Madagascar – Wrapping Up (Days 17-18)

Yesterday, Kelly and I finished our teaching.  I spent the morning with the master’s students (that’s me and some of them in the photo).  We started early so we could finish at noon.  Most of them had a long bus ride back to their homes.  One student would be on the bumpy and crowded bus for eight hours after spending four hours in class in the morning. 

I took the first two hours of class letting them ask any question they wanted about subjects covered or anything else.  It took two hours because working through a translator is slow moving.   They asked about many things, the most interesting to me was the question of whether it was better to go to a church with modern facilities and worship capabilities or a simple rural church.  I put the question to them: “Which do you think is better?”  Maybe it was something with the way I put the question, but I was not expecting these pastors, most of whom were rural church pastors, to all answer that the modern churches were better.  I suspect they feel their limitations as small church pastors.  I suggested that whether we are in large or small churches that we not lose sight of the fact that our primary mission is to make followers of Jesus Christ.  That doesn’t need a church building at all.  In that sense, both can be equally effective. 

The second two hours was spent talking about the need for church leaders to focus on making mature disciples of Jesus Christ.  I talked through the relationship between the words “Christian” and “disciple.”  I took them through an assessment of how they were doing in making disciples.  I talked about some personal and corporate models of disciple making.  And then, feeling very much the role of Dr. Fullerton the seminary professor, I gave them homework.  The best part is that it is homework I won’t have to grade since I don’t speak or read the language. 

Yesterday afternoon, Kelly and I had a few hours on our own. I caught up on some communications and worked on my sermon for Sunday.  Kelly prepared for his evening class. 

Last evening, Professor Kelly King taught at the university to a much larger group of masters students.  I was truly impressed with the school here.  They just received an award of excellence recognition from a coalition of schools from throughout southern Africa.  This Institute for Political Studies, part of the Reformed University of Madagascar, has an ambitious leader and great plans for the future. 

Pastor Laurent and I visited a family we were originally going to stay with while during this part of our trip.  Their home was a bit too far away from where we were working, thus the hotel where we have stayed all week.   This husband and wife were entrepreneurs with a successful clothing manufacturing company.  We saw the wealthy of Madagascar tonight.  The family was unlike any I have met so far.  We’ve met plenty of strong, confident, and intelligent people, but this husband and wife were also unapologetically visionaries.  Their vision for industry, parenting, politics, and the church was reasoned, achievable, rooted in care for people, and leveraged the strengths that already exist in this country.  They were as concerned as all have been about the crippling economic issues, but they saw that a coordinated, grass roots effort could lead renewal.  They saw the church as having a key role since between the Lutherans and Presbyterians nearly half of the country’s population is represented.  I had already been thinking that the Christians here were a “sleeping giant” and if ever awakened could be a major force of renewal.  I told them so tonight and they had been thinking the same thing.  The night was spent talking, eating, and, for me, enjoying being around a room full of English-speaking people.  I wish Kelly could have been part of it. 

I was tired and sleep came easy last night. 

Today was listed in the schedule as a full day off.  I can’t remember the last one I’ve had.  It’s been several months.  Our big plans were to do a little shopping.  About 45 minutes before we were to go shopping, Pastor Laurent called and told us to put on a suit and tie. We had plans.  We were going to a wedding and a fundraiser.  Kelly King said he hasn’t worn a suit this often in 20 years.  We went to the wedding and I was interested in the traditions here, even though we felt like wedding crashers.  Kelly said he was Vince Vaughan and I was Owen Wilson (actors in a movie called Wedding Crashers).  The weddings were similar to ours, except there was no bridal party standing with the couple.   I had no idea what the fundraiser was for until we got there.  It was to raise money for a project commemorating the martyrs of the church.  The early church martyrs are heroes and, rightly so, they want to honor them.   In America, we don’t often think about the martyrs.  People still pay the ultimate price for their Christian faith.  Today was a good reminder what a privilege it is to be able to worship freely and not worry about harassment or persecution or death because of it. 

We got in a little shopping, made plans for the next day, and were dropped off at the hotel about 6 pm.  Kelly and I then went to one of the more enjoyable parts of our trip.  We went to a little restaurant around the corner from the hotel, had a light meal, enjoyed a glass of wine, and talked at length about this trip to Madagascar.  We will both reflect more later on the question of what God was doing with us being here, but, for tonight, we both agreed that we were here to encourage and honor the people for what they have been through and where their hopes are for the future.  We see the differences between our cultures and have no desire to impose changes.  We want to share what we know and trust they are bright enough to know if and how to use what is appropriate in business (Kelly) or theology (me).  We agree that the great hope for the future is as I wrote about yesterday – it is in the rising generation that catches a vision of economic and spiritual renewal.   We hope we have helped nudge things in that direction in these past weeks.  I hope it is something we bring back with us.  America needs an economic and spiritual renewal and it too will happen as people catch that vision and work with optimism toward that vision. 

Off to look over sermon and get some rest. 

Thinking of you.