It is easy to understand why we should need a hospital, a school and so on - but a guest-house - why do we need that?
Each year we have folk who come from overseas and spend a short time to help us at HVM - a couple of weeks, a month or two or three. We have had folk from Britain, Switzerland, Belgium, Australia, America, France, Germany, New Zealand, Holland, South Africa etc. We have had all of the following and more:
Eye surgeons, orthopaedic surgeon, general surgeon , pharmacist, laboratory technicians, nurses, electricians, carpenters, builders, engineers, architects, accountant, pastors, medical students, nursing students, gap year students.
We have had visitors from Tear Fund, Christoffel Blinden Mission, MAF, Gideons, etc.
We have had the pilots of MAF and Helimission who have stayed overnight or for several nights during a trip to Mandritsara.
We have had Malagasy visitors - pastors and leaders from the Baptist churches we work with, engineers and other specialist helpers.
We have had lots of "guests". But until now we have had no special place to put them and looking after them has been shared out among the missionaries.
We have had it in our hearts for a number of years to build some accommodation for such visitors, provided we could find a couple ready to look after this "Guest-house". At the end of April 2005, Robert and Christine Blondeel, from Ypres Evangelical Church in Belgium, arrived to be host and hostess of the guest house. Robert & Christine have already spent several short periods here in past years, helping in various ways (Robert is an electrician by training - and this has been put to much good use). They see the great benefit that short term volunteers can give, and they see also the time that long-term missionaries can expend looking after them.
A guest house has been built at the hospital,
next to the other staff houses, including accommodation for Robert & Christine and 6 double
guest rooms and living accommodation, kitchen etc. providing rooms for
visitors and short term helpers.
The Hospital, Hopitaly Vaovao Mahafaly
The Community Health team
The Good News School
Bible correspondence courses