To answer your question…

Posted on Sep 25, 2014 | 0 comments


We get a lot of brilliant questions during this journey of becoming cross-cultural workers.  It’s our desire to share all the amazing testimonies, the fun times, hard times, and the strange stories.  But some of our posts may only bring more questions.  Some of you have asked specific questions for a deeper look into what we are going through, and so we thought… what better way to share than by answering some of those questions.

Tell me more…

Will you be in a dangerous area?

While Madagascar has its fair share of corruption amidst an unstable government, the Malagasy are known to be a very peaceful people.  Although, as is common among areas of extreme poverty, we still need the presence of security and protection.  We are not living in a bunker or compound, but we will employ a few security guards at our home that will prayerfully be an extension of our family and community. 

What will your living quarters be like?
When we first arrive in Madagascar we will be living with a Malagasy family to truly immerse ourselves in the culture and customs of Madagascar.  We believe this is a great opportunity for us to be dependent upon a Malagasy family for proper cultural cues instead of relying upon our field partners for everything.  We are amazingly blessed though (testimony) to have a house being built for us, as we write, in an area where it is extremely hard to find adequate housing for rent. We will be living but a 3 minute walk to the kids school in one direction and 3 minute walk to our ministry sites in the other.  We can’t wait to get there and begin to set up home.

Do you have a prayer update about Liva?
Click Here to read about her story

Absolutely!  Liva is doing great right now.  She spends half of her time in Mahajanga taking care of her family and the other half serving with a ministry in Antsirabe caring for those with disabilities.
I am sad to report that the son lost out at sea was never found.  She and her family went up and down the coast in a similar outrigger canoe searching for any sign of life.  They had traditional funerals to mourn all who were lost, once time revealed the reality.  Simply unfathomable for any mother to go through, but a far too common event in Madagascar.  Thank you for your prayers as she continues to rely upon the hope and comfort that only our Savior provides.      

What is your timeframe for heading overseas?
We get this question almost daily and I think we have come up with about a million different ways to respond to it.  We would love to give an exact date, and trust us, when we know we will be shouting it from the rooftops.  We are completely done with all of our trainings and are now at the mercy of our support.  So…
If you know someone (friend/relative/pastor/co-worker) that might be interested in what we are doing and how they can be involved, please share with them, encourage them, pray with them to partner with us.
Happy-Birthday-Background

What are your family members’ birthdays? 

This is an easy one:

Neal – Oct 14th
Danielle – Jan 9th
Braiden (6) – March 17th
Jacy (4) – October 29th
Jolie (1) – Feb 26th

What language will you be learning?

Once we arrive, we are diving head first into learning Malagasy.  What is Malagasy you ask? It is an austronesian language that is only spoken by the 22 million people who live in Madagascar.  So they haven’t quite found the demand to make a Rosetta Stone Program for it.  And, if that isn’t enough for us, we also need to learn some French as this is what the banking and medical systems use.    

 

Do you have any goals when you get there?

Survive! Just kidding, but honestly we are really striving to create healthy disciplines for our family to thrive instead of survive.  Our main job/focus for the first year is primarily language learning and cultural acquisition through intentional relationships and diving into our new community.  We will still be working with our focused ministries (Eden projects, Sarobidy Maternity Center), but our priority is learning the heart of the Malagasy to fully understand how to adequately share hope in Christ.

Will you be dealing with HIV/Aids?

Yes, but Madagascar actually has a low level of HIV prevalence (0.5%)* unlike many parts of Africa.  This is just one of the many complications our birthing mothers face though.  The Sarobidy Maternity Center is striving to establish an environment of care, education and awareness that can lower some of these preventable complications.   

*according to UNICEF

Are the Malagasy receptive to Christianity?

Traditionally, the Malagasy believe in a creator God but the only way to attain a distant relationship with him is to channel through their ancestors. The result is a life bound by taboos that are put in place to maintain harmony with their ancestors and the creator God.  These taboos literally steal life from the Malagasy people and the freedom that comes from accepting Christ.  We have the privilege to join ministry’s already in place that witness the transformation of lives, the rise of Malagasy leaders and the birth of a thriving church on soil that claims to be taboo Jesus Christ and the Bible.

What will school look like for your kids?

 

The kids will be attending a traditional “French” school.  This isn’t the ideal education other than the immersed language training, but we are praying for homeschool teachers to come and expand our current options.  We will be supplementing english studies in addition to their school in the morning.  Please help us cover Braiden, Jacy, and Jolie in prayer as these can be some of the hardest transitions for them. We pray especially for Braiden and Jacy regarding the relationship with their teachers,  and that they find instant bonds with friends.  We are also asking for prayers that we can be fully supported and head to the field by August.  This has been our new goal as the French school starts the first week of September and we hope to give them some time to adjust before that big step.  
Thank you to all those who have asked some great questions and are joining with us as ambassadors to seek reconciliation for Madagascar.
Click here to find out how to partner financially

 

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