2 minute read
MADAGASCAR
PETER
One morning I had this feeling come over me, “who do you think you are? Why are you doing this?” In that moment I felt disqualified.
I watched some videos of ministry in Moldova, where we were sure God was calling us to, and I was reminded to take my eyes off myself. It’s about these people. Sharing God with these people. I realised in that moment that the enemy doesn’t want any of this to happen. He will take little things, so we don’t notice, and cause them to make us doubt God’s calling on our lives.
We’ve learnt to prepare for the doubts and worries – they will come, especially in these COVID-days when anxiety can be high. But instead, we keep our focus on the Great Commission; whether it’s Moldova, or next door, it’s for all of us. Someone will go to the person on their street, someone will go across the world. It’s just about obedience. Obedience to God and allowing Him to take the lead. So when I think about the question, “why me?”, my answer is “why not me?!” He’s called each one of us.
Our willing obedience has spoken volumes to people – friends, family, colleagues – more than anything else we’ve ever said or done in our lives. It speaks volumes to people that we’re stepping out for God in such a time as this.
Peter, Debbie and their two girls will leave for Moldova as soon as their visas are approved. Pray for them and consider, could God be asking
you to take His love to the least reached for such a time as this?
DO YOU REMEMBER DEBORAH?
Her story featured in Issue 3 of Global in 2019; a young girl from Newcastle, spearheading children’s ministry in Madagascar. Perhaps at a glance, this story could look like one among many, as young people take to Africa for a brief interlude in their gap year. But for Deborah this is a long-term commitment and God is using her obedience to achieve extraordinary things for His Kingdom.
Last year, Deborah (now 23) traded the hustle and bustle of Madagascar’s capital for the dusty streets of rural Ambovombe, where children’s ministry is a rare phenomenon in the surrounding villages. She lives simply; committed to the local way of life.
As coronavirus spread across the world, leaving no place untouched, the Androy region of Madagascar also felt the effects. And yet, “it was in the midst of these hard times that children’s ministry started to grow!” Deborah shares. When restrictions put a stop to group meetings in Ambovombe, Deborah looked on in delight as the young adults she had been training in children’s ministry returned to their villages – where there were fewer restrictions – and started their own children’s clubs, putting all they’d learnt into practice.
Amidst restrictions and challenges – or perhaps even because of! – Deborah is discovering that there are new opportunities for Kingdom growth that empower local believers. There are now seven new children’s clubs in the region, and many more young children hearing and accessing the Gospel for themselves.
