That evening I was looking through my notebook that Tony and I write to each other in when I noticed that Tony had written me lyrics to a Malagasy song and a note that she had written me. The note caught me by surprise when I learned about her family. The note said:
“ Hello, my name is Tony. I’m 21 years old. I am Malagasy, and I’m still a student in the university to do communication. I’ve got 4 siblings ( two brothers and two sisters), but I’m the youngest. I live with my Aunt Liva because my parents separated. You know my family are not believers but I and my 2nd brother only trust and follow Jesus”.
It was in these moments that I realized that I had come to call Tony my namako but I didn’t know her story and the hard things that she had been through. Ever since she was five years old, she has lived with her Aunt and Uncle. (they are the pastor’s of the church we did ministry with this past month).
The next day that I saw Tony, I told her I was sorry that her parents had separated. I asked her if she was okay when tears formed in her eyes. She began to cry and as she did, I held her in my arms. I couldn’t imagine the pain that Tony has felt after not living and being with her parents all these years. I could sense her hurt and pain. The previous day, I remembered that Tony had asked me to pray for her parents because they were not believers. When she asked me to pray for her parents that day, I told her that I would, but I think she wanted to pray together in that exact moment. The next day, I apologized to her for not I taking the time to pray with her. As people (myself included), we are so quick to say that we will pray for someone but we don’t think to pray for them right then and there in that moment.
The hardest part about being on the race is that we have to leave the people that we meet each month. We have to leave our friends, and honestly sometimes that hurts. Tony was my hardest goodbye on the race. She wasn’t someone I just did ministry with. Tony became one of my closest friends. Tony taught me two things this month that I won’t forget:
1.) JOY: Before leaving for the worldrace, our mentors asked us to list 5 things we wanted to gain from this year. One thing on my list was that I wanted to have the joy that I used to have. Tony reminded me what true joy in the Lord looks like. She emphasized joy even after all that she had been through in this lifetime. One day I asked her about her Testimony and she shared how her life had been really hard until she found the Lord. I know that Tony’s joy is a result of the relationship she has with the Lord. Even through the hurts and pain the past has thrown at me, I am reminded through Tony that I can choose joy. Why? Because my joy comes from the Lord and all that he has and will continue to do in me.
2.) FRIENDSHIP: I said goodbye to Tony two days in a row and it was probably one of the hardest moments on my race. It hurts not knowing if I will ever get to see her again. In 2013 I went on my first mission trip and had a hard time saying goodbye to the people from Gabon, Africa. I tried making it a goal to not become too close to people on the race, but inevitably I made friends each month. Even though that used to be my goal, I can’t imagine my worldrace without meeting Tony and becoming her friend. Imagine the friendship I could have missed out because of the perspective. Not only would I have missed having this friendship, but I would also miss out seeing the Joy of the Lord that Tony demonstrated to me. It’s so beautiful to me that God blessed me with a friendship with Tony this month because he has shown me so much through her.
Tony wrote me a letter that she gave to me the last time that I left her. She shared: “ Your friendship keeps me strong… Thank you for what you have done for me during your visit to Madagascar. Never forget that you’ve got Tony like as a sister in Madagascar. So, we must pray together because we’ve different countries, different languages, but we’ve the same way to go to heaven”. It’s not possible that I could ever forget Madagascar and my friend Tony. She thanked me for spending time with her and praying with her, but the truth is that my dear friend taught me so much this month and I’m so grateful. While my months on the race are designated to ministering to others, God also used Tony to minister to me. In many ways her friendship also made me strong. As I close this blog, I just have one last thing to I would like to share. I believe in the power of prayer and I believe the more people that pray for Tony’s parents that God could radically transform their lives. Would you please join me in praying for Tony’s parents that they could come to know the Him and walk in a personal relationship with HIM?
