Heart of Madagascar

I am convinced that the heart of Madagascar lies deep within its people. I have never experienced a more warm, fun-loving and friendly group of people. Contrary to the animated movie, Madagascar is inhabited by over 16 million people and most lemurs live in national parks. 65% of the people are under the age of 24. And the average life expectancy is around 49 years. To say that this is a very young population is to put it mildly. Whenever we go out people are always saying Bonjour Vaza (hello foreigner); of course four blond white girls kind of stand out here. Despite that, we have had tea or dinner with several Malagasy families. Relationships are very important and we have learned much during these times.

Madagascar is where Africa meets Asia infused with a little French. This is a place like none other. Technically Madagascar is part of Africa but it is very Asian. Many of the people look like they’ve come from the other side of the Indian Ocean (above Australia). Rice is a staple. There are animals and plants here that are found nowhere else on earth. The official language is Malagasy, but a lot of French is also spoken, especially for business.

The challenge: To reach over 8 million kids with the gospel. Many of those children do not go to school or read very well. Many of those children do not live in areas that are easy to get to. Book of Hope has been in Madagascar for several years and distributed a lot of books but the task is huge. Madagascar is the fourth largest island; the length of California and Oregon. The roads are winding and few. Many places require 4 wheel drive, planes or boats to get to.

Andrea, Kate, Mindy and I are here to help train a new national coordinator and help expand the partnerships with groups already doing ministry in some of the remote places. This first month was spent getting to know some of our new partners and learning about the culture. The next two months we have many trainings scheduled where we will also be doing a little bit of traveling. We are excited about our coordinator; she has the vision and the connections to get the job done. And while our time is relatively short here, we hope to train many leaders who can carry out this task so that the future of Madagascar will be bright. These people are absolute gems, they definitely have captured my heart.

Photos: www.flickr.com/photos/kimart4ch

Tarantulas, Scorpions, and Geckos

A summer spent in Honduras has taught me many things:

1. Never judge a team from first impressions (they're not quite themselves the first few days
   
2. Honduran heat is relative to US geographical context. (No problem if you are from the Southern half of the US, a big problem if you are not)
   
3. When someone asks you to “come kill a bug” in the bathroom, beware it could be a tarantula or scorpion.


4. “God’s Word, Every Child” including the naked one that walks out of a classroom.


5. Cross-cultural communication often involves a lot of negotiating for things as simple as dinner and how many schools you will visit that day.

It was a blessing to have three teams from Arkansas, Missouri and Washington this summer; each one of them unique. Each one of them taught me something new. Each ministry location was very different. I literally traveled the entire country: First to San Pedro Sula, a city in the North East; then Choluteca, a small city, very hot and poor to the South West, near the Nicaraguan border; and finally Copan, a very small tourist town in a mountainous jungle area up in the North West by the Guatemala border.

It is impossible to show the beauty of Honduras in pictures: long winding roads, mountains, jungles, mud slides, small villages. I’ll not forget the children of Honduras; all eager to smile, shake your hand, hi-5 and laugh. I played basketball with a group of 4th grade girls, improved my Spanish, but most of all told thousands of kids about my best friend Jesus.

Many more Honduras photos are posted @: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kimart4ch/

What’s Next:
I finally stopped thinking in French and have been able to converse in simple Spanish this past summer; but all that is about the change. I will be bringing the French back, my next stop is Madagascar, an island off the coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean. I leave August 22 and will be back in the states December 1st. I don’t know much about it just yet but will be sure to let you know next month.

A Place Called Mango

It was a day that makes your heart full and your feet hurt. It was a day that you dream missions is all about, but to live it was special. We drove in as far as possible on a dirt road by a raging river. Then we loaded up our sound equipment, books, and lunch in our back packs and arms. Then the real journey began.…

The place called Mango was only accessible by a narrow steel cable and board bridge suspended across a very full and fast river below. The bridge swayed with each step and gaps revealed the waters below. Once the team made it across we began our trek to the first school. Up and down the dirt path by the smells of cows and chickens and pigs; the sights of lush tropical flowers and trees and the steep hillsides all around; metal and cinder block homes hidden here and there in the hillside, some brightly painted. Curious children (sometimes naked, all barefoot) would gather by the side of the path, watching us. Sweat pouring out of us by the bucket full in the hot tropical weather. We arrived at the first school, unpacked our gear, took a moment to rest, drank water and motivated ourselves to do what we came for.


The children were all sitting in the shade around a tree, we told them about Jesus, handed out the Book of Hope and salvation bracelets. Hugged several of them, high-fived others, interacted a little bit and then it was on to the next school. This time we went up the hill to a blue building perched on the hillside. We stopped many times to catch our breath, and drink more water. It was a challenge in the heat of the day for all of us, even though this was a very fit group. But the reception at the top of the hill was worth it all: Children hearing and responding to God’s word.

We returned in the evening to a church cut into the hillside to show the GodMan movie. The only advertising we needed was to blast music out of our sound system and curious villagers came near to see what was going on. The screen was positioned towards the hillside creating a natural amphitheater as boys perched high on the hill to watch as the younger ones sat close. In the end the pastor was overjoyed with the response of all those around that came by to watch; seeing the life of Christ perhaps for the first time.We packed up our equipment and made our way back over the bridge in the dark. Very tired but also very happy at what God did through us that day because we were willing to go where few would.

More Photos can be seen at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kimart4ch/sets/72157606452447816/

Global Impact in the UK schools

England is always interesting and different. It was refreshing to partner with a group that is already in the schools of York, UK: Global York. For a week we came alongside and boosted their already growing program even more. The exciting thing is that they will still be there long after we leave making a difference one child at a time.

I spent the week with a team going into primary schools. We taught one of the lessons from our teacher’s edition of the Book of Hope about handling conflict. I found myself talking about anger to 983 students, in groups of twelve all week long while the rest of my team did dramas and role playing in stations around the room as new classes filtered in and around every hour or so. (86 sessions in all) It was eye opening to hear some of the responses. It was easy to spot those kids that were in crisis mode and those that were well adjusted. Our High school teams found kids who were very apathetic and wanted proof for everything.

I love having dialog with the students. The common language allows for this to happen along with longer time spent in the classroom. The challenge is that these kids keep you on your toes and you had better be prepared for the hard questions because they really want to know why you believe the way you do.

At the end of the week all the kids that were old enough for Global youth were invited to come out to a loud and vibrant youth meeting. Many of the Year 6 students that we saw came out and many responded favorably. I remember one boy in particular who was struggling at the beginning, left with a wide grin on his face: the results of true transformation.

Team Henning from Bakersfield, CA

Imagine a team full of energy, young and eager to perform and speak a message of hope before school children. And then imagine a country that says you cannot proclaim the name of Jesus within the schools walls. You cannot hand out religious material on school grounds. These are some of the realities that Argentina faces; legally as well as spiritually.

But some would say: you can come in a talk about values and making positive choices. You can talk about not doing drugs and against violence. You can hand out the books outside the school when the kids are let out.

Some schools said absolutely not and other welcomed us in. Even though the week started off slow, the team prayed and momentum picked up and more and more doors opened up to us until we had more invitations than we had time for. Teachers became excited and allowed little bits of the gospel in.

At the end of the week we held and outdoor festival and despite the cold (it’s currently winter in Argentina) people came. Now imagine this same team of young people from Bakersfield, CA performing powerful human videos to the crowds. Then the youth pastor gets up and preaches a simple salvation message. Hands are raised and many people receive hope. It makes all the struggles worth it.





http://www.flickr.com/photos/kimart4ch/sets/72157605689752435/

Art, Ministry and Ice Cream

Argentina—A country of sophistication. A place of Latin and European culture… A place where the kids are lost. Graffiti litters the walls. Evenings are for cruising and hanging out in the streets. And the schools are closed to the gospel.

Through an exchange of art and drama, the schools of Zarate opened their doors to us. We did short presentations on making good choices in life through drama and testimony, and then invited the kids to our evening art clinics. Our team from CBU did clinics in photography, painting, drawing, literature and drama. Relationships were formed and lives changed. Each night we spoke on a different theme from the Book of Hope. We personalized it with testimonies and then encouraged the kids to express themselves in their chosen discipline.

In the end we held an art exhibition as well as a concert night. The mother of a young man, Emmanuel, wrote a letter to us. Thanking us for spending time with her son and in awe over the change in his life and attitude in just a few short days. Another young girl sat with one of our team members, Janai and asked some of life’s difficult questions. It was no accident that Janai had wrestled with the same questions in the past. And it was a joy to see the photography clinic wrap up their sessions with prayer for salvation. I will not forget the faces or the names of the ones that came regularly and showed an interest not only in art but the transformation message.

Another note about Argentina: the ice cream is hands down the best in the world. And so is the beef. If you visit Argentina learn two words and you will go home happy: Helado and Asada

The CBU team in front of a mural they also got to paint.

More Photos @: www.flickr.com/photos/kimart4ch

A Child Shall Lead Them

Our month in Namibia has come to a close and one thing I have learned is that the hope of Africa really does lie in its young people. At one school we learned that the average life expectancy for Namibians is 43 years!

We traveled all over this country talking to learners and asking a lot of questions about family, relationships, sex, lifestyle, religion and beliefs. We have given 4,000 surveys, in classrooms and halls. We have entered the information into spreadsheets and even through someone else will be interpreting the data; we can see the results ourselves in the numbers. The number of parents that are dead is staggering, the religious beliefs vs. lifestyle practices do not add up; the number of kids that have had sex and read or view pornography points to some real problems. The final report will go to the ministry of education as well as to pastors and youth workers around this country so that future ministry can target the real needs of todays children.

It wasn’t a glamorous task…it is hot and sandy here. Some of the schools were hard to get to. However, my off-road driving skills have improved. There was heavy flooding on one area and lots of mosquitoes. But the teens have all been precious and eager to talk to us afterwards. Most classes were well behaved, with a few challenges here and there. I actually had a boy arrested during the middle of one of my sessions! But we know that the results of this survey will in the end help to raise-up a new generation that will hopefully live past 43 years and lead not just with knowledge of God but with deep revelation.

I know that this experience has changed the way I will approach future ministry in any country.

Every Sunday is a new experience. We find ourselves in all types of churches with all different kinds of rituals and languages and often times we are the ones speaking. However, several of our church experiences have given us hope for Namibia. At Ombili Assembly it was encouraging to spend Easter with a Missionary friend, Melissa McSurdy, but also see the young people rising up to help in ministry. At a Four-Square church in Ongwediva the worship time was so powerfully led by a nine year old boy. And at a service in Swakopmund, there was a six year old, very capably, playing the keyboard. And so we have seen with our own eyes the destruction of the enemy but also hope for Namibia’s future.