Photo Highlight Reel…

Posted by on September 27, 2017 in Blog, Uncategorized | 1 comment

Highlight Reel…

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!

August2017-2
Sarobidy Maternity Center staff
August2017-3 2
End of year English School party with wonderful
teacher Kristen
August2017-4

 

August2017-6
Sarobidy Kitchen staff preparing nutritious hot meals for pregnant and postpartum moms
August2017-10
August2017-11
Joyous friends, maternity center mamas and Sarobidy Creations artisans
August2017-12
Lavishing the moms on Malagasy Mother’s Day complete with a boat trip to a secluded beach and picnic lunch served by our kids!
August2017-14
Ready to plant…
August2017-86
Mahabana fishing village

August2017-17

August2017-20 2

Sixteen missionary kids ages 1-12 years old!

August2017-21

August2017-22
Enjoying laughter with Elizabeth at her coffee stand. You may remember that Elizabeth recently passed away.
August2017-23 2
Gavin learning from the Eden Planters
August2017-25
Eden planter at Antsanitia
August2017-30
Horicia and newborn son, Jean Bryan at a postpartum home visit
August2017-55
Cooling off poolside on a Saturday afternoon
August2017-31
Genotine crafting a necklace for Sarobidy Creations
August2017-32
Praying over a new mom and baby
August2017-35
Total solar eclipse… traditional Malagasy explanation is that the sun goes to sleep so what better way to wake up the sun than beating on pots and pans
August2017-26
Planting at the Antsanitia reforestation site
August2017-39
Preparing columns for a 200,000 pot nursery at Papamena
August2017-40
Roasting cashews from the trees above
August2017-41
Rejoicing over God’s provision of an ambulance for the Sarobidy Maternity Center
August2017-46
Worshipping on Easter morning, 2016
August2017-49

 

August2017-50
Eden Reforestation Projects dry deciduous seed house
August2017-45
Surprise! Grampy joined Grammy to Madagascar!
August2017-47
Family mangrove planting always ends in a massive
mud war
August2017-52
Mahabana Estuary
August2017-58
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.
August2017-59
Beautiful Selah loved and taught our kids so well!
August2017-62
Enjoying a meal in the remote village of Mahabana
August2017-53
Isabella rowing a lakana in Mahabana
August2017-60
Halloween!
August2017-96 2
Beautiful Marcello

August2017-65

August2017-67

 

August2017-64 2
One of the first babies born at the
Sarobidy Maternity Center
August2017-69
Collecting water to water seedlings at the Papamena Eden nursery
August2017-63
Church service in Mahabana
August2017-117
Because everyone should get in a bathtub with a baby crocodile at least once in their life
August2017-68
Signing the official documents for the purchase of the Sarobidy Maternity Center property
August2017-84 2
Santa Barbara friends and fishing buddies
August2017-124 3
An absolute dream come true with our first Sarobidy Creations photoshoot thanks to the talented Josh and Kristen!
August2017-71
Data collection
August2017-72
First ultrasound performed on Elizabeth at the
Sarobidy Maternity Center
August2017-75

 

August2017-79 2
Providing prenatal care in the remote village of Mahabana
August2017-82
Women rejoicing with women over the birth of
a new baby
August2017-81
Students learning at the school built in Mahabana

August2017-85

August2017-27 2
Eden Projects planter at Antsanitia
August2017-92
Ladies sign in for Prenatal Day at the
Sarobidy Maternity Center
August2017-93
Friday afternoon soccer with the community and missionary kids
August2017-94 2
super-dads on Father’s Day
August2017-88 2
Danielle rejoicing in a healthy birth of a sweet baby
August2017-98
Sarobidy Creations artisans learning to sew
August2017-97
Friends Isabella and Jocya delighting in their friend’s newborn baby sister born through the maternity center
August2017-95
Keeping Christmas traditions alive with homemade gingerbread houses
August2017-101
Kyle etching donor’s names into the wet cement of the maternal waiting home
August2017-105
My mom, Sue, holding this miracle baby on a
postpartum home visit
August2017-100 2
Foot washing followed by a pedicure for graduating women from the Maternity Center
August2017-106
Sweet Rosie the lemur at our house
August2017-83
Eden employees heading out to Antanamarina to train new staff in the development of a nursery
August2017-107
A modified Skee-ball version using a broken dug-out canoe for Eliana’s birthday party
August2017-113
Celebrating Jamie’s 40th with friends
August2017-114

 

August2017-115
Raw eggs cracked on your head is the birthday tradition in Madagascar– hair nourishment?
August2017-123 2
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
August2017-111
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!
August2017-120
Loading up seedlings for transport to the planting site
August2017-118
So thankful for friends that are family and pour into the lives of our kids
August2017-51
Celebrating Vanah’s hardwork and dedication at her
High School Graduation
August2017-119
Sweet friendships
August2017-125
Just the best! PC: Kristen Gough
August2017-13
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.

Arrived!!!

We’re thrilled to share with you that new teammates, Ando and Elke and kids arrived in Madagascar last week! Thanks to all who prayed for their visas! They are settling in to life in Mahajanga and will start ministry soon. Please continue to pray with us for their ongoing transition.

June2017-ElkeAndo

If you missed the introduction to Ando and Elke in our newsletter two months ago, click here to meet this wonderful family!

 

Speaking of transitions…

Thanks for praying for our family in our transition back to the USA. In some ways, it’s been an easier transition than in years past and in other ways, it’s been a harder transition. Please join us in praying for our kids– we’re finding that as they get older they’re having to navigate social pressures in ways that they haven’t encountered in the past. 

Thank you for the gift of your partnership– for your sacrificial giving that allows us to live and work in Madagascar, for rejoicing with us in the highlights as pictured above and carrying us in prayer as we experience the inevitable lowlights that we often don’t broadcast. In all and through all, the Lord is good and His love endures forever.

With love,

Alissa, Jamie, Isabella, Eliana and Gavin

 

 

 

*** to view this newsletter in it’s original format, click here. ***

1 Comment

  1. love the pictorial “snapshots of a year in review”! So evident that you heart is in Madagascar!

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