Living in Madagascar continues to bring many changes for us from what we were used to in Kenya.  In Kenya we worked with numerous congregations.  Or, should I say, we tried to work with numerous congregations.  Often we found it impossible to visit a congregation of the Lord’s body more than once a year on a Sunday, because the congregations were just too many in number to visit more often.  Here in Madagascar we have worked with three congregations to date.  However, we have only worked with one congregation at a time.  We see a definite advantage to this kind of plan.
          Since we are with the Christians on a daily basis, we have more opportunities to interact with individuals, and to get to know the members of each congregation personally.  We have more opportunities to teach on a daily basis, and to show the Christians God’s will for their lives.  Instead of just teaching and then hurrying to leave and go to the next congregation that needs teaching, we have more time to teach by example.  This has made it possible for us to not only encourage, but to also counsel some members.  We were never able to have this type of relationship in Kenya due to lack of time and the distance between congregations.
          One of the aspects of having more time to work with a single congregation that I have enjoyed, is our weekly marriage classes that are held each Tuesday morning out at Ambohimarina.  There was a time in the past that we held weekly marriage classes.  These classes were stopped due to various reasons.  But, it was not long until I was approached by one married couple and asked to restart the classes.  I was told that the classes were needed, and that it helped the couple concerned to be more spiritually minded and to not fight with each other on a regular basis.  In the interim while there were no marriage classes, I was spending a lot of time counseling this same couple concerning their relationship to God and to each other.
          When the marriage classes resumed we were only three in number.  Since that time word has spread and we have increased in number.  We did not actively seek a new couple to join our group, rather, they approached us and asked if they could be included in the classes.  Each week we have a time of united prayer concerning marriage and the various topics that are discussed.  Now, there are five individuals that attend the marriage classes.  There are two married couples in attendance and myself.  One couple has been married for 2 years and the other couple for 15 years.  Even though there is a big difference in the actual time the couples have been married, we are finding that many things we talk about weekly are felt needs of both couples.  Each class is supposed to be one hour in length, but often the classes stretch to two hours.  Because we are meeting on a regular basis, we are starting to get to understand and know each other better.  This is allowing us to talk about marriage in a personal way, relating to the family life of the two married couples that are in attendance.
          We continue to enjoy our time together on Tuesdays.  There is a great need for teaching concerning marriage in Madagascar.  We are not naive in thinking that we can teach or change the whole island of Madagascar concerning their traditional marriage beliefs.  We do, however, want to share the teaching God has given us concerning marriage and family life with the congregation at Ambohimarina.
 Lord willing, we will be discussing the 2007 plan for the Ambohimarina congregation with the men of the congregation soon.  Several have already expressed a desire for the topic of study in the year 2007 to be, “Marriage and Family life”.  We will be praying about this topic.  We ask you to petition the Lord on our behalf, as we seek His will for the future of the Ambohimarina congregation.  Traditional marriage in Madagascar is not God’s plan for marriage.  We see a lot of areas that can be nurtured through showing the Malagasy people just what God intends for their lives.
 

Doris Stutzman Soon to Arrive
          She’s a dear friend from Indiana, Pennsylvania.  She’s kept up with our work (both church work and Betikara) for many years.   She tried to come several years ago, but 9/11 got in the way.  For the last three months, she has been nursing at Chimala Mission in Tanzania.  We are delighted and privileged to catch her off the plane for a ten-day trip to Madagascar.  We hope she’s not too tired from her three-month nursing tour to enjoy both Christians and Lambs in Madagascar.  Thank you for coming, Doris.

Special Prayers, Please
 . . . for the Gailyn Van Rheenan family, who lost their eldest son in a trucking accident this last week.  We were recruited to the mission field in Kenya by Gailyn and his wife Becky more than twenty years ago.  We overlapped with their family on the field for just a little over a year.  Jonathan, their oldest son, was just heading into his teenage years at that time.  We haven’t seen him since all those years ago.  Gailyn and Becky, Jonathan’s brother and sisters, and his wife and two small children need your prayers at this time.  Thank you.

Thank you, Jerry and Paula

          It was a lovely visit.  Jerry and Paula spent twelve days with us.  Jerry had the opportunity to speak at all three town congregations.  They attended the wedding of a young Christian couple, worked and played with the kids at the orphanage, saw a little of the Malagasy countryside and got to know the Rosie family.  We thank you for your time and your love, Jerry and Paula.  We are praying for your work.
 

This afternoon our students and staff leaders who plan to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro for Interim were on a hike in the forest above RVA. They had made it up to the top by main highway when they were approached by a middle aged man with a gun who ordered them to drop their bags, wallets, watches and any other valuables. . . The group is obviously going through some emotional trauma from the event. . . We have debriefed all those involved and they seem to be doing quite well all considered. We will continue to offer extra emotional support in the days ahead.

Those years are quickly coming up when Kit will be on his own and this Mom is nervous.  Please keep him in prayers as he spends this last little time developing good coping habits and learning to lean on his Savior before he has to face the real world.
 

           Saturday, February 18, 2006 was the big day for Dinand And Mbola to be united in marriage.  This marked a first for the congregation at Ambohimarina.  We hosted our first wedding and our first wedding reception after the wedding was finished.  There were about 150 in attendance for the festivities.  We pray a special blessing on Dinand and Mbola as they start their life together.  May the Savior always be at the front of their minds and be followed in everything that this newly married couple does together throughout the years ahead.  We also pray that the church in Madagascar can give them strength to grow in the Lord as they mature both physically and spiritually.

• Pray for Dinand and Mbola as they start their life together.  Pray that they can be strong leaders in His church on the island of Madagascar.
• Pray for the safe travel of Doris Stutzman as she works in Tanzania and as she comes to Madagascar to visit His work.
• Pray for our family.  Pray that we can be the examples we need to be to the Malagasy people.  Pray that we can trust in God to take care of our family that is in two different nations.
• Pray for the church at Ambohimarina as we continue to teach, encourage and try to strengthen both Christian men and women to be servants for Christ in every aspect of their lives.