The Unforgettable Journey

I MADE IT!

Thank you guys so much for all of your prayers about the journey. God kept everyone on the bus sick free both days!

All I can say about the view during the journey is that I can't say anything about it because nothing would describe it. IT WAS AMAZING! I tried to capture it with some pictures and videos, but it doesn't quite look the same. 

I was able to travel down with a Malagasy woman named Landy, who was so helpful and sweet. It's a long journey, so I was very grateful she was willing to go down with me.

The first day we traveled from Tana to Fianarantsoa, we left around 8am and arrived around 530pm or 6pm. Our driver was very timely and we arrived pretty early, which was great because the office at the Fianar bus station was still open so we could book our tickets for the next day. God's hand was on us there as well. We were able to stay the night in Fianar at a nice hotel, which was great.

The next morning we got to the bus station at 7am, our hotel had breakfast as well which was SO NICE. We ended up leaving around 9am, and our driver was not as punctual as the first. We stopped quite a bit, but (like I said before) the views were amazing so it didn't matter. It started to matter a little bit when  it was around 6pm and my bladder was about to explode, but God got us to Toliara around 830pm. Pete was at the station waiting for us with two of their boys, JoJo and Luke!

Check out some of these views...

Pretty amazing. God is definitely my favorite artist. Kara had dinner ready when I got to the house, which was delicious and they had my room all set up. I was able to take a shower and then pass out under my mosquito net. Yes. I get my own mosquito net. I love it. It's like camping every night. I also get a head lamp. Please refer to the photo below:

My stay here has already been so great! I'm having a blast with the three boys and I'm learning a lot from Kara and Pete. Toliara has a much more laid-back atmosphere compared to Tana, which I'm really enjoying. I'm very excited to see the way God will work while I'm here and to get into a new routine. 

In a few weeks, I'll be leaving for Nosy Be to help with the children of a TIMO team that will be based there. I'll be working with two other short-term girls, Heidi and Bailey, for two weeks! I'm very excited. I forgot I already told you that in my last post.. I'm just really excited, okay?

Prayer request: That I would continue to stay focused on God and finding strength and refuge in Him, and that I would continue to adjust to the new culture and life in Toliara!

The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous runs into it and is safe. Proverbs 18:10

Goodbye Tana... it's been real.

I really can't believe I'm leaving Tana in a week and a half. My time here has been filled with challenges and amazing glimpses of God's love for me and others. 

A couple days ago I said good bye to my roommate Sara and also Leah, another short-term girl who I was blessed to meet and spend time with here. As we said good bye at the airport, it was obviously really sad, but I was also filled with a bit of excitement about starting the second half of my time here. 

Last week I also had to say good bye to my lovely dance classes, which was another surreal moment. Even though I know I'm leaving, it's hard to really wrap my head around it. 

In a few days we'll be sending off the Petrelli's who I've worked with my whole time here. It will be really sad to see them go as well, but they will be back in Madagascar before I leave, so we'll see each other again! Sending off everyone at the airport and beginning to pack myself has thrown me off a bit. I've started to think I'm going on a plane in a week and a half instead of a taxibus to Toliara.

Speaking of that taxibus... 

Prayer request 1: That our trip would go smoothly. The roads are pretty windy in some parts of the journey and most people get sick, so just that I would be able to handle any sickness that may occur and we would arrive safe and healthy.

I'll be going down with a Malagasy woman named Landy, who I met at our send-off party for Sara and Leah on Friday. She's very nice and I can't tell you enough how much it means to have her going down with me. It wouldn't be possible without her coming with me, so that's definitely a praise point for me. So yeah, that will be a two-day journey, but totally worth it because everyone says the view is amazing.

So... let me tell you a little bit about Toliara and what I know so far about my second half of ministry. They just recently got hit with a devastating cyclone and are in pretty bad shape. Last I heard 80 people had died and most people had lost their homes.

Prayer request 2: Provision for the people in Toliara and that they would draw close to God during this time, also that God would speak through the missionaries stationed there and show his love through them.

I will be living with the Schaffler family for my whole time there, which is very generous of them. My main job will be helping Kara homeschool her three boys and then I also may tag along to Peter and Kara's english classes. 

Ooooo! Also... 

THIS IS VERY EXCITING NEWS READ THIS PART FOR SURE
just in case you're skimming :)

this is the beginning of the part ---->   so, our team leader Daniel told Heidi and me about an opportunity to go to Nosy-be in April to help out with a TIMO team's kids as they do a week of training. Nosy-be is one of the most beautiful parts of Madagascar and we'll be able to see the village that Rosina and her team will be working in. It's an amazing opportunity, but Daniel told us we would have to pay for our own round-trip plane tickets. 

Heidi and I emailed our offices to see if we had any extra money that we could use toward our tickets and it turned out that we both had extra! You all have been so generous I actually had extra money, so thank you so much! Unfortunately, because I would be flying from Toliara, I have to stay over in Tana for one night which raises the price of the ticket. 

BUT.

Heidi ended up having enough to pick up the slack for me, which is extremely generous of her. So, we'll both be going to Nosy-be in April for a week!   <---- that's the end of the part 

Definitely another praise point. 

So overall, God has shown me in so many ways how much he loves me by providing in ways that I definitely don't deserve and providing opportunities I never would have thought to ask for. It's amazing how well God knows each of us and tries to knock us off our feet with his generosity. 

Just one more of these....

Prayer request 3: That I would be able to take all I've learned in Tana and apply it in Toliara.

I'm sorry it took me so long to blog! Thank you all so much for your continual support and not forgetting about me! :)

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21