Toliara Missions Project

New Year Greetings

2011-02-02T00:49:00.001-08:00

Beloved brethren,

Receive warm greetings from the south. I thank God that by His abounding grace and unfailing love He has enabled all of us take off safely this brand new year.

Here in Toliara, our year began with a lot of rain without a cyclone which is not the norm of Toliara during January which is considered to be the hottest month of the year. Seemingly it is like covering up for last year whereby we had minimal rainfall.

Our ministry work started on high note as well having our annual youth leaders training last week and are looking forward to our annual men's retreat in mid February. I covet your prayers as well for this week as I will be teaching our newly admitted students of evangelism on a course on preaching.

Thanks for your continued prayer and support.

In Christ,

Victor.

HAPPY NEW YEAR AND DECADE!

2011-01-07T05:10:00.000-08:00

A NEW DECADE IS AT HAND!
Ten year's ago a time like this the whole world was excited and ready to usher in a new decade. As al-ways both young and old got busy. With a new decade at hand, resolutions were fresh in their minds. No sooner had the first year gone than they forgot about theirs vows to themselves.

Another decade is here and a new year too. My prayer for each one of us is that we keep in mind that ten years is a long time, and we therefore need to constantly review our plans. This of course includes putting them before God and praying that he may go ahead of us and make straight every crooked path.

ONCE AGAIN IT'S “HAPPY NEW YEAR!”
Twenty ten is gone, twenty eleven is here. Believe it or not on the 31st people died seconds to mid-night. What have you given God? Last year was noted as the second worst year ever in terms of death, since 1980. For many it was a year of disease and defeat. I pray that this year will be indeed a “happy new year.” For many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivers him out of them all. Psalms 34:19.

Thank you for keeping in touch with us through our yearly newsletters and for continually offering your prayers and support.

Continue praying and supporting Victor as he reaches Madagascar with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Duncan Macharia is no longer part of the Madagascar missions team. He had been serving with Victor as a missionary for two years.

Written by Suezette

2011-01-07T05:02:00.000-08:00

November 1st is a special occasion in Madagas-car and it cannot go unnoticed. No work, no school. Rea-son….tombs have to be cleaned and lunch shared with the 'dead' because in reality nobody really dies. In the early mornings and you will see people all around carrying jembes, some flowers and of course food and drinks on their way to the tombs and graveyards. A look from a distance reveals that eve-ryone is excited as they clean, chant and share drinks. For those who had their loved ones buried far from their homes and are not in a position to go all the way, had an alternative. They had to design a sort of a grave, offer food, drinks and tribute to their long gone loved ones. They wrapped stones in black polythene pa-per and set it in the grave yard. It was then surrounded with drinks which would be drank in the same venue. Doing this meant blessings for the generation.

Passing by the cemetery the next day, it was evident that it had been worked on. Flowers beautifully arranged and grass trimmed around the grave yard one could easily confuse the place for a park. It was a beau-tiful site. The fact that I knew for sure that this was a cemetery was the only reason I did not run there, take a nap and relax taking in the cool breeze. When evening comes it is a time for celebration and reflecting on what the 'wazees' said, that is if they said anything at all. Word of caution is passed around on things that did not go well during the occasion. “This mistakes should not be repeated next year or else…..” the elders threaten. Sooner or later the celebration now in full charge. Have yourself an eventful November! Victor.

ANKIZY (CHILDREN) ON THE LEAD.

2011-01-07T04:46:00.000-08:00

Children for a long time have been the forgotten lot, the undermined and are considered
weaklings. The parents on the other hand, have been branded the scolders, only quick to point
out errors and on the contrary, very slow to guide along the way. With smiling faces and expectant hearts, the ankizy of our entire parish arrived at St.Luke's church in Ankilfaly in the morning of September 23rd bringing their friends along to attend their very first Vacation
Bible Study (VBS). It was a great time in that while they interacted with their teachers, they also had time to mingle with the guest teachers. It was a time for learning God's word, how to pray, singnig new songs and of course playing and interacting with their new friends.

Plans are underway to ensure that our children get the very best in terms of being taught God's word. It is evident that a new army is coming up because we had people coming in who are not children teachers but were keenly observing what was happening and at times worked closely with the team. Such are the likes we are targeting for the next children teachers recruitment.

Youth department

2011-01-07T00:38:00.000-08:00

Life changes with time. In the past, parents deliberately created time to teach their children about issues concerning life. Today however, the pressures of life seem to have overwhelmed parents such that they barely speak to their children. The youth therefore, without firm foundations, grow to unequipped adults which disastrously affects the whole country at large. The church now comes in handy. Taking the responsibility of the parents, it gives instructions to the youth training it in Christ‟s light.
This years youth conference in September was quite an adventure in itself. We were packed full at the Orantes Sisters conference centre in Betsinjaka. It was very sad though, that we had to literally send other youths back home. This was because of lack of space. Others had a hard time too. They had to come every morning and miss out on the evening sessions. That was a good sign that the youth here are really thirsty for the Word of God.

We were fully packed at the Orantes Sisters conferencecentre in Betsinjaka. It was very sad though that we had to literally send other youths back home. Thiswas because of lack of space. Others had a hard time too. They had to come every morning and miss out on the evening sessions. That was a good sign that the youth here are really thirsty for the Word of God.
We had a guest speaker, the Rev. Howard Hess who exposed the camp's theme, “Set your minds and hearts on things above” Col 3:1-2. Our plenary sessions were awesome because this time round we divided the entire group into small groups in their respective ages. That ensured that issues being tackled were at their level of understanding. Interviewing some of the campers, each one had something to take home….can't wait for the next one!

After having a successful first youth camp last year, this one was a bit easier to organize
because most of the people that we had worked with in the previous year, were now conversant with what was expected and hence easily took up the leading roles and specific duties. This eased the flow of the program and I am hopeful that they will fully take charge in the next year's camp. Our goal is to raise and equip leaders who are faithful to continue the work that the Lord has called us to do.

Interview with Victor Osoro

2010-11-15T15:01:00.001-08:00

Back to Toliara

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We thank God that after two months of support raising and visiting with family and friends in his home of Nairobi, Kenya, Victor returned to Madagascar in June 2010. Please continue to pray for his ministry in Toliara as he conducts English classes and services, disciples young believers, coordinate music and youth ministries, and reaches out to the community with the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Below: Victor with two of the young men he meets with regularly for prayer and discipleship.

Highlights from The First Two Years

2010-11-15T14:51:00.001-08:00

Below is a timeline and summary of Duncan and Victor's highlights from their first two years in Madagsacar as missionaries:

2008
May
Arrived in Madagascar
Started SOMA mission
Engaged in Saturday services at St. Luke’s
June
Began teaching English classes
July
Mission to Morondava
Church planting in Morondava
Sept
First Youth Rally
Dec Open Air Outreach

2009
Jan
Music team records first album
Feb
Conducted Men’s Conference
April
Evangelism training
Planted Ft. Dolphin Church
May Teaching in Bible School
Held Youth Music Concert
Aug
Mission to Andranomena
Sept
Mission to Arkotutu
Conducted Youth Conference
Oct
Mission to Betaola
English classes grow to different levels
Nov
Mission to Andranomena
Regional Youth Conference (Morondava)
Sunday School Teacher’s Training Seminar
First Open Air Preaching in Malagasy
Dec
Malagasy Christmas Musical

2010
Jan
Youth Leaders’ Training
Evangelists Training
Feb
Second Men’s Retreat
Mar
New Church Plant in Betania
Discipleship Training
Apr
Return to Nairobi for furlough

Question and Answer with Victor

2010-11-15T14:47:00.001-08:00

Victor Osoro is among the very few young men who have pioneered international missions in Africa. He has been called to serve as a missionary in Toliara, Madagascar, a neglected region in the Southwest of Madagascar. Later on in the year, he hopes to be ordained as a full time minister in the Anglican Church of Madagascar. Below is a summary of a short question/answer session held with Victor during his furlough in Nairobi during May 2010.

C.A: Now that you are home how do you feel?

V.O: (Gives a long sigh…”home sweet home… I manage to read his thoughts…”) I am excited to be back home. It feels good to speak Swahili once again.

C.A: What do you like most about your mission work?

V.O: (Smiling slyly…) It‟s an exiting adventure, a journey of faith. I handle each day as it comes...cyclones, tornados...once we traveled on water for three hours...holding our hearts close to our beings we sailed through...swimming was a skill we had not acquired while in Kenya. Mmmhhh...talk about what faith can do!!

C.A: What is your favorite Malagasy food?

V.O: Mmmmhhhh….ravin‟toto. It‟s a mixture of crushed potatoe leaves and pork as stew with rice...nothing tastes better!!

C.A: With the much success, there sure are challenges, tell us more about that.

V.O: At the beginning language barrier was a mountainous challenge. People come and pour out their hearts to you in Malagasy and you are left in the dark, expected to offer a solu-
tion to a problem you have not heard. The climate is extremely hot, hotter than famous Mombasa. The sun there is definitely closer to earth than any other place. Lately there was a coup. Politically, the country is drained. As missionaries we don't have a say as much. Prayer and emotional support is the much we can offer these people. (Victor looks extremely depressed…”this must be hard for him…” I think as I prepare to focus on a much lighter topic…)

C.A: So… any parting shot? A comment perhaps?

V.O: (suddenly, with a defiant stare he looks at me.) People will always need you, but you go where people need you most. (I slowly nod in agreement, quickly doodling down the point..) I look back up. (At this point, Victor is looking away.) In Kenya there are about 20,000 missionaries, in Madagascar there are about 200 missionaries… (a hundred fold indeed !!! I think as I jot that down.) I go where people don't want to go.

A Toolbox For Serving Christ

2010-11-15T14:39:00.000-08:00

Exodus 4:2, The Lord said to him “What is that in your hand?” He said “A rod.” God used Moses rod to perform miracles. He wants to use what is in your hand too.

Silence, speech, talent are all great tools God has given us. Duncan and Victor have their own tools for ministry in Madagascar too. One means they are using to share Christ is the English language. To them, English is not only a means of communication, but a also a highly useful tool to proclaim Christ.

Going to church on Sunday is very rare in Toliara. For most Malagasy, Sunday is a day to do house chores, relax, and spend time with friends. To reach those who would not normally enter a church, Duncan and Victor have started Saturday services. These services are led in English and all who attend Duncan and Victor's English classes are encouraged to attend. Therefore, on Saturdays people not only learn English but also get an opportunity to hear the good news of Jesus Christ.

Music Sweeps Malagasy Off Their Feet

2010-11-15T14:37:00.000-08:00

The Malagasy find music irresistible. They adore it. As long as there is a rhythm, dancing goes on automatically. A strategy had to be developed to ensure that music meets the needs of the people and is also used to share the Good News of Jesus.. Fortunately eve-ryone seemed to have an idea on how to play the guitar here, and as missionaries we found this quite a stepping stone.

Knowing the keyboard worked to my advantage. I have trained a few people and now we are working on the drums and the violin...glory to God a great band is coming up! This acts as an ave-nue for people to identify and explore their talents as well as to grow and their gifts and use music to praise the Lord and reach out to oth-ers. A good blend of Malagasy, Swahili, and English songs fill the air during our worship services on Saturdays and Sundays, said Victor. Thanks to music many have come to know Christ and are eager to attend our services.

Four Women Snatched from Satan's Snare

2010-11-15T14:30:00.000-08:00

On 14th March, 2010 four women were saved from a satanic bondage. Three were addicted alcoholics and one was a chain smoker. I had gone for house to house evangelism in the area, and when I met these four women, something in my heart just told me that God was as at work. Through rigorous evangelism and prayer God broke them free from their oppression.
“Pastor please teach me how to read the Bible so I will be totally strong to fight this evil spirit” one of the women pleaded. I gladly invited her over but on one condition….she should come
with at least five friends for the lessons. That was the beginning of a new church and the Sunday Services in Betania.

A PRAYER FOR MADAGASCAR

2010-03-23T01:32:00.000-07:00

Victor 3rd March, 2010 Update

Greetings,
The year 2010 is picking up well and we are grateful for what God is doing. At the moment,we are enjoying cool weather of around 25 degrees Celsius contrary to the normal 32 degrees Celsius. During the stay there were several cyclone alerts. Gracefully, the hit was not as strong as last year's. Thanks for holding us in prayers.

Prayer points:

Pray for the Malagasy elections that are due later this month
Pray that the Lord may be glorified in the process of making Toliara a diocese.
Pray that the Lord may continue to sustain and strengthen us in our ministry here.
Pray that the Lord will raise more partners to pray and support the work in Madagascar financially.
Pray for journey mercies during our home visit and support raising next month- April 2010
Thank God for the success of the youth leaders' training and the men's conference that were held in previous months.
Thanks for standing in the gap.

Serving Christ together,

Victor.

DUNCAN'S JOURNAL

2010-03-22T04:25:00.000-07:00

March 1, 2010 Update-Duncan

It's now a year and ten months since I moved to Madagascar to serve as an evangelist.

At the beginning learning Malagasy was a major challenge. Not being a linguist, I have been quite slow to pick up Malagasy, the main language here. My experience in communication has been a total comedy and disaster too. I am however, progressing on my improvement scale.Last month, I started a new service in Betania West where I have been preaching in Malagasy. It gets interestingly miraculous, when someone who has been speaking English, Swahili and Kikuyu all his life, is suddenly speaking hesitantly and haltingly in a foreign language. It is here in Madagascar, that I have come to realize how useless English is!

In February, I was trying to establish a new fellowship in Betania West and it was not butter and bread. I preached in all the services there and since I did not know the people there I focused on evangelistic messages followed by alter-calls for salvation. The responce was always good.

The fellowship is a roller-coaster I must say. One sunday the locals are ten then the next five and so on and so forth. Many are adults. We however, attract a good number of teenagers and children too.

When not too busy, the youth normally accompany me to minister. The congregation there enjoys gospel music and Bible questions. From March I intend to make the preaching open to all. Shortage of seats is a major handicap there. Yesterday I was excited when a mother there committed herslf to attend our main service in our church on Sundays. Every Friday or Saturday I, with a team, do person-to-person evangelism in the area.

In February I had been looking for a place to plant a fellowship. The task was a tough one. In this past week I have however, identified an area known as Betania Tanambao where starting 2nd of March, I will begin evangelizing in the area with a view of starting a church there. I hence ask for your prayers.

In February we also started a Sunday Service in Motombe, a fellowship I started last November.
It is a relatively stable fellowship that mainly costitutes mothers, vis-a-vis the one in Betania West.

Personally, my desire this year is that when the Christians I work with see me, they may see a church planter.

WORKING HARD IN MADAGASCAR

2010-03-22T03:21:00.000-07:00

It has been a year and nine months since I left Kenya to serve as a missionary in Madagascar.

On the 14th of January, 2010 my friend and I started a house-to-house campaign, from Tuesday to Friday at an area known as Jirama. This was done wit a view to starting anew fellowship in the place since we do not ave a church there. On the 14th we scrutinized the area. We found three major streets there and we decided to prioritize the houses in one of the streets. We were especially looking for people who hardly go to church on Sundays.

Being a foreigner, I was well received. I had the chance of presenting the gospel to many people and some received Christ. At te same time I was trusting God to guide me on where I could start afellowship. Whenever we visited a house we revisited them in subsequent days to continue sharing God's word and developing ties with people from that region. One day, an elderly woman who had been an alcohol addict for five years received Christ in tears; I was deeply moved and overjoyed.

Sunday, the 31st January, after two weeks of evangelism I started a fellowship in that region tha will be held every sunday from 3 to 4pm. I will continue to evangelize in the area to strenghthen the fellowship. On the other hand thre is a Friday fellowship we started in Motombe last November. In regards to the Bishop's instructions, I will start a sunday afternoon service next sunday.

In February I will start evangelizing in an area known as Magro with a view of starting a Sunday service. I hereby request prayers and your support as I seek to start churches and fellowships in Madagascar in this present year 2010. In Madagascar, after a long summer the rains have now come and in this season cyclones are commonly expected, so pray for God's divine protection as we serve as missionaries in Madagascar.

Sunday School Teacher Training

2010-01-11T09:59:00.001-08:00

2010 Ministry Plans

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Victor's Ministry Plans for 2010

Youth start of year party & evaluation January 3, 2010

Youth leaders seminar (Madio rano) January 16

Annual Men’s Retreat February 12 &13

English class vacation March

Diocesan mission week March

Support raising and home visit (Kenya) April-May

Annual youth music concert (Ankilifaly) May

Sunday school teachers’ workshop (Ankilifaly) June

English class resumes June

Diocesan staff training and retreat July

Children’s Vacation Bible school (Toliara) August

Annual Youth camp September

Youth leaders training (Sakaraha parish) October

Preparation for Christmas Events November

English class vacation November

Christmas concert (Ankilifaly) December

Victor's New Year's Message

2010-01-11T09:36:00.000-08:00

Happy 2010!
Every new year comes with its surprises, challenges, upsets and of course good tidings and successes! I do believe that this time round, holding on to Jesus, He will uphold us in all righteousness and keep us from hunger during famine and most of all hunger and thirst for Him and desire to become more like Him.

Personally I am doing really well and looking forward to an exciting year with the Lord. This year my ministry is more focused on trainings, with the first youth leaders training being held this Saturday and a men's workshop in the coming month.

We are hoping to visit Kenya around March - May. Keep us in prayer that the Lord may provide the finance required for that to happen. Thanks for your continual support and prayer.

In Christ,
Victor.

Church Planting Plans for the New Year

2010-01-07T13:44:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

It is now one year and eight months since I came to Madagascar to work as an evangelist focusing on evangelistic missions and church-planting. I have established myself as a major organiser of evangelistic missions in the diocese of Toliara and last November I started a Friday fellowship in a place called Motombe which is doing well and is a major part of my quest to become a top church -planter in this diocese.

In church-planting, my plan initially is to start Sunday - services around Toliara and mid-week fellowships to feed existing churches with new Christians. As far as January is concerned I am trusting God to start two new mid-week services in two different places. In one of those places I wanted to start a church but the place is too near to an existing church.

What can I say except that I covet prayers since starting new fellowships and churches takes the grace of God but also besides that I also request for monthly-support through Church Army Africa in Nairobi. We urgently need funds to facilitate the work that we are doing here in Madagascar.

God bless you and have a great 2010.

Victor and Duncan Need you to Pray for Them

2009-11-16T22:01:00.000-08:00

November will be a very busy month for Victor and Duncan ,starting off with a mission around Toliara and youth leadership seminars and sunday school teachers workshops in Morondava.

Victor outlined some of the things that He would like us to pray for.

He says that we pray that the Lord:

grants them favor with the weather because they are getting to a rainy season now.
draws people to Himself in the mission,
grants them safe journey mercies to Morondava which is around 2-3 day journey by road.
works in the hearts of the youth leaders who will attend the seminar that their desire will be to become leaders of integrity.
prepares the teachers who will be trained that they may become instruments and that He will use them to transform the lives of the children.

The Andaromena Mission

2009-11-16T00:45:00.000-08:00

The Andaromena Mission started in the 5th Of November.Duncan and Victor have engaged in teaching the Christians everyday at 3pm.
They confess that in the missions they have organised in the three past months this has been the best and the most successful and most exiting.They even have a vision of building a Cathedral in that place some time soon.
They are all very happy to share some of the photos they took during their mission.

The people listen to the word

Duncan and some of the Christans in Andaromena

Duncan Shares His Experience in Mission Work

2009-11-15T23:41:00.000-08:00

I have now been in Madagascar for one year and six months since I left Kenya.
In the month of October I organized an evangelistic mission from the 8th to 11th in a place called Betaola. This is a remote place about an hour from where I am based in Toliara.Twenty One missioners were there too, basically youth. I had a chance of preaching twice in the open airs and the first time the response was poor but the second time the response was very good as many people lifted their hands as a sign they wanted to accept Christ. Around here making altar-calls is rare so I am pioneering in that area.

We also went from house-to-house evangelism every morning and people were recieving Christ. The challenge of evangelism in Madagascar is discipleship and follow up, hence the fruits of the missions tend to be low in terms of the new converts who start regularly going to Church.

We also showed the Jesus film every evening.Christians in Tanambao , a village five minutes away from Betaola, subjected us to great pressure to show the Jesus Film there, but we could only tell them that we could do it some other time.

There were no bathrooms in Betaola ,so we had to use public natural pools, that all the villagers were, using for our hygiene.In tell you missions can really challenge the cormfot and conviniences that one is used to,but we have to preach the gospel.

I am now organizing yet another mission in a place known as Andaromena.This will take place from 5th to 8th of November and there after from the 9th to the 14th November from 3:00pm to 4:30pm we will be taeching the new converts on the basics of the christian faith.We will do the teachings in response to the need for discipleship.

Please continue to pray for what God is doing in Madagascar.

people give their lives to christ in Anketraka

2009-11-02T23:28:00.000-08:00

Duncan preaches in Anketraka

2009-10-27T00:40:00.000-07:00

Duncan preaches to a congregation on the 25th of September in Anketraka

Shares the message of Christ with people in the community

Blind fold fun

2009-10-13T04:25:00.000-07:00

More Conference photos

2009-10-13T02:54:00.000-07:00

The team.

Time to worship.

Rev. Apela during a session.

Photo Compilation

2009-10-13T01:39:00.000-07:00

Rev Capt. Apela with Bishop Todd

YOUTH CONFERENCE REPORT 2009

2009-10-12T23:44:00.000-07:00

Preamble:
“My life will never be the same again”. “Now I understand what prayer is and why I need to pray.” “How much will the next camp cost?” These are just some of the comments made by the participants of the very first youth conference to be organized in the South – West of Madagascar, Toliara by the Anglican Church.

Notre Dame College was the venue that hosted the conference which was one of its kinds. Apparently it was the very first time of the majority of the youth to attend a youth conference and so, high standards had to be set to raise the expectation for the next camp.On arrival, many were not so sure what to expect or how it would be. It was those of let us wait and see. But by the end of the meeting some for sure did not feel like going home….

The camp was attended by around 85 young people from Toliara. There were members both from the Anglican Church and other churches as well.

The program:
The program was carefully designed to meet the needs of young people and the issues facing the society at large. Some of the topics handled included preparation for marriage, relationships, academics and spiritual warfare. It is about letting our value systems and viewpoints shaped by God’s word.

We had well seasoned speakers who tackled different topics among them the very first guest priest, from Kenya Rev. Apela to visit the first Anglican missionaries from Kenya serving in Toliara.

The theme of the conference was drawn from Ephesians 5.15 “Be careful how you walk, not as unwise but as wise.” This was basically to help the young people be able to make wise decisions from an informed position biblically. That will in effect help in avoiding unnecessary blame and regret and that everyone becomes fully responsible of every decision that they make.

The exploration of the book of Ephesians by Bishop Todd was just marvelous. It was an eye-opener to the young people and gave them an opportunity to discuss key issues from scripture in their small bible study groups. The time for personal devotion was another learning experience and the Lord dealt with his people in an interesting way.

The campers were divided into four groups. That was done deliberately to help break barriers and enable interaction with the people to whom one is not used to. One of the expectations during the free time was to connect with new people and share each other’s experience.

Every morning physical exercises were done just to keep fit and later on in the evening we had creative games that also helped in bonding and building relationships.

Achievements:

Many young people committed themselves to the Lordship of Christ

A good base for networking with other churches was created

Many young people were able to explore their talents and grew in their areas of gifting especially during the evening talent shows and fun time.

Youths were able to connect well and learn from each other.

Youths who were Christians already were strengthened in their walk of faith.

Created an opportunity for the young people to open up and share their experiences which they would normally not share because most of them have limited or no access to their pastors and no one seems to be willing to give an ear.

Bible information was given on various issues that young people struggle with like relationships, academics and the like.

Challenges:

A good number did not have bibles, pens or notebooks.

Unclear discipleship strategy for those who get saved.

The location being too close it was easy for some guys to rush home unnecessarily.

Inadequate games equipment.

Most of the young people were unable to raise the amount to attend the conference and those from far could not come at all.

Recommendations:

Develop a strategic youth discipleship program.

Find a way of providing Bibles.

Invest fully in the youth department in the areas of:

- Bible study materials and Christian literature.
- Games equipment.
- Stationery.

Involve all our clergy and evangelists from the onset.

Train more camp counselors.

Develop a theme song for the camp.

Develop income generating projects for the youth.

Look for churches or dioceses to partner with the youth ministry in Toliara.

Explore the possibility of having regional conferences.

Conclusion:
Generally, I think that for a first youth camp things went really well. I was especially impressed in the way that the event was embraced and fully supported by the organizing team and the youth in general under the leadership of Bishop Todd.

Madagascar being a nation with over 60% of the population comprising the
youth means that we cannot ignore the youth. They are the leaders of today and the future generation. Targeting and holding them clearly implies that we are not only impacting their spiritual lives but also influencing the nation in that we raise leaders of integrity.

And with that I am confident that our numbers for the next camp will double or even triple! We covet your prayers and continual support for the youth ministry as we transform the lives of the young people in Madagascar for Christ.

Report prepared by: Ev. Victor Osoro – Youth Ministry Coordinator, Toliara Diocese.

GLORY TO GOD

2009-10-12T23:37:00.000-07:00

I have now been in Madagascar for one year and five months and my spiritual adventure continues. In the month of September the focus has been an evangelistic mission in a place known as Anketraka. This took place from 24th to 26th September. We had house to house evangelism in the mornings then mass evangelism in the evenings as well as showing the Jesus film. I was blessed to have organized that mission as well as preach on 25th September.

House to house was particularly successful and considering how uncommon it is to do evangelism here many youth were exposed for the first time to the experience of doing evangelism and they did a very good job. Glory to God.

Right now we are working on follow-up as well as evaluation.

The next mission is from 8th to 11th October in a place known as Betaola so pray that all goes well and many come to Christ. At the same time we hope to start on 9th October a house fellowship in Motombe with the expectation that it later becomes a full-fledged church. I am working on that with an evangelist who works near there so also pray for God's guidance on this.
A public-address system is increasingly becoming an issue since in my next mission I will not be able to use the P.A of the church but will have to hire one. Pray that God provides the evangelism department here with a good P.A.

I will also be preaching in the Sunday services of two of our churches here in October.
The work of the Lord continues.

Victor's Prayer update

2009-10-12T23:36:00.000-07:00

• Safe journey mercies to Morondava
• Wonderful time with the youth at Morondava
• More financial supporters for our ministry in Madagascar.
• Continued good health
• Betaola and andranomena missions
• Toliara has been approved to be a diocese so pray for smooth electoral
process to elect a diocesan bishop.

THANKSGIVING

2009-10-12T23:35:00.000-07:00

• Successful youth conference
• Safe journey mercies for Rev. Apela
• Duncan’s health is improving
• Many are giving their lives to Christ.

UPCOMING EVENTS IN NOVEMBER

2009-10-12T23:34:00.000-07:00

• Morondava youth seminar.
• Andranomena outreach.

Door to Door Evangelism

2009-10-12T23:32:00.000-07:00

Last week we had wonderful open air meetings, door to door evangelism and
the Jesus Film at one of our daughter churches in Anketraka and we had
several people won for the kingdom of God. Next week all roads will be leading
to Betaola which is about an hour and a half by road from Toliara. Betaola is
characterized by cattle rustling and early marriages. Actually as the name
suggests, Betaola literally means a place of many bones probably due to many
cattle and people who die during the ordeal and the carcass and bodies are not
well disposed of.

A TORNADO HITS TOLIARA

2009-10-12T23:23:00.000-07:00

I cannot forget this day. It was a national holiday and everyone was in a jovial mood and excited about the celebration. All was well or so it seemed or so it seemed until evening came and all that changed in a split of a second. All the happiness was suddenly turned into gloom. I was in my house during that time and I heard a sound like an airplane hovering. So I wondered how come the plane does not but seems to go far. All over sudden there was a blackout! The roof of my house was shaking and there was a lot of noise outside. So I thought to myself mmh! Let me open the door and see what is happening. I wish I did not do that. I got the shock of my life. That door pushed me back forcefully and I got myself at the floor. Before I realized it, my window was flung open and there was dust all over. It cooled down after a couple of minutes. I was really shaken.
I later on went to see Duncan’s house just to find out how his situation was. He was fine in his house just wondering where all the dust is coming from in the night. So he picked his spotlight and we went out together to survey what had happened. Destruction, destruction, destruction. Trees had fallen on top of houses, roof tops and doors blown off, electricity poles displaced, some major roads blocked…it was terrible but thank God we were kept safe. Some people were injured and rushed to hospital but there were no any deaths reported. The gasy word for it is rambon’danitra which literally means the heaven’s tail. So it is wiping the earth.

YOUTH MUSIC CONCERT

2009-10-12T23:21:00.000-07:00

The very first youth music concert began on a high note at Ankilifaly. A platform was created for different youth groups to praise the Lord and to display their talents and gifting musically. The congregation was thrilled by a one acapella group that did a super local mix with classical overtones. No one expected such a brilliant performance from them. This helped the young people in general to appreciate our different gifting in the body of Christ and praise God together in our uniqueness. It was evident that each group really did hard work to ensure that they offer God only the best. Everyone is looking forward to the next concert. We even had some of the people who attended the concert joining our English class.

CHURCH PLANT

2009-10-12T23:08:00.000-07:00

The Fort- Dauphin church planting mission went really well with a new church established. As at now it has a membership of around 70 adults. Duncan and Rev. Donne spearheaded the team in doing the groundwork and a wonderful job was done. We joined them later on to boost the workforce in the areas of person to person and open air evangelism and many gave their lives to Christ.

Right now the church is considering buying a land and constructing a permanent church structure. They are meeting in a classroom for the time being.

Currently Duncan and I are back to our base in Toliara and Rev.Donne is in charge of the parish and being assisted by one of the local evangelists, Tomboasy to continue the work that began there. Glory be to God.

Other new fellowship groups are beginning in Motombe and Beravy areas which are not very far from Toliara which will culminate to fully fledged churches soon.

At the moment we are exploring the possibility of starting a new church in Morombe which is around 300km, North of Toliara. Pray for the leading of the Holy Spirit in that direction.

Progress Report on Church Planting ,Evangelism and the Upcoming Youth Confrence

2009-09-18T00:08:00.000-07:00

September 4th

It has now been one year and four months since I left Kenya to come to Madagascar to serve as a missionary.

I am busy organizing a three-day crusade in a place called Anketraka from the 24th to 26th of this month and the plans are advancing well.

In July I preached on two different Sundays in one of our churches in Andaromena and due to that, plans are underway to launch a new church this year that is to be under the Andaromena church as well as to organize an evangelistic mission in Andaromena in November since a temporal church structure is presently being built there which should be ready by November.

I need your prayers because I intend to be very aggressive in church-planting and evangelism. The lack of a public address system is a challenge since where I need to do evangelism is far and thus I need to rent the P. A system

Lack of personnel is still a big problem. I was telling the Bishop here that I want to do at least two church- plants this year but he told me to only do one partly because we do not have people to take care of the new churches!

Last but not least Reverend Alfred Apela should be landing in the capital of Madagascar next Monday to later embark on a 900km journey by matatu to Toliara where he will be the guest speaker in a youth conference that Victor has organized. Pray for his safe journey and especially that God may use him to make an impact on the youth here. He will be a ground- breaker.

I hope many others from Kenya will come to minister here in Toliara in future.

Shalom.
Duncan

One year and Three months long and still going strong.

2009-09-18T00:01:00.000-07:00

19th August

It is now one year and three months since I came to Madagascar. I am presently organizing a crusade in an area known as Anketraka.
We have a church there but it has few members and my hope is that this crusade will enable the church to grow numerically. So pray the planning goes well.

The crusade is scheduled for 24-26 September. Two weeks after that I am preparing to go to a place called Betaola. We have a church there. Indeed it is the only church in the area. Most men of the area do not go to church but engage in social vices and crime such as cattle rustling and murder. The evangelist in charge of that area wants a crusade to reach these men and this is scheduled to take place from 8-11 October.

I am still looking for a public address system to hire so pray that the Lord provides. My bishop here went to Fort Dauphin two weeks ago. This is the place I went in April/May for five weeks and a church was planted there. He reported that 125 people attended the Sunday service and he baptized around 50 people! It is proving to be an extremely successful church-plant.
Pray that we will be able to start many churches in the province of Toliara.

The problem is we do not have personnel to handle new churches so if the Lord is calling you here you are welcome since the work is vast but the workers are few. Lastly, I am very excited because we are expecting Reverend Alfred Apela here in Toliara, Madagascar to be the key-note speaker in a youth conference from 7-11 September. Victor is the main organizer of this conference.

Pray that the ministry of Reverend Apela may have a great impact among the youth here.

Duncan.

Victor’s Prayer Update.

2009-09-17T23:59:00.000-07:00

August 11th

Greetings

We are fine in the Lord and covet your prayer for the work going on in Madagascar.
Pray for:
• The upcoming first youth conference in September that the Lord may minister in the lives of the young people in Toliara.
• Safe journey mercies for the conference speakers including Capt. Apela from Kenya.
• Duncan's health - he has been having a problem at his nape.
• Madagascar's political direction that the reached agreement may be kept.
• Thank God that Toliara recently became a new diocese and hence the electoral process is in place so pray that it may go well.

Thanks for standing in the gap.
Victor.

Youth Conference Update.

2009-09-17T23:56:00.000-07:00

August 4th

I hope this finds you well.
The youth conference planning is now at an advanced stage now that we only have 5weeks to go and we are waiting to receive Capt. Apela as well. So far we have 80 youths who have registered and we are hoping the number to shoot by 15th August 2009 which is the deadline of registration. We are expecting to have at least 200 young people from Toliara.
I am afraid we may just have to lock out other people.

Victor.

Independence Day in style!

2009-09-17T23:52:00.000-07:00

June 23rd

Hello, I trust that the Lord has kept you safe and his mercies are falling afresh upon your life. The Lord has been good to me and I rejoice in the greatness of his grace and his unfailing love.

June 26 is a national holiday here in Madagascar-Commemoration of the departure of the French from this land as colonialists. It seems it is a day that is taken very seriously by the majority of the citizens. People are painting their houses nicely and doing big time purchases both in clothing and foodstuff. For businessmen it is a big money making time.

On the eve of the Independence Day there are normally fireworks displays and dances throughout the night at the beach and many people gather there for the shows.

"Vorotsiloza" the turkey's meat is one of the best meals to cook during a festivity like this. So everyone is trying their best to have one and at worst if a turkey seems hard to come-by then a chicken will do. People travel from far just to be with their families for the celebration.

Once again, thanks for your continual support and prayer.

Have a great week.
Victor.

Adventerous Church Planting Mission.

2009-09-17T23:48:00.000-07:00

15th June Update

I do believe that the Lord is giving you new energy even as you begin this new week with its challenges, setbacks and of course victories!
I am well kept of the Lord and continue to abide in his love and faithfulness that are new every morning.
To describe our church planting mission at Fort Dauphin in one word I would say it was adventurous! This is because from the start to the end of the mission the devil has been fighting and opposing the work but we saw the Lord winning every battle. That describes who He is - mighty in battle. Well, our journey that was scheduled for Friday was postponed to Saturday because they had few passengers traveling on that day (and this being only a few hours before departure time!) During the journey we had 6-breakdowns! We had four tyre bursts, one around 100km from Toliara and on one occasion we ran out of fuel in the middle of the jungle. Normally the journey takes 2-3 days due to the deplorable state of the road. During rainy seasons it takes up to a week or 2 on the way! And so in most cases there are no vehicles traveling to Fort Dauphin at that time.
On arrival we were well received and we set for work. It was indeed a busy week of door to door, open air preaching and films. The message was well received and we had people making commitments to walk with Jesus. It was evident that Duncan and Rev Donne who worked on the ground work did a wonderful job. As at now there is a church at Fort Dauphin with around 40 congregants, most of who were Anglicans who had 'no church.' the town is growing fast mostly because there are a lot of South Africans and Canadians due to the big mining company that is there.

Thanks so much for your prayers and continual support.

Blessings,
Victor.

May Flashback

2009-09-17T23:42:00.000-07:00

Duncan – June 6th Update

May was a fantastic monthly since first and foremost I celebrated my first anniversary of serving as a missionary in Madagascar; this was on 1st May. At that time I was in Fort dauphin doing church-planting from19th April to 25th May.

Generally, the first two weeks of May, Rev Donne and I were looking for church-land almost daily but the pieces of land that we saw were too small and so up to this moment the search continues and I request for prayers for land. We were also looking for a house for over 10 evangelists that we were to host for a week from 19th May as well as trying to furnish it.

We were advertising almost every week in a local radio station about the new church as well as the evangelism week slated for 19th to 23rd May. On the Sundays of 2nd, 9th and 16th May we had 24, 22 and 31 adults respectively attending the new church. The church had an international angle with me as a Kenyan there and I befriended an American who also came, one of those Sundays. I preached on Sunday 16th May on why the Church evangelizes to prepare the Christians for the week of evangelism that was to begin on 19th May. We managed in those two or so weeks to get a house for the evangelists as well as bedding and utensils.

We got authorization from the local government to preach and show the Jesus film every evening from 19th to 23rd May and also secured a public address system. The evangelists arrived on Monday 18th May having traveled 619km from Toliara where I live and a Christian fetched them from the bus station and drove them to their residence.

From 19th to 23rd we did house to house evangelism in the mornings and ministered and showed the Jesus film in the evenings. I preached on the 19th which was the first day of the evening program and it went well. Many people came to listen to this fazaha from Kenya. Fazaha is the word here for a foreigner. Many people prayed the prayer of salvation.

I deliberately preached on that first day because many of the evangelists who were there had never done mass evangelism before and needed to learn how to do it. It was not easy for me and Victor during this mission because the Bishop entrusted the mission funds to us yet there were three Reverends with us but the evangelism week went well. On Sunday 24th, 49 people were in the Sunday service which was a big disappointment to me since many people were gathering daily for the evening program and there was lunch provided by one of the Christians for all who came for the service.

So pray for that new church that it may grow in every way.

I am still developing an evangelism program for the year and continue to ask for prayer. I am now back in Toliara and reveling in what God did in fort dauphin. We have an evangelist in charge of that new church temporarily, since we have only four priests and they are tied-up. The evangelists are also few. The evangelist that was sent there serves in another church. We need new evangelists and missionaries to come here. Is God calling you?

Celebrating one year in Madagascar amidst spiritual battles

2009-05-07T03:26:00.000-07:00

It is now one year since I came to Madagascar and the past one month was an eventful one. During the first two weeks of April I was in Toliara where I’m based. In the first week I preached in the Saturday English service while in the second I led the service.

During April a challenge emerged in the church when satanic manifestations developed. Two ladies from the church become demonically possessed in a span of three days. Prayers were made and one of them gradually recovered, but later on she relapsed while the other’s case has been deteriorating. So please pray for the two ladies recovery.

On April 17th I traveled to Fort Dauphin along with a clergy called Rev.Donne to plant the new church. We will be staying in Fort Daulphin for one month. Last Sunday we started the church with 17 adults and 9 children. Please pray for the growth of new church and also for:

PRAYER REQUESTS

2009-05-07T03:04:00.001-07:00

· Thank God for our good health and pray it continues.
· Thank God as we celebrate one year in the mission field.
· Pray for safe journeys to Fort Dauphin.
· Pray for Duncan to get an affordable place for us to stay in Fort Daulphin.
· Pray for a successful church plant in May.
· Thank God that our deacon was unharmed and pray that the Lord will give him and his family peace now that he is going to Fort Dauphin.
· Pray for security in Sakaraha.
· Pray that justice and righteousness may prevail in the land of Madagascar.
· Pray for the men’s discipleship groups and the English centre Bible Study that Lord may work uniquely in the lives of his people.
. A site for mass evangelism.
. Availability of a good public address system as well as musical instruments and players.

HAPPINESS IN CHRIST

2009-05-07T02:26:00.000-07:00

This is the most recent picture of Victor relaxing after a team of evangelists payed them a visit

A SERVANT LEADER

2009-05-07T02:23:00.000-07:00

You call me teacher and Lord and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor his messenger greater than one who sent him. Now that you know this things, you will be blessed if you do them. (John 13:12-17)

REFLECTIONS FROM CAPT.MACHARIA

2009-05-07T02:18:00.000-07:00

It is now one year since I arrived here in Madagascar from Kenya to work as a missionary. I love this country despite the chaos that currently rocks it.
The month of March was especially good since my health improved tremendously. Since January I stayed in the house most of the time with a big gaping wound at the rear of my head that looked horrible after my surgery! Not to mention that whenever I went out I had to constantly wear a hat to repel the attention I was drawing from people. Since March, however, I’ve been operating without wearing a hat and the wound is now healed! Thank you for your prayers.
I am now developing an evangelistic strategy for South Madagascar and I request for prayers that God may give me guidance on this.
I started the month of March on a high note after I preached the gospel in an English institute to mostly university students and virtually everyone there accepted Christ. The challenge here in Madagascar is the discipleship of new converts. People here seem to accept Christ so as not to embarrass the evangelist but when you try to follow-up they are not interested! So pray for people here to be convicted by the Holy Spirit to make genuine decisions for Christ!

A MYSTERIOUS SICKNESS

2009-05-07T02:12:00.000-07:00

The year 2009 began in style in Toliara with the New Year’s message shared by Captain Macharia. All went well until the 10th of January when things took an opposite direction. Duncan had an infection at the back of his head that required a minor operation to be done. It did not seem anything to be alarmed about until I took him to a local hospital. I still can remember that day when the doctor said, “Thanks for coming with him, so could you please wait for him out there?” I did as was requested, but I got a bit nervous when it took longer than I expected. While still there, I saw Duncan brought out on a stretcher! He looked tired and had to rest for around thirty or so before he could gain some strength. Surprisingly he was unable to walk! The operation left a wound at his nape that took a long time to heal. Then, in early February I also got attacked by a mysterious sickness -- a stomach illness they said, which was probably caused by water or food that was not well cooked. By then Duncan had not yet recovered and I got also sick. This was a very hard time for us, but by the grace and mercy of God we have recovered. We thank God for giving us good health once again as we continue to serve him in Madagascar.

THE LAND OF GEMS

2009-05-07T02:08:00.000-07:00

Sakaraha is a small town that is approximately 2-hours drive from Toliara. It is a land that is known for its precious stones. It is also identified for its potential to produce quality peanuts, but on the other hand, dreaded for its high insecurity and crime. Actually our deacon who is stationed there has been attacked and robbed on several occasions.
I was there recently and worked with the youth for a few days in the areas of music and bible study. We had a wonderful picnic together and shared in creative games and bible lessons. It was then that I preached in pure Malagasy for the second time in my life.
- Capt. Victor Osoro

A VOYAGE

2009-05-07T02:06:00.000-07:00

Toliara is mainly a land of the Masikoro who are mainly farmers and the Vezo who are primarily fishermen. So we had this journey to a place known as Soalary which is predominantly Vezo. To get to Vezo we had to go by a dug-out canoe over the Indian Ocean for 2 hours! That was my first time to travel for that long in water.
On our way to Vezo the journey was quite well since the water was fairly calm. But when we were returning home from Vezo the trip was not enjoyable because we were battling our way through the strong waves. The experience was so horrifying, that I had a cold chill down my spine, wondering when we are going to get to the land.
In the water the big fish seemed like they were singing hallelujah and praising God for the waves because that is their best time to play in the water and celebrate the beauty of God! But that reminded me that sometimes we trust so much on the Lord of the land and forget that he is also the Lord of the sea and air as well, and that the very way he protects us on land is the very way he will protect us in the sea.
For the first time I understood the kind of a situation the disciples were in when they were in the middle of a storm battling with the waves and Jesus was sleeping.

A MASSIVE CYCLONE-In Toliara

2009-05-07T01:58:00.000-07:00

January – March is normally a period of long rains here in Madagascar but in the beginning of this year, things were different. It was scorching hot when we heard news about a cyclone coming in the following week. The news said ‘Make sure that you have an IC radio and enough food stock in your house because a major cyclone is going to hit Toliara!” That meant that there would be neither power nor supply of foodstuff until further notice. So, the necessary purchases were done and we waited for the cyclone. Surprisingly from the time of that announcement it rained cats and dogs, But I realized that people here longed for the rains so much that when it came they were happy. All the major roads were flooded due to heavy rainfall and one could not avoid wading through the stagnant water. Children were seen playing in the rain and the flooded roads. Rolling and splashing water on each other, others literally bathed in excitement. Thanks be to God that the cyclone that hit some parts of Toliara (our area excluded) was not of the magnitude that was earlier predicted. We were safe but there were some parts of Toliara where strong winds had blown away the roof tops of houses. According to the meteorological department, our town would have been severely hit by the cyclone but fortunately the Mozambique Channel managed to counter the situation.

EVANGELISATION-Church Plant in Fort Dauphin

2009-05-07T01:50:00.000-07:00

Fort-Daulphin is a very small town in the South West of Madagascar. It is a three day journey by bus from Toliara and its nearest church is hundreds of kilometers away. Capt. Duncan Macharia is currently working to establish a base for evangelism and a centre for believers to gather and worship in Fort-Daulphin. He is spearheading an effort to establish a permanent church there alongside Rev. Donne. Their goal is to develop a vibrant church where new believers can grow in their faith while reaching out to many more who have never had the opportunity to receive Christ. Duncan will be traveling to Fort-Daulphin at the end of April, and Victor will join him for evangelistic outreaches during the month of May. The main challenge they are facing is a place to stay, shortage of resources and they are looking for a suitable place to start building the Church.

THE MEN'S RETREAT

2009-05-07T01:39:00.000-07:00

The men’s retreat at the end of February was a time that was long awaited for by many of the young men at the church in Toliara. They were eagerly looking forward to a time of fellowship, bonding, and spiritual growth. The retreat was a 2-day event focused on becoming men of substance by exploring examples of faithful men in the Bible. The retreat helped men to understand their place in the community and their special roles as priests, protectors and providers.

By the end of the event, all of us had a smile, and wanted to know when the next event would be held. New small discipleship groups began to emerge as a result of the retreat and continue to meet regularly.

Easter In Madagascar

2009-05-07T01:36:00.000-07:00

We had one of the most interesting Easter seasons this year. We went through the 10 Stations of the Cross every Friday evening during Lent. Then on Maundy Thursday we had a special session of renewal of vows for the evangelists, deacons and priests in the morning and then feet washing in the evening. We took turns to wash each others’ feet as Jesus did to his disciples’ and told them to do the same to others (John 13:14-15). It was a moment to remind us of the nature of our calling which is
servant hood; it was indeed a refreshing moment.

The Good Friday service caught me off guard. I knew that I was going for a mass that would take 3-hrs, from 12pm to 3pm but when I got into the church I realized that the altar was designed in a way that suggested there was someone who has died and his corpse is right there in the coffin! So I wondered who could have died, and why is the funeral service being done on Good Friday? Then it hit me, we are actually commemorating the death of Jesus! I laughed at myself. Later that evening we were invited to share God’s word at the military chapel. And that was the third place where I preached my message purely in Malagasy.

The Trials and Tornados of January.

2009-02-04T03:10:00.001-08:00

Dear Friends,

This year started really well for me but on January the tenth my enthusiasm was dampened!

Four years ago i got an infection after i went for a haircut in Nairobi. I tried different medications but the infection turned out really hard to get rid of and continued to spread all over my head until my Bishop last year told me to do something about it.

So I went to the mail government hospital in Toliara and a doctor prescribed me with some medication that I needed to purchase and he then told me to go back on January 10th for some treatment

So I went for the treatment and the doctor put me under anesthetic on my head and then subjected me for radiation. I have made a slow recovery since then but it is not fully healed as is taking a lot of time. So please pray for me that god would comfort me and help me to get a full recovery.

As well as dealing with that situation, the meteorologists issued an alert that there was a cyclone building up on the Mozambique channel and they predicted that it would hit the western side of Madagascar too.

I currently live in Toliara which is a coastal town on the south west of Madagascar.

God was gracious and even though Toliara was hit by the cyclone it only prolonged heavy rainfall for some days. However, Morondava, which is a coastal town to the north of Toliara and a place which i went for successful missions last year, bore the brunt of the cyclone. Buildings were destroyed, the roof of the house that i stayed in was blown off. It was devastating.

Pray therefore for us missionaries here in Madagascar, for god to keep us safe and that we would be able to cope with any natural disasters that occur each year.

Then as if these set backs were not enough, on January the 25th a political crises erupted in Madagascar that has led to several strikes, looting, property being vandalized and people being killed and this is still going on. The aim has been to remove the president here. It has all been very shocking and disturbing.

Pray for the restoration of peace here in Madagascar so that we can continue to minister unimpeded.

I would also like to thank you all for your prayers and continued support. Please keep praying and also give thanks to God for what He is doing in my life, using me for His good works and for changing me during my time here all for His glory.

God bless

Duncan

Cyclone Alert

2009-01-19T21:56:00.000-08:00

At the moment here it is raining heavily and it is clear that a lot of people are really enjoying it probably because it is a long time since there was rain here. Some are showering in the rain and kids swimming in the flooded roads. Interestingly it is not cold either! Recently a cyclone alert was given. It may hit any time but begins in the North and later moves here to the South. The speed is approximated to be around 80km/hr. So now is the time to make early food purchases and make sure you have an AC radio just to keep in touch with what is happenning because there is going to be a black out and all businesses will be closed.

So pray with us.

Blessings,

Victor.

Getting ready for ministry for 2009.

2009-01-13T23:24:00.000-08:00

Christian greetings,

I hope your year has began on a high note. I am very well here in Madagascar in this brand new year of 2009.

I must confess that the Lord has been so gracious to our ministry here in Madagascar and we are not taking anything for granted. Since our arrival here neither Duncan nor I has had any serious sickness and that is not something to take lightly. So praise God with us for his faithfulness.

This year seems to have a lot of things ahead both in the evangelism and youth departments in the entire southern part of our diocese which covers 1000km of coastline. Next week I will be involved in a youth leaders workshop for a day. We are focusing on training the emerging leaders. In actual sense they are the people who are taking over leadership.

The St.Luke's Church here in Ankilifaly where we are based is predominantly youth and so most of our energies are directed towards them but on the other hand we are not forgetting the elderly as well and so there are special programmes that go on especially in the area of Bible study and discipleship. We have a task to make sure that the word of God is made simple and clear and that it is understood the way it should be and our pastor has been so helpful especially in the area of language.

Our pastor here Rev.Stephan will be moving to another parish which is 1500km away by February. His wife has been sick for some time now so please pray for him and his family as they start a new work in their new ministry base.

In the beginning of February as well I will be involved in teaching the new student evangelists at the Bible School in Ankilifaly.

Continue praying that the Lord's hand may be upon us and all the work that we are doing here. Thank you so much for all your prayers and financial support.

Have yourselves an exciting 2009!

God Bless

Victor

A New Year - A Time for Teaching and Trusting

2009-01-08T23:28:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends,

I like to wish you all a very happy New Year. I crossed into the New Year at church and indeed gave my first sermon of 2009 right after entering the New Year at midnight. I spoke on “Your failures will become successes in 2009”. This was based on Luke Chapter One where Zechariah and Elizabeth were blessed with a son, John the Baptist, at a time when it was not physically possible for them to be gifted with a child. I pray therefore that whatever you have attempted but has not worked out in the past, will work out in 2009 and that you trust in God in all things.

The Saturday morning that followed I preached in the English service and the responses both times were great. I believe this year that there will be great success in my ministry here in Madagascar.

I hope to do evangelism campaigns in Ankilifaly, Anketraka, Andaromena, Sakaraha, Morondava and Fort Dolphin among other places and so please pray for me while I do this.
I am trusting God for resources to facilitate these evangelistic campaigns for example a public address system, generator, lighting system, digital projector, finances, etc. So I continue to be in need of prayer.

There is a small informal bible school that was instituted by the bishop because where I am serving there is a big shortage of clergy, yet the churches are many and more are being planted. He has already instructed me next week to teach on the gospels and this year I will be teaching a lot in the bible school so remember me in your prayers. Pray that I would teach the truth and that God would help me to understand His word when doing my preparation.

Therefore there is a great need for me to advance in my theological studies and so I am trusting God for the resources necessary for me to start doing a course through the internet as soon as possible.

I hope we will continue to walk together in this exciting journey of faith in Madagascar.

Be blessed in 2009.

Yours in Christ

Duncan

Quarterly Newsletters

2009-01-08T23:27:00.000-08:00

Coming soon. . .

Stolen Property and Snatching Souls

2008-12-07T22:38:00.000-08:00

The month of November started with me going to Morondava, over 1,200kms away for a strategic diocesan staff meeting and the dedication of two new permanent churches. I was away for about 10 days. Upon returning to Toliara where I am based, I continued working on the arrangements for evangelism at Angorobony for my local church scheduled for Dec.4th to 6th. The planning was affected from Nov 22nd when my local church received some visitors from the USA who came to minister and the Bishop told me to teach bible school students here for a week on the themes in Romans as well as 1st & 2nd Corinthians.

(Baobabs in Morondava - Photo courtesy Rita Willaert)

Today is now the 3rd day of the evangelism campaign and I preached yesterday the 5th Dec in the presence of the bishop and many prayed to accept Christ as their Lord. This was gratifying to me because it was a way of attacking the devil since last Friday in the morning my house was broken into and some of my property stolen but what a joy to snatch souls from satan to God!

Finally, as I get to 2009, I am appealing for monthly support for the work here whether 500shs,1,000shs etc. as the Lord may lead you. Please get in touch with me soonest if you wish to partner with me to facilitate what God is doing here in Madagascar in 2009.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! - Duncan Macharia

Six Months in Madagascar

2008-11-02T21:02:00.000-08:00

It is now six months since I came to Madagascar! May 1st to November 1st! After living in Kenya all my life, now I am in a different setting!

Do I want to return to Kenya now and forget Madagascar totally? That is enticing and tantalising! My family and the people that I came to know and treasure over the years live there. The language, food, culture etc. there are familiar unlike the situation here in Madagascar. Indeed, like today being the All Saints Day it is a national holiday here and people are streaming into cemeteries and tombs today to perform rites and celebrate over the tombs of their relatives throughout the country. Probably it is only me and Victor who do not have graves to visit. By the way I wonder if all those relatives are saints!

Yet this is the place I have come to love and I want to continue staying and serving here! While here, I try to keep myself updated with what is happening in Kenya through the internet and that helps me to know how to pray for Kenya. I also keep in touch with people back in Kenya through e-mail and telephone.

As for my ministry here, this Sunday I will be preaching in the Sunday service of the St. Luke's parish where am based. I will preach in English but there will be a translator. Also, I am working on an evangelism campaign near the parish that will run from December 4th to 6th. I continue to minister in the English service on Saturdays and on 16th November I will launch a weekly bible study of 7 people who we have been teaching English. I continue to learn the Malagasy language but I request for prayer that God may guide me on how to establish my ministry here. This Sunday I travel over 1,000kms away for one week of diocesan staff training. Thank you for your prayers and support! - Duncan

Growing and Planting Churches

2008-09-18T08:27:00.000-07:00

I have now been in Madagascar for four months and am increasingly convinced that God brought me here with a great purpose. Some months ago, I was invited by a priest from the Diocese I am serving here to go minister in his church and I went there on 26th August up to 16th September. This was significant because the Anglican Church in South Madagascar is desperate for evangelism to bolster church- growth and facilitate church planting. I ministered in crusades to promote growth in the local church. The profile of the church was raised in the area and scores came to Christ. Follow-up needs to be done to sustain the work, but we also did crusades in another area where we planted a new church. By the grace of God I preached in all the crusades and since the concept is new here many were attending and God was convicting them. I am now praying that God guides me on how to best do evangelism work here. Keep on praying for us.

I continue to learn Malagasy which is the language of the people here, but it has not been easy since I also now have friends who speak English. In the crusades I was preaching in English assisted by a very able Malagasy interpreter. I have also been teaching English in the church though my compatriot, Victor, is now taking a larger role of teaching. Our passports which we sent to the Ministry of interior to be stamped with the two-year visas have yet to be returned to us though we were given identity cards which are acting as our passports for the time being. Pray for us as we continue to adapt and learn about the culture here. When I went for a church-planting mission recently there were no houses, including where I stayed, that had a toilet or bathroom. For the toilet people relieved themselves either in the bush or openly, and for bathing they all went to a swamp with dirty water and I had no choice!

Victor told me when I was away that he attended a turning of bones ceremony. This is where people gather in the gravesite of a relative who has been dead for about ten years and unearth the skeleton of the dead person then they straighten the skeleton of the deceased and wrap it in a new cloth and then put it in a new coffin and rebury it. Then celebration follows right there at the gravesite. Imagine some Christians also do this claiming it is their culture! Pray that God may strengthen us to correct such practises especially by Christians. Otherwise we continue to minister in the English service on Saturdays in Toliara but pray that God may give us able interpreters so that we can also preach in Sunday services in all the churches. Remember that one priest here normally has seven to ten congregations and so they rely on evangelists to run the churches while we claim that since we cannot speak Malagasy fluently we cannot preach in the Malagasy services. Actually when I went to preach in Morondava recently the Nigerian priest there has a Malagasy interpreter that interprets for him whenever necessary. A similar arrangement will make us contribute a lot in the Malagasy services. I am informed that the long rains begin in November and so remember us in your prayers since the rains are accompanied by cyclones!

-Duncan

Children's Outreach during School Holidays

2008-08-01T03:30:00.000-07:00

We are now settling slowly in our houses with a few repairs here and there. The compound is fine with very lovely neighbours around us. Everyone wants to come and see who these "black vazahas" (the term for foreigners)are, that can dare to come and live with them here! But they discover that we are just human beings like them doing everything normally.

Along the streets and the market a few guys try to gossip only to get the shock of their lives when they discover that I understood a bit of what they said and I respond in Malagasy! That breaks my ribs. Its just so funny.

Right now there is a long school holiday and most children have gone to visit their relatives and friends. So, I’m using the opportunity from now until September to spend one hour everyday to bring together all the kids around, both the visitors and the residents. Normally they are just playing around and I have begun teaching them slowly the names of things in English, because I also know a number of them in Gasy by now. I am amazed by the speed they catch things. Interestingly, because I have memorised some of my favorite scriptures in Gasy and Gasy favorite songs, we have a time of singing and in the middle of our lesson they must learn the verse as well. Truly, I see they are enjoying themselves and I believe that the Lord will minister in their hearts in a special way. That also made me begin a special lesson working alongside some of the Sunday school teachers whereby we have a short-bible passage, One Gasy song, learning a new Swahili or English song designed to reach the children as well in our church that runs for 2days a week for 2hrs.

-Victor

Prayers for Health and Security

2008-08-01T03:23:00.000-07:00

It is now three months since I came to Madagascar and I am very much focused on my mission here.
This past month I have been sickly. I thought I had symptons of malaria or typhoid but that was not confirmed by blood tests in the hospital. So, I was treated for the symptoms that I described and now am okay. Pray for our health as we serve here.

I was happy recently, when I read a biblical text in Malagasy in a Sunday service for the first time since I came here and the locals thought I really tried. I am slowly getting to know the language.

Pray for our security since as foreigners it is assumed we are rich and are likely to be targets of thugs. Actually, my mobile was stolen recently by someone who entered the house when I had gone to church.

Otherwise we continue to learn Malagasy (Gasy), teach English and handle the Saturday English service. Indeed we are fully using the English students, who are not church members, in the English service thereby transforming the face of the church. Now other Anglican churches want a similar program in their churches.

-Duncan

New Visas and Learning Malagasy

2008-07-15T23:00:00.000-07:00

Greetings, I am focused on my ministry here. Victor and I have been busy teaching English classes as an evangelistic tool. There are about 30 students and most of them are not from the Anglican church. English is taught 4 days a week. Victor and I are still ministering in the English service on Saturday evenings. Our priority is learning Malagasy and at the moment Victor is doing far better than me. We have been granted a 2-year visa each and that is an answer to prayer. We also have moved to new houses in the same compound after a long search and we give glory to God. In August we will hold evangelistic meetings for one of our churches and it will take two days to travel there - a journey of 1500kms! We have adjusted well to eating rice for lunch, supper and at times for breakfast as well as drinking rice water! Continue praying for us.
- Duncan

CMF Grant

2008-06-30T01:03:00.001-07:00

Victor has been approved for a grant from the Christian Ministries Foundation (http://www.cm-foundation.org/). CMF is a U.S.-based charity that provides support for missionaries and pastors with a clear calling and passion for missions. We thank God for CMF’s willingness to partner with Victor’s ministry in Madagascar and pray that the Lord will continue to provide for the Madagascar Missionaries’ needs.

MALAGASY SOUNDS LIKE SWAHILI

2008-06-30T01:03:00.000-07:00

Dear brethren,
I greet you in the name of Jesus. I hope that your week is going on well and that you have been blessed by the Lord.
I am doing fine here at the coast having a new experience everyday. Tomorrow will be the Independence Day here and everyone is preparing for the BIG DAY! Business is now high. Today businesses close at 3pm; celebration begins at 6p.m until 6p.m the following day.
We have been really up and down the previous days as we looked for a house. I am thankful to God for enabling me to find a house.
It’s fun learning their language; we have been having classes everyday for 2hrs in the morning but the practice is all the time. As at now, I am proud to say that I can understand a word or two. I realize it is closely related to Swahili because there are words like tarehe which means date in Swahili but face in Malagasy, alika which is to invite in Swahili and a dog in Malagasy!
Here, all businesses close at noon (lunch break) and reopen at 2.30pm then finally close down at 5pm so if there is anything to be done, it must be done in the morning because sometimes in the afternoon, they might not open at all. By 6pm, it is dark and the town is deserted.
I have so far been to 4 churches out of the 7 that are there and I hope that in a few weeks time I shall have visited the 3 remaining churches.
This week, we will go to Tana to witness the consecration of our new Bishop. Pray for us to have a safe journey. We will also have a youth mission week the following week pray with us that many will make decisions for Christ and be committed to walk with Him all the way.
I also thank God that we have gotten a residence notification letter and they have given us an initial 2years so we will need to renew again in June 2010.
I hope you have read my newsletter (May-June edition).I will be sending a newsletter every two months just to update you on what is happening here. You can always check my website and find more details anytime.
Lastly, I thank you so much for allowing the Lord to use you to be a blessing to the nations by supporting my ministry financially as well as spiritually. Your periodic words of encouragement are most welcome and your support is highly appreciated.
In Christ,
Victor.

Africans for Africa (Victor's May - June Report)

2008-06-16T03:25:00.000-07:00

The charge:

Our arrival in Madagascar on May 1 was a long awaited for dream to come to pass both in the history of the Anglican church in Madagascar, Kenya and the entire Church Army community. The reaching out and making disciples of all nations as in Matthew 28:19-20 came to a reality.

Strategic people:

We were received by Bishop Todd who is the Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of Antananarivo based in Toliara in the Southwest of Madagascar and the Provincial Secretary Rev. Samitiana Razaf. Our host, Vicar Rev. Stephane Raharajuona was more than happy to receive us as well. We also had a chance to meet with the SOMA team of which there was Alice Wangui from Vanguard-Kenya, Rev. Musaasizi, Missions Coordinator of Mityana Diocese in Uganda, and Rev. Don Brewin. We were happy to also meet one Rev. Kingsley Ogbanda who is a Nigerian missionary in Toliara too. All these people we met at a provincial SOMA conference at IFLA in east of Antananarivo.

The transition:

We were based in the capital city for about 7days, living at the bishop’s apartment as we prepared to go to Toliara. The journey to Toliara took us 17 hours by road though it was an exciting experience. We travelled with 3 members of the SOMA team as well (the bishop joined us later). We were involved in teaching and praying with them for one week then they left us. The following week the bishop also had to leave us. Our only rescue by now in terms of the language was Rev. Stephane who could speak English and help in interpretation, but he also had to go to the city to participate in the election of the new bishop! That put us in a tight corner and forced us to learn Malagasy in the shortest time possible so that we can communicate with the people. That was a good problem.

Identity crisis:

By the complexion of their skin and type of hair the people around actually do not consider themselves as Africans! We guys from the mainland are the Africans so we are getting used to being called “the Africans.”

The work:

In St. Luke’s parish (where we are based) there are 7 churches quite far apart, like 120-160km. All these churches apparently need the attention of this one priest. At the moment we are concentrating at the town church as we learn the language. Duncan is in charge of Christian Education and I am in charge of Creative Worship and Music. We already have started English classes and we have 2 classes of 12 students each! As we learn Malagasy songs, both new Swahili and English songs are filling the air as well, and people are excited to see this. Our number has doubled in two weeks! One English teacher came with all her students in our Saturday service and they commited to be coming every Saturday. Word is still going around. I have prayerfully selected three young men who I will disciple for at least one year and train them to also train others in the subsequent years. Realising the great task ahead we have developed a prayer guide map of the Toliara town. So, once every week we go for a prayer walk in the city to claim it for God. Surely the Lord is at work in Toliara and we are happy to be a part of what he is doing.

Praises:

Safe arrival in Madagascar
Warm reception by the people
Started Malagasy lessons
We already have residential waiting cards

Prayer requests:

Quick processing of our documents for residence.
Quick learning of the Malagasy language.
The Lord to grant us favour with the people of Toliara.
The Lord of the harvest to draw people unto himself.

Upcoming events:

A youth evangelistic mission to Antananarivo.
The consecration of our new bishop.

RICE 4 LUNCH &DINNER

2008-06-11T01:09:00.000-07:00

Hi! this is the tenth of June 2008 and I am here in Toliara, Madagascar. Every Saturday, l am either leading or preaching in an English service at St.Luke's Ankilifaly. Last Monday I started teaching English to eleven students and only one of them is a member of the local assembly! This is an evangelistic strategy. As you might know, here in Madagascar only Malagasy, French and indigenous languages are spoken but the president here wants the citizens to know English. I started learning Malagasy formally last week. My teacher is called Nardy, a high school student who knows English. He teaches me and Victor for two hours daily from Monday to Friday.

I am preparing notes for teaching a new believer's class that I intend to teach. I have no choice but to learn Malagasy since even in banks, few employees know English. Getting a house is still difficult so I still stay in a house in church but am expected to leave as soon as possible so prayers are still needed. Guess what? Here, I eat rice for lunch and dinner and I enjoy- that is their culture!

There is no local English newspaper so these days apart from the internet, I am reading biblical literature avidly.
I am still waiting to know my fate about my request for visa extension so continue to pray.
God bless you and shalom.

Snails on a Plane and Searching for a New Home

2008-05-29T01:46:00.000-07:00

This is missionary Duncan Macharia in Toliara, Madagascar. It is now 19 days since I landed in this country from Kenya. That in itself was a miracle since I had never flown before and on 1st May, I flew in two planes from Kenya via South Africa. In the second flight I even ate a snail!...and enjoyed it. For the first week, Victor and I stayed with our host (Bishop Todd) in the capital Antananarivo because there was a conference taking place there of which, the Bishop was a facilitator. We shopped in the city and there were many hawkers we expected to find Kikuyus there but there was none SHOCK! In fact except for one Kenyan who was in the mission team and has already left, there is only one other Kenyan (an English teacher), that we have met so far.

Newspapers here, are either in French or in Malagasy, and in radio, you only get BBC inEnglish but in Toliara where I am presently, even BBC is not available. So to a great degree, I do not know what is happening in Kenya except bits and pieces through the internet. In Antananarivo, two things stood out to me: one, that I am black because most people here are light-skinned thus they stared at us often and two, that English is dreaded here, since most do not know it. So clearly, without a local guide things would have been even more comical. Sign language helped a lot. Enough about my experiences, I am now trying to settle in Toliara. I have made significant progress towards getting a long- term visa without which, we will be back in Kenya by the end ofAugust. By next week, my application form will be with the ministry of interior, who holds the key as to how long I will be here, so pray that he responds positively. Getting a house is proving to be tricky for the houses are either too expensive or we find somebody has moved in by the time we go to check the house. So pray that God provides a house as soon as possible. This week on Thursday, we plan on learning Malagasy. This will be done five days a week until we master the language reasonably. I had my first opportunity to preach last Saturday in an English service and am working on my ministry goals for the next four months. Pray that God guides me on this. Peace.

Beginnings in Toliara

2008-05-20T00:46:00.000-07:00

Duncan and Victor have arrived safely in Toliara. They’ve been involved in missions efforts with a team from SOMA and have been staying with Bishop Todd McGregor. They hope to move into their own places later this week. Pray they find secure housing and a good location.

Duncan and Victor are continuing to learn and adjust to life in Madagascar. They have started their ministry work and are currently leading an English service on Saturdays in Toliara. Victor is in charge of the music and creative worship and says: "We went straight to ministry even with the evident language barrier. We will have a lot to do especially to continue what the Lord has already began here at St. Lukes Ankilifaly"

Madagascar Missions Video

2008-04-25T09:07:00.000-07:00

Our Team

2008-04-25T08:04:00.000-07:00

From left to right: Bishop Todd McGregor (Toliara),

David Chaves (Nairobi), Rev. Steve Maina (Nairobi),

Capt. Victor Osoro (Toliara), Capt. Duncan Macharia (Toliara)

Commissioned to Serve

2008-04-25T07:45:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, 17th February, 2008, two Church Army evangelists were commissioned to serve as full-time missionaries in Madagascar. Duncan Macharia and Victor Osoro are graduates of Carlile College in Nairobi and are being sent as missionaries by the Province of the Anglican Church of Kenya. They will work in primary evangelism, church planting, and the training of evangelists in Toliara, Madagascar. Toliara is one of the poorest regions of the world and is home to many unreached people who have never heard the Good News of Jesus Christ. Duncan and Victor will

serve under Bishop Todd McGregor of Toliara region

and hope to leave for Madagascar in April of this year.

The Commissioning at St. Luke’s Church, Kenyatta, was a joyful celebration that inaugurated a new era of missions in the Anglican Church of Kenya. It marked the first official sending of full-time missionaries from the A.C.K. to serve in another Province. The commissioning was led on behalf of Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi by Bishop Dena, who encouraged the congregation to make a commitment to support the missionaries in their new calling. The service was run by Rev. Canon Dr. James Mwaura, Vicar General of All Saint’s Cathedral Diocese. Also participating in the

service were: Rev. Steve Maina, Secretary General,

Church Army Africa, Rev. Canon Rosemary Mbogo,

Missions Coordinator, Anglican Church of Kenya, Rev.

Cannon Dr. Balongo, Administrative Secretary, All

Saints Cathedral Diocese, and Rev. Patricia McGregor.

During his sermon, Rt. Rev. Todd McGregor expressed his gratitude to St. Luke’s for being willing to send missionaries and compared it to the Biblical church at Antioch. He acknowledged that the Anglican Church of Kenya was taking a major step in faith and that it would serve as a model for other African nations.

About Duncan

2008-04-25T06:26:00.000-07:00

Duncan Macharia grew up in Nairobi, Kenya and developed a Christian faith with a heart for evangelism and a desire to see people come to Christ. He studied Theology at Carlile College in Nairobi and has extensive experience in parish ministry and open-air preaching. After much prayer, Duncan felt called to go to Toliara in Madagascar to train evangelists and do church-planting. He has been commissioned by Church Army Africa and appointed by the Province of the Anglican Church of Kenya and the Bishop of Toliara Region to do this work. Toliara is a remote place and the work there is demanding since the region is very large, over 1000 miles. Duncan is excited about serving the Lord in a new place, please pray for his ministry in Toliara.

Contact Duncan in Toliara, Madagascar at: duncanmacharia@yahoo.com

About Victor

2008-04-25T05:42:00.000-07:00

I came to faith when I was 12 years old. I was still a Sunday school child and I remember when our teacher asked if there was anyone who wanted to give his/her life to Christ. I raised my hand. At that time I had no idea what the Lord wanted me to do in my life or how he might desire to use me.

While I was in high school, it became clear to me that the Lord was calling me to Christian ministry. I began to work with the children and youth ministries and became very active in my church, Holy Trinity, Kibera. I served as a children’s ministry coordinator at the local church, parish and deanery level and also as a youth coordinator at the parish level. I also served as a deanery evangelist and helped in networking and forming partnerships with various churches, both within and outside our diocese. Through these ministries I discovered that I had various gifts and a special passion for evangelism.

After high school, I wanted to continue to grow in my faith and explore opportunities for evangelism. Eventually, God led me to study Urban Missions at Carlile College. During the three-year program, I learned about creative, contextual and relevant approaches to Christian ministry. I gained knowledge and practical experience in missions, outreach, and evangelism. I continued to serve at my home church in Kibera until recently when the Lord impressed upon my heart the call to serve Him in a new place, the Toliara region of Madagacar. I will be working as an evangelist and am excited to go and establish new communities of faith in a new context.

Contact Victor Osoro in Toliara, Madagascar at: vickosoro@yahoo.com

Toliara, Madagascar

2008-04-25T04:21:00.000-07:00

Madagascar is an island in the Indian Ocean in Southern Africa, east of Mozambique. It has a tropical climate and a population of 20 million people with a median age of 18 years. It is one of the poorest countries in Africa, with a per capita GDP of $1,000 USD.

Toliara in Southwest Madagascar is the capital of the Atsimo-Andrefana region and the Toliara Province. It is a port city that imports/exports commoditites such as sisal, soap, hemp, cotton, rice, and peanuts. The Toliara Region is the poorest region in the whole of Madagascar and one of the least-reached areas with the gospel in the world. The people in the region are subsistence farmers and speak Malagasy. The widespread religion is African Traditional Religion, and the Toliara Region has only 11 parishes and covers over 1000 miles with just 3 ordained clergy. The need for trained missionaries and evangelists is overwhelming. There are insufficient personnel, especially in the areas of worship, discipleship, and evangelism. For the church in Toliara to grow, foreign missionaries are required.

Support a New Era in Missions

2008-04-25T03:58:00.000-07:00

John Wesley once wrote that the church “exists by missions as fire exists by burning.” Indeed, missions is the lifeblood of the church and obedience in sending out missionaries is a sign of a healthy and vibrant community of believers. The early church expanded and thrived amidst persecution through its passion and commitment for missions. By faithfully spreading the gospel across geographic and social boundaries, the church grew and experienced God’s blessing.

As the Anglican Church of Kenya transitions from a traditionally “receiving church” to a “sending church”, it will be at the forefront of world missions. Please support the A.C.K.’s efforts to send Duncan and Victor as pioneer missionaries to Madagascar. Your prayers, moral, and financial support are especially appreciated.

Fundraising Goals

2008-04-25T02:10:00.000-07:00

Project Expenditures (monthly costs*)

Monthly Stipend 30,000 (15,000 for each missionary)
Ministry Budget 30,000 (15,000 for each missionary)
TOTAL for 36 months: 2,160,000 (1,080,000 for each missionary)

Project Expenditures (start up/maintenance costs)

Transportation 410,800 (205,400 for each missionary)
Documentation / Visas 134,400 (67,200 for each missionary)
Resettlement Costs 60,000 (30,000 for each missionary)
TOTAL Start-up Costs: 605,200 (302,600 for each missionary)

TOTAL PROJECT EXPENDITURES: 2,765,200 ksh
PLEDGES AND CONTRIBUTIONS: 1,269,533 ksh (as of 25th April 2008)
FUNDRAISING GOAL: 1,486,678 ksh

*all costs are listed in Kenya Shillings

Financial Contributions

2008-04-25T01:51:00.000-07:00

Tax-deductible donations can be made towards the Toliara Missions Project through:

Church Army Africa

P.O. Box 72584 00200 Nairobi, Kenya

website: http://www.churcharmyafrica.net/

email: info@churcharmyafrica.net

fax 254 (020) 532618 tel 020 558253

Barclays Bank
Queensway Hse. Branch
A/C No.8003252

Make checks payable to:

Church Army Africa - Madagascar Missions

Thank you for your support!