For the last year we have been eagerly anticipating the arrival of a mission team from Southbridge Fellowship. Last year was such an exciting trip, as it was Southbridge's first time to work alongside us in Tulear and the surrounding areas. Although it was a vision trip for future work, the team made solid foundations for work among the youth of Tulear and also in the villages where we are ministering among the Mahafaly. From that trip we were able to begin setting some goals in areas where we would like to focus our attention, and figuring out the most strategic way that Southbridge could be a part of that vision. This trip was really the first step towards seeing that vision fulfilled. Here is a brief overview and some highlights from the trip:
Tulear Youth: The team hosted two youth worship times for the local churches. Youth from several churches came together for a time of praise and worship. The team, as well as the local youth, took turns giving their testimonies, playing games, singing songs (even some English songs!), and studying the Bible. It was really exciting for us to see the youth come together from various churches to praise God-as we don't often see them intermingle. I am sure it was a great time of encouragement for them. It was also exciting to see how many of the youth remembered the team from last year. They were so excited to be able to catch up with the team, and it was obvious that these relationships meant a lot to them.
Prayer Request: As we plan for future mission trips with Southbridge, pray for guidance as we pray about how much time to invest in the local youth of Tulear and what our focus/vision should be among them.
Orphanage: On the last day of ministry for the team, we headed up to a Baptist orphanage not too far out of Tulear. We spent the morning with the children singing songs, teaching a Bible story, playing games, and making crafts. It was such as sweet time, and the kids had a blast. The highlight for me was when the children sang some songs for us. One song they sang was the Malagasy version of the English praise and worship song,"...Crucified, laid behind a stone. He lived to die, rejected and alone. Like a rose trampled on the ground. He took the fall and thought of me above all." I can't express in words how beautiful it was to hear these children sing this beautiful song. How precious these little ones are to our Lord! It is not something I will ever forget!
Prayer Request: Pray that these children will see how precious and special they are in the eyes of God. Pray that they would grow up and seek him above all else.
Mahafaly Bush:
Agriculture: During last year's trip, the team spent a lot of time learning about the agricultural practices of the people and giving them small, but helpful tips on how to better their harvest. Through various community development research, we learned that trying to incorporate large changes into agricultural practices can be very challenging without a foundation of trust. So our goal has been to build up trust among the people through smaller projects. After seeing the success of a lot of the advice from last year, the villges were ready to trust the team even more. This year the team helped the 3 villages (Kilimary, Besatra, and Andremba) plant the moringa tree in their fields. If you haven't heard of the moringa tree - you should definitely look it up. This tree is great for places like this-where many other plants cannot survive. It also has so many health benefits! The people were very excited to incorporate this tree into their fields and we are excited to see how this can help their villages.
Prayer: Please pray for the health of the growing moringa trees and the faithfulness of those taking care of them. Pray also for planning, as we begin thinking through encouraging the villages in their long-term agriculture vision for their specific community.
Medical: Last year, the medical part of the team really began having a vision for partnering with specific community health leaders within each village. Their hope is to be able to invest in a few people in each village who are interested or skilled in healthcare. Those people could in turn teach, train, and help care for their village. This year, the team began looking at what this would look like in each village. The good part is that many of the villages already have community health workers in place. The bad part is that working alongside them can be tricky due to the corruption already set in place by the current system. The team learned so much on this trip, and though the task feels overwhelming and the needs feel great, they are optimistic about the possibilities in the villages.
Prayer: Please pray for wisdom and discernment as we try to come up with a plan for investing in these community health leaders long term. Pray that God would give us a clear path as we work towards this exciting goal.
Leadership: We were so blessed to have some amazing and gifted leaders on this team. Leadership is so important in any culture, but is especially central in this society. Village leaders are foundational in ALL aspects of Mahafaly life. Many of the leaders in the villages we are working in have accepted Christ as their savior and are now leading in a spiritual capacity. As we are transitioning discipleship towards investing in the spiritual leaders, this was a great opportunity to begin discussing overall community leadership. Bill and JD did an amazing job of opening up the topic on leadership and challenging the leaders to think about their roles in the lives of their communities. I am excited to see how this will carry over to their spiritual leadership, as well as in their community roles.
Prayer: Please pray for the community and spiritual leaders of Kilimary, Besatra, and Andremba. Pray that the things that they learned will sink in deep and the they will seek to lead their villages in ways that honor the Lord above all else.
Worship: We were so blessed to have a very gifted musician come out on this trip. We weren't sure what John's role would look like, especially in the bush setting-but this ended up being one of the most exciting parts of the trip. The people LOVED hearing John play praise and worship music (in Malagasy and English!), and it created an atmosphere that joined and bonded the people together in a special way. As music is such a foundational part of Mahafaly culture, it allowed the people to experience the time in a whole new way. His praise and worship time really weaved together the teaching in a unique way, and it also led those who were apprehensive to open up.
Prayer: As we saw how important this ministry role was to the people, pray that we would know how to incorporate this into future trips and ministry.
Christian Living Series: The team did an amazing job of incorporating the Gospel, Bible stories, and Biblical truths into everything that they did. They focused a lot on Christian living, especially from the book of James. The team worked together to teach the youth, children, and village communities spiritual truths from this book -and these teachings allowed for much discussion from the people. Its amazing to see these new believers learn God's word and really begin to incorporate it into their lives.
Prayer: Pray that these spiritual truths would sink in deep into the hearts of these believers. Pray for lives to be transformed by His word!!
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