Traveling to Betioky-The Beginning of Mahafaly Land

The sun is setting on my first day with the Mahafaly people. We are staying in a small, but quaint little hotel in Betioky. Grant is playing ball with Eli in the court yard and we are all waiting for our dinner to be served. It will be a special meal for us, as it is not only our first meal here as a family, but one that represents God’s sovereign plan for our lives here in Madagascar and for the people God loves here.

The day began as expected - Satan working hard to foil our plans of joy! Grant and I struggled to avoid bickering - barely making it into the car without cancelling the trip! Fortunately, we made it into the car and as we shut the doors it was as if we were shutting out Satan from our trip!

The road was awful. I had a grand plan of doing the whole drive myself- so I could avoid motion sickness. Somehow Eli, survived the entire drive without getting sick (he did have ½ a Dramamine!). After three hours of driving we pulled over to stretch our legs. It was the first time I realized the ferocity of that road. I felt like I had gotten into a terrible fight - one that I didn’t have a chance of winning! I spent the next half hour trying to stand up straight, while Eli beat at a snake hole with a stick. The heat was overpowering, even in the midst of winter months! Upon arriving back at the car, a new driver was assigned and I braced myself for the last hour.

The towns along the way were so diverse in their appearance. Vatolatsaka, a small town buzzing with people from various tribes (“mifangalo”) is nestled between several hills - very rocky hills. It has an overwhelming feeling of darkness and solidarity. The people did not seem welcoming. We’ve heard that dangerous people live in Vatolatsaka - criminals. This place, hidden beneath rocks and darkness seems like a good place for sin to take refuge. The next town, Tongobory, was much different. They are located on a large riverbed, full of water even now in the dry season. The town seemed lighter than Vatolatsaka, but the unwelcome feeling was still there. The people gave us suspicious looks as we passed, which seemed to tell us we should keep on driving.

After the last few towns my hope for Betioky and the Mahafaly people was growing dim. To my surprise, Betioky turned out to be a retreat in the desert. The town is filled with beautiful trees (kili trees). It is small enough to feel acquainted with the town after one short drive through it. Everything was slow moving - the people, cows, etc. The people still had the look of mistrust, but it didn’t feel as hostile.

After getting a bite to eat, we decided to take a walk around the town and through the market. To my delight, people warmed up to us as they watched Eli. They giggled amongst themselves as they watched him run and laugh. It was as if they were realizing that we were people like them, not aliens come to steal their own babies!

I continued to be amazed at the quietness of the town, as we walked through the market. Unlike the hustle and bustle of the markets in Tulear and Antsirabe, the people here sat quietly and talked amongst themselves. There were tons of vendors, though you wouldn’t have known it by the noise or activity level. It was as if everyone in town was gathered there, just hanging out. People watched us as we passed by, but to my surprise, not one person tried to sell us anything. Usually, in the larger cities, if you are within a kilometer of the market you are being hounded by sellers. It was nice for a change, though I know that it was because of their fears about us. I don’t know what all they believe about the white man, but I pray that we will leave Betioky a good impression of us. I want our love of Christ to be so infectious, that they crave to know us and our God.