Wow! After flying from Orlando to Cincinnati, then to Paris, we have finally arrived in Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar! We are staying in a small hotel until we fly to our project site, Mahajanga, EARLY on Friday Morning. A BIG thank you to all of the parents who supplied all of the food for our "after Commissioning" party. We appreciate your thoughtfulness and generosity. The team thoroughly enjoyed the food and COLD drinks! After the party, the team took down the stage and lights before heading to their air-conditioned dorm rooms for showers and then us on a comfortable bed. We spent the next morning and early afternoon packing our duffels, putting our totes in the food warehouse and then packing the food. After supper, we were bused to the Orlando Airport. The team spent the night either guarding luggage, sitting around talking, eating or crashing on the floors/seats to sleep. The next morning we enjoyed Chick Fil A chicken biscuits (Thank you Mrs. Sleeth!) before moving the luggage to the ticket counter. Check-in went smoothly and there were no hiccups until Paris where our flight was delayed for a couple of hours. We arrived in Madagascar and then went through the lines to get a visas. All of our luggage arrived (PTL)! We were met by two of the staff members and then loaded the TMI truck with all of our luggage which should arrive at the base tonight. We were then transported to our hotel for a good nights' sleep! We awoke to a delicious breakfast this morning, then had personal devotions before going back to our rooms to sleep and/or catch up on our memory verses. We met again for a delicious lunch of chicken and rice with salad. During lunch, the neighborhood kids kept walking by looking at us and the three cats kept being "friendly" while begging for food (no, we didn't pet the cats). The balcony door is open and all I hear is laughter from the neighborhood children. When I look out, I see our team members and the children playing with the kids with the hacky sac and jump rope. Another group is teaching them songs they learned at Boot Camp. The team is having the time of their lives! We leave really early on Friday morning for our flight to our project site in Mahajanga. We will let you know that we arrived safely.
Please pray for good health, safe travels and opportunities to spread the love of Christ.
We've made it to Madagascar! It is beautiful here! God's hand is on this place and you can see His invisible qualities. My favorite part has been hanging out with the team, playing the guitar for worship and playing with the kids. The kids were so much fun—whether we were singing, dancing, trying to teach them the guitar, or giving piggy-back rides! God has definitely blessed me to be here in Madagascar! - Samuel M.
We have made it safely to Madagascar! Since getting here, I've gotten so much closer with my teammates. Yesterday, I played with some Malagasy kids for four hours! I gave a Wordless Bracelet to one of the kids and my teammate, Samuel M. explained what all of the colors meant to all of the kids. I can't wait to keep going! - Lillian M.
The first two days of Boot Camp were hard. The traveling was fun and easy. You get to talk with your teammates and leaders. Being on the field is fun because you get to play with th kids and do evangelism to them. - Gabriel B.
