5 months ALREADY.

I find myself in a state of unbelief because I have been living here now for 5 months. Can you believe it? I could not do this on my own and for that I am so very grateful each and every day.

So much has happened in those months and yet I feel as if I just arrived. There is so much that I want to do and get involved in but in all the wisdom of others around me I have been told, "watch and listen".

Sometimes people, including myself don't understand the process or want to just barge ahead and dive in but there is something to be said about taking it slow, watching who I interact with, learning the language and the culture and making sure that I don't try to force my own ways on people. Just because I am from the western part of the world doesn't mean that my ways, thoughts and ideas are at the top of the charts. In order to really cultivate relationships it will take time and great wisdom on my part.

Thanks for hanging in there with me, understanding that ministry here is going to happen eventually but will not happen overnight.

Food and preparations

While I was living with this Malagasy family I assisted where I could and quickly was included into the daily food routines. Most of the time they just wanted someone to sit with them and chat while they went about the gathering of food, cutting or washing of foods and the actual cooking of that food.

This for breakfast... Each day I was greeted with a wonderful cup of Malagasy tea and it did not even need to be sweetened or anything added to it. Then to accompany that they gave me some sweet type of breads. Three small breads about the size of a ping pong ball. The bread is made out of rice formed into this shape and then grilled. They are quite addicting.

Then for lunch and for dinner we would have (Vary) rice with some type of (laouka) sauce type of vegetables with some type of meat. One day I helped to make a dish prepared with PIG skin and crabs. It was nasty to look at but it was great to eat, I just tried really hard to block the knowledge of what the meal really was and the pictures that I had seared in my mind out of my head so that I could eat and enjoy the company.

I was also taken out to eat at a new place in town - a pizza joint called Gastro Pizza. It is new there in Mahajunga but it is the closest thing to an American establishment since I have moved here. Crazy, fancy that! Pizza is the closest thing that we have here to fast food and you would be shocked at all the things that they serve on Pizza. Carrots, green beans, corn and many other things that I am not used to but have come acomostomed to here in the wonderful world of Madagascar.

I would have to say that the hardest thing with food so far has been going into the market and seeing the raw meats there on hooks and ready to purchase, with the thousands of flies and stench of blood and combined meats. Makes shopping the markets back home in the States a treasure worth far more than words can express.

Sleeping

While I was staying with Malagasy friends in Mahajunga (a northern HOT spot of Madagascar) in a small about 10 x 10 sized house I realized that I take my home, bed and my individual room for granted every day. Praising the Lord for how HE provides comforts, blessings and opportunities for growth.

This little home usually houses 3 adult women and 4 children. While I was there though they made arrangements for the children and one adult to live in a nearby tin house with 4 other adults. Now making the amount of people living in the 10 x 10 house only 3 adult women. Two of us slept on a light sponge type mattress that was so worn you could feel the wood underneath your body and you sort of automatically rolled into the middle with the other person. There was no need for a sheet or blanket because it was so very hot. I could feel the steamy heat produce puddles of sweat on my face, arms and back and as I thought about what was happening I would fade off into a wonderful sleep.

Mahajunga is just under the 20 parallel line which is just below the equator so all year long it is very hot there. (Mafana be = Malagasy for HOT) When you are in the sun during the day, hats, glasses and sunBLOCK are necessities. You actually need to reapply the sun protection many times during the day in order to not fry many layers of skin. I even wore a lamba (cloth) around my shoulders during the hottest part of the day to protect me from the blazing sun.

Living in a tin box for a house with one small window and two doors was quite a different experience for me and one that I had never done before. At night because of bandits and people with cruel intentions you close up your home tightly and stay inside. It becomes a bit of a sauna but one that is quite liveable and really you are so exhausted by around 9 pm that you just pass out and can't be bothered with even thinking about the evil that is lurking around outside.

I stayed with two of my friends that are sisters so they traded each taking a turn sleeping on the floor for the night. I felt terrible about this but they are used to doing this very thing so it is easier on their bodies than it would have been on mine.

I will share though that once I was back in my bed, and my home in Antananarivo I slept quite soundly for over 11 hours to make up for the differences in climate and sleeping arrangements while I was there. Blessed beyond measure for the experience but blessed even more to have some of the western "COMFORTS" of America here with me in Madagascar.
The sleeping arrangements were...

Traveling to be with friends

Sunday, afternoon we (Bex and I) boarded the local taxi bey bus here to get over to a friends (Hoby) home so that the Taxi Brusse could pick up the three of us and we would be on the 10+ hour adventure of traveling to Mahajunga from Antananarivo.

I had spend the morning at home talking with family on Skype, writing a letter to a cousin and mentally preparing to live with Malagasy friends for 5 days in their very small and HOT homes. The idea that I would not have a shower or bath like us westerners know but a bucket shower in a concrete room filled with spiders, roaches and all sorts of smells. The toilet area is just two bricks positioned just right, for you to squat on so that you can aim into the carved out hole in the ground. Depending on the heat you have to ward off flying bugs as you close your nose and breathe out of your mouth. As you can imagine much of the morning I was praying for the adventure as well. Praying for a safe trip on the bus, praying that we would not have to deal with robbers along the road, that we would be safe and that the driver would not only be awake but cautious and watch for the car eating pot holes that lay disguised by the night scape, or the patches of land that are being burned on purpose along the road. Praying also that I could be and would be a light to my friends and their family. You see, the faiths represented in this one family include Muslim, Luthern, Jehoviah's witness, Catholic and Baptist. With many faiths come many questions and many interpertations. I pray that I can just live out what GOD desires of me, that I can love with HIS love, and accept with HIS unconditional acceptance.

I traveled light, did not need much because it is hot up there and what do you need for 4 days. I did make it a priority to take my camera and make sure that I had batteries and card space for meeting up with many of the friends that I had made in the years past.

Looking forward to this adventure and reporting back to all of you of the great things and conversations that GOD led and orchestrated. I will be posting again in the NEW YEAR, not taking my computer with me for the next 5 days.

Praying that you find yourself blessed, challenged and stretched as I do every day! Welcome in 2010 with me from the other side of the Sea!

Christmas Eve DAY

Today was such an incredible, GOD inspired, directed and anointed day!

Two of my good friends and I made a delivery to a local Orphanage here in a surrounding community. We delivered things that people sent from America, like necessities, toys and some clothes. Then we danced, talked and enjoyed a great couple of hours with individuals. GOD really used this as a large starting board for the rest of the day.

Praise the Lord for an amazing time spent with a friend that not only challenged us to look past ourselves, but reminded me how very important it is to listen to GOD, by spending time with HIS people. Blessed beyond measure that nothing was PLANNED or set in stone and I could go about HIS business for the day! What a mighty GOD we serve!

Hosting new friends

This week we have found ourselves hosting groups of friends at our home. Each night for dinner and fellowship. We are so very blessed to have a large home and have the space for these type of events especially when such amazing and uplifting fellowship is happening.

The first night it was a mixture of cultures, Malagasy, German, American, Brittish, and South African. We played a game in the entire group and it was a great time learning new cultures, words and expressions.

The second night we hosted five of our recent German friends in order to celebrate one of their birthdays. They were excited to have a home cooked meal and Sandi made her famous lasagna, including some great garlic bread, Bex made some incredible roasted potatoes and I made sauteed Zuchinni so dinner was a hit. We were well fed that is for sure!

Tonight we hosted two of our Malagasy coworkers and their families for a casual night of dinner and dominoes... all in French and Malagasy. Most of the time that I have spent with my new co-workers is doing something work related or going along for the ride so that I am hearing as much Malagasy as possible. This was hard for me but a great time of learning and listening. My French numbers are coming to me easier and easier the more that I use them, and my level of understanding is getting better and better. The Malagasy are really passionate about dominoes that is for sure so it was a great time.

I am really feeling connected to parts of the missionary community and look forward more and more to getting to know the Malagasy culture and people. Sometimes I want to know only Malagasy culture, or Malagasy language right now and have to remind myself that this is a process and that I have to get used to people and cultures a little bit at a time.

This process and life change has been amazing, HARD, challenging and so very REWARDING. God has been growing and stretching me leaps and bounds.

Rahab

Rahab, to some her story might go overlooked or even misunderstood to the greatness of her faith.

SHe was redeemed not because of works she did. She did not earn God's favor by any good deeds. Remember, even what she DID do right - harboring the spies - was morally tainted because of the way she handled it. She lied. She is not a lesson in how to better ourselves through self-improvement. She is a reminder that God looks into our motives, sometimes our physical words or actions don't match our intentions... GOD KNOWS... I am so blessed to be learning, growing and experiencing here in Madagascar and beyond.

Praying for each of you along this journey as well!

The weather

Most of you might not know this interesting fact but we are right in the middle of Summer here in Madagascar. With summer brings, rolling thunder claps, amazing torrential rain or downpours, Mud that makes landslides in California look like a day at the local park and moments sometimes hours without electricity.

I have noticed more and more Malagasy walking with some sort of Marry Poppins type, large umbrella. Once it starts pouring down rain there are more rain slickers than I have ever seen in my life that come out. Makes sense because people are throughly drenched, wet from top to bottom and through each and every layer.

I only know about this first hand because I have been caught more than once out in the rain and have experienced the feeling of walking while I am soaking wet. No article of clothing is spared from the rain. The humidity is still present and causes you to feel even more wet because of the heat, or shall we say humidity?

I love the rain and the freshness that it brings with it! The crops that seem to grow up overnight and even our garden, how beautiful it looks after a rain.

For those of you that would like to know what the temperature has been well, the mornings start out around the middle 70's and get into the middle to high 80's with the humidity that they have on the East coast... something like 70 - 80 % most of the time. Sounds like heaven, don't you think?

Making christmas cookies with...

Tonight was an impromptu night of fun... Some Malagasy friends came over and Sandi taught them how to make Christmas cookies.

There were already 3 people in the kitchen so I just busied myself with trying to get water to come out of the tap. You see I have been waiting most of the day today to take a shower. We have not had the greatest water pressure and then we had no water at all. Now that might have been ok if I had not put some medication on my scalp earlier in the day and desperately needed to wash it out so that I did not look all greasy with my hair slicked back onto my scalp in a tight little bun.

It started to rain at one point so I quickly took a basin outside to catch the rain water so that I could at least rinse off with the cold water. Well, just after it started to rain, not much had fallen, it stopped. So my basin was empty.

What a great night of adventure.

Learning French numbers

Today was an interesting day in my lessons as I spent over 3 hours learning French numbers.

YIKES!

Yes, Malagasy and French are so very intertwined that I have to learn French numbers to get around in the market and parts of the daily routines.

I hope to be fluent in French number in the coming weeks.

My BEST friend of all time

There are many people that I have been blessed with over the span of my short life span so far, so many that I feel sometimes very spoiled by GOD because they are so very perfect for me through a season and yet some have stuck it out over longer spans of time and are still very close to me even today, now that I live many miles from them.

One of these people that I have been blessed with is non other than my Fathers Mother, my Grandma Rauch. She has been a person over the years that I have been able to talk with about life, she has shared so much with me as far as her life and what experiences she had not only as a child but a young adult and then as she raised 7 wonderful children, one of them being my Father. In such a large family there is sometimes the ability to not be able to remember everything or every event, not to mention each child but she is amazing and has done as much as she could over the years to stay connected with anyone that would make the time for her.

She has taught me so much! I could not even begin to share with you all of the things because we could be here for the next week recounting all that she has taught me and I am sure so many others. A couple of things stand out though. She gave me the ability to listen, and listen well, with the desire to send a follow up; call or note. Then she also taught me how to receive graciously even if it was a crazy gift. She taught me to laugh at myself and to really say what is on my mind. Most of all she taught me that CRYing is not a bad thing. It is an emotion that GOD gave us all in order to express ourselves, to grieve or go through emotion we could get angry, we could close up or we could cry. I choose to CRY. Thanks to Gma I know how to do that well.

Today word reached me that she had a scare and was in the hospital overnight to check for signs of a stroke. She is ok and will be released shortly with just something that mirrors symptoms of a stroke. At 92 she just keeps on going like the energizer bunny. Thankful for her today and for the family that are keeping a close eye on her as well.

INTERNET frustrating...

I have been trying for a week to send out the newsletter that I have been making for the end of the year. It is beautiful and yet it is still on my computer and failing to send all the different ways I have tried to send it. RIDICULOUS.

Hopefully you will all be able to read it and enjoy the pictures soon.

Blessings on a wonderful YEAR!

Unexpected worship concert

Today I found myself in an unexpected place.

There was a Malagasy, English speaking worship concert in the city at "the English Chapel" Two hours of testimonies, and amazing heartfelt and passionate worship. There were even cameras on all angels and what seemed to be about 100 people crammed into a space for about 60. There were chairs only for about 30 people so the rest of us stood or sat on the floor when the talking was going on but most of the time we were jumping up and down, singing until our voices were a faint whisper and really enjoying the time with other believers.

Toward the end of the concert it started to pour down rain again! A natural occurrance here after about 2 pm every day. It was wonderful to find a window to sit in, continue to sing worship and then enjoy watching the scenery change.

Praising the Lord for the opportunity to worship HIM through song today.

Making Christmas Cards with...

11 Malagasy women came over to my house today to learn how to make Christmas Cards. I got out my stamps, old Christmas Cards from years past, old calendars, inks, scissors, glue sticks and as much paper as I could and let them go wild.

What a great time this was! The women had a

great time, made many cards and spoke some Malagasy with me. At the end they all wanted to know when we would be doing this again and wanted to take pictures with me and the two other "white" people.

Praise the Lord for how he created me, Creatively with a sense of creativeness that I love to use and allow others to experience as well. I am so blessed!

Christmas party and new traditions

Well my roomies and I hosted a nice, sit down dinner here at our home for about 20 singles both Malagasy and foreigners Tonight! Praise the Lord for the resources to bless those that we are in relationship with. I pray that God would deepen our friendships with HIS LOVE, GRACE and PEACE. May we all sense the fruits that we should have and use daily to bless those around us.

What a great night - started out a bit on the rough side of things because of Torrential down pour, that came into our house, caused the electricity to be out almost 2 hours and then many of the guests to show up drenched from head to toe. Accounts of motorbikes or scooters not working or being blown over, homes flooding, no taxi's available and people trying to get here in the rain and through the mud.

Things started later than we had anticipated but we had a great time! We, had appatizers, Meat balls, corn salads, russeted potatoes, veggies, and plenty of Desserts (or pudding) as the British call it. Home made Pumpkin pies, apple pies, rice Krispy treats (green), pumpkin cookies, iced cookie cutter cookies and lemon bars.

We played a gift exchange game, had wonderful conversations and took lots of pictures.

A small group stayed after to help clean up and that was a great time as well. We had made quite a mess in the kitchen, that would have been very overwhelming if we were to clean it up on our own. We were intentional in putting up shiny silver snowflakes in the garland on the mantel and sharing what we were most thankful for during this season. I had wanted to do it in the larger group but had forgotten, so maybe next year? It was one of those moments that could be awkward but became very meaningful and insightful.

The crafty side of me would have loved to make a small stocking for each person to take home and open up on Christmas day. No time this year. I made two table cloths, 20 place mats, some of which were reversible, then 25 amazing cloth napkins. Thanks to the others that came along and helped in the time crunch. You know who you are. I am so blessed to have such a gift and that I can find ways to use that gift to bless others, in return this blesses me! Praise the Lord once again for how creative he has made me because it is such a blessing to use this crafty talent to bless others.

Communication

For a couple of months now I have been trying to get a certain person, a son in law of a friend of mine some business. He has been out of work for a long time and just recently his family was blessed with a new child.

Since I have needed to set up house here (notice the process taking months and months to get done) in Madagascar there are some things that one needs in order to do that effectively. Having a bed Frame is one of those things that becomes important. For now I have been sleeping on a friends bed but I dream of the time that I can actually sleep on my own bed, one that a treasured friend was kind enough to purchase for me in the states before I left.

Please pray with me that this project can be done by Christmas so that I can give the other bed back and use the one that was purchased for me back in July.

DECember PRAISE and Prayer update 2009

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance... so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." JAMES 1:2-4

Amazing month of communication! I have been learning more about myself and others and at my age that is sometimes hard to admit, even harder to actually change.

My niece Ashtyn, pictured here looks how I sometimes feel.

Praise the Lord because with HIM leading anything is possible!

PRAISES:

1.) A direct answer to prayer with accountability time with two believers. Praise GOD for HE is in control and can arrange better than I can. Pray for consistency and

transparency on all parts.

2.) A new flat mate (house mate) for the next 6 months. Praise the Lord that we were able to come to the assistance of a young lady from another ministry, by offering a place to stay for 6 months. Please pray for all dynamics of living with each other.

3.) I have been sick a lot this month and that has been keeping me from my consistent time with the Lord. Praise the Lord that it has not been anything terrible other than the flu and common cold possibly from being exhausted. Pray that I will quickly get back into routine with HIM, experiencing HIM and delighted to be in HIS presence soaking up all that I can in order to be a growing better person. Lord CHANGE ME, is my prayer.

PRAYERS:

1.) Please pray for communication. This is a LARGE challenge when there are such extreme and different words being used daily. What may be common sense to me is very foreign to others. Communication is such a critical part of life here and things are so easily misunderstood or taken out of context.

2.) Pray for Transportation. Cyclone season arrived early this year. We live about 4-5 miles from our local town and places of interest and one hour by bus from the center of town without traffic. I have found myself drenched in torrential downpour 3 times in one week with promises of this happening all throughout the coming months until APRIL 2010. The political situation has not been settled which is causing this form of Transportation to be less and less safe and completely unreliable. Please pray that God would provide the finances for me to purchase a reliable get around town car for the next two years. Then I can upgrade to a more team worthy car at that time. I am confident that HE wants HIS children to rally together in Prayer to see what HE CAN AND WILL DO.

3.) Pray for new partnerships and supporters. At the start of 2010 it looks like I will be under supported by $200 a month. I just arrived, please join this team for Madagascar so that I can stay and really make a difference one relationship at a time. Pray that GOD would direct people individually to partner with me here in Madagascar by contributing through finances, encouragement and PRAYERS.

4.) Please pray for my Malagasy lessons and conversation. Over the holiday season it will only be two times a week. Pray that this is just as GOD would have it and that I move ahead with HIS understanding and patience. Please pray that I understand sentence structure and spend more time practicing without getting exhausted.

Quality time with each other is how relationships start, grow and solidify. Who have you been spending QUALITY TIME with recently?

Orphans

Today I found myself in a new place, once again. A new friend and I spent some time together this morning. We had a leisurely cup of coffee and I met some new women here then we drove over to a local orphanage.

This was not on my agenda so I was a bit surprised and emotionally was not ready for what I saw. So many children just longing to be loved on, touched, held, tickled and played with. There were about 50 or so young children from the age of about 3 to about 5 in the same out door area, some were singing with the group and yet others were just staring off into space, sitting upright but zoned out, or were they? Did they have a dissability? I would tend to lean that way but don't know for sure, just that me being there did not cause any visible emotion at all.

My heart was breaking for each and every child there that just longs to be loved, be in a family and cared for as most children their age. The small amount of time that I spent there was nothing for me but could be the difference to any number of them at some point in their lives.