We would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to three of our new Sisters in Christ.  April 16, 2006 was truly a day of rejoicing for the Ambohimarina congregation.  All three of these women have attended the Ambohimarina congregation for quite some time.  The two on the left (Celine, left and Florence, middle) have worshipped faithfully for over one year now.  Both of these young unmarried women are active with a group of young people that get together to sing praises to the Lord every Saturday afternoon.  The woman on the far right of the picture has attended the Ambohimarina congregation for more than four years on a regular basis.  Her mother and father were added to His church back in January of 2003.  Now as a family, they are united not only in body, but more importantly in spirit.  For this we lift up our voices and praise the Lord.
 

HAJAMALALA Florence		RASOARIMALALA Celine
RAMAMONJISOA Marie Elina

          As always, we ask that you lift up these three new babes in Christ.  Please pray for their growth and spiritual strength in the coming weeks and months.  Especially pray for our new sister Elina.  She is married and has gone through some spiritual tests.  It was not to long ago that I took Elina and their youngest child to a local hospital.  The child had a high fever and was not responsive for over one week before we were asked to help the family in their time of need.  Shortly after taking the child to the hospital, she passed away. 
          Also, Elina's husband, Bruno is not a Christian.  We continue to talk with him and encouraged him to put on Christ as his Savior.  However, Bruno is still not ready to leave the temptations (drinking and worldly friends) of this present world and give his total life to Christ.  We do see that Bruno is trying to change, and for this we praise the Father.  Several times in the past few months Bruno has attended our weekly Saturday morning men's meetings in the company of his father in law, and he occasionally comes to worship with his wife.  We ask that you pray for Bruno and his wife Elina, as Bruno struggles with his problems.

Did You Know . . . 

. . . that Havilah and I drive about 9 kilometers (5.59 miles) to school each morning?  It takes us one hour to get there!  A few weeks ago, Havilah and I decided to do some research to try to figure out why it takes one hour to go 5.59 miles.  We counted.  On the way to school one day, we passed 160 city buses, 358 bicycles and motorcycles, 14 oxcarts, and 87 taxis, not to mention chickens, cows and dogs.  We didn't even try to count regular passenger cars.  Mind you!  The roads here are half as wide as the roads you drive on.  Havilah wanted to try to count the pedestrians.  She had a plan for me to count pedestrians on one side of the road and she would count pedestrians on the other.  She couldn't count the folks on her side, and I was driving!  I really couldn't count.  I would guess that the pedestrians number in the 10,000's between our house and the school.  This is Madagascar! 

WWYC visit in July 
          Plans are shaping up for World Wide Youth Camp to hold a three week, 12 lesson Vacation Bible School here at the Ambohimarina congregation.  They will impact the Betikara Lambs, the children and teenagers that attend classes each Sunday at Ambohimarina, the many local area children as well as many of the married Christian couples that are in the three congregations of Ambohimarina, Ankadivato and Ambohijatovo. 
          Two Saturdays during the visit of the World Wide Youth Camp group, we are scheduling a time for teaching on marriage.  These marriage classes will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. each Saturday, and are going to be taught by Mark and Miriam Upton, who are well versed in marriage counseling. 
          We now have exact dates for the time in Madagascar.  A group of 7 volunteers will arrive on Friday, July 7th at 9:55 p.m. and for the next three weeks will teach classes to the children and teenagers of the Ambohimarina congregation and children and teenagers that come to attend classes from the surrounding communities of Ambohimarina and Ambatolampy.  The WWYC group will leave Madagascar on Monday, July 31st at 12:50 a.m. 
          Topics for daily lessons have been selected and the lessons for each day are well on there way to completion.  Each day for the twelve days we will address a different topic.  These are the topics that were chosen: Friendship, Courage, Prayer, Compassion, Obedience, Love, Purity, Giving, Faith, Perseverance, Forgiveness and Joy 
          We look forward to this time, not only for the fruit that it will bear in the nearby communities through evangelization, but also for the growth that it will bring in each Christian that comes in contact with the World Wide Youth Camp group of volunteers.  We look forward to the encouragement and insights that our present teachers will receive in helping them better impart His word to the congregation and the surrounding communities. 
          We ask you to remember this forthcoming time of teaching and the preparation that is in progress, both in the United States and here in Madagascar.  Pray that the World Wide Youth Camp volunteers will be able to raise the necessary funds for their trip and that they can arrive safely in Madagascar on Friday, July 7, 2006.  Pray that together we can strengthen the community of believers already worshipping in Madagascar, as well as reach out to those who still do not know the Savior.
 

Kit is back to school for the third term of his Junior year.  The big banquet is over; it's back to the grind until July 15 for our boy/man.  He's just signed up for his Senior classes and he's looking forward to being big man on campus next school year.  He needs your prayers.  The idea of going back to the States and finding something to do that suits him is a tremendous step.  We are all feeling a bit lost right now.  It's been so long since we've been in the States and the thought of Kit going there to live is more than we can imagine just now.  This miniature missionary needs to find some direction as he heads into adult life.

This month we use this section of the newsletter to let you know a little about the Madagascar team.  This month we feature Romain and Nivo. 

Native Malagasy 

• Highly respected and loved by the Malagasy people 
• Supported by McKnight Road Church of Christ, MO 
• Working with the Ambohijatovo congregation 
• Running a Christian Counseling Center 
• Working with preaching points in Majunga and Mampikony 

•  Pray for the preparations that are in progress for the visit of the W.W.Y.C. volunteers to Madagascar during the month of July. 
• Pray for the three women who have recently accepted the Lord into their lives.  Pray especially for Bruno, Elina's husband, so he can join his wife in serving our Lord and Master. 
• Pray for the Rakotomalala family as they serve the Savior with their many talents.  Pray for the Ambohijatovo congregation that Romain and Nivo work with on a regular basis. 
• Pray for our family, and the many decisions that we have before us concerning Kit and his future education, wherever that may lead us.