Madagascar:
Running water only comes on at night. We must fill up 2 large reservoirs to get us through 24 hours of 22 people taking bucket showers, washing their clothes by hand, and flushing the toilet.
The electricity goes out in the middle of dinner most nights. Sometimes it comes back on during the day….sometimes it doesn’t.
Tiny cockroaches run across my bed at night. Sometimes I kill them if I can catch them but lately I have just let them be or I flick them across the room. Night one I prayed and asked God to keep them out of my ears and mouth as I slept. I will assume this is an answered prayer.
I sleep under a mosquito net to reduce my risk of getting Malaria. Yes, mom, I’m also taking Malorone daily. J I used to think these nets were decorative and I always wanted one to feel like a princess. Turns out, they are a bit annoying.
The water is not safe to drink so we have to boil water daily to drink it. You get used to the hot water…it was actually a blessing for my sore throat when I first arrived. (Sore throat is healed!)
I have gone to the bathroom outside more than using the available squatty potties when out in the city. A squatty potty is exactly what it sounds like. You put your bottom over the porcelain in the ground, hold your clothes out of the way, squat down LOW, try to relax and GO! I can’t tell you how many times I have gotten pee on my shoes so I am still working on my technique.
Getting to ministry is quite the mission. We must walk a couple miles to get on an over-crowded bus. Where you think a seat would fit three people…they pull out a thin board for another passenger to ride over the aisle. My tall body was NOT made for Madagascar. It takes anywhere from 1.5 -3 hours depending on the traffic and time we left. We try to leave by 6:30 am although I don’t know why it makes a difference with traffic because the rest of this city seems to already be awake and fighting for their life at sun rise.
The pollution is THICK in the air. As the buses and cars drive along you see a trail of black smoke. I tried to hold my breath at first…but I quickly realized the black smoke never actually dissipates. Along with this pollution are other strong smells. Deodorant isn’t something the locals wear or worry about. With this level of poverty, I don’t see the low class Malagasy people putting much importance on hygiene in general: brushing teeth, wearing clean clothes, showering.
I enjoy all the livestock wandering around. There are chickens everywhere you look. No matter how many little chicks I see I let out a squeal every time. THEY ARE SO CUTE!!! The locals laugh at me every time not understanding why I place such a high value on their “food.” I was walking home from the local market in the beginning of the week and there were 2 cows in arms reach of me. I picked up my pace and walked around them when they started mating.
There are not many smiles on the faces you pass but I keep mine on my face. With a smile and a “BonJour!” (“Hello” in French. Yup, that is one of their main languages here) or “Salama!” (Malagasy greeting meaning “I’m fine”) I get a warm smile in return. I secretly hope this doesn’t start a conversation since I don’t know the language beyond pleasantries unless a translator is around. I have learned to understand the general idea of a conversation although I may not literally understand their language…a talent you pick up from traveling to 3 countries in 3 months.
Living out of a 70 litter pack keeps me from picking up all the souvenirs I want to purchase. I simply have no room and on travel days when I have to pack up my bag and carry it on my shoulders I question if I even need the bare minimum things that I do have. Pictures and my journal entries will be my main souvenirs and they mean more to me than decorative things ever could.
As a clean and organized person, it is difficult staying organized when you have such limited space to live. I keep some things in my bag and my clothes I keep on my bed in their packing cube so I don’t have to dig into my bag to find clean underwear. It doesn’t seem like it would be that frustrating, but man is it! Maybe I just need to figure out a new system but with my home changing every month, the system will change as well.
Time is flying as we travel from country to country. There are days where I think, “what the heck am I doing?!” and then I realize it is almost time to say goodbye to the place I just called home for the month. I take the days one at a time so that I live intentionally and don’t wish time or experiences by. I’ve had one breakdown cry in each month. Month 1 it was over not having space and going from living alone and having things my way to living with 6 other adults that I had to share EVERYTHING with and had no space to be alone. Month 2 and 3 (yeah, month 3 cry already happened) cry was about feeling frustrated that I had no control in the schedule or where I was and not having time to take space and recharge (introvert over here!).
I have learned so much about myself since being on the journey. Month 1 I found so much self-worth and grounded myself in who God says I am. Month 2 I learned about my relationship with God. I learned I didn’t trust Him to protect me in all things. Because of persecution being a real thing I remind myself, “My God is good but He is not safe.” He will call me to be bold and do the scary thing. He will call me to speak up for His Kingdom’s sake. I had to come to terms with what I was afraid of and realize that I was afraid of a battle He has already won. God had humbled Himself to become man and walk the earth and die on the cross for my sins….why would I only choose to speak up and do His will when it is safe? He gave His all for me and I will do the same for Him. Month 3….I’m still figuring this one out seeing as I’ve been here a short time. So far God showed me that I thought of myself as a burden to others. That my voice, my emotions, my opinions I kept locked away fearing that the person I needed to share them with couldn’t handle them and would perhaps walk away thinking I wasn’t worth the effort. Wow God, how did I hide that one from myself for this long? God is breaking that false layer away and teaching me to SPEAK UP!! That not all my words or feelings are seen as negative and I see and feel things others may not and my insight is important.
I want to thank you all. Thank you to those who are reading my blogs and praying for me. Thank you to those who financially gave for me to go on this journey of a lifetime. Thank you to those who encouraged me to “let go” and explore the world around me. I am so grateful. Even in the hard moments. Even when I’m so so very exhausted. Even when I miss home or the ability to order a pizza, drink a craft beer and just relax. I’m getting my life, my world rocked daily and I can’t thank you enough.
