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Helping needy Malagasy kids to become Jesus’ kids! March 2008 Volume 11, Number 3 "A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor." Proverbs 22:9 |
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Insights from Brooke
McInerney (A Betikara
volunteer)
Well, my month at Betikara has come to an end very quickly.
It’s turned out to be a month that has been so different to my
expectations. My last
volunteer position had been with AIDS orphans in South Africa, and in
comparison, the facilities, attitudes and outlook here is so
positive.
After working with sickness, death, underfunding, and
under-resourcing in South Africa, I found myself left with a “the
problem’s so big” mentality, which I hoped I could change.
Although Madagascar doesn’t have the issue with AIDS that
sub-Saharan Africa has, I wanted to find out how a successful Church-run
operation worked. I had also
read a lot of secular material on community development that praised the
work of church-run organizations in the developing world that has in many
instances been more successful in delivering aid than larger, well-funded
organizations.
So I emailed Barry to ask if I could join the work at Betikara for
a month to see what works for them here.
On my arrival at Betikara, I was overwhelmed by the wonderful
building and facilities that the children have to use, and the real vibe
of positivity. I was so
pleased to discover what a happy and safe home these children have, and
also what happy children they are. My month was a lot easier then than I had anticipated. I have to put this down to several things, but mainly the incredible hospitality of both the Malagasy people at the orphanage and the Rosie’s who kindly offered me weekend breaks at their house.
This has been a wonderful example of how cultural and language
differences are no barrier to kindness and the love of God’s family. I was welcomed so warmly by the
kids and staff at Betikara, even though none of us shared a lingua
franca, and communication was always done through a hotchpotch of
English, French and gestures.
Conversations were always stilted, but that never stopped people
from trying to talk to me and include me, even if a smile and a simple
greeting was all we could manage.
Mainly I have been teaching English, both in a classroom situation,
and one-on-one tutoring with some of the older kids. My daily (almost daily!) English
classes have been with the carers, who are overwhelmingly keen to
learn. They’ve been hugely
enthusiastic and encouraging of me as a teacher, though at times I feel
I’m flying by the seat of my pants!
We’ve been working on vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar, while
reading through ‘The Beginners Bible’. I was lucky to occasionally have
an interpreter in the class, which made things easy; but more often than
not I was going solo.
Anything that needed explaining was done through examples,
gestures, and a lot of ‘frenglish’, (honestly, I forgot what language I
was speaking sometimes!).
I couldn’t ask for better students though. If I do go on to teach English
elsewhere, I’m afraid I will have been spoilt by my students at Betikara
and will probably be shocked into uselessness by bratty, restless
children!
In addition to the classes, I’ve been able to work with older
children such as Clara, Colombe, Andry and Hermine, tutoring English on an
individual basis. With some
of the kids being a bit shy to use much English with me in conversation,
it was a good way for them to practice.
I’ve been so lucky to be able to get to talk to Rosie’s about how
things operate here and how the work in Madagascar got off the
ground. I feel like I’ve
learnt a lot in that regard.
I’ve been lucky to have been able to ask them all my
questions.
All in all it has been such an interesting
month.
Hebrews 13:12 tells us to be hospitable to strangers as some have
entertained angels without knowing it. If I were an angel, I would
be sending glowing reports back to Heaven on the amazing hospitality I
have received here...but it will be to my friends and family in Australia
instead. So a very big “thank
you” to everyone who has made me feel at home here - it really has been
appreciated. Update on Andry’s
health
This month I am pleased to announce that we are starting to see a
change for the better in Andry’s health. We are diligent in taking Andry
to the doctor. Most of the time we visit the doctor once a week. However,
during the time that Andry’s blood pressure was very high (240/140) we
visited the doctor several times a week seeking medication that would get
things under control.
For the last 3 weeks we are hearing good reports from the doctor.
We are also seeing signs of the change in Andry’s daily activities and
stamina. Andry’s blood pressure is now in the normal range. We have a
blood pressure device at the Betikara Orphanage so Andry’s blood pressure
is checked at least two times a day. Now days we are seeing readings of
120/70 or 130/70. For this we praise the Lord and all of you have been so
faithful in praying for Andry during this time of medical
difficulty.
We are not “out of the woods yet”, as the expression goes. There
are still a lot of things that will be needed for Andry to truly have a
somewhat normal life as a teenager. We ask you to continue to petition the
Father daily on behalf of Andry and the doctors that are seeking a plan of
treatment for his life. Prayer WORKS!!!
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EXPENDITURES |
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Food |
$ 1,620.29 |
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Education |
162.18 |
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Clothing |
7.06 |
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Misc. |
698.78 |
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Health
Care |
1,052.16 |
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Care
Giver_____ |
543.41 |
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Total
expenses |
$ 4,083.88 |
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Indiana Church of Christ “He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for
what he has done.” |