FAMA Newsletter v10 n04 - June 2016

 FAMA NEWSLETTER

Volume 10    May 2016   Number 4

SEE YOU AT FAMA MEETING IN FLETCHER!

A. Program at Fletcher

B. Letters to the Editor

C. We Remember

1.  Anna Houmann

2.  Harold Sheffield

D.  Reports

1.  Fred Wilson - Matandani

E.  FAMA NL e-mail address:  wil.FAMA2016@gmail.com

       FAMA NL member’s e-addresses

G.  Fellowship of Adventist Missionaries to Africa Get Together

1.  FAMA Meetings 2016

2.  New meal arrangements in Fletcher, NC

* * * * *

A.  FAMA Proposed Program. The contents of this program are still in process of being assembled and adjusted, so please expect changes. Bring along pictures and other contributions that you are willing to share with the group. There will be place for you to share in one of the “and …” or “& …” in the program below, please mention your desire to share with us to Wil Clarke.

Thursday June 2, 2016

Registration 3:00 to 7:30 with a break for dinner.

5:00  Dinner

7:30  Welcome Meeting with the FAMA President

Friday June 3, 2016

8:00  Breakfast

10:00  Fellowship with Jean Mabuto; Wil & Sylvia Clarke-Madagascar; and …..

12:30  Lunch

2:30   Informal Fellowship

5:00  Supper

8:00  Vespers and Fellowship with the FAMA Vice President

8:41  Sunset

Sabbath June 4, 2016

7:30  Breakfast

9:00  Mission Emphasis with Bruce Moyer: Muslims in East Africa; David Dobias: Evangelism in East Africa; & …

11:00  Worship with Barry Bacon- Setting a Place for Africa at Your Table

12:30-(after worship) Potluck Lunch

2:30-Fellowship with Karolyn Leonard and Pastor Ongasa and  …

5:00-Supper

8:00- Vespers and FAMA business including election of officers for 2016-2018

Sunday June 5, 2016

8:00-Worshipwith the FAMA president

11:00-Brunch at Park Ridge Café

* * * * *

B.  Letters to the Editor

1.  Thanks for the invite but my wife Kathy & I are not able to attend.  Blessings to you and all former Africa missionaries at the meeting. Robert Sundin <Robert.Sundin@nw.npuc.org>

2.  Thank you again for the FAMA newsletter. It is good that you continue this communication for all the ex-missionaries to Africa.  I looked through your names whose emails you have had returned. I know many of the names but can’t help you with many details.  ... And just to tell you that I am organizing my 9th JOY SAFARI to Kenya in July, and I only have a few travelers.  If you know of anyone interested - please share this with them.  I am attaching the information. Blessings on you. Joy Marie Butler <joymariebutler@gmail.com>

3.  I will be unable to come to Fletcher next month. I would like to, but I just had my 90th birthday and my children have asked me not to travel any more. I am living with my daughter and her husband in Nashville, TN. 

My husband and I worked in Ethiopia from 1973-1976 and spent the year 1984 in Rwanda as volunteers at the university there. Our daughter and son-in-law (Lars and Janiel Gustavsson) were missionaries there at the time. Ruby Sorenson <nielruby@gmail.com>

* * * * *

C.  We Remember

1.  Anna Houmann I want to let you know that my mother, Anna M. Houmann died March 17, 2016. She served in Ethiopia 1957-1962. Her husband, Dr. Carl J. Houmann, was at the SDA hospital in Addis Ababa. My dad is, at 97, doing quite well. His hearing and eyesight are poor, but he stays connected via his computer. Annette Houmann Grant <revkevfl@bellsouth.net>

2. Harold Sheffield Dr. Harold Sheffield died about 2008 in Madera, CA.  He was a nephew of Elder Robert Pearson.  He served in several places in North Africa in the early 1960s. I last saw him in Madera in 2007 at the funeral of his partner in the Madera Medical Group.  He was an avid golfer and had a house right on the golf course. His big plate glass window facing the greens was broken out by stray golf balls at least 6 to 8 times starting in 1975. None of the people in the room were ever hurt, but they had some close calls. He was a financial contributor to many mission projects during his later years. Marland Hansen <marlandhansen@gmail.com>

* * * * *

D.    Reports

Please send any news or reports to wil.FAMA2016@gmail.com

We rely on your input for the FAMA Newsletter.

1.      February 2016. From Fred Wilson.

   To our faithful 'Prayers' and Supporters; our humble thanks! ! !

  

   Without you, our efforts to bring Matandani back from the dead would have been severely hindered!!! We thank our Merciful Heavenly Father for blessing you so you could assist our efforts!

  

   This pictorial book* that we are sending will give you an idea of what has been accomplished up to 2015 when we left In August. The work continues through the efforts of John and Lori (our adopted kids) from Romania. God has moved on hearts in Romania, and without their interest, efforts, and prayers and without John and Lori, we would not be where we are now. I also want to pay tribute to the Matandani staff and our leaders, both in the Union and the Field. We thank God for His help in all efforts and acknowledge that without Him nothing could have been done. We also know that without your help and prayers we could not have done what has been done.

  

   In order to maintain our focus and effort, I want to again state what we see as our goals and aims. I will list these as separate items for ease of focus,

  

   1. Continue Restoration of The Mission: a. There are 11 or 12 houses that need to be renovated, and two or three need to be torn down and replaced. b. The Secondary School Boys Dorm urgently needs to be renovated. c. The Primary School needs to be renovated. d. The Clinic needs 3 units for housing their staff.

  

   2. The development of the Trade or Skills School: a. This school needs to be the principle institution, and the Secondary School, an adjunct to it. Courses should be available for secondary school students to take to enrich their lives. The school needs to be on a work/study program so that a poor student can work and learn a trade or skill to enable him or her to be self-supporting, and enrich their communities and our churches.

  

   3. Income producing programs to enable Matandani to be Self-Supporting. a. Gardens. b. Farm. c. Furniture Making, etc.

  

   I bring this to a close by asking you to continue to pray that God will continue to bless, and that the right leaders can be found.

  

   Here is a list of prayer requests:

   

     a. Pray that the Romanian Union will be able to find a young person or a couple to replace John and Lori — their 5 year commitment will end in September.

     b. Pray that God will bless Drs. Tom and Alice. They will be moving to Matandani, where Dr. Tom will serve as Mission Station Director. They are retired but willing to be used by God. They will be the glue to bind all of our efforts together.

    c. Pray that God will continue to move on hearts to support Matandani with financial contributions.

    d. Pray for the Malawi Union and South Malawi Field as they support the efforts being made; through counsel, direction, and oversight so that the programs started can be the right ones and can be maintained.

  

   Thank you! May God bless you in a big way!

  

   Ongoing Needs at Matandani Mission

  

Renovate Farm Manager's house     $10,000

Renovation of Boy's dormitory     $25,000

Primary School renovation     $10,000

Small Industrial Building     $25,000

Deep Well water system for people consumption     $50,000

Duplex for clinic staff (Lab person and Midwife families)     $25,000

Renovate 11 staff houses at $8,000 each     $88,000

Another 4 wheel vehicle     $15,000

   Projected cost $248,000

  

   Send you check made out to the Hot Springs S.D.A. Church, marked for Matandani c/o Dr Rheta Stecker, 441 Weston Rd., Hot Springs, AR 71913.

  

   Thank You, Pastor Fred E. Wilson, and Marilyn.

*[The Pictorial Book will be at the Fetcher meeting in June. Please take a few moments to look at it. Ed.]

F.    FAMA News Letter e-mail address:  wil.FAMA2016@gmail.com   Wil Clarke

      Thank you for sending to FAMA Newsletter any email addresses for current or former missionaries to AFRICA (and their children) who might be interested in receiving this newsletter.  Any news on your present or past activities will help to make this newsletter interesting to others in the FAMA family.  It would be helpful if you include information on where and when you served in Africa. African mission stories would also be appreciated.    If you do not wish to receive the FAMA Newsletter, please let us know.                                    -   Wil Clarke

      FAMA News Letter e-mail Search:

                                                                                                

Each month we remove the email addresses that “bounce.” Then we add back in the new addresses of those you send to us. Please continue to send the email addresses of any of those below that you have. Also please send us addresses of those who would like to join our mailing list. For your information we currently send the Newsletter to 734 subscribers. 

Newsletter v10 n01 Gilberto Araujo Natanael Bernardo Dilson & Lea Bezerra Arnold & Marilyn Boram Ian & Roger Bothwell Fred D Brandt Nick & Gail Brightman Francis & Retta Chase Nell Davies Ken Flemmer Walter Lacks Helen & Bill Markin Hermie and Daniela Munez Goodwell Nthani Cristine Orillosa Bob Parsons Thomas & Anita Riederer Claude & Farida Sabot Francis Slate Sebastian Tirtirau Jerald Whitehouse

Newsletter v10 n02 Jerry & Helen Cullum Ken Flemmer Lisbeye Luchmun Kevin Maupin' Sharon Miller Diane Mopelle Antti Oksanen Thor Pederson Terry Phillips Mark & Elbie Piotrowski Shirley Pratt Paulina and Usko Rinta-aho Susan Williams       Newsletter v10 n03 David & Veronica Birkenstock Kathleen Ellstrom

G.  Fellowship of Adventist Missionaries to Africa Get Together

1. FAMA meetings, June 2 – 5, 2016.

If you haven’t had a chance to register, come any way

What:       Fellowship of Adventist Missionaries to Africa (FAMA) Biannual Reunion

Where:      The Fellowship Hall of the Fletcher SDA Church in Fletcher, North Carolina.

Housing: In the Boys Dormitory at Fletcher Academy. Bring your own pillows and linen. Or check out hotels and RV parks in Hendersonville, NC.

Registration: Registration starts on Thursday afternoon about 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. in the Fletcher SDA Church fellowship hall. You can also register in the same place between 6:30 and 7:30 in the evening.

Meals: Both vegetarian and non-vegetarian are served in the Park Ridge Café in the Park Ridge Health hospital. Sabbath lunch will be potluck in the Fellowship Hall. Pay cash or credit card at each meal. Other meals are served at the following times.

       Weekdays:    Breakfast 6 to 10 am;     Lunch 11 am to 2 pm;    Dinner 4-6 pm

       Sabbath:        Breakfast 7 to 10 am;     Lunch 11 am to 2 pm;    Dinner 4-6 pm

       Sunday                        Brunch 11 am to 2 pm;     Dinner 4-6 pm

2. Registration Form for our June 2-5, 2016 Meetings in Fetcher, NC

Fellowship of Adventist Missionaries to Africa Retreat, June 2 to 5, 2016

Fletcher SDA Church in Fletcher, North Carolina

In July 2014, we had a wonderful time in our get together in Riverside, California. We enjoyed sharing experiences and fellowshipping together. We are looking forward to having a profitable time together in June 2016 and hope that you will be able to come and join us. We are all ambassadors for Christ and His missions, and there are still great needs in the mission field. Africa is dear to our hearts, and we must continue to keep the needs and victories of Africa before our friends. Let us pray earnestly and work diligently so that the missionary spirit never dies in our churches. Please plan to come and join us at this retreat in June 2016.

 Name_______________________________________________ Number in your party_______

Address_______________________________________________________________________

Home and Cell Phone Number(s)_________________________________________________

Email_________________________________________________________________________

Registration Fee: $10 single, or $15 per family. Registration starts at 3:00 p.m. Thursday, June 2, 2016. The first meeting is at 7:00 p.m. These will be in the fellowship hall of the Fletcher SDA Church in Fletcher, North Carolina.

Housing: At Fletcher Academy, next to the church, there will be dorm rooms available in the boys’ dormitory. They have beds and mattresses in them but no towels, pillows, or bedding. Fletcher Academy will let us use the dorm rooms without charge for the FAMA event. But they need to know early how many to plan for. Please plan to make a donation for the rooms. You may contact Marcella, (828)-209-6800, for reservations.

Meals: See the new arrangement described above. We will eat in the Hospital Cafeteria and pay as we go.

Please register as early as possible so we can give the academy a reasonable estimate of the number of rooms needed for their planning. This is important. 

Checks should be made payable to “Judy Harvey”. Please bring your cash or check with you and pay at registration.

If you have further questions, contact Judy at 541-772-0773.   You can leave your number for a call back.  Email her at  <brunju.harvey8@gmail.com>

  #AFRICA, #FAMANEWSLETTER, #FLETCHERNC, #MISSIONS, #MATANDANI, #HSHEFFIELD,# AHOUMAN, #KENYA, #ETHIOPIA, #AFRICA, #MALAWI

Sojourn to Madagascar - Part 16 - Morondava B - The Weekend

With Anne on the Pirogue

In the previous Sojourn I told you of our visit to the Allée des Baobabs and the Kirindy Forest Preserve. Here we fill you in with the rest of the weekend we spent at the coast.

After checking into the Tecicogne (Three Coconut) Resort, which is really just a small hotel with about 10 rooms, we went out to the Morondava Beach. Low waves between a foot and two feet (around 50cm) high broke gently on the sandy beach which seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see in either direction. The flooded river, its mouth opening just south of Morondava, sent a stream of yellow-brown water some two city blocks wide north along the beach. Beyond this stream we saw a sharp line, and then the clear deep blue Indian Ocean stretched to the horizon.

Only a few people sat or strolled on the beach, most of them Malagasies. We crossed the sand and played a bit in the warm waters of the ocean. No one had a real urge to swim in the muddy brown waters. I met a well dressed Japanese woman who is touring the world alone. She taught me a few Japanese sentences and then made a movie of my repeating them to send to her friends.

Pirogue Under Sail

Out in the blue of the ocean a fishing pirogue (dugout canoe made from a balsa log and a side rigger) sporting a large dirty square sail glided lazily northwards. Just about opposite us it turned in towards the beach. As it came in the two fishermen furled the sail and lowered the mast. They easily rode the small breakers in to the beach. Some people standing nearby joined them in pushing the boat up just above the water’s edge. They laid their entire catch on the sand: one stingray and what Sylvia called, a nurse shark. A small, curious crowd gathered around and chatted with them about their experiences. As usual my lack of any understanding of Malagasy precluded my learning anything from their conversation. Eventually someone with some money came by and dickered for the fish. Most of the crowd then grabbed the pirogue and dragged it way up the beach beyond the reaches of a high tide.

Nurse Shark and Sting Ray

Sylvia squatted at the water’s edge and dribbled wet sand into a forest of squirrely trees. Pretty soon the two Payet children joined Sylvia, although the restive Aldwyn couldn’t stay in one place very long. The temperature of the water was a comfortable 80-something degrees (close to 30°C)—a far cry from the Pacific off the California coast.

After breakfast on Sabbath morning, Edwin and I walked out of the hotel and down to the end of a sand peninsula that hosted scores of vessels. Most of them were pirogues, but there were a few larger vessels in various states of disrepair. The two-masted Fahenvenua was about half the size of the Mayflower model in Plymouth Harbor. It was beached like all the other vessels, but the watchman on it told us they were awaiting cargo.

After breakfast we took the families out to an abandoned resort on the beachfront. We sat down on the deck in the shade of one of the A-frame bungalows and listened to the children as they told us stories about their Sabbath School lessons. Ann had a very good story that showed that she had been thinking about it. Aldwyn’s story blended Bible and action fantasy. It had plenty of action but no plot.

Sabbath School at an Abandoned Beach Resort

We ambled slowly back to the Trecicogne because of the heat which was well up into the 90s (30s C). By the time we got back, we decided we were hungry. The ladies pooled all of our leftovers and opened cans of lasagna and lentils. After lunch we sacked out for a well earned, or not, siesta.

About 3:30 people were stirring. We found Gilbert, the pirogue owner, who earlier had offered to take us out in the lagoon and river and show us the mangroves and the fishing village across the wide river. He spoke both English and French, which was an extra plus.

Mick, Ellie, Alphia, Aldwyn, Edwin, and Anne under the Hat

His pirogue was dug out of the trunk of a large balsa tree. The balsas grow south along the coast towards Toliara. It had one outrigger. I often wondered, but not for very long, why they didn’t have two outriggers for greater stability. I had my answer when we docked along a sand bank and I stepped out without getting my feet wet. If there had been a second outrigger, we could never have gotten that close to the bank.

Gilbert pronounced his name as the French would but allowed us to pronounce it in English. He explained that there are three types of mangrove trees. Midwives make a tea of the leaves of the small-leaf mangrove. The mother drinks the tea right after giving birth. I don’t remember what effect the tea had on the woman. Sorry!

Large-Leaf Mangrove Fruit

Women grind up the fruit of the large-leaf mangrove to make a mask that they coat their faces with. Of course it helps keep the direct rays of the sun off of their faces, but they seem to wear the mask for the same reason some women wear lipstick. We saw a lot of women wearing this mask in Morondava. The practice hasn’t seemed to spread to the rest of the island.

The Latest in Mangrove Fashion

Gilbert didn’t tell us about uses for the medium leaf mangrove.

Gilbert’s brother Mick road in the rear and Gilbert in the front. Mick seemed to only understand Malagasy. As we were first getting into the pirogue, Ellie came running up and climbed in, so there were 9 of us in the pirogue.

Ellie was a Greek woman of about 30, I would guess. We had first encountered her at the Thursday evening dinner. She spoke English and French perfectly with hardly any accent. She has an MBA and works at some big international concern in Paris. She tours the world as a financial consultant, and as if she doesn’t get enough travel in that way, on her vacations she flies to exotic places. She had been in Mada for a week or so, and she was leaving early Sunday morning by car to Tana where she would catch a plane back to Paris on Monday and be in the office first thing on Tuesday morning.

She seemed to really enjoy our company. She and Sylvia had had a long discussion on Thursday night. She told Sylvia that she gives the existence of God a 50-50 chance. On the other hand, she was very respectful as we said grace when she joined us for Saturday night supper at the hotel restaurant.

Gilbert took us to a fishing village on the south side of the Morondava River. Thousands of people live there and travel back and forth daily. At low tide there is a large sandbar right down the center of the river. There are two large pirogues that provide transport across the river. One takes people from Morondava across to the sandbar. The people all get out, walk across the sandbar, and then get in the second pirogue and travel on to the island. Of course there is equal traffic crossing the other direction too. At high tide the river covers the sandbar, but the crossing remains the same. People travel to the sandbar. They get out and wade, with the water up above their knees, to the other pirogue and ride on up to the village. Of course they have to wade out from the bank to get into the pirogue and then wade from the pirogue to their destination. The fare is 1000 Ariary one way, that’s about 32¢ U.S. This is indeed a sizeable sum to them. Most of the villagers are extremely poor. The village cannot be reached by road.

We crossed the river higher up than the water taxis do. When we reached the sandbar, Gilbert and Mick jumped out and pushed with all their might to get us across several 100 yards (meters) of sand bank.

 Jocelyn (Dzudzel) and the 50,000 Ar. Home (Under Construction)

We walked around the village with Gilbert. He pointed out a new house that someone was making for themselves out of mangrove poles. They thatch the roof with coconut leaves. The final cash cost for the house will be about 50,000 Ariary (about $15.00 US). Since mangrove poles don’t last too well, the house will probably not last more than 18 months, maximum. There is a large, neatly kept compound in the middle of the village built by nuns. They live in relative luxury compared with the rest of the villagers. A number of these poor houses, including the nunnery, had a satellite TV antenna.

Sunset on the Pirogue

Sunday morning we left Trecicogne for home. We stopped in town so the Payets could buy souvenirs, we could purchase drinking water, and the driver could fill the van with diesel. For about 400 of the 540 km trip the thermometer on my watch read about 105° (over 40°C. We had no air conditioning. Then we hit a rain storm as we got back into the highlands. My pate about froze, and I rode the last hour with my hand on my head to try and keep it warm.

On the trip home we had Edwin and Alphie tell us about their courtship and marriage. He is from Reunion, an island in the Indian Ocean about 875 km (550 miles) from Madagascar. Alphie is from the Philippines, which is about 10 times as far from Madagascar or Reunion. They met at the Adventist graduate university AIIAS in the Philippines.

Arriving Home

We arrived home about 7:30 that Sunday evening, and yes, it was still raining.

We left UAZ one week later. On our last Sabbath we had potluck at the Payet’s home with all of the other expatriates. This time we contributed nothing, nada, since we had essentially nothing in the house. We spent the evening packing. We were only allowed two bags instead of 4 since South African Airways considers this an internal flight. Furthermore they restricted the weight in our bags much more tightly than they had on our international flights. We repacked our bags when we got to the airport so that none of them was more than a kg overweight. We were allowed to take our two smaller bags as carry-on, which they subsequently checked at the gate.

Pam and Gideon took us on a tour of the Adventist organizations in Tana. We briefly toured the ADRA area. Then we spent some time in the Indian Ocean Union Conference area. They have a fairly large medical and dental presence there as well as a print shop and other amenities. Finally we visited the Central Madagascar Conference compound. At one end of the compound it has a huge amphitheatre that they have carved out of a natural valley. It seats several thousand people with a huge baptismal font in the shape of a cross where they can have at least a dozen pastors baptizing people simultaneously.

We had grown to love Mada and its people, and we really hated to leave it all. I about choked up as we flew around Tana on our way out. On the other hand, we were headed home!

#MADAGASCAR, #MALAGASY, #EATINGOUT, #MORONDAVA, #SUV, #TRECICOGNE, #PIROGUE, #MANGROVES, #HEAT, #ADVENTIST, #ROMANCE, #FLYING, #FLOODS