“The One who calls you is faithful and he will do it.” 1 Thessalonians 5:24

Dear friends,

There has been some rain in Mandritsara and the Mangarahara River is flowing again (picture courtesy of Ted Watts), though a lot more is still needed for a good rice harvest. There is also good news of a trickle of new workers coming to Mandritsara again after a long period of lockdown and almost no international traffic into the country. Most of this letter will tell you about new workers, but first we want to ask you to pray for Bako.

Bako

Bako first came to Mandritsara to work as a teacher in the Good News School. She did that for a few years then moved to train in the hospital laboratory as a technician. She worked there faithfully for a number of years until we were looking for someone to teach Malagasy to the new missionaries who were arriving. Bako changed role again. She took a real delight in helping folk to speak her language and proved to be an excellent teacher. At the same time, she helped Jane Mann with Sunday school and was an enormous help in checking the lessons and correcting the Malagasy.

A few years ago, she had a retinal detachment in one eye. This was treated in Antananarivo by a visiting specialist from Mauritius. Sadly, the treatment was unsuccessful and she lost the sight in that eye. A little over a month ago she had a detachment of the retina in her good eye, making her effectively blind. There is no specialist retina surgeon in Madagascar able to deal with this problem, and because of the Covid restrictions, no surgeons are currently visiting. Bako has a sister in Germany who arranged for her to go there for treatment. Plans were all in place, but because of the restrictions she was unable to get a visa for Europe, even for urgent medical evacuation.

Our attention was drawn to the presence of a retinal specialist eye surgeon in Nairobi. The main problem was how to travel there – there is only one passenger flight per week out of the country from Antananarivo – to Paris. But there is also a flight to Addis Ababa with Ethiopian Airlines to bring tourists to the island of Nosy Be off the north-west coast of Madagascar. We managed to get her on this flight, and though changing planes in Addis is quite a challenge for her, being unable to see, she is due to arrive in Nairobi in the early hours of Friday 8 January. Our daughter Rachel and son-in-law Kip, who are UFM missionaries in Nairobi, are to meet her off the flight and will look after her. She is due to see the surgeon later on the morning of her arrival – and potentially her operation will be on Monday 11 January. She flew first to Nosy Be with MAF as you can see. A Christian lady met her there and helped her in transit. In the providence of God, not only are Kip and Rachel in Nairobi, but Mat and Katy Linley are now based in Kijabe, a couple of hours out of Nairobi. Katy hopes to get in to Nairobi to be with Bako for her appointment tomorrow. Bako’s faith, and her confidence that her life is safe in God’s hands, has been a wonderful testimony to us through all this time of getting flights, visas, Covid tests, surgical appointments and so on.

Please pray for her and for the operation, that despite the delay she may still recover sufficient sight to be able to live independently in the coming days.

Mark and Lucy Hinds

Mark has written: Back in September 2019, we were exploring possibilities of working abroad for a year with a Christian mission organisation and had a lovely email back from a SIM representative who mentioned a 'wild card' option in Madagascar, where changes in the team had left a gap in the number of families there.  We were able to meet up with the Watts in Nottingham when they were back on home assignment and were introduced to the Friends of Mandritsara. The rest, as they say, is history - so many things have fallen into place in such a way that we have felt the Lord moving us ever closer to Madagascar, despite the huge uncertainties 2020 has thrown up for so many people.

We live in Sheffield, where Lucy is a paediatrician and I am a primary school and music teacher and we have two children Sam (10) and Anna (7). We are thrilled to be joining a wonderfully diverse team at the Good News Project, and excited to see all that the Lord is doing in Mandritsara and beyond, as a result of the faithful witness and prayers of so many over the years.  For our part, we are keen to support the team in any way that is needed. 

Please praise God for:

• His incredible faithfulness as plans have evolved over the year - it's been a rollercoaster ride, especially in recent weeks, but we know He has been with us at every step

• the paperwork (permission to enter Madagascar) from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs being signed off, which means we can apply for visas before our flight to Paris and then Antananarivo next Saturday (16th January)!

• the fantastic team working tirelessly both in Mandritsara and in Tana liaising with the various diplomatic representatives and giving constant updates - it seems that a small miracle has just taken place!

• Sam and Anna's flexibility and resilience throughout - being superstars as we pack up the house around them

• the love and support of friends and family and our wider international church family

Please pray for:

• the logistics of getting passports to the embassy and back before next Friday when should leave Sheffield

• that we would be able to leave the country amidst current lockdown restrictions

• that we would continue to trust God in all the details including negative Covid tests pre-departure

• us to settle in well with the team in Mandritsara, finding our feet (and our French) and being ready to serve wholeheartedly for the sake of the gospel

that it would be clear to all we know and those we meet that "we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the all-surpassing power is from God and not from us"

Misa

In our November prayer letter we mentioned that Mme Rindra, Director of Admin and Finance at the hospital, is leaving and there is an urgent need for a qualified replacement. To find someone of her calibre willing to leave the big city and a good job to come to rural Mandritsara seemed – well impossible! But God has wonderfully answered prayer. Misa has spent his working life in administration and finance, mostly in the banking sector in Madagascar. He has been an elder at the main Baptist Church in Antananarivo for 25 years and very active in leading the youth work. He has also been on the board of Scripture Union. Now he has retired from work but is still fit and active and has felt the call of God to join the team in Mandritsara. He has been a friend of the project from the very beginning and when we were finding our way through the problems of setting up bank accounts and transferring funds from overseas back in 1993, he was the “go-to” person at the bank! Misa brings not only the technical skills and experience that are needed for this post, but much spiritual experience and wisdom too. Surely the Lord has provided! Misa spent some time in Mandritsara in November for the hand-over, and will move up shortly to take up his post. Do pray for him – moving to Mandritsara is not easy for someone used to city life.

Dr Marco

Marco is a Malagasy doctor who worked in the project for a year some 8 years ago or so. He then spent several years in Africa training in surgery with the Pan African Association of Christian Surgeons. He returned to Madagascar a year ago but has now heard God’s call to come to Mandritsara again – this time to help Ted Watts in setting up a surgical training programme. He comes with his wife Marguerite – they are a delightful and committed and gifted Christian couple and will be a great asset to the project. They hope to move to Mandritsara in February.

Jesh & Julie Thiessen and family

Jesh is a Canadian surgeon and he and his family are currently in Canada preparing to join the team in Mandritsara long-term – hopefully travelling in a couple of weeks or so. Please pray that the way may open up, and pray that as they, and the other new folk arrive in Mandritsara, they may quickly settle in, adapt and begin to learn the local language and culture. And pray too for the children as they start school with their teacher, Naomi Coleman.

Lesley Notghi

Lesley is a paediatric neurologist who first went to Mandritsara when she retired some 4 years ago. She has been back in the UK for most of last year – stuck here because of the impossibility of travel back to Madagascar. But now she is delighted to have a visa and a ticket back to Madagascar on January 16th – hoping to stay for 6 months.

2020 was a huge challenge for the missionary and medical team in Mandritsara, with no possibility for reinforcements to arrive and no possibility for the team to have home leave or indeed much of a break at all. Please pray that the arrival of the folk mentioned in this prayer letter will be of great help and encouragement for all the team as they seek to serve the sick and needy and above all to make known the wonderful message of hope – of Jesus, who came into the world to save sinners.

Thank you for your prayers.

With our love,
David and Jane Mann