Musings on Madagascar: Restful Catching Up

Since getting back from the funeral not a whole lot has happened. There has been the run of the mill getting hit on by French and Australian guys, inconvenient power outages, bakery visits (I’m becoming a bit of a croissant junkie), and really big bugs. This trip, in comparison to other mission trips that I have been on is very unplanned and laidback even. I didn’t come with any team for a short stay and I wasn’t sent by any organization that gave me any specific job to do. I just got on a plane (or four planes, to be more exact) and came to live with my sister and watch her work. Tessa’s work is very wrapped up in language and, since I don’t speak Malgasy (although I am picking up a bit), there is not a lot I can do. It’s kinda interesting because even though I am on the other side of the world I am getting the same if not more rest and recharging that I would have been getting this summer in the US. I’ve had time to do lots of reading and stuff like that and we go to bed really early since it gets dark so early. But I do have the girls’ biblestudy which seems to be going well. I am learning a lot from Ruth, there are so many signs of God’s providence and care. The girl’s are all really sweet and having Tessa translate has been an interesting experience. The weather here is beautiful, breezy and warm, but the kind of warmth that you want to bask in, not the kind that makes you all sweaty. At least not today :) I think I am finally really truly adjusting to life here. That makes me really happy because there were a few days that were really rough. There were things here that I didn’t expect to deal with: always feeling a little dirty, feeling a bit isolated from really any English speaker other than my sister, not feeling like I’m really doing a ton. God has been helping me get into His Word more than I had made time for before, it's just been some good “be still and know that I am God” time. The time with Tessa has been wonderful, we were talking about it one day and said that we didn’t think we would have been friends if we hadn’t been sisters but since we are we really are the best of friends. I think this time has been a real ministry to both of us! I know that I have been remiss in taking pictures, let alone in uploading them but here are a few from the trip and here in Toliara that might interest ya’ll. I hope that everyone is having the beginnings of a very restful and peaceful week. Why restful and peaceful? Because it is so important, to really feel like we have time to sit and soak in the Word, to stop and appreciate a laugh or a smile. I pray that both you and I start to eagerly look at our world to see all the little blessings God sends our way, He likes it when His children smile :)