Hello there! We have had a busy couple of days here! Eli has worked hard with two men that he has taught to be preachers, Pierlo and Danny, and they have spent time going through the Malagasy wilderness preaching in several villages and establishing churches there. We took a 10 hour car ride in 100 degree heat with no AC through “roads” that were actually just gaps where there were no trees. Upon arrival though, we were excited to find that not only the church members came to greet but also as many people from the village as could come! All three of us were given the opportunity then to encourage the church and teach people in each place. There have been a lot of unique experiences on this trip, but the best thing is to witness the desire of people to still hear teaching about God.
From Perry Baker
We just got back to Toliara after our two-day visit in the bush and no WIFI! Our first village after the 9hr rough ride was Pierlo’s village where we first met his large family. We then gathered around a large tree where 75 or more villagers came and each of us had the opportunity to share the gospel. We spent the night in a small hotel by the Indian Ocean. We left at six the next morning to our second village where Eli and Danny have been teaching. Once again, the leader and about 100 villagers came to great us with excitement. The word was taught and it’s wonderful to see how attentive they are to the Lord’s message. Eli presented the village leader with a Bible and he said he was going to teach his village and Eli and Danny will continually come and teach. I personally had a lot of fun with the children before leaving for Danny’s village. When we arrived, we were met by Danny’s large family and after a short visit we gathered a under a large shade tree and Danny’s father the leader of the village welcomed us. We were once again given the privilege to teach the word of God. We had lunch with Danny’s family or should I say we each tasted the soup his mother made for us. Our day ended in the bush by riding a cart pulled by two cows to the river and then hopped into canoes and went across the river where a driver was waiting to take us 1 ½ hrs back to Toliara.
From Avery Hackney
These past few days has been both wonderful and challenging. Tuesday morning we left Toliara around 4 am to head into the bush, after a long ride we finally made it to the first village of, Tanindrato. After meeting with the village under a shade tree and studying the scriptures, it became clear the long drive was well worth it. The people we met were so eager to study and so happy we had come to meet with them. This morning we headed to two other villages to study with the community. The response was just as warm as the last. After meeting with the last village of Taliabo we began making our way back to Toliara. We arrived back in the city late this evening, tired but so happy we were able to meet and study with such wonderful people.
