Hard letter to write.

Dear Friends and Family

 1 Corinthians 9:13-14

Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings? ¹⁴ In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.

As I was reading my Bible today these two verses hit me hard.  I like Paul have not ask for you to support me.  I have used the funds God has graciously given me with my retirement to provide my support while on the mission field.  I have been here in Madagascar for almost 9 years with very little support needed. God has been good in showing me his blessings in this way. The bible tell us if we trust God with our finances He will bless us richly. I have been blessed beyond measure.

This is a hard letter to write, but I feel God leading me to write it.  I told some of you this past summer that there wasn’t enough money going into my account to cover the cost of medical insurance. This is the only thing I have used donations for. The medical is going up again in January. I am currently almost $1,000 in the red.  I could use my savings to cover this deficit but I am being led to talk to you about searching your heart to help either make a onetime gift to help cover this cost. Or, maybe you are feeling led to make a monthly commitment to help cover the increase over the next year. 

There are a couple ways you can do this giving.  1^st you can go online @ www.worldventure.com Check the donations box and search.  My name is listed as Sandi Horen or you can search Madagascar.  Then you just follow the instructions for making a donation.  You can make this donation as small or large as God is leading you.  The 2^nd way is to send a check to the WorldVenture office. If you send a check please make sure you add 6154-855 to the memo line.  DO NOT put my name on the check but WorldVenture.  The address to the office 1501 West Mineral Ave Littleton, CO 80120 (there is a higher fee for checks).

Both commitment and onetime gifts are tax deductible. 

I appreciate you praying with me on this.  

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very blessed Christmas and Happy New Year.

Thank You

Sandi Horen

Mission to Madagascar

Can I have your address?

I am looking to send a Christmas end of the year letter.  Can you send me your physical address.  I want this one to be snail mail so please send it ASAP.  I need to have them in by the 15th of November to have them mailed on time. 
Thanks in advance.
Blessings
Sandi

Back in Madagascar

Well, I have been back here since August 15 and hoped to get another blog out in the first month. I'm a couple days late but here is the latest update.
After I returned I realized I had some medical problems. I wasn't able to go to sleep because of not being able to catch my breath. I had to try to go to sleep sitting up. My legs and feet were swollen and I was frequently out of breath.  I went to the Dr and he did a boat load of tests and a x-ray and ECG. He said there was a chance it was congestive heart failure. I looked it up on the internet and found the same symptoms.  After the tests I went back to the Dr and found my heart was OK. Compressed some because of the fluid, but no significant heart problems.  I started taking water pills with Magnesium pills. He told me to take them for 17 days and come back.  Today is my apt. I pray all the fluid is gone now. By the way getting the x-ray and ECG was quite an experience for me. When I went into the x-ray room there were 5 guys and 1 lady in the room. They tell you to take off your top and bra. no gown is given. Then they come and adjust you for the x-ray. When that was done I laid on the table and they hooked up all the sensors for the ECG. They don't think anything of it. Well, I got through that and was glad it was over.

English Club.
We have been back in classes for 3 weeks now and the beginners class is very big. last week there were 21 students in the beginners cub, See the attached picture. The intermediate was smaller I think only 8. The three guys that are i the advanced group want to start another bible study so next week we will start "How to Make Choices You Won't Regret."
 I will start back with the Neihamiah girls the first week in October. We finished beginners vocabulary and will start working on grammar,


Kids school ministry

Two of the kids are back in school.  Because of the good exchange rate we are able to buy the supplies for one of the other children in the family where the orphan children live. We did not have enough for her fees, but the supplies at the beginning of the school year are more than the Grandmothers monthly wages. I'm happy we can help her out with this. you can see the attached pictures of the first girl that started 2 weeks ago. A big thanks goes out to Jim and Amanda and Jerry and Jeannie for committing to helping this children attend school. Doesn't she look happy.  The white dress is for special occasions and weekly assembles the blue is her everyday uniform.

Other things:
two weeks ago when I was coming home from town a man knocked on my window. He ask me for a ride. He said he was from Ambohibao and Talatamaty. and was a police and needed to get back to the police station. I foolishly said yes.  I tried to have him get in the back seat, but I couldn't get the door unlocked. He jumped in the front seat and moved my box from the post to the back seat. My phone was on the box. He then moved my purse from the floor of the front seat to the back. I guess that is when he took the opportunity to take my phone and money from my wallet. I didn't realize he had robbed me until I pulled over for an ambulance and he jumped out of the car and ran the other direction. I learned my lesson and will not give strangers a ride even if they say they are the police. A couple more of my friends were robbed recently too.  Because the economy is getting worse crimes of theft are happening more and more. Please pray this is a one time thing and God will put his protection around me.

The on going saga of my car: It is back in the garage now.  While I was i the states they had it for preventive maintenance. That ended up being some major work. Now there is a loud noise when you take your foot off the gas. Hope they can find out what is causing the noise soon and we can stop this love affair my car has with the garage. LOL
If you would like to write back you can do so at Sandra.horen@gmail.com or by snail mail Sandra Horen  Lot 602 III Ambohinambo, Taltatmaty. 105 Madagascar.  Don't forget if you intend to send out Christmas cards they should be mailed by the end of November to reach me by Christmas.

P.S. Don't forget to use your Kroger/Frys rewards cards.
Blessings
Sandi  

Time in the States.

I am preparing my trip back to the states for June 15 to August 15.  I will be in Colorado doing training from the 16 to 27 of June. Then I travel to Michigan to spend time with my dad and family. I will be there from June 27 to July 21 then to Tucson from July 21 to August 4. My final destination is NY from August 4 to Aug 14. Returning home on the 15th of August. 

I would love to make time to visit with you while I am there.  If you could look at the dates and let me know what works for you I will start to fill in my calendar.

I am also looking at car rentals.  If you have one I can use when I am in MI or AZ that would save me a lot on rental cars.  Please let me know if you have one for all or part of the time in either place.

offended

Last night I was re-reading my book “The Bait of Satan”. Since someone thought they needed my tablet more than I did I resorted back to the old way of reading an actual book.  I remember how much this book helped me before when I was feeling offended but when I picked it up I thought I am not feeling offended at this point, but it was a really good book and had many God lessons. 

So as I started reading I saw a reference to Psalm 55: 12-14. “For it is not an enemy who reproaches me; then I could bear it.  Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me; then I could hide from him. But it was you, a man my equal, my companion and my acquaintance.  We took sweet counsel together, and walked to the house of God in the throng.”

Oh wow I think I was feeling offended about the theft of my tablet.  I said things like I just can’t believe it happened at church! I never expected this to happen at church! And similar things.  As I continued to read it talked about how offended I was to think it was someone I sat with, sang worship songs with, and fellowshiped with. This is exactly what I have been thinking.  It goes on to talk about how Satan sets a trap and how we deal with the bait is the key to understanding.  Am I cloaked with pride? Am I hiding how I really feel?  I can truly say at this time I am very sad. Not because someone violated me. But, because I miss it.  I blame myself for being so stupid to leave it out of my site and a temptation to someone else.  Revelations tells us to cure my heart of the feeling of this offense I must purify myself as if gold.  My heart needs to be soft and I need to make sure it doesn’t get hard.  This can only happen by allowing God to refine me. I must rejoice in the gifts God has given me and not let this incident become a trap where Satan can shake up my life. 

I have decided to turn this over to God to deal with.  If he chooses to work on the heart of the person who took it that would be great, but if HE chooses to teach me a lesson from this, that is great also.  I choose God and will let HIM choose the outcome.

I look forward to continuing the 30 day reading and devotional after each chapter.  If you are in a situation where you are feeling offended you might need to read this book. “The Bait of Satan” by John Bevere.

2014 in review.

Last year was a great year.  God is so good. 
I started the year with the normal routine doing the books for the Madagascar field, teaching at my English clubs and at the ministry of population.  Just before heading for a short time in the states, the beginners English club finished the grammar book, and the we finished the classes at the ministry of population. 

• I went back to the states for July and August.  While there I attended my 40 year class reunion.  Boy how did that happen. Time sure does fly.  I had a good visit with my Dad and brother and sisters while in Michigan. We went camping and had fun(although a little cold for me).  At the end of my time in Michigan my friends from Arizona came to visit in Michigan since they were traveling across the states in their motor home.  It was a  good time.  After that I went to Arizona and visited my family and friends and spent time with my special prayer partners at Craycroft Baptist Church. My last stop was with my friend Anne-Marie in NY. We drove to Canada and spent a few days visiting Montreal. We went to see "Cats" nothing like live theater. On the way back home we did a tour of Ben n Jerry's ice cream factory a chocolate factory.  Then on August 30, 2014 I started the journey back to Madagascar.  

You may remember from a previous blog that when I returned I became guardian to Vanah.  We have been having a good time (when she isn't into the books doing homework).

2 weeks after I returned  started the roller coaster of weddings.  The first was a young man from one of my English clubs. He was one of my first students. Next was my friend Nicole's she married the oldest son of my office worker Germain. The next was Tracy Marcantonio's wedding she married the youngest son of Germain. and the last was just a week ago another one of my English club students. The weddings were all beautiful. For Tracy I was the witness at the government ceremony. I was blessed to be give the cake representing her stand in mother. (Janet I was honored to be there for her). I hope the weddings are over for at least a couple months. 

In November a new family joined the Madagascar team. Neal and Daniell Carlstrom and their 3 children.  We also welcomed Cassey Spencer a mission nanny who will be doing homeschooling with the kids in Mahajanga. Please keep these new teammates in prayers for good settling with new home, new language and new culture. We celebrated Thanksgiving together as a team and then the next day we honored our Malagasy workers with a certificate and pin and medal for years of service. They have been with this mission for 14 years.

At the end of the year I took a short vacation to the coast with my two friends one of their 3 kids.  We had such a good and relaxing time.  The trip was 11 hours, but the time at the beach and hotel made up for the ride.

I continue to do the books for the field and teach English club 3 classes a week.  The Advanced group will begin the bible study of "Living Like You Belong to God".

At the end of the year I got notice that my prayers were answered and I am able to remain at the current level with the mission. Those of you who were praying with me thank you for your prayers.

I want to close wishing you all a very Blessed New Year.  If you have any prayer requests please send me an email or note on facebook.  I would like to pray with you through any requests.  If you want to skype my contact is Sandra Horen.  Also if you don't have my facebook send me a friend request at Sandi Horen.