Better to love God and die unknown than to love the world and be a hero; better to be content with poverty than to die a slave to wealth; better to have taken some risks and lost than to have done nothing and succeeded at it. --Erwin Lutzer
More About Our Company
Red Island Restoration is a response to God’s leading in our lives to see Madagascar restored in Health, Forests and Hope in Christ.
Jamie was born and raised in Madagascar as a missionary kid and as a result, has a deep understanding of Malagasy culture and language as well as a powerful love for his home country and the Malagasy people. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and a Master’s of Arts in Intercultural Studies from Fuller Theological Seminary.
Alissa was born and raised in Santa Barbara and while serving on a short-term mission trip to Madagascar in 1999, fell in love with this island nation and it’s people. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing, a Master’s of Science in Nursing as a Family Nurse Practitioner as well as a degree in Midwifery.
We met while attending Seattle Pacific University and later fell in love while working beside one another in Madagascar in 1999. After a few years in Madagascar serving together, we returned to the States in 2002 to get married. Three kids, a few degrees and 8 years later, our family of five returned to the great Red Island in January 2011. As our kids outgrew the educational system in our city of Mahajanga and Covid border closures kept us out of Madagascar, the Lord gently shifted us to Rift Valley Academy in Kenya in order to pour into the lives and walk alongside third culture kids and cross-cultural kids. Today, we split our time between Kenya and Madagascar– engaging in ministries in both countries.

Recent Blog Posts
December 17, 2012 |
Market Day
Tuesday is market day in our house. There’s nothing really special about why Tuesday is the market day...
December 14, 2012 |
Traditional Midwives…
I’m not sure of the number of traditional midwives here in Madagascar but I know there’s a good...
December 12, 2012 |
O Holy Night
This is a guest post from Tara Livesay. Tara is a gifted writer, a fellow worker and soon-to-be midwife doing...
November 27, 2012 |
A sickness and a prayer…
You may have read about our doozy of a Thanksgiving last week… if not, my last post will give you the back...
November 25, 2012 |
Holiday Doozies
Celebrating major American holidays and living in Madagascar somehow just don’t go together very...
November 21, 2012 |
Of Poverty and Injustice…
Not necessarily a fun topic to think about or address but it’s a killer (quite literally) to live with day...
November 15, 2012 |
Red Island Restoration
Check out some of what God has been doing in the last 18 months in Madagascar.






