We arrived in an airport probably the size of a high school gymnasium. As we headed out to our new home for this month our squad and our packs were piled into two buses, a few of us were left behind so we took public transportation. We start walking and my heart burns with excitement for what is around the corner. We run for the bus and literally jump into the back, as we squeeze past people we quickly find our seats. Never have I ever been in a bus like this before. Smashed in tight, with my head out the window, I start to breathe everything in; the views, the houses, the people, and the smell. A sense of peace and an awareness of what I’m about to embark on quickly fills of heart.
Picture a bunch of colorful boxes with windows and doors stacked on top of each other. Houses on top of mountains, on the hillside, and around rice fields. The view is breathtaking. It reminds me of Nicaragua with a European feel. Madagascar is a melting pot of people, from Indonesia, Africa, Arabia, Comoros, China, and Pakistan. Seventy two percent of the country lives below poverty level. There are about 1.3 million people who live in the capital city alone. Tons of kids and adults living on the street. The homeless in Madagascar is different than the homeless in the states. You don’t realize how nice our trash is in the states until you see the trash here in Madagascar. Piles and piles of garbage, black in color from dirt and human feces and from all the food being picked out. A kids playground and a woman’s grocery store and the side of a dumpster used as a supporting wall for a house. The smell alone is unlike any smell I’ve experienced.
This month is all squad month. We are living outside the capital city and working with OM Madagascar. They have different ministry’s for each team. My teams ministry is working with a English Learning Institute (Eli) located downtown. Our first week here the enemy attacked in more ways than one. Sickness and spiritual attacks became common. Nightmares filled our rooms and day by day more and more of my squad mates became ill. Half of the squad was down with a sickness and the majority of my team was bed ridden. That left myself, another girl and one of our squad leaders for ministry. We had an idea of what we were instructed to do, teach English, I’m not an English teacher nor do I speak proper English but there was a tug in my heart to teach outside the box. We held group discussions with the class, to give them an opportunity to speak the English language in conversation. We talked about marriage, the power of your speech, and having respect for others. With those topics the Holy Spirit came in and stirred something up in their hearts. Fifty percent of the Malagasy population claims to be Christian, but only 10 percent have a personal relationship with the Lord.
Our students age range was from 16-30. They wanted to know more about having a relationship with God. Filled with shame from their mistakes and the lack of knowledge they have about our Heavenly Father and his wonderful grace, they had a lot of questions. Not just your basic questions but questions that had me a little speechless at first, this was my first experience talking about the creator of the universe in a group of Christians, Muslims and unbelievers. A couple of questions I’ve received multiple times were ” how do I pray when I don’t have time to go to church”, “which religion or denomination is the way”, and “how do I know Jesus”. Their churches tell their congregation that if they come to this church, this Church is the way to Jesus not that Jesus is the way and that the church is the only place to pray. I was in shock, I don’t go to church every Sunday and I pray all the time. When I’m walking, when I’m going to sleep and I even pray in the shower. I was able to answer their questions with truth. Truth from the Word and truth from my personal life and my relationship with the Lord. You could tell they wanted more. Each day they had more questions.
My team put on an event with the students at the end of our time with them. We talked about forgiveness and the cross, I was also able to share my testimony. We were able to answer more and more questions and were able to pray for about fifty students who received Christ. Madagascar is hungry for the Lord. They want more they just don’t know how. I’m filled with joy that the Holy Spirit worked in their hearts. Their minds were opened to what a relationship can be like with Jesus. They felt grace and love, they began to see themselves the way the Lord sees them.
Going through this experience has given me the drive and the motivation to grow deeper with my own personal relationship with God, to gain wisdom more and more everyday. I’m feeling His presence and His love more. Chains have been broken and freedom is alive. There is a lot of hurt here, a lot of negative spirits from the enemy but God is present in Madagascar. Seeds are being planted and seeds are being watered. Something big is happening; something wonderful.
