You’ve heard me say it before.  I’ve written it many times.  A missionary wears many different kinds of hats.  I’m vividly reminded of that this week.  Often times I’m confused about which hat I’m actually wearing and which hat I’m supposed to be wearing.  It’s when the listener looks at me as if I’m downright crazy that I usually realize just how confused I am.
          Friday morning, June 10th, I got up at 5:30 am and put on my school clothes and my teacher hat.  Last day of school and I was passing out report cards to my four year olds.  But!  I had my counselor hat on just under my teacher hat, because I was also meeting with parents of special needs students who weren’t passing the school year, and still counseling teachers about the special needs kids they would be receiving in the next school year.
          Barry and I had a meeting with the school director on that same morning.  He had heard a first hand report about the orphanage construction project and he asked us to oversee the school renovations during the long vacation.  So, quickly I put on my construction hat and stepped into the director’s office. 
          As soon as that meeting was over, we raced out of the school.  There was no time to attend the annual thank you luncheon for the teachers.  We were changing hats once again and hurrying to be on time for the burial of Voahangy’s mother.  It was a rather long and tiring afternoon.  We waited in the car for an hour in front of Voahangy’s house while the family performed the final Malagasy rites in the privacy of their home.  They wrapped their mother in the customary silk lamba and tied it seven times.  During that hour in the car, I fell asleep, and when I woke up I was really confused about which hat I should be wearing. 
          It was a long drive out of town to their family tomb in the country, so I was able to get my bearings and make sure I didn’t make any big mistakes about hats this time.  There was a service in the village church near to the tomb and then a graveside service during which the tomb was opened and Voahangy’s mother was laid in it alongside of other deceased family members.  I had my student cap on this time.  We always learn a new bit about Malagasy culture at times like these (funerals, weddings, circumcisions, turning of the bones, etc.) 
          We arrived home at 7:00 PM, after the long and terribly dusty ride from the tomb, and once again I was on the run.  This time I had my housekeeper hat on with my foreman hat on underneath.  I barked commands to both Barry and Havilah as we cleaned house and prepared a hurried dinner.  We had less than two hours before I needed to put on my hostess hat and welcome Mr. David Perry, newly arrived from the States.  That was when I wore out.  I put Havilah to bed, let Barry don the host hat, and I climbed into bed with my sleeping cap on, leaving all the formalities to my hubby.  I am thankful that he doesn’t get as confused about which hat to wear as I do, and I’m also very thankful that he doesn’t wear out as quickly as I.
          We spent a lovely Saturday and Sunday with Mr. David, Barry wearing his missionary hat and I wearing my chef’s hat.  He came to learn about Madagascar.  I guess we wore our historian hats too.  He was a graceful listener as we walked down eight years of memory lane about Madagascar and an additional twelve years of memory lane concerning Kenya.  We counseled a bit too, so on went the counselors' hats again.  Mr. David is preparing to undertake leadership training seminars in Madagascar and he’s using us to try to understand more about Madagascar and its education system in particular.  We are not exactly fonts of information on that count, but we do our best.
          Sunday, we donned the worship hats and again the counselor hats as we ministered to the Ambohimarina congregation.  I need to wear my special listener's hat too on Sundays, trying to make sure that I understand the needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ as we attempt to serve them.  Oh, certainly I wear my prayer hat at all times.
          Monday, bright and early, I pulled out the journalist hat so I could begin writing this newsletter.  It’s the first day in a long time that I could sit in a quiet spot in front of a computer not only to write a newsletter but also to correspond with so many of you who are so faithful to keep in touch.  What a relief.  I wore the one hat most of the day and I accomplished a lot.  I thought I might get to my public relations hat and address some orphanage reporting needs, but electricity wouldn’t cooperate so slipped on my sleeping cap again and took an afternoon nap.  Heavenly!
          It’s Tuesday morning, and I’m wearing two hats again.  I’m at the small Christian school where I serve on the school board and my teacher hat is in full view.  I’m administering Iowa Basic Skills Tests to a small group of children at the school.  They are all bent over their desks working hard on these timed tests that will determine their grade levels as we move the school into a new curriculum for the new school year.  But, I’m also wearing my journalist hat again as I write this letter to you, and I wonder how many times Paul got confused about which hat he was wearing and who and how he was serving.  I wonder how many times folks looked at him like he was from another planet because he just couldn’t switch roles quickly enough.  I wonder how many times he fell asleep in between jobs with his whole stack of hats sitting, one on top of the other, all smack on the top of his head.
 

Visit from David Perry
He is the director of World Wide Youth Camps, an organization dedicated to building character with integrity into the youth of this world who are surrounded by sin.  He’s here by invitation of two separate government ministers to discuss how his organization could serve in Madagascar.  David is closely connected with Abilene Christian University and World Christian Broadcasting who were invited by President Ravalomanana to help Madagascar with its internal development each in their particular field.  David and his brother Greg come in hopes of serving with yet a third expertise.  We can see great things coming from this visit, not only for the country, but for the church and for the orphanage lambs too.  Thanks for coming, David.

School’s Out and I’m glad!  You haven’t heard from me personally is so long.  I apologize.  There just aren’t enough hours in a day when one has to teach school, but school is out and I have time to write to you now.  I plan to use this school break to write lots, newsletters, orphanage reports, personal letters, thoughts, history, this and that, and whatever is on my heart that needs to get out.  I have until August 23rd, so you will surely be hearing from me more in the next two months. 

Voahangy’s Mom
Voahangy was our interpreter on our first survey trip to Madagascar in 1994.  She spent day and night with our family for three weeks that year and we grew to love her.  We’ve loved her as a sister in Christ for nearly ten years now, and we’ve spent the last few days pouring out extra love and comfort on Voahangy.  She lost her mom this week.  Voahangy’s mom suffered from kidney failure.  There is one dialysis machine in this country.  One session on the machine costs more than most Malagasy make in a month’s time, and because the machine is in constant use with a line up waiting, anyone over fifty is denied access.  So goes third world living.  Voahangy and her family need your prayers.  Thank you.
 

• Pray for us as we continue to work here in Madagascar.  We are frustrated that we are inconvenienced by the power outages.  After all we do pay our electric bills and should be provided electricity even if the former president of Madagascar did not pay his and the former governments electric bill.  Pray that we can be understanding and patient as this country struggles with daily life.
• Pray that we can be an inspiration to those that are struggling because of daily problems and show them the way to Jesus.
• Pray for Havilah as we continue to see her struggles at school.  Not struggles with academics, but struggles with social issues.