The Great Red Island

Our first glimpse of Madagascar was a long stretch of beach stretching as far as the eye could see to the north and south. We flew in from the east after a few day layover on the neighboring island of Mauritius, arriving on July 29th. The afternoon we arrived was quite cloudy but we were still able to catch a glimpse of the varied terrain of this beautiful island. There were rice paddies, hills and mountains, all with red dirt roads winding this way and that.

In our short time here, we have been welcomed by many members of the AIM team. We have also learned a few basic phrases of Malagasy and are looking forward to more serious study soon. Today we had a Malagasy experience trying to clear our cargo luggage through customs. We spent nearly seven hours going up and down the stairs, out to the warehouse, in and out of offices, trying to get all the right stamps to complete our paperwork so that they would release our bags to us. Thankfully, the Lord provided a Malagasy guide to help us through the process. And he even spoke some English which made the experience a little less frustrating! : )

Tomorrow we will drive with our team leaders about 10 hours north to the coastal town of Mahajanga. There we will attend a graduation ceremony for national missionaries who have completed a missionary training program. On the way, we will get to see more of this beautiful country. In the near future, we hope to post some photos of our time at ABO as well as of Madagascar, but that will have to wait until time and internet allow!

Visa Update

I just realized we failed to give an update on our visa situation since leaving Nairobi. We had to reapply for new visas with the Malagasy Consulate in Nairobi. Unfortunately, when we received them here in Machakos earlier this week, they were incorrect. So we sent them back to Nairobi and have received word from our friend there that they have now been issued correctly. It seems this was an honest mistake for which we are grateful as sometimes people are issued the wrong visa to make the process of entering the country more difficult. The Malagasy Consulate, however, has been very agreeable and helpful. He agreed to correct the error at no extra charge. Nevertheless, we can’t wait to actually see our passports to make sure it is actually the correct visa! We are reminded of the luxury we have of being able to enter so many countries with ease due to our American citizenship. We are also thankful that the Malagasy are so welcoming and helpful. Recently we heard of a Malagasy woman who has been waiting more than a year for a visa to enter the U.S. It’s hard to understand why these things happen the way they do, but we are trusting that God will continue to make a way so that we can leave Kenya and enter Madagascar as scheduled. Thank you for your prayers!

Survival of the Fittest?

Today we were eating lunch outside the Scott Theological College dining hall. Daniel and I were sitting on a stone wall with our plates on our laps. I felt a shadow come over me but thought it was just someone walking behind me. Suddenly, there was a brush of something in my hair, and then pressure on my plate. When I looked up I saw the back of a very large hawk flying away. Then I realized that my chicken was gone. He had swooped in, quite accurately, and taken my chicken! My fruit and rice were nearly untouched other than a trail of rice where his wing had brushed the plate. I was so startled that all I could do was cry, “My chicken! My chicken!” Once I regained my composure, I asked a veteran missionary sitting nearby if she had ever seen such a thing. She assured me that never, in over 30 years in Africa, had she seen a hawk steal chicken off a plate! From now on, I’ll be sitting under a tree to ward off the hawks.

A Berry 'Fruity' Birthday for Sarah

I had a wonderful birthday with some very interesting gifts--mangoes, passion fruits, pineapple, a necklace and lots of candy & chocolate, too! Daniel "borrowed" some birthday candles and "surprised" me by putting them into a couple of rice krispie bars that we had brought with us from the US. Then later on the evening, the whole AIM group had a surprise party for me with brownies, spice cake, & ice cream.

Jambo!

We arrived safely in Nairobi, Kenya last night. Our luggage made the journey successfully as well. It was a very long day of travel but was rather uneventful for which we are very grateful. We are adjusting to the new time zone (7 hours ahead of New York, 8 hours ahead of the Midwest). Sleeping in mosquito nets again will also take some getting used to, but the mosquitoes really aren't that bad. This morning we worshipped at Nairobi Baptist Church which is right next to Mayfield Guesthouse (where we are staying until our departure for orientation in Machakos on Tuesday). The service was in English but we did sing one song in Swahili. A more "African experience" would have been fun but it was nice to be able to worship in our own language, especially as we're not sure how many more opportunities we will have to do so. I enjoyed seeing the brightly colored wraps and clothing the women wore which really makes me excited to go out to the village on Tuesday because we will likely see more and more traditional-type dress. This afternoon, we went to the Masaai Market and tried our hand at haggling. We had a great time weaving in and out of the wares. When we told the vendors we were from the U.S., they were eager to know if we supported Obama. When we said yes, we were told we'd get "a very good price." Yet when we said no, they quickly admitted they liked McCain. Despite this discrepancy, there is no doubt Obama is the beloved son of Kenya. One man even told me he had met him personally when he came to visit. At times it is downright comical to see how far the Kenyans will go to please and get their price. Tomorrow we hope to go to the Madagascar Embassy here in Nairobi to try to get another visa. Hopefully it will be the RIGHT one this time!

Attack of the Black Flies!

Last week we went on a camping trip to Indian Lake in the Adirondacks in upstate NY. Our campsite was rustic and beautiful, situated right on the lake. On Monday afternoon, we decided to hike Snowy Mountain, an ascent of just over 3800 feet. For a Midwestern gal such as myself, I knew this was going to be quite the climb! It was a steep trek, but I was feeling strong. The bugs were annoying, buzzing around my ears, but the bug repellant was working well. That is, until Daniel and I reached the sheer rock face. Suddenly, a swarm of black flies descended on us. They began to bite my neck and ankles, not little stinging pricks like a mosquito bite but literally taking a piece of my flesh with every bite. Soon the back of my neck with soaked with blood. I cried out, "They're like maggots crawling all over my body!" It was awful. My orange tank top was covered with little black spots. But we had to keep climbing. We couldn't just stop on the rocks or they would devour us. Just then, Michael came down from the summit. He gave me a poncho, which suffocated the flies on my shoulders and arms and was supposed to protect me from further bites. We thought the top was much nearer than it actually was. Perhaps if we had known how much farther we had to go, we would have turned around. But I was determined to get to the top, to see the view, and prove to myself that I could do it. After all, the damage had been done so I might as well complete the climb. We also thought that the flies would disperse as we reached the summit. Unfortunately, we were wrong. They followed us all the way to the top, making it nearly impossible to really enjoy the view (note the little black flies on our shirts and my face in this photo to the right). Then it began to thunder so we had to begin our descent. On the way down, all I could think about was sitting down and sleeping. Daniel kept asking me to tell stories so that I wouldn't think about the pain of my bites. In retropsect, I was probably going into shock from the dozens of bites, which covered my neck from just beneath the hairline down to my shoulder blades and encompassed my ankles and ran up my legs a ways. By the next day, my ankles and neck were enflamed and itching. It nearly made me crazy not to scratch. I have never itched so badly in my life! When we returned to Stormville, the swelling was so bad that we decided I needed to see a doctor. He prescribed prednisone for the swelling and an antibiotic for the infection. The people in the doctor's office and at the pharmacy were amazed by my bites, they had never seen such an allergic reaction before. I was not nearly so impressed. Now, a week later, I'm almost completely healed though some of the red marks still remain. On Friday, we will fly to Kenya where we will be taking malaria prophylaxis and sleeping in a mosquito net. Yet, somehow, I don't imagine that the bugs or their bites can be anything nearly as bad as what I experienced in the Adirondacks of NY. Perhaps this experience is God's way of putting things into perspective for us, making us more cautious, but also grateful for the good health we are blessed with so much of the time.

Leaving on a jet plane...

We've reached 93% of our monthly target! Praise the Lord for His provision & thank you for your generous giving & prayers! Since we have passed 90%, our plane tickets will soon be purchased.