2008 Trip to Madagascar
SOUTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA TRIP TO MADAGASCAR
JULY 3-20, 2008
Messages and photos are from Marsha Davis, Pastor Kim Rapczak, and Lisa Karraker
Enjoy the journey!
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Saturday - July 5, 2008
Salama Tompko! Greetings!
Eight people left on July 3 for Antananarivo, the capital city of Madagascar. Seven of them arrived safely - Marsha Davis, Pastor Jack Hernstrom and his son - Ben, Lisa Karraker, Pastor Kim Rapczak, and Pastor Jim Vigen and his wife - JoAnne.
Erika VanSickel missed her flight to Paris on July 3. After resolving some complications with Air France, Erika left the United States on July 4 and arrived in Paris. If all continues to go as planned, she will be in Antananarivo on July 5 - 24 hours later than earlier expected. Members of our group will be at the airport to welcome her to Madagascar.
So far ... Jack has only the clothes on his back (suitcase should be arriving soon) and Marsha is missing the synod suitcase that carried medicines and gifts. Today - Saturday - they walked around Tana and got the rest they needed after a 32-hour journey.
They are staying at the Lutheran Compound that was built in the early '80s with the understanding that Lutherans would stay there as needed. The group met with the Hinderlies who are the ELCA missionaries. Valoomina prepared their lunch and they had vegetable soup for dinner. In the afternoon they went to the zoo in a park called Tsimbazaz. The French encouraged the Malagasy leadership to set aside the land and develop it into the park.
Tomorrow they will attend church at 67 hectares (the name of the part of town where it is located). The church is the home of Neni Lava - the Tall Mother and the leader of the revival movement. She died a number of years ago. In the afternoon, the group will go to Ambohimanga - the ancient capital of the Merina tribe that dominated Malagasy history. They may see traditional dancers there.
The group is already noticing the beauty of the island in sharp contrast to the poverty of the Malagasy people.
Sunday - July 6, 2008
Erika arrived safely in Antananarivo but ... her luggage did not arrive with her. Now there are two people without a change of clothes (Jack still does not have his luggage).
They attended worship today and there were well over 1,000 people in attendance. The service was four hours long. It was a special service because they were recognizing two people who had just been set apart as shepherds, and it was a day for a special collection for the pastors. Sunday School was conducted in the sanctuary with all the classes in there at one time.
The sermon was quite interesting. It was centered on the gift of Jesus Christ - and not on the need for material things. There was communion. They only have it once a month. People were dressed nicely and were clean which was quite different from what they have seen on the streets. It was explained to us that the people bathe on Saturday and put on their good clothes.
In the afternoon, they went to the central square where there are more European shops.
Today they are taking it easy as the coming days are filled with activity and travel.
Monday - July 7, 2008
This morning they visited with President Modeste, the national bishop (equivalent to Bishop Hansen). Pastor Hernstrom brought greetings from our synod and delivered synod gifts. Pastor Rapczak presented him with a letter of greeting from Bishop Kusserow. The group also brought him a laptop.
Bishop Modeste's mother had just died last week and he just returned from the funeral. It is a Malagasy custom for a group of people to come and visit the bereaved. First you sing a hymn, then you read Scripture, and then you give an offering addressed to the person who died. The offering is to defray the great cost of the funeral. Bishop Modeste told us that they used up 120 bottles of pop a day and two cows a day for meat. Funerals are very large and significant. Anyone visiting a bereaved person gives an offering.
After their visit, the group then took a tour of SALFA (The Malagasy Lutheran Church Health Department). There were two labs with hardly any equipment. The central pharmacy was a large room - maybe the size of an elementary school classroom with shelving like in a library. Less than 1/3 of the shelves were stocked. The warehouse was definitely base.
In general, malaria is a huge problem in Madagascar. Currently HIV is not but it is rising due to the fact that the country is opening up to more foreigners. Already sex tourism has begun.
In the afternoon they visited the Foibe - the Church Headquarters in downtown Antananarivo in the "Select Hotel" building. They had lunch with Andy and Barbara Hinderlie who live at the Norwegian compound and are in Madagascar as missionaries from the ELCA. Barbara works with MELCAM and Andy is a pastor who is responsible for regional events. He will be leaving for Kenya later in the week. Over lunch they explained to the group about the ELCA - Madagascar relationship - some of what is working - and some of what is not working.
One thing they talked about was the ELCA's understanding of missionaries. The mission of the ELCA and other mainstream churches is accompaniment. The idea is to build relationships and learn in a give and take exchange. We can provide some expertise - as well as money - but they have much to offer in terms of their faith and how they live it out.
Back to SALFA: Mr. Andreas is the Secretary General of SALFA and former Treasurer of the FLM. He is one of those who, with Dr. and Mrs. Stan and Kathy Quanbeck, built up SALFA to where it is today. Mr. Andreas is a product of the revival movement.
The group will also meet with the Tonia (General Secretary) - Pastor Samuel Georges. General Secretary Georges is a graduate of Ivory and of the Norwegian Missionary Training College and School of Theology in Stavanger, Norway. This is where he became friends with Pastor Jim and JoAnne Vigen. Pastor Georges is a northerner and also comes out of the revival movement.
Below is a picture of Pastor Kim Rapczak playing with one of the children.
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Tuesday - July 8
The group left for the seminary at Fianarantsoa - the site of the Malagasy Lutheran Church national seminary (acronym is SALT). They had a late start because the van did not arrive on time. The president of the republic was having some sort of caravan so all traffic stopped. There were also many police stops so they made slower progress than Jim had originally anticipated. They did not get to stop at any sites along the way but they hope to catch them on the way back.
After they arrived at the seminary, they were greeted by a ceremony with a wonderful choir and then a lovely dinner. This seminary awards Masters' Degrees. The Bezaha Seminary - which is closer to Tulear - is an undergraduate school. The pastors are ordained after they do undergraduate work. In general the seminarians go to two years of seminary locally, complete their internship, and then return for two more years of seminary and are then ordained. The internship is done in their own communities. The best students can then apply to the National Seminary where they spend three years, write a thesis, and receive their Masters' Degree.
Other information ... zebus have a hump on their back to store fat in preparation for draught. The flaps of loose skin under their necks provide additional surface area for cooling. Madagascar is called the Red Island because the earth is red with a high clay content. They produce their own bricks with this clay.
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The choir made DVDs and the group purchased them. Ben and Jack are going to work with them - getting some comments in English - so Ben can make a version that could be sold in the United States.
The dinner was some kind of pizza and chicken soup. Then they brought out the main course which was chicken and rice.
Wednesday - July 9
The group took a small tour of the seminary. There are presently 44 seminarians. The library consists of 10,000 volumes of theological books. Everything is run down and dirty. The house they stayed in was clean by Malagasy standards.
Lessons learned: These are some of the things Americans take for granted - including the predictability of schedules, fast internet access, clean water, and clean hotels. Some areas look very much like Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina - debris in trees, smashed things everywhere, and the same red earth. Because it is winter there, it was chilly and people were wrapped in blankets and quilts but they had bare feet.
They found the bank and post office. They will head to Ihosy and stay at the Zaha Motel.
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But first ... some complications! They left Fionara in the afternoon and then several miles outside of Fionara they broke down in the Badlands. The van was overheating. This happened as it was getting dark and there was no AAA (the mode of transportation shown in the picture seems to be more reliable). The engine cooled down enough for them to get to a rather nice hotel by Malagasy standards but the power was out and there was no water. The driver was able to get the van fixed and they left Thursday morning for Tulear.
Thursday - July 10
The drive should have taken 8 to 9 hours to Tulear but it turned out to be more than 12 hours. They were stopped 13 times by police, soldiers, or gendarmes to check the driver's papers. Several times they also wanted to know what all they had on the roof because they had too much luggage for the number of people in the van (they are still carrying supplies for the seminary). At one stop Jim Vigen got out of the van and informed the soldiers that he was a "Knight of Madagascar" and he showed them his pin. They suddenly became much more pleasant. At stop number seven the police informed the group that they wanted them to allow a gendarme to travel with them to Tulear. It turned out well as they sailed through the remaining checkpoints.
Upon arriving in Tulear, they met with President Trabonjy and they will return to his office later in the afternoon for a formal visit. During the evening, there will be another Antsam-panahy where an extravagant meal will be prepared for them.
Friday - July 11
The group continued their travel to Tulear. The French roads were built in 1898-1960. The Norwegians interbred the zebus with regular cows to increase their milk production. They did the same with chickens for better egg production. The countryside contained orange trees and cotton. Cotton depletes the soil. Periwinkle was found too and it is used as a leukemia treatment both in Madagascar and in the United States. In the small towns, people wait for hours for buses and vans to transport them to their destinations. They sit in the vehicles like sardines.
Things take a great deal of time here but the group is actually accomplishing a lot. Every time they go somewhere they have to shake everyone's hand who is present, receive fifteen minutes of formal greetings, and then respond with fifteen minutes of greetings in return. They spend ten minutes on what they are there to do, and then spend fifteen minutes thanking one another and saying goodbye. Truly a different culture.
Saturday - July 12
Once in Tulear, the group had the formal meeting with President Trabonjy in his office at the synod. Pastor Jack Hernstrom presented him with the stole and other gifts from home. Pastor Hernstrom told him that St. Luke's Lutheran Church in Saxonburg is giving them a check for more than $2,000 for water purification. They received it with gratitude.
The most interesting part of the day was visiting the Lutheran clinic and the schools. The Blind School, in particular, is beyond description in terms of its overall condition. The middle school - which they call a college - is slightly better but not by much. There is a great need for books of all levels in English so that the children can learn how to read English.
Today the group was supposed to do the continuing education seminars. When we got to the cathedral at 9 am in the morning, no one was there for the seminar. It seems that they were having a big meeting somewhere else. However, they were going out to the highways and byways to round up people so by 9:45 am there were about 20 people. However, when we first arrived there was a pre-baptismal session going on with two extended families.
We finally got ready to start - fifteen minutes of greeting and then fifteen minutes responding in greeting. We then began and had only thirty five minutes to work with them and there was no way to lay the necessary groundwork. We were told it was going to be a three hour session.
The afternoon was spent doing an English seminar at the cathedral. Erika and Marsha taught the group of people how to sing Father, I Adore You. They broke into three groups. Marsha took a group that could speak better English then they said they could. She explained to them the Christian Literacy program and she gave them all the materials to use at the school. There were about 20 people for the English program.
In the evening there was a "Singing in the Spirit" event that included a military choir.
Sunday - July 13
The group attended worship at the "cathedral" in Tulear. The church has a very distinctive smell from the bats. They also went to a "toby." When they arrived at 3 pm, the service was to begin. There was a young man who had been president of the national youth organization who was doing a word study. It went on until 4:30 pm. It was disappointing not to see the shepherds do their work (casting out demons). They said due to the time and the fact that it was so windy they were not going to do it.
After the "toby" they went to the Dunes. It is an amazing area which stretches for a couple of miles in front of the water. There were blowing sand and some scrub bushes. Unfortunately, it turned dark quickly when they were there and so the group did not get to spend too much time at the Dunes.
Some comments about the blind school: Each parent has to pay a total of 3,000 ariaries (approximately two dollars) and 90 cups of rice a year for their child to attend. The German church makes a contribution although President Trabonjy said that amount was going down. The synod contributes the rest. The synod's annual budget for the blind school is about $3,500 dollars a year. That means they are running the school on far less than the necessary $10,000 dollars per year. This includes paying teachers and providing food and housing.
Monday - July 14
The group traveled to the seminar in Bezaha (except for Pastor Kim Rapczak who was sick). The van broke down and they did not return until 11 pm. There was only dust at the seminary - no grass or anything - so they did not do any work there as had been planned. They requested an English teacher at the seminary but there is really no one who is able to stay long term.
Lessons learned: The most valuable thing that they have seen is that although they have experienced this degree of poverty in some areas of Mexico and in the squatters' settlements of Mexico City (for example), the whole country of Mexico is not this bad. The entire country of Madagascar is mired in abject poverty.
The other valuable thing is to see the generosity of the people. At the toby they had a collection for the poor. It was incredibly moving to see people without shoes, people walking on crippled feet, the blind being led by others, and all of them putting in their contribution to alleviate the suffering of the poor.
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Tuesday - July 15
The group left Tulear in the morning and arrived at the Zaha Hotel in Ihosy at about 5 pm. They had no hot water in the room but the person at the front desk offered to bring them a bucket of hot water in the morning. Erika and Pastor Kim declined. They are sleeping in their clothes and with their mosquito sacks. This is the first place where they really had a problem with mosquitoes.
Wednesday - July 16
The group left the Zaha Hotel about 9 am in the morning. By 11:45 am they had broken down again. This time the transmission was totally shot. Luckily they were only about 17 kilometers outside of Ambavalo - where the van overheated last time. This time they were on the other side of the mountain.
They finally arrived in Ambavalo just to see if they could get someone to come down from Antananarivo to get them. Someone is coming and he will meet the group tomorrow morning. They got back to the national seminary at about 4:30 pm. Unlike the first time they arrived there, this time everything looked like the top of the mark. Unfortunately they had no water.
In Ambavalo they went to the open market. There were heaps of clothing, shoes, baskets, etc. being sold. There was also a vegetable market where ten oranges could be bought for 75 cents. There were also women sitting on the ground with their sewing machines, turning the wheel by hand and sewing.
They will also stop at the paper factory in Ambavalo.
Thursday - July 17
The group left Fionar at about 8 am and they arrived in Tana about 6 pm. Amazingly, the van did not break down today (it was a different van). They stopped in Ambositra to get some gifts. They went into a cafe where a Malagasy man had a guitar and was singing for tips. He was quite good. He sang some Malagasy songs and then he launched into some French folk songs. He then began playing and singing When the Saints Go Marching In! By this time some Italians had shown up so we all together sand that song in Malagasy, French, English, and Italian at the same time!
One of the interesting things is to see how much building is going on. There are new tourist hotels and resorts springing up on the road between Fionar and Tana and brick making enterprises everywhere. This actually consists of men digging out clay by hand, shaping it, and firing it by the roadside. They make fine bricks.
Friday - July 18
Today Pastor Kim Rapczak had a conversation with Barbara Hinderlie, the missionary from the ELCA that lives in Antananarivo. One of the most valuable parts of the conversation was learning about the "Level 2" projects of the ELCA. Barbara said that donations should be given through our synod - and then sent to the ELCA - who will then distribute the funds to the Malagasy Lutheran Church. This gives some accountability on the part of everyone.
The group had lunch with President Modeste and his wife, Jeannette. It was an American meal of mashed potatoes, cucumber salad, iceberg lettuce, and meat balls in gravy. President Modeste had to leave for another meeting and Jeannette told the group the history of the current revival-Shepherd movement as well as a bit of her own story.
Pastor Kim Rapczak and Lisa Karraker took a taxi all by themselves to the Carlton Hotel to have American food. The waitresses were dressed as cowgirls that included cowboy hats, fringes, and cowboy boots. The restaurant was playing tex-mex music. It was interesting! Before they got in the cab, the cabdriver took out a one liter water bottle with gas in it and poured a little into the tank. They noticed that the drivers turn off the engines and coast down hills. The gas costs $8.00 a gallon.
Saturday - July 19
The group went to see the lemurs! It was very cool! The guide took a lot of time explaining things to them. They saw the lemurs up close - six different kinds. They also saw the sifakas dancing. It was a wonderful way to end the trip and it was a lot of fun.
At the time of this writing, the group is about two hours away from departing Antananarivo for Paris - Paris to Newark - and then Newark to Pittsburgh. We will keep them in our prayers for safe travel.
Sunday - July 20
Homecoming!