I have been here for one month and life is different every day.

Psalm 105:4 Turn to the Lord, your strength and seek his presence always -a verse I turn to each day.

The day begins at 5:30 morning devotions in Cathedral at 6-6:30.  Coolest part of the day, beautiful to see the sun rise.  Breakfast, trips to town to visit market, the bank, set up phone, internet, work on visa application are some of the activities of the day.  Travel to Toliara town is about 4 miles in a pousse pousse  a rickshaw pulled by a bicycle, a relaxing way to travel and often entertaining.  I have followed a pousse pousse with 2 goats as passengers and they were not happy, one with 4 chickens attached to the handle bars and travelled in a luxury one with steps to help you climb in.

On the way to Toliara we pass the local bus station where people gather to go to other parts of the island and travel in large trucks with seats it is a very busy area.

There is a supermarket called Score which is helpful, but we buy vegetables and fruits at local market as they are fresher and less expensive,  when  shopping Josianne or Jeanette travel with me to help with language.  On one trip with Jeanette I had pleasure of watching her bargain for 4 live ducks for the Seder dinner Easter week.

Easter week was very spiritual we had a service each day and a Seder on the Wednesday.  St. Patrick’s Cathedral on the compound is beautiful.

Easter Sunday the Cathedral was full of people dressed in their Sunday best, members walk several miles to service.  Easter Monday members of the Cathedral went on an exciting trip to the beach, in a full mini bus.  The beach was very crowded but we had a shady spot to sit and the ocean was beautiful.

Last week I travelled to Antananarivo the capital to visit the Ministry of the Interior to work on my visa.  Rev Victor, a priest from Kenya, came with me as I am not speaking Malagasy yet.  The trip there in the taxi was exciting, taxi was a French Citroen and looked older than I and would not idle so driver started it many times as traffic busy and it shook like a bag of bones.  Driver was very jovial and a competent driver on roads with no signs just a few police directing traffic which all obey.  I knew we would get to our destination & safely home because God is in charge.  We completed some work on visa but they need more papers from Bishop Todd, so I will be returning.

Bricks being made on the side of the road and laundry drying as we drove to the Ministry.

A group of houses in the middle of the rice fields in Antananarivo.

The women come each day to the women’s center and work on a variety of projects, it is a social time for them as well as work.  I sit with them when I am not working on other projects, they are very happy and often sing as they work.

     

Please support these women and their children with prayers and financial donations .

Click on  Support Jacky to make ONLINE donations.
Mail checks to:     SAMS USA, PO Box 399, Ambridge, PA 15003
Check payable to: SAMS USA
In memo write:      Jacky/women