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Just woke up (at 1:07am) to our beds shaking in a 5.4 Earthquake. We are in Antsirabe Madagascar. We are all fine. It's 2:15am right now, Im going back to bed. We will be driving back up to Antananarivo at 8am this morning for our final day in Madagascar. "Get thee behind me, Satan!"  We have faced every challenge there is to face in the last couple days. Pastor Phillip, Marilyn, and Desiree could not get onto the connecting flight out of Paris because their tickets were listed as “stand by” even though they were paid in full, along with our tickets. Me, Dad, Connie, and Janice did get on the flight. We had one of our baggage lost. We've had an incredible amount of communication failures due to intermittent cell phone service and internet access. We couldn’t communicate with the Deaf Malagasy without Phillip once we got here. Delayed flights, stomach bugs, head colds, jet lag, rolling power outages, megalodon spiders, EVERYTHING was against us, except God. A barrage of unfortunate events was countered by a barrage of equal sized miracles to keep the mission going. When Pastor Phillip was stuck in Paris and had to miss the first session, Dimby, one of the Deaf Malagasy, stepped up to LEAD. Normally, it would only be the Deaf teaching the Deaf, but as God would have it, the Deaf also taught the hearing! The Pastor and young adults from the hosting church came to watch the training session out of curiosity and ended up getting completely involved. There was no existing community whatsoever between the Deaf Malagasy and the hearing Malagasy, but where there is a desert, God will make a river of living water! The second night was no different; it was filled with raucous laughter between the Deaf & the hearing. The Deaf don’t normally clap, (because they can’t hear the applause) so they do (what I call) “jazz hands” to show approval & appreciation. The Deaf were clapping for the hearing all night. I can’t begin to tell you all the stories that happen in one day. But you can watch this video for a tiny glimpse of what we’ve been doing. Thank you, thank you, thank you, for your continued prayers. -Jess I am about to embark on what I hope will become a wild adventure! I am boarding a plane destined for Madagascar, with 6 other people who want to share the love of Jesus with a small group of Deaf Malagasy who are largely overlooked by the culture around them.
We are: 1.) Myself, who cannot speak a lick of sign language. But my hands speak the language of art, and I think that talent will find a call to service somewhere in the field. 2.) My Dad Jack, who also can’t speak any sign language. Today in church a deaf woman was signing to him, and he was nodding his head “yes" continually. I was so impressed. I said, “Dad, did you understand that??” He said, “No. Not at all.” But his heart is in the right place. He has wisdom, strength of character, and experience, so we may need him to carry heavy things and herd cats. 3.) My step-mom Connie (not deaf) who speaks American Sign Language (ASL). She’s the one who will keep us smiling when we feel pinched between a rock and a hard place, and remind us that it’s our rock, and it is there for us, not against us. 4.) Coming in from North Carolina, a (born deaf) Pastor named Phillip who has done work evangelizing to the Deaf around the world. He DOES speak Malagasy Sign Language... -PRAISE JESUS- he is surely the one who will get us through any locked doors… and bail us out of jail. Everyone needs a Pastor Phillip. 5 & 6.) Coming in from Pastor Phillip’s NC church are Desiree & Marilyn (both deaf). I don’t know much about them yet, but Im sure we will all get friendly fast. 7.) Coming in from Texas is Janice (not deaf), she will be my roommate, and like Connie, she speaks ASL and has a heart for the Deaf. She heard about our mission trip and asked if she could join us. When God calls you, you GO. We will be inviting the deaf Malagasy to bible studies, visiting a couple of deaf businesses, filling needs as we see them, and we will be performing our own -renegade- "Operation Christmas Child” for about 55 children, at the Antananarivo Deaf School, and the Antsirabe Deaf School. Our flight departs from Atlanta, connects in Paris, and then onto Madagascar. We return on Jan 13th. Please pray for us. For our safety during travel, for our security during our 2 weeks in Madagascar, for our effectiveness in sharing the gospel and encouraging the Deaf to meet together and support each other, for them to share stories and life with each other, and for the prosperity of the deaf school children we will meet. With all my heart, Thank You for your Prayers! Jess |
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