Love is like the 5 loaves and 2 fish. It doesn’t start to multiply until you give
it away.
Madagascar is a beautiful island that holds much mystery. Amongst the poverty, hardship, pain, stunning
plains and its gorgeous country-side views, there’s a distinct reality that
fills the air: life goes on! No matter what, no matter where you are, life
goes on.
I had the most amazing month in Madagascar.
Apart from a culture shock within the first couple of days, the Malagasy
lifestyle became second nature to me very quickly.
From travelling on the local busses, learning a few Malagasy words and
sentences to eating plates of rice and vegetables, it felt good gaining
recognition in such simple tasks. The
simplicity of life in Madagascar was a whole new world to me. Different market stalls flooded the streets
with tons of different items being sold.
Almost everything you can find in your local supermarket was sold on the
streets, including meat (without refrigeration)!!!
The market places were filled with freshly grown vegetables, freshly caught
fish and live chickens. With wicker
baskets neatly tucked underneath their arms, the women gracefully shopped for
their food items.
It fascinated me to see how they also tucked their chicken underneath their
armpit and carried on shopping, knowing that this will be their lunch or
dinner. A rather close
acquaintance.
Sadly, when the local Malagasy people saw me coming, their prices would rocket
and not knowing much of their language, it was rather difficult to bargain but
a good experience altogether.
I am told the Malagasy history comprises of Indonesians, Africans, Arabians,
and Portuguese. As I travelled and
chatted with people I realized that their faces are all so different. Another meaning to Madagascar is a thousand
faces and so true was this discovery.
A huge eye-opener was seeing the amount of rice the Malagasy people eat. It’s served for breakfast, lunch and
supper. From normal white rice to red
rice, you see bags and bags of it being sold on the streets. It was funny to see how they clean their
rice. They simply pour it out on the
roadside, as there are no pavements, and they then sweep it up. At first I thought our bus was going to ride
over it but they actually avoided it, as tiny as the roads are. I am still not 100% sure how clean the rice
is after this???
Another treat was a drink that the Malagasy people made with rice. This drink made up of burnt rice water, which was in fact quite cooling and appetising to my taste buds. You would see buckets of these being sold on the streets and served with either a a roll or deep-fried cake balls.
I moved from being land-locked for the first 3 weeks to spending my last week
on the North East Coast of Madagascar. Mahajunga,
the hottest part of Madagascar, boasted temperatures of 46 degrees. I am pleased to say I am now three shades
darker and sun-kissed! I definitely
appreciated the cold showers in this part of Madagascar as well as my afternoon
naps. Ministry was early morning or late
afternoon, leading into the night.
My trip to Mahajunga was 14 hours in total and on this trip I gained my degree
in patience (as my translator put it). I
was told the taxi-bus would leave at 07h30 on Wednesday morning, only to stand
at the stop for 3 hours and delight myself in conversation with my translator
who was accompanying me on this trip. I
could not believe it when the taxi-bus finally arrived, I was eager to get in
and go go go.
Being tall has its advantages and disadvantages and I felt the disadvantage in
my long legs. I probably tried about 5
different sitting positions on this trip, my translator was in stitches for
most parts of our journey that seemed to never end.
The roads are almost like a roller coaster experience, windy, narrow and filled
with pot-holes.
Our stops did not include any Ultra City or luxurious bathrooms. You simply created a toilet behind a bush or
rock, out in the open. It’s wise to
carry food along because you have no idea when the driver will stop and you
have no idea where you will be eating and what you will be digesting.
Travelling at night was an interesting experience. The crickets were so loud, I could hear them
louder than the music playing. A few
also got in through the window and stuck onto my clothes. The heat was intense and there was no air-conditioning
to cool the dampness felt through my clothes.
Mahajanga was close.
Being at the sea-side again was a huge blessing for me. I embraced two gorgeous sun-sets that the
Lord provided and I marveled at His beauty in this desperate world. Walking through the port and taking pictures
of the old boats was a real treat.
Seeing the sun envelope the water with different shades of purple and
pink reminded me that God is in control no matter what. I felt His peace.
It’s so easy to be overwhelmed by the needs around you that you can easily
loose focus on why you are where you are.
Everybody needs attention, help, income, discipleship and so much more.
To be His hands and feet in this desperate world for me is to impact and make a
difference in at least one life and allow that one life to influence others and
so on.
Reflecting on my mission statement and reason for living is so that I can
spread His love, disciple and bring His lost children back into relationship with
Him. That’s my ultimate reason for
existence apart from living a life worthy to bestow praise, honor and glory to
my King.
Ministry in Madagascar entailed teaching English to a group of 63 students whom I split into
beginners and intermediate. This
ministry was one of the main highlights of my trip.
The teaching conditions I found myself in humbled me to a point where I felt
God’s joy in those moments.
With no electricity, I taught and my students learnt by candle-light. My black board consisted of a piece of wood
spray painted matt black and my duster was a bucket of water with an old foam
sponge.
Most of my students could not afford proper education in equipping themselves
with English, so, a class like this was freshly baked bread for them.
Interacting with the students and getting to know most of them personally
allowed me to tap into the lives of the youth and children. It’s tough, scary and there is a lot of
brokenness. It amazed me to see that
they are striving for what’s right and that they hope so much. Hope, a word that didn’t easily grab my
attention before, until recent.
Our conversation discussion group was another key element of
bringing together different people from different back-grounds and religions to
discuss pending matters in society and in their personal lives. I got to challenge them with the truth and
many left hungry to know more. I got to
meet a few Comorians at this meeting too and I can see how God is using this
simple ministry in such mighty ways.
He’s already revealed Himself to one of the Comorians through a dream and
behold, a new lamb knows His Shepherd.
I was honored to share a sermon on a local radio station and encourage my
fellow brothers and sisters in this race.
I also shared at a few churches and got to experience the Malagasy way
of worshipping our true Living God.
Their worship is intense, filled with singing, music beats and dancing.
I couldn’t sit still and even if I didn’t know the words, I made up my
own. It was contagious joy!
Their churches are not fancy buildings but simple structures and hundreds will
squeeze in just to hear the Word and receive from God.
I got to learn a refreshing truth in the Bible Study that I also helped with,
another form of reaching out to Christians who need discipleship and help in
this area. Jesus loved and served, even
when He couldn’t do it anymore and He was completely drained out. He made sure that the others were fed before
He found food to eat. He continually
prayed and preached, seeking God in quite intimate moments for hours on end. When Jesus needed some alone time, the people
would follow Him to where He was heading and would run ahead of Him to meet Him
there, yet He still served and gave it His best.
Hearing this teaching in my last week was like refreshing water to my thirsty
spirit. Another character trait to
aspire towards.
The mission field is definitely not for the faint hearted.
Door-to-door ministry allowed me the opportunity of praying individually for
the Malagasy and to also step into their world for a moment or two. Tiny homes are filled with many family
members. You would wonder how they all
fit in, but space isn’t the issue.
My heart dropped as I saw a young female child sleep on the street, with only a
piece of cardboard as her bed and her baby sister tucked neatly in her side. The baby was probably about 6 months old.
My heart questioned as I saw young children, who live on the side of the river
banks, bath in the filthy stream water, which was the color of mud and it was a
cold day.
My heart was humbled as I saw an old man rip through the garbage container and
eat leftovers thrown in. I had so many encounters with the poor. It's with the poor I felt closer to God and more ignited to serve.
Madagascar shows richness and poverty in two great extremes, I have yet to find
the middle.
Many stories have filled my journal, changed my life and touched my heart. I was able to fill a need only for a month
but I have peace in knowing that God continues to work amongst the Malagasy and
where I’ve been.
I am now more challenged to fill this need, in a tiny way and continue to
fulfill my purpose in this world.
I cannot say that I have not seen and realized.
I cannot say that I had no opportunity of making a difference. I cannot say that I did not know because I
have been exposed to truth.
Madagascar will always hold a special place in my heart and spiritual journey
as this was my first international mission trip and definitely not my last!
“Therefore I want you to know that God’s salvation has been sent to the
Gentiles, and they will listen.”
Acts 28:28
