'madagascar time'

the weeks seem to be flying past and although our days aren't full full like they used to be in South Africa we are still keeping ourselves busy as we settle in to the rhythm that is our 'Madagascar Time'.

each day brings new opportunities which in turn open up into new friendships with each of those having new stories all as individual each other. we have now successfully shared the full extent of the four modules of the 'Leadership for Life' to over 150 people, ranging from local teachers and health care workers, prison inmates and the members of a large church here in Toamasina. it is a magical experience as we see the eyes of those attending the modules come to life as they realise that they are in fact leaders and by laying down new mindsets they can change their lives and the lives of their families, their finances and their wider communities.

we are trying to maintain a work, spiritual and life learning balance which we found hard to find in South Africa, our days start with some fitness work-out routines which keep our bodies strong but that are quite challenging due to the heat and humidity. it has been important to take some time to meditate on the things going on around us, our daily readings of Father Richard Rohr's emails along with books and podcasts extending our knowledge especially around the worlds psycho-social needs has also been important to us (as well as reading some less taxing material!). 

we eat out most days at local establishments, this is simply due to the relatively inexpensive food and the fact that its so fresh and wholesome. we buy locally produced fruit and veg from the street vendors which line the roadsides and although we do have access of a vehicle (thanks Love'nCare) we do use the local tuk tuks to get around quite often.

each of the 'Leadership for Life' modules run for around three hours but with the set up and take down of material which Maz has so expertly drawn up and had translated means that these draw out to near on four hours and even if we aren't running morning and afternoon modules on the same day we are still exhausted by the end of it.

the feedback we are receiving from those taking part is the highlight of each module, to hear the stories of how people have applied their new thinking into real life situations is showing us (and them) that this is really working and is applicable to the lives of those we are sharing with. we are really looking forward to this coming Wednesday when we will have an opportunity to spend a couple of hours with the prison inmates to hear how they have got on (not gotten on, gotten isn't a real word!) since the last module we shared with them three weeks ago.

we did enjoy a night away in Foule Point which although sits only 40 miles to the north of Toamasina took over one and a half hours to reach due to the shocking road conditions of the 'national road' RN5, which has was featured on a BBC web page as one of the most challenging roads in the world. apparently it gets much worse the further north you travel and we are going to venture that way again in a few weeks time!...have a look here for an idea of what we are talking about, remember this is a 'national road' not some off road experience!

anyways it was great to get away and Maz spent time snorkeling, with a mask and tube borrowed from a local fisherman!, whilst I stood as still as a statue on the coral to afraid to move in what was such clear and warm water and got sun burnt on my back!

we are now mastering 'night driving' which we equate to some sort of crazy computer game where everything else is set to cause you to 'fail the level', what with the huge unmarked potholes, no street lighting, even in the middle of the town, other cars or motorised vehicles coming towards you with their headlights a blaze truly blinding you as you watch out for the small scooters and motorbikes who dart in an out of the unlit rickshaws that are being ridden or pushed by black men who are also trying to avoid the same hazards as you is a somewhat draining. that said it keeps you on your toes and is quite fun (at times).

every Sunday we have the chance to 'bring a word' to either the church held at Bethany school or in the prison, this is always a time of joy and celebration and even if we don't know what's going on for most of the time (a bit like the night driving) it's great to be part of these moments. yesterday we had over 170 prisoners join us, men, women and children in the small church set inside the prison grounds which was awesome.

during the last few weeks we have also met up with some incredible people who have a heart to serve the least, the last and the lost here in Madagascar, we have already posted about Mercy Ministries but they hosted a workshop with a couple from England who were sharing about 'effective community development' and we had the fantastic opportunity to visit the Mercy Ships ship that is providing medical care during their ten months docked at the port in Toamasina.

this ship is manned by over 400 volunteers, ranging from surgeons who perform life changing and other wise unavailable operations to men, women and children who have been screened and bought to the ship to have treatment in one of the five operating theaters, to cooks and cleaners who ensure that everyone is feed and good hygiene standards are maintained. the ship is also fitted out with x-ray machines and even has a CT scanner, unheard of in Madagascar, we want to thank Keith Brinkman and his team for allowing us a business visit to what was a truly awesome facility.

it's great to see the strong relationships that Cho has built with local, national and international organisations and by the time we post again we will have been into the 'bush' areas along the Pangalange canal to the south of Toamasina where we are going to stop for two nights (including our 28th wedding anniversary) to share the 'Leadership for Life' modules to the teams working in the remote villages in that region.

we are truly blessed to be here and although there are daily challenges with electricity and slow internet etc we are thankful to have a good meal each day and the freedom to come and have an impact into some of the vulnerable people of the world.

P.S no photos again due to slow upload speed (sorry), LORD GIVE ME STRENGTH!

a week of contrasts and highlights

Maz with the Mercy Ministries team
plus the pilot from Hilmission 

so much has happened since we last updated our blog and once again to fully capture it all would require another chapter in what would become a huge book, however one word that could sum up the week would be 'contrasts'.

the contrasts between the different people we have had the opportunity to engage with, be those men in the local prison who we shared the whole of the four day 'Leadership for Life' training with, or the teachers and health care workers who also attended module one and two with us since we last posted, or the plight of those living in a remote village which took us 40 minutes to reach via helicopter.

the contrasts in the various landscapes that we have seen, be those behind dilapidated high walls that keep the world secure from the men and women who have been interned in the local prison, or the undulating countryside filled with hills and rivers, that we flew over that also keep a people trapped in poverty and insecurity.

hand made bricks that are going to be used
to build the new health clinic

the contrasts in the weather, be it the beating sun which draws up the moisture to create the stifling humid atmosphere or the crashing storms with downpours which wash away the sand roads and pour through the simple palm leaf structures of the tiny buildings that our neighbours call home.

the contrasts to the access of those things we so often take for granted, be that the clean and running water that flows from our taps and shower heads with the sounds of those living outside our bedroom window drawing water from a simple hand pump or the electricity that powers our lights, laptops and mobile phones which has been a bit hit and miss this week making it hard for us to undertake the most basic of tasks but which has drawn us towards the world that the majority of the people of the country live with each day.

the vast rural landscape that over 85% of the
Malagasy population call home

with all that said it has been an incredible week and to keep this post as succinct as possible we have focused on just two highlights. the first was the stunning journey we made via helicopter with the charity Mercy Ministries (MM). MM build and run 36 rural health care clinics, training up and then employing local people from the villages to be the person responsible to provide basic care to those living in the rural locations. remember Madagascar is twice the size of Great Britain but only has seven 'main roads' (roads is a very loose term but essentially means tarred) with over 85% of the 22 million people living in 'the bush'.

MM are looking at establishing a further three clinics in areas where either they have identified a need or if a village have approached them after seeing or hearing about the amazing healthcare changes that have taken place in other villages after MM have opened a clinic there. it was to one of those locations that we set out from Toamasina airport via helicopter to make the 40 minute journey. the flight was made in a six seater helicopter operated by Helimission, another amazing organisation who provide the various charities working in Madagascar the opportunity make use of the helicopter which is based in the capital Antananarivo's but which serves the whole of the country.

Maz arrives to handshakes and smiles!

once on board we headed north with the India ocean clearly visible out of the right hand window, the flat coast line soon turned into a vast landscape of hills and valleys, banana plantations overlooking carefully tended paddy (rice) fields which make up the staple of the local diet.

its hard to describe the scene as the pilot honed in on the location marker blinking away on his screen, we were only flying at a height of 300 meters and he was aware of the clock counting down to our expected time of arrival but even with as little as 20 seconds of flying time left there was no sign of anything that would confirm the existence of a single home, let lone a village of 1500 people.......

.......then all of a sudden the pilot spotted the scar of a red path snaking its way through the trees, then some simple reed huts set upon a hill, then the sight of a small white flag and a cross etched into the red soil. as we came in lower and made a sweeping left bank turn we were greeted by the sight of a hillside scattered with the people clothed in bright colours, the whole village and surrounding area had come to welcome us into their remote community, it truly was a never to be forgotten experience.

the whole village came
to greet us and showed us
to the place where the
clinic was being constructed

as the blades came to a stop the thousand or so men, women and children descended upon us, we were greeted by smiling face and handshakes, the Malagasy are quite a reserved people but their excitement at seeing us, and mainly the doctor and operations director of MM, overtook them and we were carried along on a wave of joy down the hill, across a small stream which provides the drinking and washing water and on up hill to the place where the foundations of the small concrete structure which were the beginnings of the new clinic.

this is to become the first concrete building ever to be built in the village and all the bags of cement which were then cast into bricks using the local sand were bought by hand through the hills and valleys by the village people, therefore it was with much passion and pride that these people stood around and showed us their handiwork.

there then followed some very long speeches and discussions around how the clinic would operate, the need to establish a committee to ensure the sustainability of the project, which although is overseen by MM is really operated and run by the village itself, which is a fantastic model and one that has been proven to work in their other 36 locations.

as the thunder rumbled and lighting flashed along the tops of the nearby mountains we were invited to join the elders in a reed home where a table had been set for a simple meal of rice and chicken, washed down with a cool glass of 'bon bon anglais' (a local fizzy drink resembling cream soda), we were encouraged to eat with gusto, however it was a little disconcerting having so many eyes watching every move of your fork or mouthful being consumed when they only sat and watched but we were assured that this was only to their delight to have us share with them which put our minds at ease.

the V.I.P's give their speeches
whilst the whole village listen!

it was a truly humbling experience and although we were there for near on two hours the time came for us to leave. we said our what we thought were our sad goodbyes to some of the local children who were obviously fascinated by our appearance in their village which sits over three hours walk from the nearest 'road' but as we started to walk back up to the landing spot the whole village turned with us and made the hike back up the hill accompanying us with singing and much shared laughter.

the hillside seemed even fuller than when we had arrived, word must have got out that this metal bird carrying vazaha (foreigners, especially european people) from the outside world had descended from the skies and again after much handshaking we left with a further gift of a live duck and a huge branch of green bananas.

village life...the home where we shared the meal.

sorry for the 'war and peace' style post but we've only just finished the first of our highlights! the second is still to follow, so go grab yourself a cuppa and come with us on another fascinating journey this time into the hearts, minds and lives of over 40 inmates at the local prison where we shared four mornings of leadership training with these often discarded men.

Love'nCare ministries, led by Cho and supported by his able team, have a weekly workshop within the prison, held in the church building they constructed a few years ago and which serves as a meeting point for those interested in expressing their Christian faith each morning and every Sunday.



the Emerging Leaders training, aptly called 'Leadership for Life' looks at our current ways of thinking, those that are shared by every human being on the planet and those that keep us small and unfulfilled, it then introduces mindsets that are common throughout any good leader, thus encouraging new thoughts, thought processes and vital applications for anyone to start leading their lives (module one), leading their team, or family (module two), leading their finances (module three) and then leading a community based project, be that income generating or a social project (module four). we were keen for this to be open to all inmates and were delighted that over 40 joined us for the whole 12 hour session!

the inmates listen intently to the
'Leadership for Life' modules

during the week we saw the whole countenance of those on the training change, their eyes both in their hearts and minds and in their physical appearances changed, gone were the men who saw their lives as hopeless and without purpose, each morning they came to learn with new vigour with stories of hope and by the end of the week a step by step plan to help create a better environment for themselves and those that share the tough conditions found behind a wall which keeps the prying eyes from seeing.

we are so blessed to be able to share this
life changing material

we don't want to paint a bleak picture but we're not quite sure that anyone can imaging the state of the place, and we can't go into detail but the government only provides these inmates, including women and children a few dried leaves each day for nourishment and family members are responsible for the care and welfare of their loved ones who live far from the rural villages that we are only now too aware of since our helicopter trip. given that Madagascar is one of the top 10 poorest countries in the world little imagination needs to be applied to understand how these people 'live'.

but there is hope and to hear the story of the men, one of whom had been held there since 1994 (22 years) and how he was applying the training into his thinking over the week was one that made our eyes shed more than a couple of tears.....'if only someone had shared this with me before I committed my crime' was his cry, 'please go and take this to the children so they don't end up like me', 'but i'm gonna now start to see myself as a leader and make a difference where i am right here and right now' (absolutely incredible and we will revisit the guys in a couple of weeks to see how they are doing and to encourage them in their changed thinking). 

the inmates pick up their pen's and
make notes about the modules

the reason we are now working with Emerging Leaders is to bring hope into the hearts and minds of some of the most vulnerable people in the world, our two highlights from the many many we could have shared with you this week see us providing that hope to those here in Madagascar!

we are thankful to you, our supporters and those who were inspired to create the 'leadership for life' material and we can't wait to see how that is going to be used this coming week as we work with the very prison guards that hold these newly inspired inmates and how they can work together to transform their lives, the lives of others, the lives of their community both inside and outside and transform the very nation of Madagascar.....it can happen and we are seeing that one life at a time.