Growing and Planting Churches

I have now been in Madagascar for four months and am increasingly convinced that God brought me here with a great purpose. Some months ago, I was invited by a priest from the Diocese I am serving here to go minister in his church and I went there on 26th August up to 16th September. This was significant because the Anglican Church in South Madagascar is desperate for evangelism to bolster church- growth and facilitate church planting. I ministered in crusades to promote growth in the local church. The profile of the church was raised in the area and scores came to Christ. Follow-up needs to be done to sustain the work, but we also did crusades in another area where we planted a new church. By the grace of God I preached in all the crusades and since the concept is new here many were attending and God was convicting them. I am now praying that God guides me on how to best do evangelism work here. Keep on praying for us.

I continue to learn Malagasy which is the language of the people here, but it has not been easy since I also now have friends who speak English. In the crusades I was preaching in English assisted by a very able Malagasy interpreter. I have also been teaching English in the church though my compatriot, Victor, is now taking a larger role of teaching. Our passports which we sent to the Ministry of interior to be stamped with the two-year visas have yet to be returned to us though we were given identity cards which are acting as our passports for the time being. Pray for us as we continue to adapt and learn about the culture here. When I went for a church-planting mission recently there were no houses, including where I stayed, that had a toilet or bathroom. For the toilet people relieved themselves either in the bush or openly, and for bathing they all went to a swamp with dirty water and I had no choice!

Victor told me when I was away that he attended a turning of bones ceremony. This is where people gather in the gravesite of a relative who has been dead for about ten years and unearth the skeleton of the dead person then they straighten the skeleton of the deceased and wrap it in a new cloth and then put it in a new coffin and rebury it. Then celebration follows right there at the gravesite. Imagine some Christians also do this claiming it is their culture! Pray that God may strengthen us to correct such practises especially by Christians. Otherwise we continue to minister in the English service on Saturdays in Toliara but pray that God may give us able interpreters so that we can also preach in Sunday services in all the churches. Remember that one priest here normally has seven to ten congregations and so they rely on evangelists to run the churches while we claim that since we cannot speak Malagasy fluently we cannot preach in the Malagasy services. Actually when I went to preach in Morondava recently the Nigerian priest there has a Malagasy interpreter that interprets for him whenever necessary. A similar arrangement will make us contribute a lot in the Malagasy services. I am informed that the long rains begin in November and so remember us in your prayers since the rains are accompanied by cyclones!

-Duncan

Children's Outreach during School Holidays

We are now settling slowly in our houses with a few repairs here and there. The compound is fine with very lovely neighbours around us. Everyone wants to come and see who these "black vazahas" (the term for foreigners)are, that can dare to come and live with them here! But they discover that we are just human beings like them doing everything normally.

Along the streets and the market a few guys try to gossip only to get the shock of their lives when they discover that I understood a bit of what they said and I respond in Malagasy! That breaks my ribs. Its just so funny.

Right now there is a long school holiday and most children have gone to visit their relatives and friends. So, I’m using the opportunity from now until September to spend one hour everyday to bring together all the kids around, both the visitors and the residents. Normally they are just playing around and I have begun teaching them slowly the names of things in English, because I also know a number of them in Gasy by now. I am amazed by the speed they catch things. Interestingly, because I have memorised some of my favorite scriptures in Gasy and Gasy favorite songs, we have a time of singing and in the middle of our lesson they must learn the verse as well. Truly, I see they are enjoying themselves and I believe that the Lord will minister in their hearts in a special way. That also made me begin a special lesson working alongside some of the Sunday school teachers whereby we have a short-bible passage, One Gasy song, learning a new Swahili or English song designed to reach the children as well in our church that runs for 2days a week for 2hrs.

-Victor

Prayers for Health and Security

It is now three months since I came to Madagascar and I am very much focused on my mission here.
This past month I have been sickly. I thought I had symptons of malaria or typhoid but that was not confirmed by blood tests in the hospital. So, I was treated for the symptoms that I described and now am okay. Pray for our health as we serve here.

I was happy recently, when I read a biblical text in Malagasy in a Sunday service for the first time since I came here and the locals thought I really tried. I am slowly getting to know the language.

Pray for our security since as foreigners it is assumed we are rich and are likely to be targets of thugs. Actually, my mobile was stolen recently by someone who entered the house when I had gone to church.

Otherwise we continue to learn Malagasy (Gasy), teach English and handle the Saturday English service. Indeed we are fully using the English students, who are not church members, in the English service thereby transforming the face of the church. Now other Anglican churches want a similar program in their churches.

-Duncan

New Visas and Learning Malagasy

Greetings, I am focused on my ministry here. Victor and I have been busy teaching English classes as an evangelistic tool. There are about 30 students and most of them are not from the Anglican church. English is taught 4 days a week. Victor and I are still ministering in the English service on Saturday evenings. Our priority is learning Malagasy and at the moment Victor is doing far better than me. We have been granted a 2-year visa each and that is an answer to prayer. We also have moved to new houses in the same compound after a long search and we give glory to God. In August we will hold evangelistic meetings for one of our churches and it will take two days to travel there - a journey of 1500kms! We have adjusted well to eating rice for lunch, supper and at times for breakfast as well as drinking rice water! Continue praying for us.
- Duncan

CMF Grant

Victor has been approved for a grant from the Christian Ministries Foundation (http://www.cm-foundation.org/). CMF is a U.S.-based charity that provides support for missionaries and pastors with a clear calling and passion for missions. We thank God for CMF’s willingness to partner with Victor’s ministry in Madagascar and pray that the Lord will continue to provide for the Madagascar Missionaries’ needs.

MALAGASY SOUNDS LIKE SWAHILI

Dear brethren,
I greet you in the name of Jesus. I hope that your week is going on well and that you have been blessed by the Lord.
I am doing fine here at the coast having a new experience everyday. Tomorrow will be the Independence Day here and everyone is preparing for the BIG DAY! Business is now high. Today businesses close at 3pm; celebration begins at 6p.m until 6p.m the following day.
We have been really up and down the previous days as we looked for a house. I am thankful to God for enabling me to find a house.
It’s fun learning their language; we have been having classes everyday for 2hrs in the morning but the practice is all the time. As at now, I am proud to say that I can understand a word or two. I realize it is closely related to Swahili because there are words like tarehe which means date in Swahili but face in Malagasy, alika which is to invite in Swahili and a dog in Malagasy!
Here, all businesses close at noon (lunch break) and reopen at 2.30pm then finally close down at 5pm so if there is anything to be done, it must be done in the morning because sometimes in the afternoon, they might not open at all. By 6pm, it is dark and the town is deserted.
I have so far been to 4 churches out of the 7 that are there and I hope that in a few weeks time I shall have visited the 3 remaining churches.
This week, we will go to Tana to witness the consecration of our new Bishop. Pray for us to have a safe journey. We will also have a youth mission week the following week pray with us that many will make decisions for Christ and be committed to walk with Him all the way.
I also thank God that we have gotten a residence notification letter and they have given us an initial 2years so we will need to renew again in June 2010.
I hope you have read my newsletter (May-June edition).I will be sending a newsletter every two months just to update you on what is happening here. You can always check my website and find more details anytime.
Lastly, I thank you so much for allowing the Lord to use you to be a blessing to the nations by supporting my ministry financially as well as spiritually. Your periodic words of encouragement are most welcome and your support is highly appreciated.
In Christ,
Victor.

Africans for Africa (Victor's May - June Report)

The charge:

Our arrival in Madagascar on May 1 was a long awaited for dream to come to pass both in the history of the Anglican church in Madagascar, Kenya and the entire Church Army community. The reaching out and making disciples of all nations as in Matthew 28:19-20 came to a reality.

Strategic people:

We were received by Bishop Todd who is the Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of Antananarivo based in Toliara in the Southwest of Madagascar and the Provincial Secretary Rev. Samitiana Razaf. Our host, Vicar Rev. Stephane Raharajuona was more than happy to receive us as well. We also had a chance to meet with the SOMA team of which there was Alice Wangui from Vanguard-Kenya, Rev. Musaasizi, Missions Coordinator of Mityana Diocese in Uganda, and Rev. Don Brewin. We were happy to also meet one Rev. Kingsley Ogbanda who is a Nigerian missionary in Toliara too. All these people we met at a provincial SOMA conference at IFLA in east of Antananarivo.

The transition:

We were based in the capital city for about 7days, living at the bishop’s apartment as we prepared to go to Toliara. The journey to Toliara took us 17 hours by road though it was an exciting experience. We travelled with 3 members of the SOMA team as well (the bishop joined us later). We were involved in teaching and praying with them for one week then they left us. The following week the bishop also had to leave us. Our only rescue by now in terms of the language was Rev. Stephane who could speak English and help in interpretation, but he also had to go to the city to participate in the election of the new bishop! That put us in a tight corner and forced us to learn Malagasy in the shortest time possible so that we can communicate with the people. That was a good problem.

Identity crisis:

By the complexion of their skin and type of hair the people around actually do not consider themselves as Africans! We guys from the mainland are the Africans so we are getting used to being called “the Africans.”

The work:

In St. Luke’s parish (where we are based) there are 7 churches quite far apart, like 120-160km. All these churches apparently need the attention of this one priest. At the moment we are concentrating at the town church as we learn the language. Duncan is in charge of Christian Education and I am in charge of Creative Worship and Music. We already have started English classes and we have 2 classes of 12 students each! As we learn Malagasy songs, both new Swahili and English songs are filling the air as well, and people are excited to see this. Our number has doubled in two weeks! One English teacher came with all her students in our Saturday service and they commited to be coming every Saturday. Word is still going around. I have prayerfully selected three young men who I will disciple for at least one year and train them to also train others in the subsequent years. Realising the great task ahead we have developed a prayer guide map of the Toliara town. So, once every week we go for a prayer walk in the city to claim it for God. Surely the Lord is at work in Toliara and we are happy to be a part of what he is doing.

Praises:

• Safe arrival in Madagascar
• Warm reception by the people
• Started Malagasy lessons
• We already have residential waiting cards

Prayer requests:

• Quick processing of our documents for residence.
• Quick learning of the Malagasy language.
• The Lord to grant us favour with the people of Toliara.
• The Lord of the harvest to draw people unto himself.

Upcoming events:

• A youth evangelistic mission to Antananarivo.
• The consecration of our new bishop.

RICE 4 LUNCH &DINNER

Hi! this is the tenth of June 2008 and I am here in Toliara, Madagascar. Every Saturday, l am either leading or preaching in an English service at St.Luke's Ankilifaly. Last Monday I started teaching English to eleven students and only one of them is a member of the local assembly! This is an evangelistic strategy. As you might know, here in Madagascar only Malagasy, French and indigenous languages are spoken but the president here wants the citizens to know English. I started learning Malagasy formally last week. My teacher is called Nardy, a high school student who knows English. He teaches me and Victor for two hours daily from Monday to Friday.

I am preparing notes for teaching a new believer's class that I intend to teach. I have no choice but to learn Malagasy since even in banks, few employees know English. Getting a house is still difficult so I still stay in a house in church but am expected to leave as soon as possible so prayers are still needed. Guess what? Here, I eat rice for lunch and dinner and I enjoy- that is their culture!

There is no local English newspaper so these days apart from the internet, I am reading biblical literature avidly.
I am still waiting to know my fate about my request for visa extension so continue to pray.
God bless you and shalom.

Snails on a Plane and Searching for a New Home

This is missionary Duncan Macharia in Toliara, Madagascar. It is now 19 days since I landed in this country from Kenya. That in itself was a miracle since I had never flown before and on 1st May, I flew in two planes from Kenya via South Africa. In the second flight I even ate a snail!...and enjoyed it. For the first week, Victor and I stayed with our host (Bishop Todd) in the capital Antananarivo because there was a conference taking place there of which, the Bishop was a facilitator. We shopped in the city and there were many hawkers we expected to find Kikuyus there but there was none SHOCK! In fact except for one Kenyan who was in the mission team and has already left, there is only one other Kenyan (an English teacher), that we have met so far.

Newspapers here, are either in French or in Malagasy, and in radio, you only get BBC inEnglish but in Toliara where I am presently, even BBC is not available. So to a great degree, I do not know what is happening in Kenya except bits and pieces through the internet. In Antananarivo, two things stood out to me: one, that I am black because most people here are light-skinned thus they stared at us often and two, that English is dreaded here, since most do not know it. So clearly, without a local guide things would have been even more comical. Sign language helped a lot. Enough about my experiences, I am now trying to settle in Toliara. I have made significant progress towards getting a long- term visa without which, we will be back in Kenya by the end ofAugust. By next week, my application form will be with the ministry of interior, who holds the key as to how long I will be here, so pray that he responds positively. Getting a house is proving to be tricky for the houses are either too expensive or we find somebody has moved in by the time we go to check the house. So pray that God provides a house as soon as possible. This week on Thursday, we plan on learning Malagasy. This will be done five days a week until we master the language reasonably. I had my first opportunity to preach last Saturday in an English service and am working on my ministry goals for the next four months. Pray that God guides me on this. Peace.

Beginnings in Toliara

Duncan and Victor have arrived safely in Toliara. They’ve been involved in missions efforts with a team from SOMA and have been staying with Bishop Todd McGregor. They hope to move into their own places later this week. Pray they find secure housing and a good location.

Duncan and Victor are continuing to learn and adjust to life in Madagascar. They have started their ministry work and are currently leading an English service on Saturdays in Toliara. Victor is in charge of the music and creative worship and says: "We went straight to ministry even with the evident language barrier. We will have a lot to do especially to continue what the Lord has already began here at St. Lukes Ankilifaly"