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His Work
Among the Malagasy People of
Madagascar
Go ... and make disciples of all
nations
Matthew
28:19
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Volume
21, Number 12
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December 2007
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The
Barry Rosie family have worked on the mission field in Africa for more
than 22 years under the oversight of the:
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Fraley’s Chapel
Church of Christ
c/o Phillip Young
140 C.R. 170
Corinth, MS 38834
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Elders
Phillip Young -
662-286-2995
Mike Whitehurst -
662-287-7631
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Is Bigger Better?
“And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build
greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to
my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease,
eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this
night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be,
which thou hast provided?”
Luke 12:18-20
In some
instances I would have to say, “Yes, bigger is better”. Just look at the title
of this article. The big, bold, italicized print really stands out on the page
and catches the attention of the reader. However, bigger is not always better,
and can sometimes be a detriment to what we are trying to do.
In general,
most of the congregations that are so faithful in supporting the Rosie family
are smaller congregations. I am encouraged, and want to say all of the
congregations that support us on a
monthly basis, whether they are smaller or larger congregations, are still
standing firm in the faith that is set before us. We all need to be careful
that we are following the word of God, and not the whims of man. It is easy to
be led astray. The Apostle Paul encouraged the Christians in Thessalonica to
stand firm when he wrote, “So, then, brothers, stand firm and strongly hold the
teachings you were taught, whether by word or by our letter.” 2 Thessalonians
2:15.
However, it
seems that the larger our congregations or universities become, the more they
are led away from the truth that was set before us in the Bible. This fact was
brought to my attention as I travelled around the United States for these last
five months. Many of you may remember my questions about the church in the
United States and its well being these days. You may also remember my questions
about the universities that are a part of our brotherhood. Some of you talked
about how churches were being led astray by other teachings, and how that some
congregations have left the faith because they changed what they were doing
(becoming “progressive”) in order to reach the masses. Others mentioned that
many of the universities in our brotherhood are now “liberal” as opposed to
“conservative” in their stance as far as biblical teaching is concerned. Many
of you mentioned that there are only two universities in our brotherhood that
you would consider to be “conservative” in their teachings. Both of these
universities (Freed Hardeman University and Faulkner University) happen to be
two of the smaller universities in our brotherhood. Is it true that the larger
we get and the more we try to reach the masses we start to get away from the
foundational truths of the Bible?
The Apostle
Paul warned the elders at Ephesus about what would happen within their
congregation in the future. Paul wrote, “For I have not shunned to declare unto
you all the counsel of God. Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the
flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the
church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this,
that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing
the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things,
to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the
space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.
And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is
able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are
sanctified.” Act 20:27-32
In short I
would have to say that “bigger is not better” when it comes to our faith and
salvation. If we are gathering the masses and getting further away from the
word of God in our assemblies then we need to take stock of what is happening
around us. The rich man in Luke felt at ease with the things that he had
accomplished. However, the Lord looked on what he had done in a totally
different way. Do we feel at ease with our growth even though that growth is
not scriptural? We can not strive to be bigger or more well known in the world
at the expense of our faith in Christ and His word. Some things were meant not
to change, because what God set forth in the Bible is everlasting. The writer of
the book of Hebrews put it well when he stated, “Jesus Christ the same
yesterday, and today, and forever. Be not carried about with divers and strange
doctrines.” Hebrews 13:8,9.
Did
You Know . . .
. . . that in less than one month I will be
back on Madagascar soil with Stacy and Havilah. I have already confirmed my
tickets for the return trip to Madagascar and bought a ticket from Tampa,
Florida to Washington, Dulles. I will be leaving from Tampa, Florida on January
7, 2008 in the morning and flying to Washington, Dulles International Airport.
Later that evening at 6:45 p.m. I will leave for London and then on to Kenya
for an all night stay in the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on January 8,
2008. (Stacy and Havilah had this same all night stay back in August when they
returned to Madagascar.) Then on January 9, 2008 I will board my last plane
that will take me from Nairobi to Antananarivo, Madagascar.
Miniature
Missionaries
Christmas
will soon be upon us, and the end of a semester at school will be completed.
There are a lot of things different in the Rosie family now and it will be
interesting to see just how well the two miniature missionaries are doing in
their respective studies. I heard from Stacy that Havilah is doing well in all
of her subjects except for Geometry. It seems that Havilah just cannot keep her
grade up for some reason. The teacher says that she knows the material and that
Havilah can explain well to the other children how they should do the work.
However, when it comes to quiz and test time Havilah is always getting less
than expected grades on her papers. Please pray that Havilah can concentrate
and do well in the future.
Thank you
to everyone that has asked about how Kit is doing at Faulkner University. Your
many letters, cards and packages are greatly appreciated by Kit and his
parents. Kit seems to be settling in to university life. He is upset with some
of the things that his teachers are doing. For instance, one teacher cancelled
classes for the rest of the semester, but told the students that they are still
required to take the final exam before the Christmas break. We will soon see
how Kits’ grades are doing when we get the first report card for our new
university student. Please continue to pray for Kit and his situation. Pray
that he can find some good friends and that he can concentrate on his daily
studies.
Solofo
and the Ambohimarina Congregation
Solofo,
one of the Christian men at the Ambohimarina congregation where the Betikara
Orphanage is located, needs to be commended. I received a report from Stacy
that Solofo is doing a great job of teaching and preaching for the
congregation. He is always present and is always looking for ways to keep the
congregation moving in the right direction. However, I also received a report
that some of the other men are not being as responsible. This is one of the
fears that I expressed way back when I was writing about my apprehensions for
leaving Madagascar at this time and being in the United States for several
months.
When
I get back to Madagascar I will be busy visiting the families and especially
talking with the Christian men of the Ambohimarina congregation. I will be
trying to encourage and strengthen them so that they will see the need to
commit their lives to Christ totally and serve Him only in their daily walks.
Please pray for me and for the Congregation. Pray right now for the
congregation so that it will continue to grow. Pray for the Christian men of
the congregation so that they will be faithful to Him in all that they do. Pray
for me so that I will have the right words to say once I arrive in Madagascar.
No
Telephone in Madagascar
I
just received an e-mail message stating that our line phone in Madagascar is
not working. (This is one of the major reasons that we have an antenna
connection for Internet access these days.) We cannot depend on the telephone
company to keep things up and running. I do not know how long it will be before
the telephone company gets things working again. When I am in Madagascar and
able to call frequently and often stop by their offices it still takes them
quite a long time to get things fixed. Without me being there to constantly
stay on top of the situation it might take some time before things are right. I
say all of this to bring to your attention the added stress that Stacy and
Havilah are feeling right now because I am not there to take care of the “every
day occurrences” that many missionaries experience while in foreign countries.
Please pray for Stacy and Havilah. We can now see “the light at the end of the
tunnel” as the expression goes, since I will be returning to Madagascar in the
near future.
Holiday
Season
This
is the first holiday season that the Rosie’s have not been together as a
family. Stacy and Havilah will be in Madagascar, and Kit and I will be in the
United States. Kit and I are going to be able to be together for Christmas and
New Years. Starting December 20th through January 6th we will be at my parents
home in New Port Richey, Florida. We are looking forward to being together and
being able to share with each other. We just wish we could all be together and
enjoy time together during this holiday season. Lord willing everything will go
well. Kit will be returning to Faulkner University by bus on January 7, 2008
and I will be starting my journey back to Madagascar on that same day. Please
pray for our safety during our many upcoming travels.
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EXPENDITURES
NOVEMBER
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Diesel
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$
370.07
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Vehicle maintenance
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30.09
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Rent and Utilities
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605.27
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Office
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241.32
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Travel
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231.40
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Misc.
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0.00
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Total expenses
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$1,478.15
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Merry
Christmas
and a
Happy
New Year
from the
Rosie Family
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What
can you do?
You
can pray!
¨ Pray
for the many congregations around the world that are striving to follow His
will. Pray that they may stand firm in their commitment towards always being close
to him and adhering to the plan that God set out for us in His word.
¨ Pray
for our family. Pray that we will have the strength to continue on and be able
to serve Him in whatever circumstances present themselves in the future. Pray that
we can grow stronger because of the things that are happening in our lives at
this time.
¨ Pray
for Kit as he continues to study at Faulkner University. Pray that he can
concentrate on what he is studying and see the benefits of perseverance.
We welcome you to join us in this work for Him . . .
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Barry,
Stacy, Kit and Havilah Rosie
B.P. 7554
101 Antananarivo
Madagascar
Tel. 011-261-32-02-081-14
brosie@freenet.mg
http:\\www.madagascar-mission.org
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