“He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; . . . and prayed to God regularly.” 
                                                                                                          Acts 10:2

          It was Sunday afternoon.  We were sitting in the living room of Rivo’s parents home.  That, in itself, is a feat.  Most Malagasy people don’t invite strangers into their homes.  They are embarrassed by their poverty and embarrassment overpowers their sense of hospitality. 
          Rivo’s parents are neighbors of ours.  They live in a small house perched on a rock that juts out of the side of the hill.  There is no access to the house by road.  One climbs down a set of stairs carved into the dirt and then slides down a huge rock to reach their front door.  It’s a four room house built of bricks stacked on top of each other with no mortar in between.  The bricks are covered over with a very thin coating of cement which has fallen off the walls in chunks over the years and displays the old bricks underneath.  There is no glass in the windows, nor is there running water or electricity.  The house has a thatch roof. 
          We had arrived at Rivo’s house for our regular Sunday afternoon Bible Study with his family.  I was feeling sorry for them.  There sat Rivo’s father on a rickety chair in tattered clothes and bare feet.  He was describing their previous Thursday evening when the hurricane came through Antananarivo.  I slept fitfully in my own house that night.  No 
one in Rivo’s house got any sleep.  The rain poured through their thatch roof until they were knee deep in water throughout the house.  They feared that the roof would blow off the house.  I am surprised that the whole house was not swept away. 
          As Rivo’s father was recounting the stormy night and the damage that they spent the next whole day repairing, his children were gathering for the Bible study.  Rivo is 23 years old and has four older brothers and sisters.  All of them are already married and have small children.  We prayed and started the Bible study when ten adults and three 
children had gathered. 
          In the space of a minute, my attitude of pity for these people changed.  For just that quickly, I ceased to see the house with the crumbling cement, or the people in tattered clothes and bare feet, and I began to see a Cornelius in action before my very eyes, for these are a people who are devout and pray often.  They are searching for the Truth.  Here is a man who has gathered his family around him and is determined that together they will find God’s will for them.
          Conversation and questions flowed freely during our two hour Bible study together.  Parents asked as many or even more questions than their children.  A father listened intently to a young son or daughter.  Son and daughter felt free to share their thoughts with their parents.   Family members didn’t always agree, but every exchange of words was transacted with love and understanding.  Open Bibles were referred to frequently. 
          These are a people who were born and have been raised up locked in chains of tradition.  A thin veneer of denominationalism covers over the tradition.  And yet, confusion reigns and all know that something vital is missing and all are searching with diligence to find that piece of the puzzle that has eluded them for so long. 
          All embarrassment has been put aside now.  Each family member realizes that he or she stands alone before God and must obey from his own heart.  Each is aware that the family also stands in the balance.  Each realizes that they stand on the edge of a wondrous and frightening decision.  I sit before them waiting, biting my tongue to keep it still, hoping that we have said and shared the things they needed to hear, praying that the hearts are soft and ready, praying for the Father to help the seeds to sprout. 
          It is a long, heavy silence.  Rivo’s mother turns to me and says,  “We know so little.  We have so much to learn.  We are not ready yet but we want to study and we want to learn.”  I exhale slowly, continue to hold my tongue but continue unceasing in prayer. 
          Once again, I am humbled as I realize what a momentous work it is we attempt to do, and how unworthy we are to do it.  We need your prayers more than ever if this work for Christ is to grow here in a land where tradition rules, and if this Malagasy Cornelius and his family will come to the Savior.

Wednesday Children’s Bible Class 
Since the beginning of this year, we are still topping 70 in attendance for the Wednesday Afternoon Children’s Bible Activities.  And not all of the students are children.  8-10 adults have been attending both one hour of Bible study in Malagasy language and two hours of English class.  6 teachers are on their toes every Wednesday afternoon trying to share the Savior with all who will listen. 

Saturday Bible/English Classes 
Saturday activities for adults still top 260 since the beginning of the year.  Students get one hour of Bible in Malagasy, one hour of Bible in English, and one hour of English grammar.  Please pray that we may influence each and every one of them for the Savior. 

Monthly Gazettes 
The church here in Antananarivo is well into their third year of putting out a monthly gazette in the Malagasy language.  This gazette is distributed to church members and mailed to both World Bible School Students and students who attend the Saturday Bible/English Activities at the Center.  Currently we are mailing out more than 500 copies monthly.  The gazette contains a schedule of church and Center activities, as well as a Bible lesson and a daily Bible reading schedule.  We have recently completed a survey of the New Testament and will soon start into a survey of the Old Testament. 

Rivo 
After lots of prayer and consideration, we’ve decided to put Rivo on the staff at the Centre d’Etude Biblique.  His duties include half a day working with the Betikara children, overseeing homework and teaching both Bible and additional scholastic activities.  The other half of his day involves translating bible lessons, writing articles for the gazette, generating new Bible studies, and studying Bible with people who drop into the Centre to listen to English tapes.  He’s off to a good start.  Please pray for him. 

• Pray for us as we continue to reach out to the Malagasy people. 
• Pray that we might let God lead in every conversation, and let God work in the lives of those being taught from His word. 
• Pray for Rivo’s family as they continue to show interest in bible study. 
• Pray for the people of Madagascar as they put their lives back together after the recent storm that came across Madagascar and went on into Mozambique. 
• Pray for our family as we continue to work in Madagascar.  We are continuing to make plans for our visit to the states and need God’s guidance for our plans. 

Hello!  I’m Stacy’s sister, Korri, and after having spent the past 5 months here in Madagascar with the Rosies, I’m heading back home to Pennsylvania.  Before I go, I’d like encourage all of you newsletter readers out there to prayerfully consider Stacy’s and Barry’s request for a volunteer to come and teach Kit and Havilah for a year. 

The need is real.  Without a volunteer teacher, Stacy must juggle mom, teacher and missionary responsibilities - all full-time jobs.  Kit and Havilah also benefit from interaction, during school, with someone other than mom.  And you, the volunteer will not go away from here without gain.  I guarantee it! 

This has been a wonderful experience, and I thank God for leading me here.  I taught school from 8:00am until noon, 5 days a week.  I spent a little time in the afternoons checking homework for the day.  The rest of the time was mine.   I’ve had time to spend with the Betikara children - what a BONUS!!  I’ve had time to make friends.  I’ve had time for bike rides and walks and trips to the city market and park.  I’ve had time to learn a little about this beautiful third-world country and its people.  And, last but not least, I’ve had 5 months to spend with my sister, brother-in-law, nephew and niece.  It will not be easy to say goodbye to my new friends and family next week. . .5 months was NOT LONG ENOUGH! 

So, please think and pray about coming to teach Kit and Havilah.  Don’t think, though, that prior teaching experience is necessary to help out the Rosie’s.  I can personally attest to that.  If you like children, and you are willing to lend a helping hand, you’ve got all the necessary requirements for this job.