by
Judith Beattie
After 22 years of working in the same job as a dietitian in a hospital in Belfast, Northern Ireland, it came as quite a shock when the Lord began to challenge me to leave my job for a period of time to travel and serve in missions. In reality, this was something that had been on my heart for years but I never imagined it would actually happen some day!
In November 2023, I sold my house and in the process of looking to buy another house, God showed me he had different plans. I applied for a career break in work for 18 months and it was accepted (which was my first miracle!). I emailed over 20 missionary organisations over the world offering a “pair of helping hands”. I made it clear that I did not simply want to come to “see the work” but I only wanted those who really needed help to get back to me.
Louise Little is a nurse from Northern Ireland and I had heard her speak on two occasions in the past about the “Friends of Mandritsara Trust” and the work of the “Good News Hospital” in Mandritsara, Madagascar, where she now heads up the nursing team in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). She was one of the first names that came to mind when I was considering who to reach out to. Louise replied to say the great need was for a “home-schooling facilitator” for the missionary children for the months of May and June as their current facilitator had to return home to sort some documents before returning for the next teaching year. Louise also needed some help with a local project reaching out to prostitutes, teaching them how to make handbags and jewellery from Raphia leaves to give them a job with the view of sharing the gospel and seeing them won for the Lord. When she first mentioned home- schooling children, I felt completely out of my depth and way out of my comfort zone. On praying and reading the Lord reassured me through Exodus 35 that as long as I was ‘willing’ he would give me the ability, so I said Yes!
Judith flying with MAF
As a girl growing up in church I loved when missionaries came to speak and I loved to read missionary stories. I had often read of Helen Roseveare, Maud Kells and others travelling with M.A.F (Missionary Aviation Fellowship) and I was delighted to learn that I would be travelling from the capital Antananarivo to Mandritsara with M.A.F! I even had the privilege of being in the front seat beside the pilot!!!! On arriving I felt like one of the missionaries from a novel: landing on a red dirt ‘landing strip’ surrounded by all the local Malagasy people who had come to see who the new arrivals were.
It was a very new climate and culture. I arrived to 35 degrees, no air con, a new language, chameleons, lizards and other new animals, “tuk tuks” as transport, rice for each meal and new varieties of foods to try! As I settled in and got to know the missionary families and their children, got to grips with home schooling and adjusted to the heat, I began to realise the difficult side of missionary life for the families there. Mandritsara is a remote location. Many times I felt like I was back in Bible times, watching women draw water from a well and washing their clothes in the river. Oxen drawn carts and men and women working in the fields harvesting rice. It is a hard life for the people living in Mandritsara and the missionaries have given up their comfortable lives at home to work, live and raise their children here.
Oxcart
While the missionary mums and dads go to work every day, their kids’ education remains as important as for any other child across the globe. Some of the children attend the ‘Ecole Bonne Nouvelle’ French-speaking school for part of the week and the rest is home-schooling. Others are exclusively home-schooled. There are many home-schooling curriculums and each parent decides on which is best for their child. For example, on the hospital compound , there is a British, Swiss-German and two Australian families. It is important to them that their children are schooled in their own history so they will choose a curriculum accordingly. Home-schooling is not something I would have considered before but I was pleasantly surprised by the method of learning. The children have work-books which they read and complete answers at the end of the learning exercise to test their knowledge.
Home-schooling materials
The home-schooling facilitator is there to facilitate the sessions, help when students are struggling and also teach some lessons such as science with some practical sessions. I was surprised at how interactive and fun the sessions were. The lessons varied and the students never got bored. I must admit I have changed my mind and I would strongly encourage parents to consider a home- schooling programme. With the current changes in the education system and what our children are being taught in schools, a Christian home-schooling programme feels like a much safer and equally effective way of learning. I ended up learning a lot of what I had forgotten from school! It is a great way of interacting with the children and knowing their strengths and weaknesses.
The work in the hospital was amazing to see. With my background in healthcare, I was pleasantly surprised to see so many modern additions to the hospital and a beautiful new maternity unit, all made possible by the donations from people all over the world. It was so sad to see patients admitted with what we in the West would call a ‘minor’ issue like a tooth abscess but be severely unwell and often die. Nurses and doctors from all over the world come to share their expertise and it makes such a difference to the patients and their care.
A hike up the Mandritsara hills
I feel privileged that I received a very ‘local’ experience as I got to help in the project that Louise delivers into the local community. I got to know and love some of the local Malagasy ladies. It was wonderful to attend the Friday afternoon Bible class and see the gospel being proclaimed to these very needy ladies. We were able to have fun with them also, playing basket ball at the week-end and also eating together. The landscape is beautiful and we had some hikes up the surrounding hills and saw many beautiful sunsets. It was an experience I will never forget.
The Raphia project women's Bible study
I left Mandritsara on July 7th 2025. It was a very sad day for me and I shed many tears! I was amazed to learn that the home-schooling facilitator was flying back on July 8th ! The Lord had the timing arranged perfectly! The missionary children were a joy to work with and it was such a privilege to sow into their lives for a few short months. We had lots of fun together and I will miss them a lot. I was challenged to see how their parents managed the demands of ministry, work and raising children all to the glory of God.
Time to Leave
I’m so grateful to God for my 2 months in Mandritsara. It is a time that I will never forget. It has left a lasting impression on my heart and I will continue for pray for the work as it continues to grow and serve the needy people of Mandritsara.
Prayer points:
Pray for the missionary families and their children. This is not an easy work and can be quite isolating at times. Attacks from the enemy are very real and frequent. Pray they will know Gods help and strength for the work and do not forget they also need your financial support to live and raise a family.
Please pray for the work of the hospital. There is an ongoing need for medical staff to come and join the team.
Pray for the work that is reaching into the community and that as the gospel goes forth, it will dispel the darkness and set the people free.
Pray for the ongoing supply of funds which are needed to subsidise the hospital care and offer free health care to those who cannot pay.
Pray ultimately that God will be glorified through this work.
Please pray for me as I head onto my next challenge which is teaching science in George Royal Sports Academy in George, South Africa. The Lord really is pushing me out of my comfort zone. I need your prayers!