Hut, Sweet Hut
For the past couple of weeks we have been back in our hut with the goal of making it home. There are a few things that have been left unfinished and the local contractors will come this week to finish putting up screens, setting up a clothesline, and digging a hole where we will burn our trash. We are slowly adapting to so many changes at once.
The kids are healthy and well. Today Myla was playing with a female leopard chameleon alongside one of our new cats, Camden was down the hill playing soccer with friends and eating oranges picked from the tree, and Keely loves fried Mohogu (cassava root ) with ketchup for dipping. Mohogu grows everywhere and the leaf grows large with five points and when you pull it up by the root you have a large piece of Mohogu that looks similar to a carrot. I can only hope it has the same nutritional value as a carrot after being fried.
I was brave today and took a taxi to the market in Hellville (referred to as Bazarre be-Big Market) with another woman on our team. The reason it was a brave thing to do is because virtually no one speaks English, everyone tries to speak French to me, but I don’t speak French and I am learning Sakalava. So…when they hear me say I want to learn to speak Sakalava they start to laugh, because a white person (otherwise known as fu-ZA) wanting to learn to speak an indigenous language is not something they ever experience. All that said, I have begun to learn how to buy things using only the Sakalava language and I was successful at the market today. Praise God! A few interesting things I came home with in the taxi were a bundle of raw cinnamon sticks, raw peanuts that I will roast over a fire tomorrow (with a dash of salt of course), ylang ylang oil which is a fragrance that is used as perfume or for massage. Ylang-Ylang trees are everywhere and it’s harvesting time so locals will pick the flowers and take them to the factory in exchange for a small payment. Oh yes…and the kids especially requested ramen noodles. Our diet at home so far consists of large amounts of fruit, rice and beans. Bryan pulled out his famous crepe recipe on Saturday and they were so delicious. Soon I’ll be trying pancakes and cookies in a skillet. Not having refrigeration has been interesting and we rarely have meat at our hut. Last Sunday we were in Ambatozavavy (about a 15 minute walk from our place) and before walking home I bought 8 fish (just as the fishermen were coming back to the beach in their canoes) for 2000AR, which is equivalent to about $1. We carried them home in a bucket, Bryan lit some coals in the dirt and we cooked them up the traditional Sakalava way with lots of oil, lemon and garlic. I’m looking forward to shrimp season in Ambatozavavy!
We are enclosing some pictures of our home, where we recently hosted our team (every Thursday we get together for “team day,” a time of learning, sharing, praying, and eating!

Our house sits on the side of a mountain. This is the front with banana plants and mango trees all around.

Just up from our hut is our outhouse/bathing area. The yellow “jerry can” is full of water and warming in the sun for a nice warm camp shower later in the evening.

My language helper, nicolae (left), and another friend relaxing on the front porch (thanks for the guitar, Leachmans!)
We appreciate your prayers and remember you each day.
May the peace of our LORD be with you as you journey onward in His strength…
Rebe, Bryan, Camden, Myla and Keely!
We so enjoy your posts and getting a glimpse of your lives! We pray each night for you!
Have you been able to receive mail/packages? We’ve been slow but have intentions of mailing to you!
The Bells
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Hi Christy, Brian, Sydney and Keenan, it’s great to hear from you! We miss you guys, a whole lot! Today I finished getting our homeschooling room set-up and tacked a letter by Camden’s desk that is written from Sydney. Thank you Sydney. We have received letters in the mail and they have taken about 2 weeks to arrive in our postbox in town. That is a lot quicker than I had expected and am hoping that it continues to be that quick. Receiving a letter or a small-lightweight package in the mail is like finding hidden treasure. If you send a medium-large size package it costs us an unreasonable amount of money to get it into our hands, so it’s best to send the largest size envelope possible stuffed with goodies inside…something approximately 8.5 inches by 11 inches. I think it could also be a small box about that size and we would not have to pay. Things we would like inside are: sticks of gum, packets of HEB brand crystal light equivalent (Raspberry green tea flavor is our favorite), garlic powder, Tony Chachere’s seasoning, candies, lego friends, J.R. Liggett’s shampoo bar (tea tree oil or lavender scent), corn tortillas, packets of dry black beans…I’ll keep adding things to my list as I come across things we’d like. Also, Bryan and I are taking Doxycycline everyday and the kids are taking Mefloquine once a week. I can get Doxy here, but have yet to find Mefloquine. Also, there is mixed messages from doctors regarding these strong medications. Our doctor at MTW strongly suggested we take malaria meds the whole time were here and the doctors in Madagascar do not think it’s a good idea to take these meds for the duration of our time. What are your thoughts?
We love and miss you guys. We are in need of your prayers and thank the the LORD for family and friends who are lifting us up in prayer each day. Grace and peace, Rebe
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Rebe! Great list of things! We’ll start gathering! What dose are the kids on for mefloquine? I can write it and pick it up and mail it. Dates of birth are helpful too.
I highly recommend staying on malaria meds the whole time too. Locals often try to convince others to stop meds. They likely have some tolerance built up from frequent bouts of malaria. It’s a deadly disease. My surgery professor lost his wife to malaria on the mission field.
We’ll start gathering supplies for you to send in small packages.
We continue to pray!
Love!
The Bells
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Dear Rebe and Bryan,
Love, love, love your new place! Am so excited for you as I type you a message. With newness and trials come many, many treasures from the Lord! Would love to come and eat some of your abundant fruit and fish! Praying continually for you all – health, reliance on Him and “fruit” for His Kingdom amongst your new friends! love you, patty & matt edling John 15:5
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Hi Patty, it’s so good to hear from you! This is my first time getting on the internet in a while as Bryan has been posting our blogs for us along the way…being able to respond to my dear friends is a blessing. You know you and the family are welcome if you can make the trip. We would love to have you and enjoy a pineapple together! Thank you for praying. We miss you and miss worshiping together…God is good and we are finding many joys in His creation in Nosy Be. Blessings sister. Pass our greetings to everyone at All Saints…
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You are so amazing! Thank you for sharing your ministry with those of us in the states. It is so eye opening to see how your family is adapting to live in a new land! God bless you all! You are in my thoughts and prayers!\
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Hi Carol, it’s great to hear from you and we are so thankful and in need of your prayers. Both your faithfulness to our LORD and your prayers for us along the way our a great encouragement to us. Blessings to you and your family.
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Your hut is amazing! I want to touch it. 🙂
We’ve just sent you a real paper note! Who knows how long it will take to get to Madagascar. We miss you all. Julia misses Myla especially.
❤
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Hi Sister, we miss you and you should make the trip and actually come touch and stay in our home. We’re excited to get your letter! Getting letters in the mail is such a great treat for us. We have received a couple letters in the mail and it appears they have taken about 2 weeks to arrive in the postbox in town. Myla also misses Julia and we have a picture of all our kids up on our wall. Myla lost her first tooth this morning…she’s so excited. I saw her sitting on the floor with her head down…piddling with something on her face and next she was running around holding her tooth shouting, “My tooth came out! I pulled it out myself!” Love you and thinking of you everyday…
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We love your emails. God bless you all. I share them with others that are interested. You are with the Presbyterian church, right? Are you with an independents missionary group? I”ve probably known some of this and have forgotten. Please tell me again where you are located. Thanks, Glynelle & Howard Hull, Bridgeton, MO (friends of Amy and Rob and Reba’s parents)
________________________________
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Hi Glynelle, it’s great to hear from you and we appreciate your prayers and for sharing about the ministry God is doing in Nosy Be, Madagascar. We are with the Presbyterian Church in America and have joined a team that is living among the Sakalava Tribe in Madagascar. We are with Mission to the World (our church’s mission agency) and we have partnered with African Inland Mission and their TIMO (Training in Ministry Outreach) program. Blessings to you and your family.
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You ALL look so happy. Your hut is just your style … it looks like a Rebe hut. God is doing a marvelous work of adjusting your family to their new environment. It blesses our soul to see HIM creating community opportunities for you. Mom (Becky)
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It looks so beautiful! I look forward to visiting y’all!
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Hi Rachel, thanks for sending the letter in the mail! We were so happy to get it and it was the dinner event (read aloud) to the whole family! It looked to me like it only took a 2 weeks to receive it in the postbox. I’m hoping that all our mail will continue to get here that quickly. We miss you and so many others…tell David I said hello and to pass greetings to everyone from us. Blessings friend.
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Great pictures, Rebe. Thanks for sharing. Could you please have Bryan contact me regarding the solar charger? Want to see if he needs anything. Thanks for your work on behalf of the kingdom! Joel
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Love the pics. It really helps to see what you are experiencing in pictures. What an adjustment YOu all have had to make. You are an inspiration. I am praying for you and the family. Stay safe. Love you Jody
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Hi McRenold’s Clan! I LOVE seeing the pictures of your “life” there. It looks settled and adventurous and hot! I love the picture of your team on the porch, sweet fellowship and sweet momma holding that baby. Abigail is especially intrigued about the lifestyle changes you have encountered and sacrifices you all are making to share the gospel…thankful for your example to my girl! We will send a letter soon and make it a large envelope with yummies. Love you guys so much!
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Rebe or any friends,
Can you remind me your address in Hellville again? I can’t find the reference you posted before! I have 2 large envelopes ready to mail!
Christy Bell
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Hey guys, it’s Bryan… Here is our P.O. Box in Hellville:
BP 387
Hellville
207 Nosybe
Madagascar
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Great Bryan! We will get 2 Large envelopes in the mail in the next 2 days! Are the kids taking mefloquine capsules whole? Dose for them? And what are all your birthdates?
Hugs! Praying every night for you!
Christy, Brian, Sydney and Christy
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Hi Christy,
The kids are taking Mefloquine HCL (250 MG tabs) once per week. Camden takes 1/2 tablet of the 250 MG tablet, Myla and Keely take 1/4 tablet of the 250 MG tablet. This is the dosage that was prescribed to them by a travel clinic in Austin. We have 4 months left of the Mefloquine tablets before we run out. If you are able to send us these meds periodically that would be excellent.
Miss you guys. We are doing pretty well. The kids were recently prescribed Thiobactin by a doctor here in Nosy Be to clear up an intestinal problem they have been fighting off for a few weeks now. Keely and Myla have both shown fevers, vomiting and diarrhea, but it appears that this antibiotic is beginning to clear it up. We are so thankful for your prayers and support.
Blessings,
Rebe
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