Madagascar has arrived!

Our travel began with a night in the Orlando airport on July first, where everyone was able to partake in their long awaited Chick-fil-a, energy drinks, and other severely missed snacks. It was an exciting night knowing we would finally be en route to Madagascar the next morning.

After checking all 44 of our bags in at 3 AM, we headed off to New York so we could load up for our long haul to Nairobi. God was most definitely on our side once we landed in Africa, because we only had an hour and a half layover and the security lines were terrible. We made it through just in time though and made the flight to Antanarivo, the capital city of Madagascar. As we flew in, the landscape was impeccable, full of ridges and mountains cut away by a myriad of meandering river systems.

The layover in Antanarivo was a daunting eighteen hours; however, a gracious church in the area offered to let us stay the night in their building. Finally, this morning, (July third) we boarded our final flight to Mahajanga where we met up with the Madagascar base coordinators Mike and Queen. It was such a relief once we arrived to finally be done with travel.

So far today we have been able to enjoy some wonderful meals provided by Queen, get in some devotion time, and come up with games to entertain ourselves until all our bags (yes, every single bag made it through the flights praise God) arrive with the missionaries later this evening. It's been a hectic few days, but the team has done extraordinarily well and is ready to jump right into the project tomorrow.

Please pray for continued health and strength for everyone and that the team would be well rested.

Testimonies:
Hi Mama and Papa Bishop,
We are finally in Mahajanga! The flight over from Kenya was pique. The area is so beautiful. We've been here for half a day and I already love it here. The team is doing well. The people here have already blessed us so much with their hospitality. Pray that God will use us and teach us more than we could ever think or imagine. Love you!
- Claer-Marie B.

Dear Mom and Dad,
We've made it to Madagascar and I am currently fighting jetlag at the Madagascar base. It is very pretty here and different in every way. Pray that the team gains energy and excitement for the rest of the trip.
- Wade W.

Hello followers,
We have arrived. This place is NICE! As I write this I am at the Mahajanga (pronounced Majanga) Teen Mission's base. It took a lot of big and small planes to get here and it felt similar to the wild ride I had to Brazil last year. I am excited to see what the Lord will do here in Madagascar.
So long,
- Paul M.