We made it back home last night. We were on 2 planes basically back to back for 23 hours! I thought the trip to Madagascar was long - but not as long as the trip back!
Anyway, we had a wonderful time. I took somewhere between 500 and 600 pictures. I also kept a daily journal of the trip. I will be posting entries from my journal as well as some of the pictures in the coming days.
We haven't made a decision yet on going to Madagascar as missionaries but we will in a couple of weeks or so.
We can definitely say that our outlook/view on missions and the need for missionaries has been greatly changed. Walter and I believe that everyone should take a missions trip at least once in their lives.
We thought we were doing a lot for the cause of missions but we realize now that we want to do sooooooo much more. Time is short. The Lord is coming back soon. For us, this trip has brought the cause of missions into focus.
Anyway, keep checking back over the next few weeks as there will be several new posts and lots (but not all) of pictures (there are just too many to post).
Showing posts with label missions trip. Show all posts
Showing posts with label missions trip. Show all posts
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Excited...
That's the only word to describe my children yesterday.
Yesterday was "d-day" so to speak. I had to put them on an airplane to my sister's home. I was a bit nervous because they've never been on a trip alone.
The airline attendant was really great. He escorted them down the jetway right behind them and didn't let anyone walk between him and the kids (is that proper English????).
Sileena was gracious enough to go with me. I figured I would be a basket case of tears and would need a shoulder to cry on. Instead of crying I decided to take massive pictures of the airplane and the workers. I know, weird. But that's how I dealt with it. I did get choked up once but only when we got to the gate. After that I was fine. Phyllip wanted me to cry (what a brat!). He was looking forward to making fun of me! But I didn't let him have his desire! *smile* I was very strong!
As Sileena and I were watching the plane waiting for it to leave we were watching the guys loading the plane and we got a kick out of it. Hence the following pictures.
Yesterday was "d-day" so to speak. I had to put them on an airplane to my sister's home. I was a bit nervous because they've never been on a trip alone.
Their job looks so difficult!
Chilling out on the job!
Phyllip would definitely love this kind of job!
The jetway being pulled away from the plane.
The plane backing up
De plane taking off!
The jetway being pulled away from the plane.
The plane backing up
De plane taking off!
I am happy to report that the kids arrived safely and are now settling in at my sister's!
Oh, and as a side note, Lyndsey didn't think it necessary to take a heavy coat to the good old northwest. She thought a jean jacket would be enough. I assured her that was wrong thinking. She reluctantly took her heavy coat. And when they arrived in Seattle, guess what! It was freezing! And the following picture is the weather that welcomed them.
That's right! Snow! And at the end of March! Weird!
Oh, and as a side note, Lyndsey didn't think it necessary to take a heavy coat to the good old northwest. She thought a jean jacket would be enough. I assured her that was wrong thinking. She reluctantly took her heavy coat. And when they arrived in Seattle, guess what! It was freezing! And the following picture is the weather that welcomed them.
That's right! Snow! And at the end of March! Weird!
Lyndsey was really glad I made her take her heavy coat! *laugh*
Sunday, March 16, 2008
WE NEED PRAYER!!!!!
I just wanted to give anyone that reads our blog a better idea of what the country of Madagascar is like.
First of all, it's nothing like the movie "Madagascar."
There are approximately 19 million people that live on the island.
It is the 4th largest island in the world. It is 250 miles off the east coast of South Africa.
It has been classified as 1 of 2 fourth world countries. The poverty there is astounding.
The people mainly live on rice and beans for their food. They live in one-room huts. They have no plumbing, no electricity, no stove or oven, no refrigerators, etc. They cook on something that looks like a camping stove outside. The people work and usually only earn enough wage in one day to provide food for their families (around $1 a day).
We will be working with a missionary that our church supports - Ja Pritchard and his family. They have been in the country for 3 years now. They have seen many, many souls saved and continue to give out the Gospel through soulwinning, church services, and other outreach programs. They are discipling them through learning centers that they have established to help teach the people basic education (reading, writing, math, etc.).
There are several missionaries that should be moving to Madagascar within the next year or so. One just recently got to the field to start an orphanage.
While there, we will be teaching the people several classes. Walter will be teaching the men about creation from a biblical perspective and I will be teaching the ladies cleanliness in food preparation as well as some basic recipes (pancakes, etc.). Believe it or not, they don't know what a pancake is! That just blows my mind! I thought everybody knows that! We're not exactly sure what else we will be doing there, but we have been preparing for these classes here at home. I know that we will be kept very busy, though!
One of my prayers has been answered in the last week concerning our trip. Bro. Pritchard has reserved 2 different apartments for us. One with indoor plumbing and one without (yikes!). I really don't want to be in the one with outdoor plumbing and no hot water. I have asked the ladies of the church and some other friends/family to pray that we could get the apartment with indoor plumbing. We found out last weekend that the one with outdoor plumbing and no hot water is already being rented. Praise the Lord! I know He loves me! *gigantic smile*
We really covet all of your prayers as there are many unknowns that we are facing with this trip. But our God is a VERY BIG God and I know that He will answer all of our prayers for this trip. Please pray that He will reveal His will for us concerning becoming missionaries to this country and that He will make it very plain to us. We just want to do what He wants us to do.
Also, if you would remember our children during this. They will be with my sister in Washington. We will be away from them for 4 weeks. That's an incredibly long time and I'm not looking forward to that part.
We are leaving on March 30th.
For a look into Madagascar click here. There are a lot of pictures of different cities on the island. I must tell you that we DO NOT endorse the theory of evolution on this particular website. I put the link in so you can look at the pictures!
First of all, it's nothing like the movie "Madagascar."
There are approximately 19 million people that live on the island.
It is the 4th largest island in the world. It is 250 miles off the east coast of South Africa.
It has been classified as 1 of 2 fourth world countries. The poverty there is astounding.
The people mainly live on rice and beans for their food. They live in one-room huts. They have no plumbing, no electricity, no stove or oven, no refrigerators, etc. They cook on something that looks like a camping stove outside. The people work and usually only earn enough wage in one day to provide food for their families (around $1 a day).
We will be working with a missionary that our church supports - Ja Pritchard and his family. They have been in the country for 3 years now. They have seen many, many souls saved and continue to give out the Gospel through soulwinning, church services, and other outreach programs. They are discipling them through learning centers that they have established to help teach the people basic education (reading, writing, math, etc.).
There are several missionaries that should be moving to Madagascar within the next year or so. One just recently got to the field to start an orphanage.
While there, we will be teaching the people several classes. Walter will be teaching the men about creation from a biblical perspective and I will be teaching the ladies cleanliness in food preparation as well as some basic recipes (pancakes, etc.). Believe it or not, they don't know what a pancake is! That just blows my mind! I thought everybody knows that! We're not exactly sure what else we will be doing there, but we have been preparing for these classes here at home. I know that we will be kept very busy, though!
One of my prayers has been answered in the last week concerning our trip. Bro. Pritchard has reserved 2 different apartments for us. One with indoor plumbing and one without (yikes!). I really don't want to be in the one with outdoor plumbing and no hot water. I have asked the ladies of the church and some other friends/family to pray that we could get the apartment with indoor plumbing. We found out last weekend that the one with outdoor plumbing and no hot water is already being rented. Praise the Lord! I know He loves me! *gigantic smile*
We really covet all of your prayers as there are many unknowns that we are facing with this trip. But our God is a VERY BIG God and I know that He will answer all of our prayers for this trip. Please pray that He will reveal His will for us concerning becoming missionaries to this country and that He will make it very plain to us. We just want to do what He wants us to do.
Also, if you would remember our children during this. They will be with my sister in Washington. We will be away from them for 4 weeks. That's an incredibly long time and I'm not looking forward to that part.
We are leaving on March 30th.
For a look into Madagascar click here. There are a lot of pictures of different cities on the island. I must tell you that we DO NOT endorse the theory of evolution on this particular website. I put the link in so you can look at the pictures!
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