Dear Friends
This week it feels that daily activities are getting back to normal after the various events of Christmas and the New Year. The big change here of course is that the rains have started. It never ceases to amaze us how quickly the dryness turns to humidity and the brown, barren areas all around become green and luxuriant. Folk in the church, especially the numerous students, are returning from their villages for the start of the new term, while others are going out to their fields to start planting their maize, peanuts and especially rice, in the hope they will harvest enough to get them through another year. Meanwhile the market in Mandritsara, having been bursting with sellers and their produce prior to Christmas and New Year, has few sellers and comparatively little produce (except mangoes - the mango season is in full swing!).
Our hearts are full of praise and thanks to the Lord this evening. Two big items of thanks to the Lord are in our hearts - and we want to thank you also for your prayers and support.
Firstly, with the return of Dr Adrien on Thursday, and David's first night of "not on call" since late October (apart from 3 nights during our mid-November "retreat"), we are very conscious of the Lord's help and strength - as well as the patience of many of our colleagues - during that time. We would ask you to please continue to pray for a surgeon to replace David and help Adrien during the month of May as we plan our trip to the UK this year - as well as praying for long-term surgical help/replacement as David (now in his 65th year) and Adrien (who will hit 60 next year) are no longer (as someone recently gently put it) in their first flush of youth!
Actually Adrien has come back full of beans and it is great to have him back here. He has been telling us some of the stories of his trip to USA and Europe and we do want to thank those who receive this email who helped him with accommodation, food, transport and fellowship on this recent trip. A couple of stories he has shared show something of what makes him "tick". Speaking in church this morning he mentioned that he had been somewhere in Europe and there was deep snow. "But every morning" he said "at 4 am, workers from the local community were out on the roads shovelling salt". It is rather difficult for folk in Mandritsara, where the temperature in deepest winter rarely falls below 15degC, to imagine what this is all about - but Adrien explained. Then he said "Most people in the town did not realise the hard work of these salt-shovellers keeping the roads open. It's rather like that in the Lord's work" he went on to say, "We seek to labour for Him, and often no-one sees it - but God does. We must never give up serving Him, even if there is no human applause. Our service is for Him and His glory."
His second story concerned a journey he made by TGV train from Lyon to Geneva. There was a young lady in his compartment and when they were first on the train and after a stop at a station, six or seven people came up independently and asked her "is this the right train for Geneva?" After this, Adrien got into conversation with her: "It's striking" he said, "to see all these people concerned about being on the right train for the destination they are seeking. But it's more amazing to see so many other people who are not bothered at all about which destination they are travelling to, let alone seeking the right transport to get them there." The young lady, not a Christian, did not know what he was talking about, but was intrigued - and this gave Adrien an opening to explain the gospel of salvation through Jesus.
Adrien was able to spend time with his eldest son, Nomanina, now a student in Bourges, France, and preached on Christmas Day at the church Nomanina attends! He is now the church organist, leads the Sunday school and is involved with the Youth work and church outreach. What a blessing for Adrien to visit him!
Adrien's second son, Natanaela, is still in Madagascar, but, inspired by years of observing MAF pilots, has a vision to train as a pilot and eventually to become a MAF pilot! He has secured a place at a flying school in Canada where one of the current MAF pilots here trained. He has also secured a bursary from the Madagascar government that will pay his fares there, and some living expenses. However he has to find the school fees himself. Learning to fly is not a cheap option - and the fees are of the order of $50,000, but the Lord has already provided half of this. If anyone who receives this email would like to know more about helping Natanaela, please write to us. He has produced a little leaflet (in English) which he will be happy to send you.
Adrien's wife, Gisele, travelled back from Antananarivo with him on Thursday and most of the Good News School teachers, of which Gisele is the Principal, are back from leave and ready for the new term starting on Tuesday.
The other big item of praise to the Lord this week is for His provision of funds to keep the work going over this past year. David spent Saturday working on accounts - having received from Derek Alcock details of gifts received and expenses up until almost the end of December. Putting this together with the local receipts and costs here, it is amazing to see that income and expenditure for the year almost exactly match! Well, of course, the reminder is that the Lord is in control, but we do not take any of this for granted, but praise Him for His goodness and love!
Just a few other important items to mention for your prayers this week:
David and Jane
We wonder how many will know or remember this song from the days of our youth? The choir sang it in church today (in Malagasy) and David used to sing it in French with the youth group here when he led it (many years ago!)
Wonderful grace of Jesus, greater than all my sin;
How shall my tongue describe it, where shall its praise begin?
Taking away my burden, setting my spirit free,
For the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me.
Wonderful the matchless grace of Jesus,
Deeper than the mighty rolling sea:
Higher than the mountain, sparkling like a fountain,
All sufficient grace for even me, for even me.
Broader than the scope of my transgressions,
Greater far than all my sin and shame
Oh, magnify the precious Name of Jesus, Praise His Name!
Wonderful grace of Jesus, reaching to all the lost;
By it I have been pardoned, saved to the uttermost,
Chains have been torn asunder, giving me liberty,
For the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me.
Wonderful grace of Jesus, reaching the most defiled,
By its transforming power, making him God's own child,
Purchasing peace and heaven, for all eternity,
And the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me.
H Lillenas
Dear Friends
A Happy New Year to you all! We say that we do not know what the future holds. It is true - and we are glad that we are not given all the details in advance. But as we read the story of the Wise Men, there is no doubt Who holds the future, and all the lies, hatred and scheming of Herod cannot divert God's perfect gracious plan to bring salvation to rebel sinners like us.
We are a day late with this as the New Year has started with rain - good news indeed - 100mm between Thursday evening and this morning. The hospital water pipes, which have lain idle for the last two months, suddenly have water in them as the town water supply has started to reach us again. We are able to "scrub up" for operations using the taps, instead of needing someone to pour water over our hands from a jug. There is a slightly "wooden" lining to this silver cloud, however. The water in the taps resembles weak tea (the look, not the taste), so we are grateful to be able to collect clean and fresh rainwater pouring down the gutters to give us water to drink - and for washing clothes! Water in the pipes again also means burst pipes of course - and a fountain of water from a pipe in the middle of the "street" (mud track) near the church yesterday was producing a free source of water to some of the nearby residents armed with buckets.
The rain also tests our electric supply in the hospital - producing short-circuits where rain has leaked onto cables which have been challenged by the heat and sun. Yesterday, several of the staff houses, including the Judkins, Olivier's and ours, were without power. With the thermometer on 35degC and humidity high, a day without fans or air-conditioning is also a challenge for old folk like us! Thankfully Sarindra, and the Maintenance team, have been able to resolve the problem this morning, but it meant we were unable to write and send our emails yesterday.
We mentioned a number of patients last week and are glad to report that they are all improving - with the exception of the boy needing an amputation. His family totally refused and eventually signed his discharge. The man who shot himself in the fingers has now had a skin graft and should be able to go back to his village at the end of the week. The men with major abdominal surgery have both done well. We have had several other serious cases this week and you can imagine that being a patient confined to bed in this heat is also challenging. If you were to visit the hospital at present you would be struck by the number of patients who have relatives sitting by their beds fanning them continually. Our nurses have found the ideal, freely available, fan. Inside each box of bottles of intravenous fluids that we use there is a piece of cardboard packing, about the size of an A4 piece of paper, which has proved just the job!
Each New Year brings its own sad cases - often alcohol related - and this year was no exception. At midnight last night a lady of 23 arrived from a big and busy village on the main road about 25km away. Normally there is no problem for patients from there to find transport to the hospital. The New Year is another story. All the potential drivers yesterday were drunk. So the family sent someone on a motorbike to Mandritsara to find a taxi to go out and pick the lady up! She had had a Caesarean section after a difficult labour in 2007, and should have had a planned Caesarean this time. She did visit our midwives back in September, and should have come again after a month, but failed to come again until she went into labour. By the time she arrived at the hospital, her uterus had already ruptured, the baby lay dead in her abdomen, and David had a sad operation to perform, removing her uterus.
After that, he had been back in bed for an hour or so when the phone went again. This time the patient was a man of 35 who lives not far from the hospital. He was quite drunk, but said that he had been disturbed by an intruder who shot him in the abdomen. He was not in good shape, groaning, vomiting blood, and with an abdominal wound leaking blood and air. We quickly brought the theatre team back in, plus Theophile to Xray his chest, and Debbie to find relatives whose blood we could give him. At operation he had a hole in the stomach wall big enough to let you put your thumb into his stomach. An artery was busy pumping out blood - hence his problem. We explored the rest of his abdomen but could find no trace of the bullet or indeed any sign of its track. This morning he is basically stable, and we have had a series of gendarmes coming to ask us what we found. "Did you find the bullet?" After more reflection, we suspect that the man was stabbed, not shot, in the abdomen, but in the dark, and in his drunk state, he thought he had been shot. Hopefully, when he has sobered up, and recovered somewhat, he will be able to give a clearer account of what happened. Here is another man who could so easily have died, but we hope will live - what an opportunity, and responsibility, to point him to the One who can save, not only his body, but his soul. Thank you for praying for him.
By the time we had finished in the operating theatre, the day staff had already arrived and new challenges needed facing. We are grateful for your prayers for strength for each day.
Another challenge that the rains bring relates to difficulties in transport and travelling - flooded roads, impassable stretches of mud, landslips and so on. There will be a lot of journeys this week and we would appreciate your prayers for those travelling. This morning, Olivier, our administrator, has set off for Tana to help our office staff there with the start of the new year's budgets, finances, reports and so forth. He had been hoping to go in the vet's minibus (the vet has a fleet of minibus taxis) - the most comfortable and rapid way to travel normally - but there was no room. So he has gone with Radenis - this is in a large lorry converted into a bus. It is not nearly so comfortable - but is more likely to get through the difficult stretches on the road - and the passengers do not have to get out and help push - as they do the minibus when it gets stuck!
Dr Adrien and Gisele are due to travel back from Tana on Wednesday/Thursday - as are Hilde and Laure-Anne who have been on holiday. Olivier will be going down to Mahajanga port to help get our annual medicine order from IDA in Holland through the customs. It arrived in a shipping container just after Christmas. There are over 400 cartons with 8 tons of medicines and supplies, worth around £20,000 to transfer from the container to one of Radenis's trucks - and then to bring the 600km to Mandritsara. If Olivier gets finished by the end of the week (he is the eternal optimist!) he hopes to return with the Linley family who are on holiday near to Mahajanga.
Today is our 41st wedding anniversary. What a privilege it has been to serve the Lord together all these years!
Thank you for your love and prayers.
David & Jane
Sing to the great Jehovah's praise;
All praise to Him belongs;
Who kindly lengthens out our days
Demands our choicest songs.
His providence has brought us through
Another various year;
We all with vows and anthems new
Before our God appear.
Father, Thy mercies past we own;
Thy still continued care;
To Thee presenting, through Thy Son,
Whate'er we have or are.
Our lips and lives shall gladly show
The wonders of Thy love,
While on in Jesu's steps we go
To see Thy face above.
Our residue of days or hours
Thine, wholly Thine, shall be;
And all our consecrated powers
A sacrifice to Thee:
Till Jesus in the clouds appear
To saints on earth forgiven,
And bring the grand sabbatic year,
The jubilee of heaven.
Charles Wesley
Gifts for the project should be sent to:
Mr Derek Alcock
Friends of Mandritsara Trust
244 Obelisk Rise
Northampton
NN2 8TW
email: derek@mandritsara.org.uk
Please make out cheques to "Friends of Mandritsara Trust" (F.O.M.T.) Gift Aid forms are available.
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