Malagasy lessons

Many people are asking how my Malagasy lessons are going. Well I hope to be able to attach a video of me singing Silent Night. I have been practicing the last few weeks with my teacher with the hopes of memorizing it before Christmas. There are three stanzas and the words are nothing like the words in our English version, but the tune is the same.

Wonderful day

Yesterday was such a great day. First I went with some friends to the club to go swimming. We spent a couple of hours having fun in the water. After that I came home and quickly showered and changed to go to a talent show with the youth at the church I attend here. It was very nice with several of the youth performing dances, reading poems and singing songs both in English and Malagasy. After the show I dropped my friend off and went to another friends house to give Christmas presents to her children and had fun with them. I think the only bummer of the whole day was on the way home from the store with them the baby decided to do a first. His first time to vomit. I'm not talking baby spit up, but all over his mom, her purse, the center counsel and himself. When we got back to her house she had the worker clean the car and her and the baby both needed a bath and clean clothes. Then when I came home I made popcorn for dinner. A great end to a wonderful day.

Where did the month go?

Well, it is already November and I haven't updated anyone in over a month. Wow it was a hectic month. We moved the last Saturday in October. So this month has been full of moving, packing, arranging and re-arranging. During this month Nicole's container arrived. She went to Tamatave to get it and God was really with her and Germain. They were able to get all the paperwork done and arrange a truck to haul it and be back on the road to Tana in just 2 days. With all my stuff and her stuff this big house is quickly becoming full. Pictures out my bedroom window and of Nicole opening her container.

Also during this month I started teaching a young girl English. She is 13 years old and a slow learner. Her parents are afraid her current school is hurting her because, she has been placed in kindergarten. So, my class is not just learning English, but also teaching her to accept herself. I am pleased with her progress. I introduced her to a girl from when I was teaching and they hit it off as friends. Miora invited her to come to church with her and her mother allowed it. Her family is of different faith than me. Please keep her in your prayers.

The next thing is I got my Malagasy Drivers license this month. It is so cool. Now I don't need to get an international license every year. This one is good for life. woo hoo!!!.

I will try to update better this month.

Prayer requests.
Please pray our mail will start arriving at the new house. ( I have several cards and a package that hasn't made it here yet).
Pray for the the leaders of Madagascar.
Pray for Nicole and I as we adjust to the new house and situation.
Pray for the NGO (non government organization) renewal. (with the transitional government we are having a hard time getting it approved)
Pray for new people to desire to become involved with the partnership of my ministry and become new monthly partners with me and WorldVenture.
Pray for Rich and Bonnie (for Bonnie's cancer and for healing for Rich's broken collar bone)

Sydonie

This is Sydonie. I took her to a Malagasy restaurant for lunch one day. It was her first time in a restaurant. Isn't she cute. School started and she looks so good in her new uniform. Her teacher did a good job on it. I will continue to keep you informed on her please keep her in your prayers.

Things can only get better

I am so glad last week is over. It was a very trying week. On Thursday morning I started feeling a little sick, but went to my Malagasy lesson anyway. By the time it was over my throat was feeling really bad. After lunch I laid down for a nap and awoke to my cell phone going on and off several times. I didn't really know what was happening so I just unplugged it and went back to sleep. Later I found out from Nicole and Francisca that we had no power. This lasted about 2 hours when we found out someone cutting trees in the neighborhood cut a power cord. When they got it fixed we found several of our things (electronic) had been fried during this incident. The Internet cord, the printer cord, my laptop cord, both mine and Nicole's cell phone chargers, the office copier and a few other things. So, on Friday we went to the Internet store and bought a new cord for the modem which cost $30.00 just for the cord. We got to the store at about 12:10 and found out that it is closed until 2:00 for lunch. We did some other things while we waited and finally got it fixed and on our way back home. When I tried to connect it to the router I found the DSL cables weren't working either. It was too much for one day so off to bed I went. Saturday morning I got up and ready to go to a friends house for lunch. On the way to her house a lady walked out in front of a bus and wasn't looking and ran into the car and then bounced off the front fender. This was very scary. After making my way through the crowd of people I finally found the lady and she wanted to go to the hospital so she got into my car and we went to the hospital. Luckily she was just bruised, and would probably be sore. She appeared more concerned about her cell phone that broke when it hit the ground. I think she was talking on it and that is why she didn't pay attention to cars. Anyway I had to pay for the medical visit and a new phone for her. That over I went to my friends house and had a lovely lunch. Homemade Pizza. yum yum. When I got home I again tried to connect the router to the modem and called the Internet provider only to have them tell me I would have to pay about $80 to have a tech come out and connect it for me. When I said no she said how about $40 then $30 then said if I came in to the office on Monday with the equipment they could do it for free. By this time I was getting very sick and frustrated. I went to bed early again. Sunday I awoke to a full on cold. After Church I didn't do much and took a nap.

Today (Monday) is much better even if we didn't get everything done that we hoped to, at least I wasn't as sick today.

So, all I can say is praise God he brought me through the storm of the last week and has given me strength for today.

My new address

Last time I showed you the picture of our new house. We will move in at the end of this month. On Saturday we signed the contract (In French) I hope we had a good translator, since Francisca was on vacation I had another friend come with us. Anyway here is our new address.
Sandi Horen
Lot ll A 14 Bis
Villa Soa Iadanana
Antalamohitra
Antehiroka 105
Ambohidratrimo, Madagascar

I know this is an easy address and you will all know it by the end of the day. Anyway if you are inclined to send letters, care packages ect this is where you would send it. By the way if anyone does want to send a care package I would love some Chi Tea Late by international foods. Also anything instant baking you would like to put in the box. We made cheesecake pudding the other day and used cookies for the crust. It was very good. (the pudding was from the states)
Thank you all for your prayers. Hope to hear from you soon.

Ready to move.

Well last Saturday another missionary called and said she knew of a house for rent. We went with her and now the house is ours. The landlord is making some minor repairs and will have it ready by September 15 to get the key and measure and make curtains. We can start moving in the week before the end or the month. When Nicole's container gets here we will have plenty of furniture except maybe another bed. Having decided to share a place will help both of us with expenses. We have a guard here at the house days now for when we are away from the house. We feel he is doing a good job and like him, so we will take him with us and there is a house about 50 yards away where he and his wife will stay. He will be our full time guard. I think we are going to be much safer at this new house. Thanks for the prayers.

Today is September 1 and I received my statement from World Venture. I hate to ask this, but if God has been leading you to help support me, now would be the time. I have enough in my account to pay for my medical for just 2 more months. After that I am not sure where this money to pay this bill will come from. Please pray about this. I know God will provide in this area and I will wait and see who He will have partner with me here in Madagascar. If God is leading you to make a monthly commitment or maybe a one time gift this is where you should send it. World Venture 1501 West Mineral Avenue, Littleton, Colorado 80120-5612. Do not put my name on the check but in the memo put 6154-855.

A few posts ago I told you about Sydonie. Well, I met with her teacher and mother and she will repeat grade 1. She missed 54 days of school last year. Together her teacher and I both told the mother this can not continue. This year the teacher will contact me every time she is absent from school. If you were wanting to send things for her she wears a size 6 in clothes and a 13 or 13 1/2 (30 or 30.5) in children's shoes.

Prayer request

• continue to pray for my Malagasy language studies
• pray for the political situtation here in Madagascar
• pray for the move at the end of the month that we made the right decision on what house to rent and that through all this we will be a blessing to others
• pray for Nicole's health, she has had a cold for a week
  

The search is on

Well, we have decided to start looking for a new house. The one we are in is very small for 2 people and the office. The other thing is there was an incident this past Tuesday when we came home from our Bible group we found the door to the house open. Both Nicole and I know we locked and checked both doors. We think someone has a key that we don't know about. So, yesterday we bought another lock for the door and we now only have 3 keys one for me one for Nicole and one for the office. We also have had a guard at night for the last week. We hopefully have a new one starting tonight. He is one of Shelly's guards she has used for a long time. We hope to borrow him until we find a new one and then we have discussed having a full time guard at the house.

Yesterday we looked at 2 houses, one was so big and great. (it would be a wonderful guest house) and it had an in-ground pool. I call this one the mansion. There were 8 or 9 bedrooms 5 bathrooms besides the kitchen living room etc. 3 stories. It was way out of our budget, but it is nice to dream. The second one was nice, but there were some problems one was the location. about 1k from the bus line which means for Francisca after taking the bus 1 hour plus she would have to walk the rest of the way into the house. The other problems was the ceiling there were many holes denoting probably the roof needed to be replaced. Well, that was just day one so I will keep you posted.

Please pray God will show us just the right place for us that we can afford and feel safe again.
I praise God Nicole is here and we will be sharing a home. It is very comforting to know I am not alone.

Until Next time
May the love of God be with you

Nicole arrived

On July 31st Nicole Rauch arrived. Other than being very tired her trip was uneventful. She brought with her my new laptop and camera. Her being able to bring these things was such a blessing. You don't know how many times I wanted to take a picture, but didn't have a camera. One time was when a friend gave me a very large stuffed Winnie the pooh to give to Sydonie. You should have seen her face when I gave it to her. I don't think she has ever had anything so cool in her lifetime. Last week I got the list of things for this coming school year. Yesterday when Nicole and I were at the cloth store I bought the material to make her a new blouse and skirt and gym shorts. It is a start. On Tuesday I have a meeting with her teacher, mother and the school principle. It appears the teacher thinks she should repeat the previous grade. Her mother wants her moved ahead because she doesn't want to disappoint me. I need to let her know my interest is for her to get the best education she can get and if that means repeating the same class that is what I want for her. I hope to get a new picture of her on Tuesday. She is getting very tall.

Last week on Tuesday Nicole and I went to Mahajanga for a week. We met with some of the teachers at BAO (Rich's school of Bible English and computers), with the leader of Fitiavana and I took some pictures of that school. There is a possibility that a supporter might built 2 or three new class rooms for that school. I pray it works out. We also spent time with Kathy she is our other team member that lives there. It was a joyful time meeting new Malagasy and making new friends. We stayed with Kathy and was very blessed by her hospitality. On the way to Mahajanga we had a little car problems. Not much to worry about and when we arrived in the city there was no problems. It wasn't until Saturday when we were getting ready to leave on Monday that we thought more about the problem. I called Germain's daughter, but Germain was out of town on church business and wouldn't be back until Thursday. His son is a mechanic in training at MAF and offered to take a bus to us and fix the car and drive back with us. That too was a blessing. He found some problems on Monday morning and we thought the problem was fixed. It was after lunch before we got to this point so we decided since it is a 10 hour drive to wait until morning and leave at 4am. So, Tuesday morning at 4am we packed the car and left for home. We didn't have any problems for about the first 4 hours, but then we reached the hills (mountains). Every time we got almost to the top of a hill the car would choke and then almost stall (about 5 times it did stall). Germain's son was driving so he was able to keep the car running and we arrived home about 8 hours later. 12 hours on the road for a trip that should have taken less than 10. It was a long day. Bandit was in his container in the back seat. Nicole shared a little of the back seat with him. For such a little dog he had the most comfort. On Wednesday I took the car to the garage and they fixed the carburetor, plugs and other small things they found. Praise God the car is fixed and running well.

Upon arrival at our house we found a new problem. The toilet that was supposed to be fixed while we were gone was not only not fixed, but worse. That evening we had a flood that went all the way down the hall. The only way to stop the flood was to leave the water running with the plunger up all night. Ugh!!! The plumber returned everyday this week and still today (Saturday) there are problems. I think I could fix it myself, but the landlord said we paid the plumber and he must fix it properly.

My language classes are going pretty well. Upon my return from Mahajanga I was able to tell her all we did while on vacation and she wrote it down. There was only a handful of things she had to correct. One of my biggest problems is forgetting the subject since it is at the end of the sentence. I hope that comes more natural with time.

I think that is all the news for now. I will write more soon.

May the Peace and Love of Jesus Christ be with you always.
Love Sandi

The peace only God can give

Hi everyone. I want to introduce you to my newest member of my family. His name is Bandit. He came to live with me after my home was robbed in the middle of the night. God is so good he gave me a friend and a protector ( well maybe when he gets a little older he will be the protector). As many of you already know I had a burglary 2 weeks ago. The robber only took things and did not harm me in any way. Matter of fact I slept through the entire event. I don't think the robber entered any other parts of the house but the living room because nothing else appeared disturbed. My landlord has raised the wall about 5 bricks higher and did other things to make my house more secure. I have a bar and slide lock along with a new door lock for my front door and another slide lock for the kitchen door. I only had one night of restlessness. I felt God telling me He was my peace and I could rest in Him. The second night I slept well. Bandit came to live here a week after the incident. Now he wakes me up in the night because he needs to go outside but last night he slept until 5:30 and only woke up when I got up myself. There have been other robberies in my neighborhood so the president of the neighborhood association gave each of us his phone number and said to call as soon as we found something amiss and he would sound the neighborhood alarm. We, the neighborhood, will talk again if more security is needed. On that good side we are getting a proper brick road in front of my house. This will be so welcome during the rainy season. Our cost for the project is to provide water to the workers. I think that is do able.


Many of you know my friend Nicole. She had her commissioning last Saturday. She is now ready to enter the "Madagascar" mission field. She leaves the states on the 29Th and will arrive on the 31st. She has been a blessing to me in that she has agreed to bring a new laptop computer and camera and my drivers license and credit card with her.

My sister and her family have experienced a tough year beginning last June when her nephew was in an accident and has been in a coma since then. He just recently passed on. They also felt the loss of both of her husband's parents. I pray God will give them peace and rest during the storm.

Last but not least the situation here in Madagascar is still a political crisis. Just this last weekend there were 3 more deaths. One from a bomb that went bad, the other 2 guards of the transitional president. The American government however felt the situation for Americans was not a danger at this time. On July 7 they lifted the travel alert and restriction for Americans traveling to Madagascar. I will continue to attend the monthly meetings hosted by the embassy. Many Malagasy people are effected by this political crisis and really have nothing to do with the fighting. Many have lost jobs and support for their family. Banks are reporting people are coming to them for loans so they can buy food for their family. This is very sad you realize their average income is less than $100 a month. Most live without the convenience we Americans take for granted. Running water in their homes, electricity and heating or cooling. Now to not even be able to put food on their tables is a tragedy.

Praise
1. Praise God protected me from the robbers
2. I now have a new friend Bandit
3. Nicole was commissioned and released to enter the "Madagascar" mission field
4. The prayers and support of my family and friends.

Prayer requests
1. Pray for safety and protection for my neighborhood and this country
2. Pray for Nicole and her travels later this month. Also for her one time support.
3. Pray for my sister and her family for the Peace that surpasses all understanding
4. Pray for Bonnie that the new chemo will work.
5. Pray my credit card will arrive at my sisters house in time for her to send it to Nicole before she leaves.

Thank you all for your continual prayers and support. Please let me know if there is anything I can pray for you. I know I am a long way away but there is no distance when it comes to prayers.

I love you all
Sandi

back in the swing of things.

Well, I have been back here for a week now. My luggage arrived one piece at a time. The first one on Saturday afternoon and the Second on Sunday night. Nothing was missing so I guess it was just a matter of a little inconvenience. I went to the grocery store and fruit veggie market on Saturday and found everything I was looking for. Some things a little higher priced then what I remember, but if you were willing to pay the price you could get it.

The missionary Kathy that was evacuated the same time as I was, returned on Wednesday and is spending a couple days here in Tana before returning to Mahajanga where she teaches at Fitiavana. That is the school for the disabled and disadvantaged children. The word Fitivana in Malagasy means Love. This is one of the projects world venture has working on the island.

On Thursday we had our first conference call with the team Madagascar. Kathy and I were on skype here in Madagascar, Nicole, Jamie and Alissa in CA, Johnathan, Mandy and Crystal were in Alaska, Rich and Bonnie in AZ and Jerry Suits in Colorado. It was a great time talking about our feelings and dreams for the future. Kathy and I had problems with the microphone no one could hear us so we typed to Nicole and she responded for us. That was kinda funny at times. We here in Mada were also disconnected for a few min and had to re-boot the system. However, all's well that ends well. It was very good to meet over the computer as a team.

I went to a town hall meeting with the US embassy Wednesday night and they said we should still be vigilant, but at the present time it is safe to move about the city and the island. The talks were suspended to let the parties think about their demands and try to come up with a compromise. Who knows if that will ever happen. Crime and especially theft has increased since so many have lost their jobs and income.

I will return to my classes in Malagasy next week. If you could please pray I haven't lost too much and will soon be able to speak the language fluently.

Thank you all for your support, prayerfully and financially. It really means a lot to have you there for me.

With all my Love
God Bless
Sandi

Return to Madagascar

Well, the time has come again that I will make my way back to Madagascar. I am very excited. Not just because I am returning to the place I call home at this time in my life, but because of what Christ has done with and through me while I was stateside. Today I was doing a bible lesson on Luke 10 when he sends the workers out in groups of 2. I was just praising God that Nicole is now ready to join me in the field. It tells us in
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 Two are better than one,because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!

I am glad to have a friend and partner in her. So please add her to your prayer list.

I have some not so good news I would like to share. 1st one of our Malagasy workers lost a daughter to cancer last week. Please keep Germain and his family in your prayers. 2nd We just received news that Bonnie Shattenburg (my leaders wife)has a 2cm mass on her liver. You may recall she had breast cancer that spread to her spine. She continues to be treated for that and went through 12 radiation treatments and now gets chemo through injections monthly. This new news is a hard blow to her and her family. Please keep them in your prayers.

Ok now to end on a positive note. Here are my plans. I will leave Jeannie and Jerry's home in Tucson (this has been such a blessing) on Sunday June 7th after church sometime. I will stay with them Sunday and Monday night and they will have me at the Phoenix airport by 5:30 on Tuesday morning. I will fly through the night of the 9th and spend the 10th in South Africa. I will arrive in Madagascar in the afternoon of the 11th. I would appreciate your prayers for the pilot and airplane.

This time back in the states has been a blessing. I was able to connect with my family in Arizona and in Michigan. I spent about a month with my Dad and was able to visit my Mother daily(please keep her in your prayers). It was nice to see my brothers and sisters and their family's. I was also able to spend time with my sister in Arizona and her family. This time with family is very rewarding. While in Arizona I connected with my church family and was blessed by their loving kindness and support of my mission. I also have a new church family in Michigan and was blessed to spend time with them also.

Praise God for the blessings he has given me.
God Bless you ALL

The turmoil goes on

Hi everyone I am writing from Tucson AZ. I have been following the events from Madagascar on the Internet and it appears there is still a lot of protests going on, now they are from the opposition to the "new leader" Oh how I pray for peace to return to the big red island.

While I am awaiting peace I have returned to bible studies at my church (Craycroft Baptist) and last week I went to family life radio and volunteered 3 days for their spring share-a-thon. It was a blessing to hear so many testimonies about how God has moved in their life. It was also good to hear how people were stepping up to the plate even during this time of economic crisis. I am blessed to see how God is at work in so many lives. Today I went to a Christian school and shared with about 30 children about Madagascar. They were grades Kindergarten to grade 3. They really ask a lot of good questions. It was a lot of fun. If any one is a teacher or has a child in a class that would like me to come share please let me know. There are a lot of interesting facts about life in a different country.

While home I have been blessed with a place to live. A good friend of mine has a house in Tucson they are trying to sell, they have moved to Apache Junction and this house is currently un-lived in. I do have a house phone 520 750-0735, or my cell of 520 904-1443. I am using the car I sold to my sister since she isn't using it at this time and is wanting to sell it. I put new tires on it and can use it until I return to Madagascar they will help her try to sell it just before I leave. I went back to the YMCA and was able to get a 2 month membership without paying the yearly fee. I hope to get back into water aerobics this week.

Well, that's all for now.

God Bless
Sandi

Return to Tucson

Hi everyone. Well, as you can see I will be leaving Madagascar again. The mission has decided to follow the direction of the US embassy and have asked me to leave until the fighting has settled down. My heart is heavy about leaving after just getting back, but I know God will make it all work for His Glory. At this point no one knows the outcome for this government. I have been safe in the part of town where I am living. This is strictly precautionary. Other parts of town are not so fortunate though. I will update you all upon my return if you want to know more. I will be travelling this Tuesday leaving at 2:45 and will arrive in Tucson Wednesday at 12:07. I have been offered several places to stay and will more than likely stay at my friend Jeannie and Jerry's home while I am there. I do however have another problem. I don't have transportation. Does anyone have an extra vehicle or a vehicle I can rent for the period I am home. I can rent one at the airport, but it will be very expensive if I need it for an extended period of time. I am praying God will provide. Is there anyone who would like to pick me up at the Tucson airport? Please let me know as soon as possible. I will wait to hear from you.

Your Sister in Christ

Mission to Madagascar
Sandi

madagascar crisis

Hi everyone, I know this is long over due. It is really hard to write this blog at this time. As many of you know things are not good in this country at this time. Yesterday I went to a embassy meeting where the ambassador talked about the situation. All the family's of the embassy workers are being sent home at this time. Most of them live in the center of town where most of the action has been.
As for me and my part of town, there has not been any problems to date. I am praying for God to tell me when I should pack up and return to the states until things settle down here. I do think they will settle down here, the question is when. If I take the political evacuation out of the country it will be a round trip ticket. I will give the crisis a couple of months and hope to return then. I plan to keep my house here and let the office remain open while I am away. If I return I would like to return to Arizona. I am praying for a place to stay for the time I am back there. (Jeannie and Jerry if your house is still on the market maybe I can house sit) I anticipate staying for at least 2 months and then only will know when we see what is happening here. I know my family wants me to come home to stay, but I don't foresee that happening. This is where I was called and this is where I will serve. I pray you can accept it even if you can't understand it. For my church family please pray diligently for this country and for me to honor and obey my Father in Heaven and take time to listen to Him.

Thank you for your prayers.

I also know I will need more support during this period of time while in America. Please if you are a faithful supporter know how much your support means to me. If you are considering being a part of missions I would love to have you pray about monthly commitment to this ministry. I know many are already a part of my ministry through prayer, however please pray about being a monthly financial prayer partner.

You can make commitments through the World Venture web site. www.worldventure.com click on donate and find my name under missionaries. It is under Sandra Horen.

Thank you all.
With much love and God's blessings
Sandi

Back Home in Madagascar

Well, here I am back in sunny Madagascar. Yesterday I finally finished unpacking my suitcases. During the journey there was some delays, but since I had such long layovers at each place the delays didn't effect me. I was able to spend some talking with an embasy worker from Guatamala. I talked about what God has done in my life and let him know He is there for him also. All he has to do is open the door. Waiting for the final flight to Madagascar I met a neighbor here in Ambohibao. She knew a little english and we talked briefly. I pray we will meet again sometime here in our neighborhood so I can invite her to the bible study. When I got here my friend Michelle was there to pick me up. We went to my house to unload her car. At that time we didn't know where my car was. We found it easily though safe and secure at the MEF garage. I showered and Michelle picked me up again for Bible Study. We started the Beth Moore study on Esther.

My co-worker has been listening to the radio daily to update me on what is happening in town. Please continue to Pray for the situtation here to resolve quickly. In my part of the city there is little effect. I was able to go to the grocery store and get everything I needed. The cooking oil was a lot more expensive, but most other things were about the same. Here life is going on as before, but that doesn't mean I am unaware of the turmoil here on the Island. The opposition is really pushing to take over the government. I don't know how this will all end, but God does and it is in His hands.

I thank you all for your prayers and support. I pray God will protect you all my family and friends.

Sandi

Return to Madagascar

I know many are wondering what is going on. Well here is the latest. I have been very emotional this week. On Saturday my leader and I talked and at that time thought it would be ok to return if I stayed away from the downtown area. We talked again on Monday and started feeling maybe I should wait a few weeks. I contacted my travel agent and found if I didn't return as scheduled I would loose my ticket. I prayed yesterday for God to give me an answer and felt he answered me that if peace talks started I should go ahead and travel, but if they didn't then I should wait and have faith that God would help provide the cost of another ticket. My travel agent found a return ticket for 1539.00 I just got this information. Eariler today I found a ticket for $2500.00 Well, when I got up this morning I read the news on madagascar and found that peace talks started yesterday and both sides have agreed to not burn, loot and riot. I pray they come to a agrement very soon. So I talked to my Dad and he said since I am returning anyway I might as well go now since other people that live there feel they are leaving simi normal lives as long as they stay away from the downtown area. The US embassy has not evacuated their people and held a meeting earlier this week. So, the just of all this is that I will leave this Saturday morning and arrive in Madagascar the morning of the 16th.

Here are some prayer requests.
first I pray that peace will prevail on the island. (quickly)
next please pray for safe travel.
next I am praying for some one time gifts or new supporters. I found out today I have to pay $668.00 in income tax. ( I thought I wouldn't have to pay because I spent more than I earned in my mission work, but I guess you can only claim 1/2 of it. So anyway I have that expense and I planned to send two boxes back to madagascar by post, but since the problems are one block from the post office I will not be able to go get them, so I am taking an extra piece of luggage and that costs $250.00 also because of the recent problems in Madagascar my mission has required I get political evacuation insurance and that is $183.00 I am still underfunded to make my medical payments each month and soon will have to start paying that out of my current living expense. I pray for more prayer partners and more financial partners.

I will update my blog upon my arival in Madagascar.

God Bless you all Sandi

plans

Well,I think most of you have heard that last week was very eventful in Madagascar. The Mayor of Tana wanted to overthrow the President of the country. There were a lot of riots and burning of buildings. This week however, it appears like things have settled down and businesses are back open. I received e-mail from friends that are there and they said yesterday and today were like nothing happened. I saw in the new link on this site that the Mayor was fired. I pray that peace has returned for good over this situation. I wasn't sure if I would be able to return as planned, but it appears if the peace continues I should be leaving on the 14 of Feb as scheduled. I do however, have to make sure the mission is OK with this also.

January was a good month for me. I had the opportunity to meet with Rich, Bonnie and Nichole while I was in Arizona. We spent the afternoon together and it appears things are going forward with new missionaries gearing up to come on board in Madagascar. I am excited to return and get things going.

My Dad is doing a lot better than the last entry. We were able to get all the paperwork finished and my Mom is now on Medicaid. She is getting very good care at the nursing home and it is very close to my Father's house.He can get there in 2 minutes by car. Physically Mom is getting a little better. She can now eat ground and soft food and not baby food. Most days during the day she can talk where you can understand her. The nights though are tough. The other day she had the nurse call home so she could talk to us. That was a huge thing. I am so glad God is with us every day every hour every second and we can leave everything in his hands and he will take care of it.

As for me I finally caught the cold everyone else had. I was down for over a week and still have a cough now. It has been 2 weeks now. I did go to the Dr though and he gave me some antibiotics. I guess with that it just takes time. I pray the cough will be completely gone when I travel.

Thanks for all the prayers and keep praying for the country of Madagascar. Pray that peace will prevail.

Thanks God Bless Sandi

snow snow snow

Hi everyone, well, here I am again writing from cold and snowy Michigan. Last week the temperature drooped to 20 below F for those of you in Mad that is -29C. It warmed up a little over the weekend because we got 8 more inches of snow. They say this is the worst winter they have had in many many years. If God is trying to show me this will never be my home again, it worked.

Well, now about my Mom. Some days are better than others. Yesterday was one of the better days. When I came in the door she was in the dinning room and yelled to me by name and said come here. It was good to have her know me. The night before she told my Dad she was going to die that night. She is talking a little now where we can understand her. She still can not walk, but can scoot around in the wheel chair using her feet. She is not eating regular food because she forgot how to swallow. The food is all mushed like baby food. We have been giving her some protein shakes which she really likes.

As for me, I am at peace with everything that is going on. I have been listening to God when he speaks to me and reading and studying His word daily. I thank you all for all your prayers. Please continue to pray for my parents and that God continues to use me as his servant.

update on home assignment

Well here it is. I have been back in the states for 2 months and it has not been an easy task. In November when I returned to the States my mom returned home from the hospital the day before me. I was able to help my parents for about 2 weeks before my Mom returned to the hospital. We had many rough days where she almost didn't make it. After about 3 weeks she was released. She went to a nursing home where she will live the remainder of her life. I went to Arizona January 1 to 9 and during that time they discovered she had lost 37 pounds in 1 month. When I returned my Dad ask me to postpone my return for a month. Tomorrow I will try to change the date. I think it is more for my dad than my Mom. He is really taking this whole thing very hard.