“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.  For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law--a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.  Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.”        Matt. 10:34-37

It’s a most difficult scripture for anyone, anywhere and anytime, and it takes a considerable amount of courage for anyone to put it to practical use, but here in Madagascar the difficulty seems multiplied by one million. 
          Malagasy have a saying, “Alive in one house, dead in one tomb”.  Put Christ before my family?  But where will I be buried?  This question has been put before us three times this last month in three separate instances. Liva was the first.
          We had a meeting this last month with four couples who are taking most of the responsibility for the work of His church here in Madagascar.  I can’t even remember how we got on the subject of funerals but I was surprised at Romain Rakotomalala’s comment about his own father.  Romain has been the preacher in the first congregation that was started in this city of Antananarivo.  Romain taught and baptized his father several years ago.  His father faithfully attends worship three weeks out of every month, but on the fourth week, Romain’s father goes back to the “church of his ancestors” as he calls it.  Romain has asked his father about this habit of his on one Sunday of each month. 
          “Why?  Why do you have to go there once every month?  Do they teach Jesus’ will for your life?”
          “No they don’t, but if I don’t go there and pay my dues, where will I be buried?” 
         I was surprised.  This man, father of Romain, is the head of his family.  I thought it was he who decided which family members were buried in their family tomb.  Apparently it goes much deeper than family and the extended family units. Putting on Christ in obedience, ostracizes a Malagasy in ways I haven’t even yet imagined. 
          Last Sunday morning at worship in the new little congregation that meets in our neighborhood we welcomed several new visitors.  Several couples have been walking from the neighborhood of the new orphanage land to worship with us in the community where our home is.  We were gathered in Rivo’s parent’s home.  It’s a very small four-room house.  The largest room is less than 10’by10’ and there’s a large double bed in one corner.  Twenty adults and ten children fill that room to capacity with bodies propped on every available piece of furniture and every available floor space.  We don’t mind though.  We welcome with joy anyone who ventures in and sits down to listen. 
Adult class after worship last week was very interesting.  Rivo taught.  He threw a question into the group right off the bat, “What is a Christian?”  He then sat down and waited for responses.  It didn’t take long and in even a shorter time than it took for anyone to begin talking the flow of conversation moved from “What is a Christian?” to “It’s very difficult to be a Christian”.  It’s not difficult for Malagasy to understand what a Christian is and how to become one.  That’s the easy part.  It’s an issue that is always settled very quickly.  It’s a much deeper issue to discuss how to live like a Christian and suffer the isolation from everything that defines a Malagasy as a person, family, community, ancestors, yes, even where one will lie when they die.
          I was particularly surprised by the response of an older woman who sat nursing her youngest child.  She said, “It’s so difficult to become a Christian.  We have so many sins.  We like to lie and steal, we get drunk, we commit adultery.”  There were many murmurs of assent to this comment.  “We say we don’t have the ability to change and we don’t know how to change.”  There were more murmurs of agreement, but she didn’t stop there, “It’s not the sins though.  If we want to change we will and if we don’t it’s because we don’t want to change, but there is a bigger problem.” 
          I sat there thinking, “What could be a bigger problem than sin in anyone’s life?”  I didn’t have time to think for long before she continued,
          “The bigger problem is:  Where will we be buried?” 
          We’ve been in Madagascar almost six years.  His church has been here more than six years and still we are surprised to hear these moans of anguish that just begin to clue us as to the depth of isolation any Malagasy feels when he or she puts on the Savior and places themselves at odds with their family and their community. 
          As we bring this year to a close with the worldwide custom of considering the “old” year and preparing to face the “new” year, please pray together with the Rosie family for the Malagasy Christians who have already found the depths of tremendous courage it takes to put off the old life and not worry about where they will be buried, and to live a new life in obedience to Christ.  But!  Pray even harder and more unceasingly for those Malagasy who know what they need to do and can’t find the courage to do it.  Pray for those who are chained by that old life with threats of having no resting place after death.  Please ask the Father to help them understand the gift of a new life where one need not worry about where one will be buried, and where one is assured of a new life with a new and better family, the family of God.

Thank you
“Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account.”    Philippians 4:17.

          This last month on Thanksgiving day, the Rosie family celebrated the completion of seventeen years on the mission field and we are heading into year eighteen.  We owe so much of it to you.  You are at the top of our list for prayers of Thanksgiving.  Your unfailing service to Him and your loving care for us make it possible to carry on this work.  We love and appreciate you so much.  We are deeply and humbly thankful to you for being so much a part of the work here and for placing your trust in us.  We keep you in daily prayers asking His many blessings to fall upon you.
          To our physical families we owe the greatest debt of thanks.  You have never complained.  We have watched dozens of mission families leave the field because of family back home that complain, but you have never complained once.  You have given until your pockets must surely be empty.  You have worked on our behalf.  You have been eyes, ears, mouth, hands and feet for us stateside.  Whatever we have asked of you has been done cheerfully.  Most important of all, you have offered up so many prayers that have surely been the reason for our accomplishments in two very difficult countries.
          Both of you, our spiritual family and our physical family, are our greatest blessing of all.  We are thanking the Father especially for you, and asking Him to pour Himself into your lives because we see and deeply appreciate all the sacrifices you have made for us. 

Christmas time is always difficult for us.

          The Rosie family endures the season more than enjoying it.  We do it up big for the orphanage children, but we’ve never ourselves been able to swallow skinny Santa Clauses who wear bright pink masks and walk around carrying huge colorful beach umbrellas in one hand while selling beach balls out of the other hand.  They are almost as abundant in this town as termites and I’m personally surprised that they don’t scare the children to death.  Occasionally though, it feels like home when one of those beach ball haggling Santas presses a small piece of hard candy into the hand of a child.  Then, it surely does feel a teeny tiny bit like Christmas!

Pray that the Malagasy Christians may be strong and able to stand strong in Christ concerning the pressure they are daily facing from their physical families.

Pray that the Christian family here in Madagascar can encourage and strengthen their brothers and sisters in Christ concerning the pull they are feeling to remain tied to the physical family in order to be able to be buried in the family tomb.

Pray that the Malagasy people can cast off the customs of their ancestors in order to fully follow Christ, and be freed from the many don’ts of the Malagasy lifestyle that demand total allegiance to the physical family.