Hey everyone,
We are about to eat our last Malagash meal before heading to the airport to fly home. It's been an incredible trip thus far! (Beyond my expectation, and I've been accused of being an optimist!)
We were able to complete 4 full days of extensive discipleship training (6-8 hours per day) with everyone on the team taking part in the teaching. We trained 1 bishop, 2 presbyters (reverends), 10 evangelists, 5 evangelists in training (residents), 10 male lay leaders, and about 20 female lay leaders. The looks on their faces were priceless on so many occasions! They seemed to TOTALLY understand the mandate given in the Great Commission, and I honestly believe they were refreshed, encouraged, and equipped to go back to their villages and towns all over the island and MAKE DISCIPLES! It's going to be extremely exciting to see this unfold!!
We also gave them all 2 Bibles, one for them and one for the person they will identify as their primary Timothy over the next few days/weeks/months! We also purchased commentaries (the only one available in their language) for all of them and they were so excited to have a resource to aid them in their personal study, as most of them are basically in the bush with nothing more than an old Bible, if that. We will also be continuing to send Bishop Todd materials that he will translate into Malagash and he will distribute to them. There is much excitement about them coming next year to the conference with those they have been discipling, and we can continue to be an equipper for them long term.
I have met some men here who are simply unbelievable. These evangelists literally walk all over the countryside as pioneer evangelists and once people convert to Christ they build churches and act as itinerant preachers until a presbyter is raised up...unbelievable their commitment to our King! I have been extremely encouraged by their faithfulness.
One specifically is named Dacise. He had polio at birth and with no medication he is now crippled. he only has the use of one leg and he walks with a long cane to brace the other. He is an evangelist in training. He walks all over his province (about the size of
Germantown) with his cane to share the good news of the Gospel. he has a GIANT heart and is very intelligent. He doesn't have much on this Earth, but I can't wait to see his reward in heaven! Let's keep him in our prayers as he labors for Christ...
If you get this before Sunday night, please pray for our 4 flights, 2 of which are over 11 hours long. Very difficult journey. Pray for smooth and on-time flights. We love you guys and can't wait to return home and share more stories of the incredible work God has done in our lives as well as the people here! We'll have to have a video night soon!!
Praise God!
KV
PS - we have some pretty hilarious out-takes from the teaching time (here's a few to wet your appetite):
Lara - "Greetings from God"
Paul - "In the name of the Lord, i mean, the Father, the Son, and Jesus Christ"
Brad - "I was born...to a mother and a father..."
...more to come!!
