Among the Malagasy People of Madagascar
Go ... and make disciples of all nations
Matthew 28:19
| His
Work
Among the Malagasy People of Madagascar Go ... and make disciples of all nations
|
|
| Volume 21, Number 5 | May 2007 |
| The Barry Rosie family have worked on the mission field in Africa for more than 21 years under the oversight of the: | Fraley’s Chapel
Church of Christ c/o Phillip Young 140 C.R. 170 Corinth, MS 38834 |
Elders
Eugene Holland - 662-287-1721 Jerry Bates - 662-287-3351 |
|
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." It does not seem possible that Martin and Claudine were baptized four years ago. This was during the time that the Ambohimarina congregation was still worshipping in Rivo’s fathers house in Ambohijanahary. At that time Martin and Claudine were walking 5 miles one way every Sunday to meet together with their Christian family. (We did not start worshipping at Ambohimarina until March 2003.) Many things have happened during those four years. One of the greatest things that I have noticed is their growing dedication to our Lord and Savior. They are always present for worship on Sundays, and Martin is active in serving communion or taking part in the collection. On Saturdays, even though the number of men is often low, Martin is always present and ready to study and participate in the time of teaching and discussions that help us grow spiritually in the Lord.
There was a time
that Martin and Claudine were not so dedicated to the Lord. Martin and
Claudine struggle with many temptations. One of the biggest temptations
that they have is drinking. Like many of the Malagasy Christians, Martin
and Claudine used to drink all of the time. The turning point in their
lives came when they were drinking one night at home after the children
were in bed. They were both drunk and Martin knocked a kerosene lamp off
of a cupboard (they live in the country and do not have electricity in
their home) spilling kerosene on his left side in the process. The lamp
started the kerosene on fire and Martin started to burn along with his
house. Martin and Claudine were able to put out the fire in their house,
but because of the kerosene the fire burned deeply into Martin’s side causing
severe burning all the way down to his rib cage in some places. An area
of skin and flesh about one foot in diameter was burned by the fire. It
was over a year and many trips to the doctor before Martin started feeling
some relief. There will always be a large scar on Martin’s side to remind
him of his past life.
|
| Did You Know. . .
. . . that all is not peace and quiet in Madagascar these days even with Marc Ravalomanana as president. Here is a short section out of a recent (May 3, 2007) Warden message that we received from the American Embassy in Antananarivo. In recent days, unrelated demonstrations in several coastal cities in Madagascar have strengthened and expanded beyond their original base. Demonstrators in Tulear (Toliara) abducted and held a government official hostage and looted local stores, while police in Diego Suarez (Antsiranana) fired on demonstrators, wounding one. Several Malagasy citizens who are ethnically from the central highlands, a region historically at odds with the coastal areas, have departed coastal cities as a precaution.Although the demonstrations began with limited protestors protesting specific topics, the demonstrations have become more generalized and widespread. |
| this and that
A Time to Relax During the one week visit of Fielden and Janet Allison we managed to get in two free afternoons. The first free afternoon was spent at the dike perusing the many different kinds of Malagasy hand made arts and crafts. Fielden and Janet were very interested in some items and we spent quite a bit of time bargaining for the items that they wanted to purchase. Am I glad that they did not want to go to every shop that was open that day. :-) The Allison’s had certain items in mind that they wanted to purchase so that made our visit to the dike more manageable. The second free afternoon was more for enjoyment. We went to a relatively new Lemur park that is about a 45 minute drive from our house. Even the drive was enjoyable, since it did not involve any city traffic. The Allison’s got to see some of the Malagasy countryside. Once at the Lemur park we hired a tour guide and started to learn about the many different types of flora and fauna in Madagascar. Since this is a private park and not a natural reserve of Madagascar we were able to get quite close to some of the animals that were at the park.
Even though the
Allison’s did not stay long in Madagascar we pray that the teaching they
did on marriage and family will have a lasting influence on the Malagasy
Christians and people of Madagascar.
|
|
||||||||||||||||||
| Miniature Missionaries
We have some good news concerning Kit’s forthcoming university education. We recently applied for the Missionary Child scholarship through Faulkner University. All present indications are that Kit will receive that scholarship. Please pray that this scholarship is awarded to Kit for his studies at Faulkner University. The scholarship will mean an 80% reduction in the tuition costs that we will be paying each year. Havilah continues to grow and express herself in many different ways. Recently Havilah is getting to be known at the American School of Antananarivo as the student that everyone else can depend on. This is especially true for her eighth grade class mates. Right now is Civics class, Havilah is not only helping her own team to finish their project, but she is being called on by the other team members for support and ideas on how they can finish their project on time. Even the eighth grade math teacher is depending on Havilah to go around and help the other students with their in class and homework assignments. We are proud of Havilah and her willingness to take on these “unnecessary” responsibilities. It just shows how concerned Havilah is for the other students and how willing she is to help others. We pray that she will continue to reach out in this way as she continues to mature in Him. |
| Rosie Family Furlough Update
I am sure that we are all used to hearing the phrase, “the best laid plans of mice and men”. Well, it seems that we are not even out of the starting gate and things are already changing. Our date to leave Madagascar of July 11, 2007 is still the same. The date for our arrival in the United States of July 16, 2007 has not changes so far. But, we recently found out that Faulkner University is involved in building new dormitories this coming summer and that the work is not going to be completed on time. The original date that we announced for Kit arriving at Faulkner University has changed by three weeks. The new date that Kit needs to arrive at Faulkner is now September 3, 2007 instead of August 11, 2007. This change in dates means that I will have more time to visit with a couple of churches before taking Kit for the Faulkner Freshman Experience that starts on September 4, 2007. This change also means that I will not be at Fraley’s Chapel Church of Christ on August 22, 2007 for the Wednesday night bible study. I will probably stay in Montgomery, Alabama until Thursday morning and arrive in Corinth, Mississippi on Thursday afternoon, September 6, 2007. These dates are liable to change if the University sends us another notice of date changes. The above change of dates leaves our plans to visit you sketchier than ever, but there may be a silver lining to all of the clouds. We are going to try and change our booking for flights that will return Stacy and Havilah to Madagascar. If we succeed this change will give Stacy and Havilah one more week in the United States and might make it possible for them to be with Kit and I when we visit Three Chopt Road Church of Christ in Richmond, Virginia. Please continue to pray for our ever changing plans and for our visit to the United States. |
| What can you do?
You can pray!
|
We welcome you to join us in this work for Him . . .
| Barry, Stacy, Kit and Havilah Rosie
B.P. 7554 101 Antananarivo Madagascar Tel. 011-261-32-02-081-14
|
