Among the Malagasy People of Madagascar
Go ... and make disciples of all nations
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Among the Malagasy People of Madagascar Go ... and make disciples of all nations |
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| Volume 18, Number 6 | June 2003 |
| The Barry Rosie family have worked on the mission field in Africa for more than 17 years under the oversight of the: |
Church of Christ c/o Phillip Young 140 C.R. 170 Corinth, MS 38834 |
Don Farris - 662-287-2548 Eugene Holland - 662-287-1721 Leroy Reed - 662-287-2556 |
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“You are just like us,” he said, “No one would guess that you weren’t born in South Africa.” Malagasy say that we are tena (very) Malagasy. Luos want us to come home again. Sometimes I think we have become more African than American, like when a volunteer, recently from the States, mentions something that we have never heard of before, when we don’t recognize the name of a movie star, or can’t name the current vice-president of the U.S. It used to be that when furlough rolled around, we were like horses chomping at the bit wanting to get home. Our normal four-year tour is up this coming year, and we are due a furlough, but we are finding it more and more difficult to separate ourselves from this life and try to fit into life at home which has become increasingly strange to us. However, occasionally things happen to a missionary on the field that remind us vividly that we is not at home. Several of those things have happened in the last month. This is the month of Malagasy independence and Malagasy take their independence more seriously than most. We have already noticed that Malagasy we don’t know, those who pass us in the streets or must move over to make room for our car give us looks of insolence, mistaking us for French people and reminding them of the period of enforced colonization in their history. Several years ago, we had a frightening experience on the eve of Independence, when a Malagasy driver in a rage decided to vent on us because we weren’t driving fast enough to suit him. We were fortunate to get away without broken car windows or broken bodies. It’s time like these that we are reminded that this isn’t exactly home. A few days ago, Barry received an invitation from one of the workers at the land. It was an invitation to witness the circumcision of his two year old son. The time for this party was 5:30 am, and it turned out to be three circumcisions instead of one. The place was the dining room in the home of the Betikara worker. His two sons were being circumcised, ages four and two, and another child in the neighborhood was also being circumcised. There was a local doctor in attendance. Barry witnessed as the small boys were circumcised while their grandfather’s held them still. At the conclusion of each circumcisions, each grandfather ate the foreskin of their grandchild in front of the witnesses and with much joy and joking. A meal of potato salad, rice, meat, and vegetables was immediately served to all who witnessed. This feast was eaten at 8:00 am while folks complained that a doctor held the whole ceremony up. They could have completed it much faster without the doctor. And it was a time like this, that Barry was sure he wasn’t “home”. Last week, a British missionary stationed in one of the coastal cities of Madagascar, put his family in the car and headed toward the capital city. They were filled with excitement. It was time for that first furlough and they were on their way “home”. He stopped the car along the side of the road mid-trip to give the family a potty break. Mom headed across the highway in search of a large private bush. The three year old started to follow his mom without looking before crossing. The dad looked and leapt, but the oncoming car hit both the child and the father. The accident was a nightmare enough without experiencing what followed. Hospital care for that type of injury is unavailable in Madagascar, but we missionaries know that before we come. There are two missionary flying agencies that are here to fly missionaries from place to place. No problem, we all thought! The flying missionaries will fly the entire family to Kenya or South Africa for proper medical care. It wasn’t that easy. Insurance turned out to be a problem with both missionary flying agencies. They were not authorized to fly a severely injured person out of the country. The commercial airlines refused to evacuate the injured man and his son also. Insurance took precedence over a life and three days of more nightmares ensued before the family was flown to the island of Reunion to receive medical care. This man was part of a large mission organization here in Madagascar. This particular mission organization has several central offices in several different countries, and contacts in every country in the world. We began to imagine how difficult a similar situation would be for our family, one family representing our organization in this whole country, and no neighboring support group to receive us if we were injured. It’s times like these when suddenly, home seems really far away. A few Sundays ago I walked into Children’s Bible class. We average fourteen to seventeen students in this children’s class. The children range in age from two to twenty two. The class is held in a corner of a bedroom of Rivo’s mother’s house. I walked one step through a curtain to get into the room. A second step would have caused me to step right on top of the teacher. I turned ninety degrees very carefully and took my habitual seat, an upturned wooden apple crate. I gave attention to the children. Seven of them were squeezed onto an old Peugeot (very very small) backseat that leaned precariously against the wall. The child closest to the wall had a dress that was hanging from a nail above draped over the top of her head. Three children were sitting on the window sill. Another child, about six years old, had a four year old on her lap and was sitting on a metal frame chair that had the backrest missing. Halfway through the class both children were dumped onto the floor when the padded seat of the chair gave way. Another five children were lined up along the edge of the bed. None of them wear shoes. The room is dark unpainted cement, there is no electric light in it. There is no table, one Bible, no Bible pictures, no scissors, glue, paper, pens, no room to stuff even one more child. The children are happy. They are singing and they are learning about a Savior. SO! I smile to myself and know there is no place I would rather be on this whole earth at a time like this, even if it is far from home. |
| Did You Know. . .
. . . that President Ravalomanana, president of Madagascar, made a visit to the United States this last month. He visited with American business men in hopes of encouraging them to come to Madagascar and help develop Madagascar’s industrial sector. He also visited with Colin Powell while in America, affirming Madagascar’s support of this War Against Terrorism. President Ravalomanana met with the President of World Christian Broadcasting (an outreach of the Church of Christ throughout the world), who presented a plan for putting a Christian Broadcasting Station on the Island of Madagascar. President Ravalomanana welcomes World Christian Broadcasting with open arms and is impatient for them to begin work here. |
| this and that
Rivo and Fano’s Wedding They put it off for one month at the request of Rivo’s father who was having difficulty getting funds for the big event together. On June 21st, Rivo and Fano will complete their Vody Ondry (traditional Malagasy marriage ceremony) where the bride price (a token gift of one piece of each of the denominations of Malagasy money) will change hands from the groom’s family to the bride’s family. Today, a Vody Ondry is equivalent to an engagement ceremony. The bride price is exchanged, a ring is exchanged, and a feast, courtesy of the bride’s family, is shared by the two immediate families. Barry and I are invited as member’s of the groom’s family, big brother and sister to Rivo. June 28th is the big event. We will try to get a picture for you. Rivo and Fano, accompanied by the 150 people they invited, will complete their civil ceremony in the government office. The entire wedding party and guests will then move to our front yard, where Barry will help them complete their marriage vows before the church and guests. Rivo’s family is responsible for the feast this time. This is a first for Barry. In all these years of mission work, officiating at a marriage ceremony has never been part of our work. He’s got some studying up to do! Do You Remember. . .
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| What
can you do?
You can pray!
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| Miniature Missionaries
One of the miniature missionaries has completed school for this year. Havilah will be 10 in October, and just a few days ago she completed her fifth grade work with flying colors. She made all A’s and B’s with far more A’s than B’s. She completed her first research paper this year on the life and work of Florence Nightingale and she went on to do a second research paper on the planet Jupiter, which was not even required by her course of study. She’s a wonderful student, has beautiful handwriting, can type using ten fingers with as much speed as her momma has, gives a clear, concise oral presentation, and loves to learn new things. This child talks like a text book. Does her Momma sound too proud? She’s ready for six grade, folks, but she wants a vacation before she goes back to the grind. Present plan is for a ten week vacation. |
| First worship at Ambohimarina.
They don’t want to separate into two groups because they are all so new in Christ and find support in each other as they walk with the Savior. Half of this group has been walking to our neighborhood for months to worship and it’s a long walk (as many as 15 kilometers). The orphanage dormitories now have a roof on them. The group that has been walking want to meet in the orphanage home but they too don’t want to split the group in half. So, for the present, we are carrying the group from our neighborhood to Ambohimanarina every Sunday morning and the two groups are worshipping together in the future home of the Betikara lambs. |
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B.P. 7554 Antananarivo 101 Madagascar Tel. 011-261-32-02-081-14
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We welcome you to join us in this work for Him . . .