Among the Malagasy People of Madagascar
Go ... and make disciples of all nations
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Among the Malagasy People of Madagascar Go ... and make disciples of all nations |
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| Volume 17, Number 11 | November 2002 |
| The Barry Rosie family have worked on the mission field in Africa for more than 16 years under the oversight of the: |
Church of Christ c/o Phillip Young 140 C.R. 170 Corinth, MS 38834 |
Don Farris - 601-287-2548 Eugene Holland - 601-287-1721 Leroy Reed - 601-287-2556 |
| Did you ever wonder. . .
who baptized John the Baptist so that he too would be prepared for a better life with the Messiah? We’ve got the answer! Rivo did! Last Sunday morning at our three congregation gathering and picnic. Read all about it in this newsletter October 27th.
Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:25 Some would call it a church picnic but it was far more than a church picnic. It was the first time three congregations met together for worship. And it was the birth of a fourth congregation of the body of Christ here in Madagascar. It was a wonderful day. We wish you could have been here with us. We were 200+ in number and 25% were visitors. We gathered together,
baptized two (marking the birth
of the fourth congregation),
Isn’t this a beautiful spot for a baptism? worshipped,
shared lunch,
sang, sang, and sang some more,
and just generally enjoyed our day together. These four groups have big plans for becoming an even closer knit family in the coming year. Please pray for them.
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We recently had an accident at the Betikara land. The rock workers break huge rocks by hand using a system of chiseling, wedging, and sledge hammering off huge sections of rock. A few weeks ago, when one worker attempted to sledge hammer off a section, a chip of rock flew up and pierced his throat. Barry was not present at the land at the time. He received a phone call from the foreman, after the other workers had rushed the injured man to the hospital (well, not exactly rushed in the sense that you understand rushed). Barry raced to the hospital to find the man with a hole in his throat. Knowing this country well though, Barry stopped at the nearest pharmacy before going on to the hospital and purchased oral antibiotics, antibiotic cream and tetanus medicine to treat the wound. When they reached the hospital, they found the man could talk and he could drink. The doctors had taken an x-ray and determined that there were no foreign objects embedded in the hole, but since he could talk and drink they opted to do nothing more. Barry was not satisfied. He insisted they use the tetanus medicine he had brought along with him, and he himself directed the worker in how to use the antibiotics. Were the workers unhappy with Barry’s treatment of one of his workers? NO. They were very satisfied with Barry’s help. After all, it was more than the doctors did. Why then, you may ask, did the workers mutiny? They mutinied because the accident never would have happened if Barry had only sacrificed a cow more than a year ago, asking the ancestors to bless the building of this new home for the orphans. Actually, mutiny is maybe too strong a word, but this last month Barry has been fighting a tremendous spiritual battle using prayer and using his Bible as his sword in trying to reason with these men. A week ago, Barry himself fell while working at the Betikara land and suspects that he cracked on of his metacarpals (bones of the hand). He received the expected “I told you so!” reactions all over again. “If you had only sacrificed a cow!” As you can well imagine, morning devotionals and Bible studies at the land have become very lively. Just as Jesus’ words divided the people of Israel into two groups (those who believed and those who didn’t), Barry’s teaching from the Bible has divided the ranks at the Betikara land into two groups (those who believe and those who don’t). There is some value in that division. It has caused the workers to stop passively listening and has motivated them to study the Word for themselves. Twice in the last month I have taken Malagasy friends to see the Betikara land and building for themselves in an effort to help them understand our work, and both times, one of those Malagasy workers has jumped in and given a wonderful eyewitness account for God’s glory about how prayer helped that man with the hole in his throat instead of an animal sacrifice to appease the ancestors. “It’s amazing,” he says “We carried that man out of here covered in blood, gasping for air, and sure he was going to die because we didn’t sacrifice cows. But! We prayed instead, and there is that man right down the hill there, breaking rocks as if he never was hurt!” Their spiritual lives have been challenged and now, they must make a choice. Two have already been baptized (page 2 of this newsletter) and two more have already spoken up and are seriously considering as they continue to learn about a Savior who is more powerful even than the ancestors. Please, pray for them. |
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| What
can you do?
You can pray!
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| Miniature Missionaries
What does your child want to do during a school break? We thought you might enjoying hearing what the miniature missionaries choose to do during a school break. First, they want to walk up to the local open market to buy fresh fish. Then, they gather outside around a little plastic basin and clean their fish, stew it whole over a charcoal burner with tomatoes and onions. Of course they cook a big pot of rice too. Can’t have a picnic in Madagascar without rice! Spread a blanket on the front lawn, call in the neighborhood children (and any mommas who care to join in the fun) and . . . Voila!. . . a school break picnic. All that for less than $2.00 and Momma didn’t even have to clean fish or do dishes! |
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B.P. 7554 Antananarivo 101 Madagascar Tel. 011-261-32-02-081-14 http:\\www.madagascar-mission.org |
We welcome you to join us in this work for Him . . .
