On the Road Again

We have wrapped up our two and a half years here on Nosy Be. Ministry has come to a close, good-byes have been said, and all of the things we have accumulated over the years have been either packed up or sold off. It is a time for leaving, a time for transition. It is also a time for reflection, and we are looking back over the time we have spent on this island and marveling at the work God has done.

He has been faithful to our team through the good times as well as the difficult. He saw us through the times where we wanted to give up because learning the language was just too hard, and led us to our first real, in-depth gospel conversation with a Sakalava friend.

He carried us through the first six months of our time here where we couldn’t even get our basic household chores finished, and led us to the perfect evenings where we shared a meal with our neighbors on our porch as the sun was setting.

And he pulled our team through all of our faults, mistakes, and arguments and led us to a Sakalava speaking church service where we looked at each other with tears in our eyes as our new Sakalava Christan brothers and sisters were praying to God in their heart language. We will give thanks to the Lord with our whole hearts! We will recount all of his wonderful deeds!

We are leaving behind our amazing leader, Rosina, who will continue the work here with some of our friends. Please pray for her, and for the band, especially Ladis and Matis, who will continue to make Sakalava worship music. Pray for Herdiny and Francois, who will continue to translate scripture with Rosina. The gatherings will also continue, please pray for more Sakalava neighbors to open their hearts to the good news of Jesus. And pray for the new church plant and the people who have made public confessions of faith recently, Blandiny, Alexi, Mbotizara, and Angela. We look forward to returning next year and seeing what God will do next on this beautiful island…

And please pray for us as we transition back to the states, where we will be for at least the next 10 months. We are still searching for a place to live, looking for a vehicle to purchase, and trying to stay somewhat sane as we roam around the world with a baby and three other kids. We look forward to visiting with all of you that have supported us over the past three years. Here is a look at our current itinerary:

• September 14 – Antananarivo, Madagascar to Nairobi Kenya
• September 16-22 – Bryan visited an MTW team in Addis Ababa, Ethipoia
• October 1 – Fly to Arusha, Tanzania to do a final debrief with our team at the TIMO headquarters
• October 10 – Fly to Nashville, TN and recuperate at Rebe’s parents in Winchester, TN
• October 29-30 – Drive to Atlanta, GA for a leadership assessment at the MTW home office
• November 1- Begin the trek to Austin with many stops along the way

Peace, friends…