Thursdays are team days, so we rise early for the walk into Ambotozavavy. The other team family from this villages joins us, and supplies are loaded into the ox cart. Its a nice walk, still cool being early in the day and we have a chance to visit with teammates Jed and Elly and get to know them a little better. They live with their three young boys in the hut behind Tori and Michelle. We are headed to teammates Rebe and Brians hut where they live with their young children, a son and two daughters. Its a fifty minute walk on a dirt path, and the two older boys run ahead with the ox cart while Elly carries the youngest. As we reach the village, Jordan and Laura, the other couple on the team, meet us and we head up the path to the McReynolds. We are greeted warmly by everyone. Soon Rosina arrives along with Blondine and Mama Gabi who cook for the team on Thursdays. Jen arrives, and we gather on the porch while the kids, happy to have their vazah friends to play with, climb the tree house and swing on a tire tied to the tree. Rosina opens with a language lesson, using our experiences so far as part of the lesson. Laura leads us in beautiful worship from the Psalms with her guitar, Jen teaches us a thought provoking lesson from Acts 9, and Brian leads a great discussion from an article he has read about discipleship in African churches. We then break into groups to pray for specific needs of the team and villages. It is a sweet time of prayer. I am in awe of this team and the sacrifices they make daily. I pray we can be an encouragement to them and assure them we do not take lightly their work here. We take a break with fresh carrots, roasted nuts, and bananas that the cooks have prepared for us. We visit for a bit, and then Rosina opens the discussion with, What is it that we are to do now as a team? What I notice about this team meeting today is that they are very careful to work through their discussions with respect for each other and their mission. The team has been here a little over a year, and it seems the Holy Spirit is leading them that its time to do something more. They are much stronger in their language skills, the villagers trust them, and they have shared to a certain extent about their faith. But with Rosinas input, they are unified in knowing its time to take the next step. Its an humbling experience seeing them carefully and gently waiting for wisdom in the way God would have them share the Good News here. They agree it is not to be the vazah thing they come and do and leave them with. It must be Sakalava, verse by verse Biblical teaching, and relevant to the people. When you are with a people group who dont have a written language, and you dont have Sakalava equivalents for important words like sin which are central to understanding grace, its a slow process. Mora, mora. With Rosinas help, they have translated the story of Genesis 1 and are using the Sakalava word for mistake to represent sin. As they verbalize their thoughts about what this next step will look like, Clay and I can see the concern for the people they have grown to love, and their passion to make this faith their own. Rosina speaks up and says, I want to share with you a story. I wish I could more eloquently describe this moment to you, but I will share her words the best I can. It would help if you could hear the gentle, musical quality of her voice. She shares with the team that the cook, Blondine, tells her, The vazah. They come here to learn Sakalava? They come to learn the culture? No! They would not spend their money just for that. They are different. They are not like other vazah who come as tourists and take our women. There must be something more! Tell us what it is! Rosina described it as an expectancy. They are expecting more from you!, she says. Expectant! Is there a better frame of heart and mind to be in to hear of a gift you never imagined? Such joy as I listen to this happening- mora mora, slowly slowly, the birth of believers in these villages may be near. As the team expresses concerns about the details, what it should look like, when it should happen... Clay speaks up and encourages them to just jump off in it! Rosina gets a big kick out of that! We can see they are unified, strong enough in their language skills, led by the Holy Spirit, and ready! Clay reminds them that God will do what God will do, so to plan well, move ahead, and let God handle the results. So, on August 3 they will invite those who have expressed interest in knowing more to go up to Benmanondrohely {Tori and Michelles village} for their first gathering. They will meet on the flat spot at the base of the hill that is the soccer field. Please join us in praying during this sweet, yet scary time for the team as they jump off in it! It is time for lunch and Rebe has worked with the cooks to prepare a traditional Sakalava meal. We separate into groups of four, sit on flat grass mats together {kind of like a grass picnic blanket} and are served a communal bowl and four spoons! It is coconut rice, and. there is a beef soupy stew that you spoon out onto the rice. There are accompanying plates of very hot sauces, pickled mango, and a tomato salad that you spoon into your quadrant of the bowl. Clay, Tori and I laugh about the communal bowl, because as many of you know, at the Alversons, if there is a pan of brownies or cake on the counter, there is usually only one communal fork that stays until its all eaten up. Not much different! Maybe were a bit Sakalava and dont know it. After lunch, the band arrives. These young men have been befriended by Rebe and Brian. The group of five has a reputation for being not the kind of people you should be hanging out with and the villagers have warned the McReynolds about them. Of course, that just draws them even closer, knowing these are exactly the guys that Jesus would have hung out with, as well! As their relationship has grown, Rebe and Brian have asked the guys to translate scripture into Sakalava songs. They are willing, do it exceedingly well, and now have scripture memorized from Genesis, Daniel, and Psalms. They are not yet believers, but will be asked to be part of the gathering on August 3. As singers, they are storytellers, and in the song from Genesis, they recount the seven days beautifully. From memory. I feel the Holy Spirits presence completely surrounding us as they sing. And because it is in Sakalava, they know exactly what they are singing. Please pray for these young men and Rebe and Brian as they minister to them. We say our goodbyes, make the grocery and ice run in town, load up the ox cart and head back up the hill for Benmanondrohely. We wont arrive until after dark this time, but Tori assures us it is safe. Then she grins and says, Well, as safe as Africa can be!
Posted on: Mon, 14 Jul 2014 08:22:46 +0000
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