As I write (early November 2023) I am sitting in a hotel room in Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar, with a sense of amazement that at the age of 70, I am actually here, about to start work at Mandritsara. God is a God of surprises.
It’s not that Africa is a new experience for me. I first went to the mission field at the age of 26 when I went to teach at Mukinge Girls’ Secondary School in Zambia. I loved it, but was heartbroken when, after just less than 5 years there, I was sent home for health reasons. What was God doing? I had obeyed his call. It took me a long time to work that one out, but God did know what He was doing. Yes, you knew that!
Years later and having discovered that I much preferred teaching primary children, I returned to the mission field at the age of 46, and soon became the headteacher of Mukinge Hill Academy. I was there until I retired. I had the immense privilege of seeing the Lord at work as the school grew from about 25 pupils when I started to about 155 when I left. I had the joy of praying with many pupils as they asked Jesus to become their Saviour and Lord.
Since then, I have been enjoying my retirement. I belong to Malmesbury Abbey and I have been very much involved in all aspects of work with children. I also belong to several walking groups, and go to the Activity Zone for the gym, swimming and Pilates classes.
I wasn’t planning anything else. I was retired and settling down to life in UK. Or so I thought!
I have known David and Jane Mann for many years and have followed with admiration the ministry which has grown in Mandritsara over the years. I have supported and prayed and I feel I know many of the people there although I have never met them. When I first heard that the teacher of the missionary children, Naomi Coleman, was leaving I thought, “If I was younger I would love to apply to take her place. But I am retired!” I prayed that God would call someone young, and I continued to pray.
The months passed and still the prayers that God would call someone young did not seem to be being answered. Earlier this year I was talking with a lovely Christian friend about this and she said, “Well you could do that!” But I am retired.
Anyway, my prayers started to change, and then to become enquiries. I was encouraged to apply, despite my age. So, here I am in Antananarivo, waiting for my transformable visa to be transformed so that I can travel out to Mandritsara with the Watts family on Tuesday. I am going to be the “homeschool facilitator”. I understand that most of the missionary children do attend some lessons at the Good News School. But the teaching there is in French and so most of their work is taken from a homeschool curriculum from their home countries.
I think there are 5 missionary families at Mandritsara just now, but one due to leave and another due to go on home assignment. Since Naomi left last November, the mothers have been teaching their own children. This has greatly restricted the other ministries of these ladies, two of whom are doctors.
The details of what I will be doing have not yet been worked out. I think it might be likely that I will be involved in doing activities with the children as well as helping them with their home schooling, but I will love that. At times in life, I have found it hard that I don’t have any children or grandchildren or even nieces and nephews of my own, but God regularly brings lovely children into my life who bless me, and I pray that I can bless them.
I have volunteered to be there for 6 months. If I had been younger, I would have applied long term. So please join me in praying that God would call someone young who would apply soon and be ready to replace me when it is time for me to return to my retirement. I don’t want to have to hand the teaching back to the mums.
Pray that the Lord would give me strength as I adjust from retirement to having to put my alarm clock on every weekday morning.
Pray that I would be able to bless and help these children in their learning and development, and that they would be a blessing to me.
Pray that I will cope well with the heat as January to March is the hottest time of year.