Making a Way

 We made it!

We arrived safely to a small island off the shore of mainland Madagascar on February 11 after an uneventful trip-which was no small thing! 

Once here, we realized we had been “holding our breaths” in many ways. The risk-factors in getting here had felt so high, we had been bracing ourselves that we may not make it. In spite of knowing that, we also knew that we needed to move forward, trusting God could make a way. It makes me think of the Israelites in the Old Testament, when God brought them out of Egypt. How easily they saw the problems and challenges they faced, and how quickly they forgot about God's faithfulness to them. We didn't want to forget...and we are so thankful for those of you who stood with us in faith and prayer that God would make a way. 

Eerily quiet at Toronto airport.
There were only 77 people scheduled
for our flight to Ethiopia!

Nosy-Be - the most wonderful quarantine
location I can imagine!

After 5 days on the small island (Nosy-Be) we took a little plane to our new town, Mandristara. This stop was just a tease-we spent a total of 16 hours here! Jesh was able to join his surgical colleagues for a virtual site visit with leaders of PAACS (we have written more about this surgical residency program in past posts, but here’s the link to their program https://paacs.net, which we hope will come to the Good News Hospital in 2022). 

Leaving Mandritsara 16 hours after arrival. 
We will be back - soon!

While Jesh was in on that meeting, I was able to lay eyes on our newly completed house. I can hardly believe the beautiful place we will get to settle down in and call our home! A handful of teammates quickly helped take measurements and make notes on items we needed to gather in the capital city, a 2 days drive or a short flight away, to finish the home. 

It was a total whirlwind, and after a short night, we were off again. 

This is where we have been for nearly 2 weeks now! In between Jesh and I getting rather ill, we have spent many hours traversing the city and making decisions so we can have a stove and curtains and somewhere to sit at the end of long days. We had put some basics on a container of medical supplies last summer (that post is here) that is being sent here by Samaritan’s Purse, however, due to covid challenges and weather issues, the container has not yet left the USA. We hope to see it arrive this summer. 

The streets of Antananarivo,
capital of Madagascar

The process to get to the Good News Hospital has been anything but simple. And yet, what a joy to get front-row seats as God made it happen. 

We hope that you can be as encouraged as we are as you hear of His provision, and are reminded that we serve a God who can make a way "where there seems to be no way". 

Prayer and praise:

• We made it! Looking forward to putting away our suitcases for awhile...

• A week before us, another surgeon and his wife also arrived. This is exciting for multiple reasons. Marco is a Malagasy surgeon who was trained by the PAACS program in another country.  Him being here gives the hospital the required number of surgeons to seek approval for the PAACS program. 

Prayer:

• Please pray for the PAACS leaders as they present our hospital to their board and consider approval to begin the residency training program in January, 2022

• We head back to Mandritsara tomorrow - and "real life" begins!

• We will start the kids in their new french school next week, as well as continue with our English homeschool curriculum. Praying we get some better routines in place as the last 8 months have been rather crazy!

• Jesh and I will begin learning the national language at the end of this week. It is daunting, but we know communication is vital for building relationships, and both of us will need the local language in our circles. 

• Also pray with us that the container full of medical supplies (and some personal things!) will arrive safely in the coming months. It has many items necessary for the hospital to be ready to train surgical residents.

We will continue to keep you in-the-know here on our blog, but more day-to-day tidbits and photos can be found on our Facebook page. You can find us here.

By Julie