Madagascar – Refreshment and New Beginnings (Day 10)

We slept well last night.  It was refreshing.  I got up and managed to get in about a 20 minutes workout in the room.  Then it was time for a shower.  After all the dirt we had on us yesterday, I wanted to get double clean.  I even did the “lather, rinse, repeat” thing written on the shampoo bottles.  I then put on clean clothes from head-to-toe.  I felt like a new man.   As we drove down the road after breakfast, Kelly King sneezed and then said, “I think I’m allergic to being clean.”  It was well-timed comedy and the whole Range Rover laughed. 

Once again, we noticed that the streets between towns were lined with people walking, biking, or pushing carts to and from the towns.  I said I was embarrassed to run here because it seemed to be saying, “I have to run to stay in shape.”  Here, they stay in shape by just living their lives.  “Who needs exercise?  Just live here,” was the comment in the car.  Again, a statement that was funny, a description of reality, and a statement of contrasts between American culture and much of the world who live like this. 

We drove to the second largest city in the country, Fianarantsoa, and had an impromptu training with Presbyterian pastors.  Pastor Laurent wanted them to get a perspective on life in the local church from my perspective in order to inform them on theirs.  I pulled up a couple of presentations I had given in the past and made it to about three slides before their questions began flowing.  We spent the rest of the time sharing ministry problems and solutions.  They were interested in the decision-making process in our church, what Life Groups were like, and how our budgeting process worked.  They were shocked by the amount of money we raised each year for our budget.  The income from three churches our size would support the annual budget of the entire national denomination here.  We tried to explain that giving is higher in America, but so are expenses.  Significantly higher.  

We had tea with them before having lunch at a restaurant.  When Pastor Laurent and Diamondra first arrived and lived with Cile and me, we asked them, “What is a typical meal for you in Madagascar?”  Their answer: “Rice and anything else.”  He was right.  Lunch was rice and the meat of your choice.  Almost every meal here is rice and the meat of your choice. 

After lunch, we drove to the Lutheran Seminary in town (pictured above).  In addition to being the vice president of the entire denomination, Pastor Laurent is the dean of the seminary in the capital city and he was making a social call on this seminary.  The question of the moment was whether it would work for the Lutherans and Presbyterians to share resources, like professors and libraries, for the good of the students.  Both parties were willing, but the question was whether their larger bodies, that is, the Presbyterian and Lutheran denominations would go along.  We had a worship service with their key leaders and a collection of students.  Then the speeches began.  Pastor Laurent explained that the impact of this discussion this afternoon was that about six million Christians would be affected if this union were to take place.  This was historic.  This was about producing stronger and better prepared pastors to go throughout the country and proclaim the gospel. 

Once again, I was reminded that this trip that I am now on is of a different magnitude than previous mission joureys.  We are operating at a higher level than just St. Andrews working with one or two churches in another place.  We are working with denominational leaders and millions of Christians will be affected by the discussion today and the teaching this morning and in the week to come.  We are training those who are the preachers and teachers of this nation.  Pastor Laurent told me not long after I earned my doctorate, “You did not get your doctorate only for the sake of St. Andrews.  You are now a doctor of the Church of Jesus Christ.”  In settings like this, I’m feeling the weight of those words.

Our last stop of the day was to the Presbyterian Seminary in town. It was on a high hill overlooking the town.  The students were on break, so there was not much to do but see the buildings.  Again, after attending Princeton Seminary, this was stark in comparison physically, but the purpose is the same.  This seminary is one of four in the country.  Between the four, all of the pastors we saw commissioned last Sunday have been trained. 

We toured around town a bit, had a quick bite to eat, and then headed back to the hotel. We are in a downtown hotel.  The hotel features open breezeways, jalousie windows, big wooden doors, and skeleton key locks.  As with all homes so far, there is no heat and air conditioning.   Fortunately, the blankets are warm.  Off to bed.  

Thinking of you.