I have wanted to be a missionary, and come to Madagascar since I was a little girl. When people have asked me what month I was the most excited for, I have said Madagascar. So here is the truth of what I experienced.
Madagascar is very poor. I have seen things that I have never seen before.
So many children, who are dirty, and so young, begging for money.
Our ministry the first week was evangelism at the university. The students we met in Madagascar are very smart, most knew at least 3 languages, and some more than that. I have met people who speak French, English, German, Spanish, Dutch, Malagasi, etc . We would go out in pairs, ask people about the Lord, and if we could pray for them. Individuals were pretty open to hear about Jesus.
Sewage usually would run down the street, and the meat they would sell in markets were covered in flies. The stench or smog at times was overwhelming. The poverty we saw broke my heart.
The second week we did ministry with a church. Evangelism in the morning, we would share testimonies, go to life groups, and preach and teach.
Our first day, during evangelism, Vivian, Micah, and myself were invited into a woman’s home to pray for her grandma. Walking into the home, the floor was dirt, the walls old wood. Chickens wererunning around in the small hut. The size of her home was as big as some peoples walk in closet. It smelled like dirt and old chicken poop.
She wanted prayer for healing. When I saw her, my heart broke. She looked like my grandma Lucy. Grey and white hair that stuck out all over the place, skin that sagged even though she was so small, and so fragile. She had glowing brown eyes, and had a broken knee, a hurt shoulder, and a tooth that caused a lot of pain. Tears began pooling in my eyes the minute our eyes met.
I kneeled in front of her, and asked if I could put my hand on her knee. She said yes. As I started praying for healing, I felt the Holy Spirit in my heart, and I started crying. She started crying as well. All I could do was hold her hand, and whisper, “Jesus heal her.” I don’t know what happened. If God healed her. But when I opened my eyes there were tears in her eyes too. Worlds, ages, and a language barrier apart. But there was a connection in that moment.
Her name was Madeline, and I will never forget her. When I stood I just kept holding her hand. I didn’t want to leave or let go.
We met so many people like Madeline. We were able to pray for so many different individuals. For their healing, their family, health. The church we were working with provided so many opportunities to reach some of the poorest of the poor of Madagascar, tell them about Jesus, and pray for them.
Another day, we went to do a crusade in a village. Ryan shared a vulnerable and heartfelt testimony and afterward invited those who wanted to give their lives to Jesu’s, then we prayed for people.
When we were sitting listening to Ryan give his testimony, a little girl ran up to us. She had the most beautiful eyelashes. She looked like she was 2-3 but she was probably older than that. Vivian held her hand out, and she took Vivian’s hand. We had no idea where her parents were, but seeing children run around without parents was not anything out of the ordinary.
She kept running from us, to other children in the crowd. Every time she would run back to us, she would just stare. I held my hand out, and she took it. When we went to go pray for people she kept holding my hand. Never said a word. I don’t even know her name. If I would have asked, I doubt if she would have understood me. But she was beautiful. And I think about her a lot. There were no words exchanged, but we held hands while I prayed. And there was a connection. Her beautiful little face is engrained in my mind.
So many lined up for prayer…I dont even know how many people I prayed for. How many people we talked to about Jesus. I loved the people of Madagascar. But there was so much darkness and poverty. But I also met so many people who love Jesus who live Spirit filled and led lives. The light did shine brighter than the darkness, but how great was that darkness – so then how much greater the light. The light of Christ. These were the ones He came to save.
We were so poured into by the people in Madagascar. They are some of the most kind, genuine, giving people that I have experienced while being on the race. Madagascar was so different than what I expected, and also worlds better than I expected.
It was a hard month. I was one of few not to get sick. I had no contact with family, so every night I lay in bed praying for my family and would picture giving them hugs, and I would pray, “Lord, show my family how much I love them, how much You love them, and please send hugs to them from me.”
So we had about 10 minutes of wifi for one day. And I called my mom, praying she would answer, and praying the wifi would be good enough for us to have a good connection.
When she answered, we both started tearing up. And my mom told me, “Ariana! I had a dream God brought me to Madagascar to give you a hug.” Which of course this made me cry even more. I knew God cared for my needs in that moment. It was a moment I treasure.
Madagascar was not what I expected. I expected to be in a village, seeing beautiful land. But instead we were deep in the city. And the Lord was using us to minister to the hearts of people of Madagascar. At the end of the month we spent about a week in the beautiful mountains…but that’s a whole other blog.
One of the biggest things I have learned on the World Race is to give all expectations to the Lord. Because His ways are better than ours, and more often than nor, when we give ourselves to Him, He leads us and guides us way differently than what we expect.
There was one Sunday were the church we were working with asked us to pray for those in the congregation who wanted prayer. I remember a woman walking up and pointing to her ear. The translator said that this woman is deaf in one ear. So I prayed. And I felt the Holy Spirit in my heart filling me with trust and confidence that God was going to heal this woman! When I opened my eyes, she was crying and holding her ear. Tears of joy, the Lord had healed her!
Honestly, so much happened that month. I can’t include all of it in one blog. I am still processing Madagascar. I was facetiming my friend the other day, and she asked me about Madagascar…and I didn’t know what to say. So much happened. It was so hard. It was so good. I grew closer to the Lord. I saw hard things. It was just…a lot.
This blog alone has taken me three months to write. Maybe one day I will be able to sum it up in less than a 1,163 words. But for right now, all I can say is that I saw the goodness of the Lord, and His light, in a dark and oppressed land. And I have hope for Madagascar. I pray for Madagascar. And one day, I hope I can return to Madagascar.
