Lost in Translation...or, found

Over my time here there have been all sorts of funny things that have been said to me or Tessa and she has turned around and translated them to me, such as “One of them is my wife!!”  Luckily Tessa and I have similar senses of humor, so the things that she finds funny and translates for me are generally pretty good.  Today, when we were getting the bike tires fixed, we took it to the same place that had repaired our truck tires a few days ago.  When Tessa got back in the car she looked at me and said, “I’m not sure exactly what the man said but I think it was ‘No, we don’t fix bike tires, but for you my girlfriend, we will.’ ”  We decided it was that or he said that his girlfriend could fix them, which, if it were the case, would be a truly perfect match, the truck tire man with the bike tire lady!  Several times we have ordered at restaurants and gotten food that we were not quite expecting, one night I ordered a chocolate crepe with ice creme and got a honey crepe with whipped creme, the next time I repeated my order and got a chocolate crepe with ice creme, it adds a bit of spice to every meal to never really be sure what will come out of the kitchen.  

And then there is the trip itself, translating from what I had been expecting all last semester, an Africa adventure, to what it really has been.  And to be honest I’m not sure I can say what it has been.  Ya know those days when you bum around until you think you simply must do something?  Well I never expected to have those here, I came so that I wouldn’t have them.  But I have still had a few, there are days when Tessa is at one of her story crafting groups or working on computer work when I just lazily lay around.  A few time I have found something constructive to do, I made a braided rug for Tessa’s bedroom one day, and a budget for myself another.  It has just been interesting to see my response to these days, this feeling of I’m supposed to be DOING something.  But, in the midst of the few days of bumming I have had the chance to spend time with the nifty folks at Tessa’s church and try to build some sort of a relationship with the girls in the youth group here.  I have gotten to experience so many parts of this really unique culture.  I have gotten to see a beautiful beach and enjoy amazing balm breezy weather.  Next week Tessa and I will take an over crowded taxibus out to the forest where I will get to visit a village and see that whole side of Madagascar while Tessa works with her story crafting group out there.  And I have learned a lot about doing ministry for the long haul, about the differences between little one-week trips and living in a place for several years.  God has blessed me with a clearer image of the kind of ministry that my heart is burdened for.  I have been thinking about all of this a lot as I am coming to the close of my time here in Toliara before the week in the forest and then my parents coming for a week before the three of us head home.  I in no way regret coming, I actually lament leaving.  Nor do I regret the fact that I had several lazy days.  Rest is good, it’s important, it’s a blessing from God.  When it is applied properly that is.  I am not good at doing nothing.  There were several of those bum days when I got all in a tizy because I wasn’t doing anything, I wouldn’t have any good stories, etc.  When I should have been taking that time to delve into the Word, I should have been seeking rest with my Savior and focusing on what He was teaching me on this trip.  So I suppose that is my regret.  That I let my idea of how this summer was supposed to turn out slightly tarnish my perception of how it really has been, my enjoyment of what it really is.  But, looking at the calendar I still have a while before I will actually be back in the States and can say that the trip is over, done, ended, terminated.  And with the time that I have left I plan to just take whatever comes and not try to make it what it is not, what I think it ought to be.  If “God is most glorified in us when we are must satisfied in Him” [John Piper] then I need to be seeking God and seeing the opportunities that He is bringing my way, not seeking the opportunities that I think should be coming, expecting them to bring me to God.  My eyes must be on Abba.  And I hope, faithful reader who has come to the bottom of this long post, that this has encouraged you also, to put your eyes, your focus, your desire on Christ.  Not on the work you are doing for Him.  Let your motivation for each day, for each thing, start with Him.  He doesn’t disappoint.  If we start with Him, allow Him to give us a glimpse of His vision, each day, whatever it may hold, will live up to its potential to glorify Him!  I’ll stop here, since I know full well of my tendency to ramble, but as alway, I like comments, a lot.  And I hope and pray that this day, you will make time to delve into the Father and let him lead.  Have a beautiful day!

Cornrows and Independence!

Sorry it’s been a while between updates(maybe the plethora of pictures at the bottom will make up for it), but this last weeks was one of those where all of the exciting things come at the end, and since Tessa and I both had the sniffles at the beginning of the week, there’s not much to say about it.  The weekend, though, has been nonstop, so here’s the rundown.  

Friday Tessa and I went to the beach with a family of Australian missionaries.  It was ‘the tops’ as they say!  The beach here is amazing!  We drove out over the dunes, it looked like a desert till you rounded a curve and there was the beautiful ocean!  I had forgotten how much I missed swimming in salty ocean water!  So that was Friday, it was so cool to see this huge beach and be the only people you could see for miles, pretty different from the beaches that I am used to in the US.  

Sunday is the Malagasy Independence Day so on Saturday we had a big party with the youth group.  Independence Day is a really big deal here and everyone seemed to be having some sort of ‘fety’ or party.  We went over to the church and hung out for a bit, waiting till everyone got there, during which time I got my hair braided up, it’s amazing how fast she was able to do it!  Then the whole group went as a whole to visit with Mark, Mamy’s son, and from there we all went, with Mark, to watch the fireworks.  They were supposed to start at 7....they started around 7:45 (this is africa!).  While we waited, we sang.  Seems to be one of the most common Malagasy pastimes. I love to listen to them sing, it seems like every Malagasy person out there has a beautiful strong voice and knows every song by heart.  And of course there is the fact that they all have this innate sense of rhythm!  We even sang a few songs in English!  I joined in those.  The fireworks were great!!  They went on for almost a good hour and there were all kinds!!  After that we drove everyone back to the church where most of them stayed the night and came home.  Today we had church and then we all ate together for lunch.  We had chicken and beef, rice, and a tomato, vinegar type salad.  Malagasy cooking is amazing.  I was talking to Tessa and said, ya know, I bet I could make this in the States.  She said, you could try, but it will never taste to same.  And I’m sure she is right, sorry folks.  I’m still sniffing quite a bit so I slept all afternoon, and that, ladies and gents was the weekend.

Probably my favorite part was hanging out with everyone while waiting for the fireworks and while eating lunch today.  The girls are all so sweet and warm.  They laugh at almost anything, including my sad attempts at speaking Malagasy and their rather good attempts at speaking English.  The language barrier here does one of two things.  It either makes you feel very isolated or it stretches you and gives you a ton of things to laugh about.  And from what I have seen in myself these past few weeks, it largely depends on your attitude going into the situation.  It’s like when you wake up, you could just lay there (that would be being isolated) or you can put in the effort and stretch.  Of course, the situation also makes a difference.  For example, when Tessa is having some serious conversation with someone, one that doesn’t lend itself to being translated, I just have to stand there.  But when we are hanging out with people in a group and I am able to smile my way around, pick up on some stuff, and have Tessa translate a bit, it’s a lot easier to feel at ease.  There are all those cheesy quotes about “Everyone smiles in the same language!”  And it really is true, if you can figure out that something funny is happening, you can join in.  And it seems that with this wonderful group of students, there is a lot to laugh about!  Today, while we were eating, I had been served a really big portion of the salad like first course and I wanted to save room for the chicken and rice, so Tessa asked Mark if he wanted to finish it for me.  This, and the berating that I received for not being able to put away as much food as him, were funny enough in themselves, but the best part was, when we had moved on to the chicken and rice, Mark looked over at Tessa with the funniest grin on his face and said, “Tessa, I’m full, do you think you could ask your sister to finish my food for me?”  Maybe it’s one of those had-to-be-there-stories, but to me it’s an example of the fun that I am able to share with the people here even though I can’t speak to them directly.  

There is a lot more that I want to share with all you folks.  A few things that I have dealt with along the lines of culture shock, as well as a few really funny things that Tessa has translated for me.  But I expect to have some down time this week as we get ready for the trip to the forest, so I’ll work on getting those out to you then.  Hope everyone has a good Sabbath and Happy Madagascar Independence Day!!

"Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together!  I sought the Lord, and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears.”

Psalms 34:3-4

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 :)

Nothing like a 3-inch centipede to make a night interesting

One of the main roads from Toliara

There are lots of goats here :)

Our plane to Tana was a bit of a low rider

The Toliara airport

View from the plane, there is just so much untouched beauty here!

View as we were driving up to the gravesite

Malagasy tombs

View from the top of the hill!

The proceeds of a trip to the market, the price of which totaled at about $4.50

The Funeral Trip

I’ve been putting off writing this post, mainly because there is just so much to say.  We left for the funeral on Tuesday morning, around 5, and got back Thursday morning around 10.  The trip was a blessing for both Tessa and I on so many levels and I guess I don’t know which level to start talking about first.  As the Mad Hatter said in the original Alice in Wonderland, “Start at the beginning! And, when you get to the end, stop!”

When we got to the airport the flight was delayed a full 2 hrs.  Tessa and I just said ok and waited, in a tiny airport with only one gate, there’s really no way to fight the system.  Once we landed in Tana we got a taxi, went to the supermarket to stock up on meat that we can’t get in Toliara, and went to the house of the missionaries that we were staying with.  Now that last sentence makes it sound really easy, and it wasn’t exactly hard, but it was not the way I think you are imagining it.  The cabs are holdovers from the 50’s and the streets are as full of people and cars as they can be.  The traffic was especially bad this week because there is some sort of gas shortage going on and there were long lines out into the street at every gas station.  At some point I will have to share with you all a detailed description of the skill of Malagasy drivers, but it will have to come later.

Once at the missionaries house we froze the meat and headed back out.  We took a taxi-bus to meet up with some of Tessa’s friends and then took another taxi-bus outside the city to Mamy’s house.  [Taxi-bus: 13 passenger van rigged to carry about 25+ people]  

A quick description of a traditional Malagasy funeral.  The body is laid out in the front room of the house with candles and flowers.  Chairs are set up in the room in rows.  The family sits on the front row and then any other close friends of the family fill in the chairs behind.  All throughout the time from the death to the time of the funeral groups of people will come in to pay their respects.  Each group will have one person who does the talking and then a very close friend of the family will respond for them, so that they never have to talk.  The group will generally bring a gift of money, to help pay for the expense of the funeral and all of the guests during the wake.  They will shake hands with the family and then leave.  Then there is the wrapping of the body, the funeral, and the burial, but I’ll get to those later.  

Tessa and I came in during this time and it was so good to see how much everyone appreciated her being there.  She was among friends, people whom she had worked with and gone to church with and served with during her two years living in Tana.  After she hugged and talked with the family we sat down and watched as the groups came in.  Most of the people seated in the chairs would be staying the night and had probably stayed the night before as well.  We decided to leave and come back in the morning.  We got up the next day around 7 to take a taxi to where we would catch the taxi-bus again.  When we got to the house we offered to help with the preparations for lunch or the cleaning up after breakfast but everything was all under control so we sat down and watched as a few more groups came in.  Just before lunch time four older men came in.  It was their job to wrap the body.  The chairs were moved to make space and everyone stood around singing hymns while they wrapped Mamy in layer after layer of scarves.  This was the hardest part of the whole thing for everyone I think, I know it was the saddest part for me to watch.  Once she was wrapped and placed in the coffin we ate lunch, loaded into cars and buses, and went to the church for the actual funeral service.  The church was packed.  I couldn’t understand a word that was said but it was evident how many people loved Mamy and had been touched by her life.  After the funeral we loaded back into the buses and went to the burial.  Traditionally each Malagasy family will have a tomb and every deceased family member will be placed there.  The tombs are like square mausoleums that then go way down into the ground like a cellar.  Tombs are generally placed on the tops of hills so we rode the vans and buses as far up the hill as we could and the walked the rest of the way after the dirt road got too bad for driving.  Since Tana is so high up in elevation and since it is actually fall here it got really cold as the sun set.  We sang a few more hymns and then the body was placed into the tomb.  Afterwards we walked through the receiving line and said goodbye to the family, Tessa said goodbye to her other friends that were there, we got back on the buses, and made our way back into town.  When we got to our turnoff we got off the bus and, with the help of one of Tessa’s friends who understood the danger of two white girls walking around after dark, found a cab that we had called to meet us and went back to the missionaries' house.  

I know that that long description seems very dry and factual, there was just so much information I guess I didn’t know what else to do with it.  But there was ever so much more to it than I could ever really write about.  

One of my biggest struggles coming here has been not being able to communicate.  I know I said, gee, it’s gonna be really cool to learn how to communicate without words!  But it’s actually really hard.  I like being able to talk to whoever I want to whenever I want to and I can’t here.  Something about the situation of the funeral kind of negated that.  I felt welcomed by Tessa’s friends although it was a sad time there was an element of joy among the people I met, Malagasy people are really good at valuing fellowship. Also I just encountered more english speakers; the missionaries and many of the Malagasy people that I met.  Each night at the missionaries house we would sit around eating dessert and talking and laughing, Tessa and I were always really tired so there was an element of delirium there.  It was really a wonderful time of fellowship.

Also, Tana is a beautiful place, since it is in the hills the drives out of town to the family’s house, and especially out to the tomb, were beautiful!  All in all, despite the sad occasion, it was really a great trip and I know that nothing in this post can do it justice, it was one of those things where the facts lend themselves to writing much more readily than the emotions.  

Watching Grief

I have never been good at seeing, hearing, or watching grief.  Today I was thrown into what I am not good at with a twist.  I went to church with Tessa, tried to sing the songs, followed along with the scriptures, and tried to guess at the main theme of the message based on the passages.  I tried my hand at singing the songs but Malagasy on paper and Malagasy spoken are two rather different things, and it was more just humming the tune.  Near the end of the service one of the guys stood up and made an announcement.  Tessa didn’t understand it enough to translate it but the whole congregation began to cry.  We finally figured out that Mark had received word during the service that his mom, Mamy, had died suddenly in Tana, where Mark is from.  Mark’s dad is a pastor in Tana and Mamy had been very active in connecting the church there with the church here in Toliara.  She had a huge heart for the church here and had done a lot of work with the youth, so they were all very close to her.  Tessa had been very close with their whole family when she lived in Tana last year.  It was so hard to watch the grief of all of those around me and not even be able to tell them how sorry I was with words.  After church as we were all shaking hands all I could do was try to convey with my face that I cared for them in their pain.  Even at home with Tessa, as sad as I was to see her hurting and as much as I wanted to comfort her I could not identify with her pain, not having known Mamy as she did.  I pray that through this God will strengthen my heart for the body of Christ as one whole, pain sharing group.  

Tessa and I are flying to Tana for the funeral.  Please be praying for the family, Mark is just recovering from Typhoid and is on his way to Tana now, he has three sisters, one of whom is about to have her first baby.  Please be praying for the church there and here.  Everyone loved Mamy so much!  One person said, “We have all lost our mother.” 

The Most Beautiful Woman in the World, and other cultural adventures

         Today Tessa and I got up, ate breakfast and set out on foot to the church where we were meeting with one of her story crafting teams.  As we walked out of the gate she looked at me and asked, “Ok Molly, are you ready to be the most beautiful woman ever to walk the earth?” I laughed, having heard her stories and sure enough, as we rounded the corner to the main road, it all began.  The Malagasy word for “white person” is vazaha and there is no stigma in the culture that discourages calling out to a vazaha girl from the side of the road.  While traipsing over the muddy (yet somehow still dusty) roads we were greeted with calls of “Bonjour Vazaha!!” from the men and boys in the various stalls and shops.  There were, of course, some that were much bolder.  These were shouted in Malagasy, unbeknownst to them, Tessa understood every word.  Of these my personal favorite for the day was a teenage boy who saw us and then ran off to his friends yelling, “One of those is my wife!! One of those is my wife!!”  

         There were many times during the day (and I expect this to continue for all of my time here) that I wished I was fluent in Malagasy.  One of the ladies in the story crafting group that we worked with today is a elderly lady whom we call Be-Be, grandma.  Her face is worn but lively, her dialect dated, and her reasoning very culturally illustrative.  As I sat, listening to the conversation and Tessa’s translation this is what I heard.  

Be-Be: Tessa, is it just the two of you in your family?

Tessa: Yes, just us.

Be-Be: OH!! No brothers? (this accompanied by a very sad face) How old is your mother?

Tessa: She is 60

Be-Be: Oh, that is too old for you to have a brother, I will pray that you will get married very soon so that you can have a son, so that your father will not be without a boy.  

I was glad at least that the pressure was on her and not me.

Everyone here who sees me and Tessa side by side think that I am the older of the two.  Tessa is taller but she is just built so small that I suppose I seem older.  They told Tessa over and over that she needed to drink more hot water because it was hot water that would make her grow big and strong (like me).

I am loving soaking all of this in! Today was the first day of the Ruth study with the youth group girls and I think it went really well!  It is a new experience to work with a translator and figure out when to pause to let her talk but I’m still excited about it!  I am praying for a deep love for these girls and that I would see them grow in faith over my time here, and that I would allow them to see me grow as well!  I have discovered though, that late at night when I am tired, or when there is a particularly nasty bug to kill that satan has the chance to tear me down and discourage me.  It was a comfort tonight to sit and have my Abba remind me that all of the thoughts that are pulling me down are not things that He would ever tell me.  My God is not a god of tired, or this is too hard, or my bed in America is softer.  He is a God of new adventures each day and the sustaining power that brings glory to light and is all the strength I need in times of weakness!  And of course on that note I am super excited about tomorrow’s adventure a chance to worship the Sustainer with these faithful believers. 

A little bit about Toliara

Toliara is much smaller than the capital city, Antananarivo, where Tessa has lived for the past two years and where I had visited her.  There are fewer cars and more people travel on foot or bike or in “pouss-pouse” which are the Malagasy equivalent of a rickshaw.  The roads are much wider and the town seems cleaner.  However, poverty is everywhere and there is a fairly obvious gap between the businesses that are here for the wealthy French and those that are here for the everyday resident.  One of my favorite things about coming to Madagascar has always been the color, there is so much of it everywhere!! The people dress in colorful clothes, the buildings are bright, the street vendors all have brightly colored wares, and of course all of the color is reflected by the sun.  As the days pass I will try to pass along any nifty goings ons or dandy pictures that come my way.  Here are a few to get us started.  

A street, those are Pouse-Pouse.

The post office. 

And a little puppy I met while shopping :D