Rest in his faithfulness…
After 3 months of settling in to village life and immersion language study our team has arrived at the end of our first unit. What does that mean? Well, quite honestly, for me personally, it meant we would see a proper shower with running water and light switches that trigger a bulb to illuminate a room. At the end of each unit, we will take a getaway that offers us a time to rest, relax and reflect upon what God is doing in our midst.
This was taken a week ago at our team’s end of the unit retreat.
Our first unit was focused on orientation and early language study, and together we are becoming more and more familiar with our surroundings and what is required of us to thrive over the next couple years. We have confirmed for ourselves that learning the Sakalava language is an absolute necessity if we hope to better understand the way in which our neighbors view the world and view God. This is no small task and will come with both great sacrifice and, with God’s help, fluency in the Sakalava dialect.
Meet the brilliant children on our team who God is using in ways unimaginable…
We have these brilliant children on our team who bring an enormous amount of energy, to culturally fatigued adults; that’s mostly myself, and who are persevering through many difficult changes with joy in their hearts and strength beneath their toes. They have left behind friends, loved ones, and church communities with little to no hesitation in pursuit of following God’s will for their family, however aware or unaware they may be of that fact.
Camden has a conversation, a bright idea, or infectious laughter to offer anyone who will give him a grain of attention.
The organized children’s program at their churches back home, organized sports, extracurricular activities they were participating in have been replaced by surviving in the jungle. You might say, “That’s awesome!” and it is…it truly is an adventure of a lifetime, yet sometimes I look with concerned eyes at my 4-year old daughter in the morning making her way up to the pit toilet on top of the hill where a new swarm of flies have just emerged from the hole in the ground, and I mumble to myself, “why are we here?”
This photo was taken at the retreat where Keely enjoyed the pleasures of a flushing toilet. This precious girl brightens up my day even when swarms of flies come out of the pit toilet or rats forage through the house.
There are many moments like these, whether it’s the rats that come forage through the house in the night, or the reminder from the kids to tuck in their nets so the spiders don’t come to close, or the rough terrain that brings my youngest to her knees everyday, but it’s not just these outward signs of change for the kids.
She is a brave soul, a spit-fire and is willing to take risks. She has a unique gift with hearing and repeating correctly the Sakalava language and we have noticed her willingness to move boldly into unfamiliar surroundings.
They’ve gone from homes where people know them, where children can understand what they are saying, and adults listen with a caring ear, to a faraway country where they are often confused by the language, uncertain of their surroundings, and sometimes indifferent about this new way of life. These changes affect, not just their bodies, but also their hearts and minds as they grow and develop. Where will these changes, whether good or bad, leave them?
Camden has friends in each of our surrounding villages, his language learning is excelling, and we are praising God for the blessing of Camden. This photo was taken after a long day of soccer, fishing and food.
In response, I think of my mother and grandmothers who have proclaimed the scriptures for me in prayer all my life…
“For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile. (Jeremiah 29:10-14, ESV)
This is our buddy, Eli, he’s a missionary from Canada and a budding artist.
These strong children are in the hands of my LORD and my LORD is faithful, He knows their names and since before they were born He has known about these plans for them because He wrote them in his masterful “Rescue Plan” (as author of The Jesus Storybook Bible, Sally-Loyd Jones puts it). Their stories are one small part of God’s grand narrative and what a joy it will be to look back with them on all these difficult changes and see fruit produced as a result of the journey…
Blessings friends, Rebe
This is Camden and James crossing the sea on a pirogue. James is an expert Lego construction worker and gives our kids new building ideas each time they play together.
This is Ben, the youngest brother of James and Eli. He’s from Canada and he’ll celebrate his 1st birthday this Saturday!
Camden with a couple of his buddies from the Ambatozavavy village.
Myla keeps us on our toes…
This is the day we crossed the sea from the mainland to Nosy Be island, arriving at our “hut sweet hut.”
From the left: Eli, Keely, Camden, Myla and James.
In the village after a swim…
Waiting to board our boat taxi…
This photo was taken during our home-stay. Cooking, eating and most of life happens outside…
We’re proud of this boy…
This was taken on a long walk to Lokobe Reserve, while the tide was out, with our home-stay family.
The sun was a bit bright that early morning…James, Myla, Camden and Eli.
Myla celebrated her 6th birthday last weekend at the retreat!
your family is such a blessing in my life. I sit at my desk in Austin Texas, and I have a window into this beautiful place in Madagascar. IT blows my mind to see the difference that these small villages will be making in your life. God has you there for a purpose.. and I can only dream of living this life someday!! My thoughts and prayers are with you McRenolds family. 🙂
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Marita, it’s great to hear from you. You’re right when you say these villages are going to impact our lives greatly…it’s amazing living in the village and seeing life lived differently from what I’m accustomed to. We’re learning a lot and God is faithful in keeping us in his loving care each day. I miss our Bible Study group lots and am thankful for the time we were able to share together. Blessings sister, Rebe
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great pictures! love reading your updates. we will pray for you all and the kids as well in this huge adjustment period. so glad you all are doing what you doing.
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Hi Becky, it’s good to hear from you. You are an encouragement to us and we are grateful for your prayers. I trust you all are doing well in Thailand and adjusting to many changes. Blessings sister, Rebe
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Hi Myla, I hope you had a very happy birthday! I miss you so much. I can tell that you are going to be an amazing person, and God has great plans for you. I have known this since the day you were born. I love you, Grandmother
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We love you Grandmother, and we all miss you very much. It was great to get a phone call from you this morning and catch up a little bit. Tell everyone hello from all of us…Blessings, Rebe
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I will be praying for you all to have rest, protection and peace as you continue walking out this beautiful story that our Lord is telling through you. Thank you for the pictures and a window into your days. Love and blessings to all.
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Hi Marion, it’s good to hear from you and I trust you and the family are doing well. We need the prayers and praise God that we are able to share pieces of our story with family and friends back home. Blessings sister, Rebe
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Bryan and Reba – love receiving your updates and reading how to pray and imagining more ideas of how to pray for you! Great update on the children – know that we do indeed pray for them too. We are in NYC this month mentoring folks at CCMI – they have nooooo idea what they are heading into – how could they… God is so kind. But, we try to help them with tools for what they will face and how they will learn once they get there!
John and Sue Burch
2100 Willow Chase Ct Tucker, GA 30084
jandsburch@gmail.com
770 558 6028 Home 404 863 7624 John 404 863 8116 Sue
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Hi John and Sue, it’s good to hear from you…that’s funny…God is so kind to keep us from fully realizing what lies ahead. He certainly equips us for every challenge. The tools you are able to give are practical and will be very helpful when the rubber meets the road while abroad. Praying for you as you mentor new missionaries preparing to be sent out…
We are in need of your prayers and praise God for His Church and His faithful and gentle care for each of us. His love is amazing! Blessings brother and sister, Rebe
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The pics are great and the entire family always looks so happy! We are amazed at the joy you are finding in the sacrificial life you are living for the sake of sharing Christ. God is faithful and has miraculously planted a vision in your hearts. Please know you have many friends and family lifting your names in prayer every day. Find strength in that fact. We love you! Mom & Dad Gray
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Hi sweet Dad and Mom, we got your packages! I wish you could have seen Myla’s face when she opened the Lego Friends for her birthday! She was sooooo happy! They have spent the last 3 days playing with all their new Legos (hours and hours). The day we picked up your packages, there were 5 others and we were not just totally excited, but completely overwhelmed by the love from friends and family. That said, Myla ended up with Lego Friends in 3 of those packages.
We also got the fishing hooks and Bryan and Camden will going fishing today in Ambatozavavy. You are a constant encouragement to us…we have difficult days, exhaustion, fatigue, loneliness, but God uses your lives and marriage to remind us of his love and grace. I love you…Rebe
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Hi sweet McReynolds! Nice hair cut Rebes. Your kids are awesome. I love that the Lord is specifically using them in purposeful places, each unique, on this island. I love that the Lord is teaching your family such sweet truths about His faithfullness…and your learning will be the light people need to see. I can’t wait to hear more about how the Lord teaches this people about His “rescue plan”. Our God IS and awesome God. Are y’all singing? Oh how I wish I could gather round with you all to worship with song! I’m singing here friends and praising our good God for your family. I want to watch you make a cake…that’s just so cool.
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Hi dear friend,
It’s always good to hear from you and I was so happy to read the e-mail you recently sent. You are an amazing woman, wife and mother with many unique gifts and to hear details from your life and ministry is encouraging for me.
Good news! We got your second package!!! Thank you. Thank you. We found gummy bears, kool aids, fruit twists, crystal light, hand sanitizer, lip gloss (thank you so much), and the big winner in the house was the mac and cheese. The day before we got this package, Keely was talking about mac and cheese being her favorite food and the next day it showed up in the post. Yippee! I wish I could explain the varied emotions we feel when we pick up packages. It feels like Christmas and each time we get anything in the mail we wait until after dinner in the evening to share it together. We feel completely undeserving of such care and blessing, and are overwhelmed with God, you, our family at All Saints and extended family who think and pray for us. We love you Alison…and the whole Acton crew! Give everyone our love…Rebe
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Greetings in Christ our King! You don’t know me…my name is LeeAnn…I grew up with Randy Flynn…your cousin He and I were in the same Kindergarden class, spent our childhood years at the same schools, and then graduated from the same High School. We met up again at our 40th class reunion. I was saved in 1976…and have had a wonderful life in Christ. I have shared the Lord a couple times with Randy…he really is sucked in to the “new age” lie. It is wonderful that he has sent me your link….Please pray with me for Randy and Russ…Heaven will be nicer with both of them there. If you need anything…please let me know…I love being used!!!
God Bless and Keep all of you in His Peace
LeeAnn
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