The Bara

“Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every other name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord." Philippians 2:9-11

Deep in the rain forest, in desert towns, under mango trees, and in small huts in distant villages, churches can be found in some of the most far-off, “unreached” places in Madagascar. But, often few, if any, from the local people group are represented in those gatherings.

Recently I visited the southern town of Betroka, a cultural center for the unreached Bara people, to encourage our new team of missionaries there. I met with the Assemblies of God pastor in the town. He explained that, like AIM, he wanted to reach out to the Bara but he couldn’t understand why they just wouldn’t respond to the gospel.

I was delighted to attend his church on Sunday morning – a small, rented room in the local school. The pastor preached the gospel to about 30 people, but all from other people groups. Where were the Bara? As I examined the service – a non-Bara pastor, songs in a different dialect, a foreign sermon from the highland culture, and the Bible in the highland language – it was really no wonder the Bara felt undrawn to the worship.

The road to Betroka is long and tiring, a dirt track that seems to go on forever. But the greens and blues paint the landscape on a backdrop of savannah grass, plains, and herds of Bara cattle. As I traveled through those vast expanses of green, a cool breeze steadily swept through the valley. And as the team members, all learning the Bara dialect, worked on memorizing Scripture from the new Bara translation of Luke, the strong wind blew in from the mountains. It was a wind of change sweeping through this valley, a breath of fresh air. To hear Christ’s words in a familiar way is to bring truth and hope to people who have not yet heard.

Please pray with us that these new missionaries would have opportunities to build relationships through their study of the Bara language and that through those relationships, a uniquely Bara expression of faith would follow.

*AIM Madagascar has a project for developing written materials in the local dialects. To give to this project through AIM, use fund SR-MAD-110-U Literature Development.

Hope for the future

“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child, will not enter it." Luke 18: 16-17

As I travelled through the dusty beach town of Toliara, southern Madagascar, visiting AIM co-workers there, I was reminded of the statistic which says about 60% of the population of Madagascar is under the age of 14. Kids playing in the dust, bare feet kicking a ball of plastic bags, rolling old tires in the street, all big smiles and innocent hope in the future.

Many of the children here are physically hungry. But more than a need for food, the children are hungry for an opportunity, for hope that only good will come of them. The sad reality is that most youth will end up touched by drugs, alcohol, prostitution and a general desperation for lack of opportunity.

It should be a task of the church to reach out to the children, providing them with a future in Christ. But there are few, if any, churches with programs designed for children and youth. Beyond a youth choir or “scout” group, there is little effort being made to reach out to the majority of this country’s youth population.

Our desire is to bring lasting hope to these hungry faces. Part of AIM’s vision in Madagascar is to reach the youth of the country by creating a culturally appropriate model for youth ministry which can be packaged and used in churches throughout the island. We hope to have a team of missionaries based in Tulear for 2 years, working together to learn about the needs of the youth, then creating this model and training local people to make it available in churches throughout the nation. Please pray for wisdom in developing this team ministry, for people with a passion for children and youth ministry to join, and for the children to find an opportunity in Christ.

From the dusty streets of Toliara town, to the bright hope of a future in Christ for Madagascar’s children.