. Supposed to be. My Fort Dauphin misadventure has begun. Read the rest of this entry →

Shame on me for not posting more about my Madagascar experiences. Before leaving, I was so excited that I could hardly sleep at night. My excitement hasn’t exactly faded, but my energy level definitely did. Something about getting on several airplanes, sleeping at airports, and relocating to a different continent and time zone has a way of taking it out of me.

Read the rest of this entry →

Street Scene Near Tana

Daniel sent me this picture of a street scene near Tana (short for Antananarivo, the capital). He’s leaving tomorrow afternoon for Fort Dauphin, and I don’t know if have opportunity to post before then. I know he would especially appreciate your prayers for 1) recovery from jetlag and 2)wisdom, clear thinking, and communicability in in Fort Dauphin, where he will be going alone without knowing anyone there and without knowing the language.

Most of us use “I’m waiting for God to reveal His calling on my life” as a means of avoiding action. Did you hear God calling you to sit in front of the television yesterday? Or to go on your last vacation? Or exercise this morning? probably not, but you still did it. The point isn’t that vacations or exercise are wrong, but that we are quick to rationalize our entertainment and priorities yet are slow to commit to serving God. -Francis Chan, Crazy Love

I’ve come to the end of my first full day in Madagascar. It has been a torrent of learning, of experience, of interaction, and of memories. Unfortunately, I’m too tired to keep myself awake and try to write about it all. I hope to do so soon. Meanwhile, here are a couple of pictures.

We took a walk early this morning in the neighborhood in which I'm staying

The missionary's house where I am staying.

Date: August 1, 2009

Time: 10:10pm

Location: the guest bedroom of Ben and Ashley’s home: Talatamaty, Antananarivo, Madagascar

I have arrived at my final destination: Madagascar. It’s almost surreal–the country for which I have prayed over, cried over, and researched. I’m here. My two-and-a-half hour flight from Joberg to Tana was uneventful, apart from my randomly falling asleep in odd contortions (no first class seat here; just two empty seats next to me).

Takeoff from Johannesburg

I even enjoyed a supper, courtesy of Air Mad, which wasn’t too bad. It consisted of roast chicken along with a slimy quiche-like stuff, and some raw fish with lime wedges and indeterminate sliced veggies. The chocolate cake you see in the lower right-hand corner was a cross between an undercooked brownie, flan, and cheesecake.

Toward the end of the flight, I heard a gasp from the girl sitting in front of me. She tugged at her friend to come look out the window. At the same time, I heard some shrieking from two children in the back of the plane. Then, I heard excited Malagasy muttering from the people sitting behind me. Since I was on a window seat, I looked. There it was: my first sight of Madagascar.

After that, it grew very dark. I didn’t see much city lights below in the darkness. Just plain darkness. Eventually, as we descended, I saw some of the lights from the capitol city. We landed and then all the passengers disembarked down a flight of stairs onto the tarmac. Pardon the blurry night shot of the airplane.

All the travelers milled into the airport to fill out visas and health forms, then pick up baggage. The airport is very small.

After that, I met my host, Ben, who drove me in his X-Terra to their house. He and his wife and their two little girls, missionaries in Madagascar for just about a year now, are extremely kind. Their generosity is nearly overwhelming. They are taking very good care of me! They even have some events planned that I’ll tell you about tomorrow.

Thank you for praying for my trip.