TESOL

This past week I spend 36 hours learning how to better teach English to speakers of other languages. It was a very fun, but useful week. 1st I was able to meet other Malagasy that are teaching all over the country. Next I got many tools to put in my basket. I am feeling God telling me to start an English club at my house 1 day a week. I am praying God will show me how He wants me to do this. Right now I think I will try to get up to 10 people one morning a week to come and converse using English. I don't know the time or day of the week, but probably some day during the week. Please pray with me on this new endeavor.

Video Clip

I hope you enjoyed the video clip of Madagascar.

Madagascar, A Journey Diary (2009)

What a week

Hi Well, my living room is piled high with 11 boxes. What a week. I went to the post on Monday for the first 6 of Nicole's boxes, and ask if there were any other boxes they didn't answer. So on Monday I get a call from Fidy (the guard at Nicole's house) that there is more letters for boxes. I went and picked up the paperwork for 5 more boxes. Tuesday I am ready to go back to the post to get them when my car breaks down again. "-( This time it is the timing belt. But, it appears when the timing belt breaks it causes a lot of other things to break also. So MAF comes to get the car and Bert from Helimision gave me a ride because I was teaching budgeting to his guards. So anyway Parson said it would take until Friday to get the car fixed. Wednesday I rented the yellow car from MAF, but it kept breaking down on me. For some reason this was not the week for cars for me. I got stuck 3 times that day 1st at your house picking up the lady to go to blue line with me. Then I got it running and when at the bank the guard said you are leaking gas. It appears they filled the tank up too full and the pressure was causing it to come out. We got that fixed and went to the post. There I found that the packages had been there too long and I had to pay storage again. I ask why they didn't tell me on Monday and they didn't answer. After getting the 5 boxes and paying I went to the other counter and was told I had to pay taxes on the boxes. They said since I had so many boxes I had to pay tax on them. 1 1/2 hours later I was on my way to blue line only to spend another hour there then I had to get to orange by 5:30 and it was 5:15. I did get there just in time before they closed. Next after dropping Lorel off at your house it was raining and getting dark then I got to the top by the taxi be and it stalled and would not start again. Pouring rain everyone honking their horns didn't help. Finally I got it going again and made it home. Thursday the battery was dead. They came and put a new battery in and I went to coli express and back home again in the pouring rain stopped at the top of my drive to talk to Alissa because the signal is better there then in the house and after the battery (the new one) was dead too. I guess I was at the only flat part in my whole drive because I couldn't get it to roll. After the rain let up I had some of the guys on the road help push it and I got it to my spot. Today Parson brought the black MAF truck but you know how it is getting out of my drive with a big truck, ugh I backed into the cloth line pole. After aqua gym I came home and stayed here. I got a message from Parson that the rear taillight was left hanging, I thought he meant from the clothes line, but not the truck, but the Yellow car. It must have happened sometime when I was in town. My car will not be ready until sometime next week to the tune of 500,000 ariary. That coupled with the reapir in January of 375,000, this car is becoming a money pit. I am praying God will show me what to do about a different car. Please pray with me.

How was your week?

Blessings
Sandi

Children sent to school

Over the last year we have been able to send 7 children to school through supporters like you. First there is a little girl living in my neighborhood who is the youngest of 3 children still in the home. The father is no longer a part of the family and does not help with support. Her mother takes odd jobs in the neighborhood to earn enough each day to pay for food for her and the children. Sydonie has been helped for the past 3 years. She is 7 years old and in the 1st grade. She was held back to improve to level last year. She is completely supported with school fees, books, backpack, clothes, shoes etc.

The next child is a little boy who lives outside the city in the country. He too is 7 years old. He is deft and mute. Because of his handicap he hasn't been able to attend school. One of my office workers knew of his need and a school in Antsirabe for deft children. Because it is a 4 hour drive from Tana he needed to live on the property. With help of supporters we were able to help him get the necessary clothes, soap, toothbrush and past, his own bowl and silverware. He need to get all his supplies to live there. We aslo paid the tuition for the school year for him.
While on the road with two friends going to the rain forest we saw some lovely looking plumbs and decided to stop at this stand (in the middle of many stands) to buy some plumbs and when we stopped the mother came up to us and said I am the mom of Heriniana. She ran to get him and explained he was home for Christmas holiday and would return to school the next Monday. She was very excited because the child was now communicating with her. She was very thankful for the change in him after just a couple of months. (He is the boy in the picture).

Next there was a friend who told me about a single mother that lost her job due to the crisis. She did not have the money to send her son Angelo to school this year. She was very sad and said she was trying to earn money by doing embroidery, but so far this just covered the living expenses. We were able to pay the school fees for this child and his mother provided his school supplies.

The next two started out to be just one, but through God the amount was enough to provide for two children. These children are orphans. Their mother died last year and the children's uncle took them (4 children) into his home because he didn't want them to go to the orphanage. He already had 4 children and with these he now has 8 children. He and his wife both work, but did not have the funds to pay for the 2 children school age to go to school. They planned to send the oldest to a public school, but there was a start up fee even at the public school. We were able to help with the fee for the one child. When the uncle came to work a few days later, he said the amount was enough for both the children to go to school. Praise God.

The last 2 children were referred to me by a friend who went to the north of the island and to teach the teachers new skills. This is when she talked to me about these two children in Nosy Be who's family was hit hard by the crisis and the children could not return to school. We were able to pay the fees and the school found a supporter to help with the supplies.

In total with support from you we donated 733,400 ariary (about $370.00) towards sending children to school. You are great. Without your support and prayers we would not have been able to accomplish this.

Thank You