My brain and heart haven’t been in a place to write a newsletter…. usually my head is spinning all month long with what I want to share. This month it just hasn’t. We decided a highlight reel of images from this last term in Madagascar would be a fantastic substitute… I mean, who doesn’t love photographs– it’s honestly one of my love languages! Easier said than done though– the first cut of images was 168, then dropped to 143, then 122 and back up to 125 and finally down to a little more than 70!
Planting at the Antsanitia reforestation site
Preparing columns for a 200,000 pot nursery at Papamena
Roasting cashews from the trees above
Rejoicing over God’s provision of an ambulance for the Sarobidy Maternity Center
Worshipping on Easter morning, 2016
Eden Reforestation Projects dry deciduous seed house
Surprise! Grampy joined Grammy to Madagascar!
Family mangrove planting always ends in a massive
mud war
Mahabana Estuary
Catching up. I was present at this little girl, Fitahiana’s birth 5 years ago… and it was this birth that gave me hope as this mama quickly embraced her newborn daughter moments after birth as I handed her her baby.
Beautiful Selah loved and taught our kids so well!
Enjoying a meal in the remote village of Mahabana
Isabella rowing a lakana in Mahabana
Halloween!
Beautiful Marcello

One of the first babies born at the
Sarobidy Maternity Center
Collecting water to water seedlings at the Papamena Eden nursery
Church service in Mahabana
Because everyone should get in a bathtub with a baby crocodile at least once in their life
Signing the official documents for the purchase of the Sarobidy Maternity Center property
Santa Barbara friends and fishing buddies
An absolute dream come true with our first Sarobidy Creations photoshoot thanks to the talented Josh and Kristen!
Data collection
First ultrasound performed on Elizabeth at the
Sarobidy Maternity Center
Providing prenatal care in the remote village of Mahabana
Women rejoicing with women over the birth of
a new baby
Students learning at the school built in Mahabana

Eden Projects planter at Antsanitia
Ladies sign in for Prenatal Day at the
Sarobidy Maternity Center
Friday afternoon soccer with the community and missionary kids
super-dads on Father’s Day
Danielle rejoicing in a healthy birth of a sweet baby
Sarobidy Creations artisans learning to sew
Friends Isabella and Jocya delighting in their friend’s newborn baby sister born through the maternity center
Keeping Christmas traditions alive with homemade gingerbread houses
Kyle etching donor’s names into the wet cement of the maternal waiting home
My mom, Sue, holding this miracle baby on a
postpartum home visit
Foot washing followed by a pedicure for graduating women from the Maternity Center
Sweet Rosie the lemur at our house
Eden employees heading out to Antanamarina to train new staff in the development of a nursery
A modified Skee-ball version using a broken dug-out canoe for Eliana’s birthday party
Celebrating Jamie’s 40th with friends
Raw eggs cracked on your head is the birthday tradition in Madagascar– hair nourishment?
A very pregnant Genotine hanging out at the maternity center with her daughter, born through the maternity center nearly three years earlier. PC: Josh Jensen
After declaring that she hadn’t celebrated her birthday with grammy since she was 2 years old, Eliana and grammy are finally together seven years later on her 9th birthday!
Loading up seedlings for transport to the planting site
So thankful for friends that are family and pour into the lives of our kids
Celebrating Vanah’s hardwork and dedication at her
High School Graduation
Sweet friendships
Just the best! PC: Kristen Gough
Enjoying one last time together with the 2016-2017 missionary team in Mahajanga– Carlstrom’s, Jensen’s, Gough’s, Bright’s and Shattenberg’s.
Truly a year like no other.
love the pictorial “snapshots of a year in review”! So evident that you heart is in Madagascar!