John Ratovohery

              We first met John and Esther Ratovohery when we were in the United States reporting to churches and individuals in 1996. At that time we spent about three hours with John and Esther in their home in Arlington, Virginia. We met their four children and John, Esther, Stacy and I went out to eat at a restaurant for lunch. We ate at a restaurant because John and Esther’s house had already been packed up and they were ready to return to Madagascar. John was retiring from the Malagasy diplomatic service and was returning home with a seed in his heart to teach his people about Christ.

            We soon found that we had some things in common. We were all in unison on the idea of starting an orphanage to work with the less fortunate children of Madagascar. John and Esther arrived in Madagascar in September of 1996 and we arrived in April of 1997. We immediately started making plans for the statue of the Betikara Orphanage and on July 29, 1998 the Malagasy government approved the opening of the Betikara Orphanage. We started caring for our first two Lambs in September of 1998.

            All of the Christians in Antananarivo started out worshiping together, but we soon realized that the orphanage would need a place to call home. We rented a small house and John, Esther, Stacy, some other young unmarried Christians, and myself relocated to the rented house to worship together, and to provide support for the new children at Betikara. Once the new home for Betikara was constructed we moved the children out of the city center and onto the three hectare Betikara property in August of 2004. We no longer worshiped alongside John and Esther, but we still continued to work together in serving the Betikara Lambs. Our relationship with John, Esther, and the Betikara Orphanage lasted for more than 12 years.

            It came as a shock to all of us when we receive a call from Esther, who was crying and hard to understand, at about 8:00 p.m. on Monday, December 21, 2009. John and Esther had visited the Betikara Orphanage on Saturday and John insisted that he teach and preach on Sunday morning instead of letting the scheduled person do the teaching and preaching. Then on Monday John and Esther were out and about town shopping and taking care of business. They had just finished at the bank when John stated that he was experiencing some pain in his stomach. Esther asked him if he wanted to go by the doctor. John declined and said that they should go home.

            Upon arriving at home Esther called the doctor and the doctor prescribed some medicine for an upset stomach. One of their workers went to the pharmacy and picked up the medicine. John then took the medicine and laid down on their bed to rest. Esther stated that John tried to stand up from the bed shortly before 8:00 p.m. and then John fell to the floor and Esther did not know if he was unconscious or dead. We made a few phone calls to some of the Christians that live in town and headed into town ourselves to see if there was anything that we could do to help the situation. We arrived to find several of the extended family already present and that John had been lifted from the floor and placed back on the bed.

            The Betikara Orphanage, Christians and the Rosie’s all served in many different ways over the next seven days to help Esther in any way we could. John’s body was placed in a corner of the living room on the dining room table for all the visitors to view. Each day was sunny and hot with temperatures ranging from 90 degrees to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. John and Esther’s children had been called, but it took them until Sunday, December 27, 2009 to arrive in Madagascar from the United States. Upon their arrival in Madagascar the Ratovohery children had less than 24 hours to prepare themselves for the burial of their father which took place on Monday, December 28, 2009.

            Stacy and I spent several hours each day at Esther’s home. We visited with Esther, fixed broken plumbing, carried chairs from the Ankadivato building for seating visitors and transported people to and from Esther’s home. The older Betikara Lambs were a big help. They took turns staying overnight with Esther and also helped clean Esther’s house and provide for the many visitors that came by the house to express their condolences. The entire Betikara Orphanage (41 children and their caregivers) went into town twice in rented buses to visit with Esther.

            On the day of John’s burial there was a worship service at Esther’s home and the older Betikara Lambs sang several songs at Esther’s request. (Needless to say, there were a lot of wet eyes that day and peoples emotions were running high.) Some of the Lambs that sang purposely stood in the back of the group because they were trying to sing while crying uncontrollably.  Then we all proceeded to the Ratovohery family tomb. We had only been to that tomb once before. The first time was shortly after we arrived in Madagascar and the family tomb was opened to receive the remains of John’s then deceased mother.

            We are all going to miss John and all that he did to serve in Madagascar. His influence will always be seen in the Betikara Lambs and in the lives of the people that he touched daily through his teaching and preaching. Please pray for all of us to be strong and faithful in the coming days as we adjust to this loss.

Did You Know . . .

. . . that the AGOA (African Growth and Opportunity Act) is not going to help Madagascar in 2010. This leaves Madagascar with 30% less revenue.  The IMF (International Monetary Fund), SADC (Southern Africa Development Community), and the UN (United Nations) are all saying that they do not recognize Andry Rajoelina as the chosen democratic leader of Madagascar. The Ambassador for France does not recognize Andry Rajoelina and states that all parties must return to the negotiating table and abide by the Maputo and Addis Ababa accords. Many companies are closing their doors and say they will not return to Madagascar. The reason for this is the increased burden that is being put on the companies, as well as the fact that the only companies that can operate right now are the companies that are willing to give the current “government” whatever they request, including bribes. Many of the Christians in Antananarivo are now without work, or will be without work in the near future. Some companies are still working until they deplete their stock. Once the stock is depleted the companies will leave Madagascar. Estimated departure for many companies is the end of January 2010 or the end of February 2010. One business man stated that 2010 is going to be a lot worse than 2009 for businesses. He foresees a lot more unrest in the future as the country tries to get ready to have new elections. Some of the Christians are only working half time due to not enough stock to keep the workers busy. Recently the price of stove gas was increased by 15%. The salaries for workers is mandatorily required to increase by 10%. The “government” now states that all churches, religious associations and church employees are required to pay a 23% tax on their salaries or income.

Miniature Missionaries

             Kit is now back studying at Faulkner University. He had a good visit with his grandparents. I need to check with Faulkner concerning Kit’s graduation date. We assumed that he would be graduating in May of 2011. Kit states that he will not be graduating until May of 2012. There is a one year discrepancy that needs to be settled. Kit is supposed to take 128 credit hours and should finish in four years if he takes at least 16 credits per semester. Kit stated that the credits for Bible and Physical Education are not a part of his Criminal Justice degree. This is not what we understood. Kit is even taking some courses in the two summer sessions, so we do not understand why he will not graduate in May of 2011.

This and That

2009 End of Year Letters

              Many of you sent us special letters at the end of 2009. Some of them were yearly updates, some were Christmas and New Year greetings. We thank all of you so much for remembering us. We want to take this time to mention that even though we received your letters, and we do not reply back via the postal system, we still appreciate all that you do. We especially appreciate your continued prayers for His work in Madagascar.

We did try to reply to some individuals via e-mail. However, some e-mail accounts were to full to receive our messages. Other e-mail accounts are no longer in existence. I guess that is a sign of the transient times that we live in these days. Some of you sent packages to us and Betikara during the holiday season. Thank you so much for caring and taking the time to get something together for us or the Betikara Lambs. Your caring hearts will always be remembered.

January 2010 Picture of Kit

            We now have a recent picture of Kit to share with all of you. However, since Kit is in the United States and we are in Madagascar we are unable to get a family picture of the four of us at this time. We will take a new picture of Stacy, Havilah and I and update the website and newsletter pictures soon.

Organizational Changes

            Since the passing of John Ratovohery we are in the process of making a myriad of changes to the boards of the Betikara School, Betikara Orphanage, and the Centre d’Etude Biblique. We are in the process of choosing new board members for all three of the boards. Esther Ratovohery has requested to not be on any of the boards. We already had a three church meeting of the men from each congregation so that we can plan for the upcoming changes. We will elect all new members to the boards and submit the names of the new members to the Malagasy government.

            We ask you to pray that the choosing of new members will go smoothly. We also ask that you pray for the submitting of these new members to the government. It is very important that the government look favorably on the Betikara School, Betikara Orphanage, and the Centre d’Etude Biblique. We already scheduled a preliminary meeting for January 23, 2010 and then we will meet again to choose the new members. All of the congregations are being informed of the upcoming elections and we covet your prayers so that we can choose people who are ready to serve Him instead of their own personal needs. This is an ongoing problem that is getting worse as the political crisis lengthens.

What can you do?

You can pray!

We welcome you to join us in this work for Him . . .

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