God works from two ends...

In SOS we often talk about the fact that when God wants to get things done, he works from both ends. When God spoke to Moses in the burning bush he already knew what Moses' response would be so he had already nudged his brother Aaron to go meet with him. So when Moses began with his excuses God was not taken by surprise and neither did he have to think on the fly to put a new plan together.

No, he was working both ends at the same time.

As I have been travelling on my recon trips I have seen this to be true time and time again. And here is the most recent example...

Some time ago we asked out East Africa Director Bishop Glorious Shoo to recommend places for future festivals. When we received a list and began to prayerfully review it, one place in particular stood out - Antananarivo, Madagascar. In the fall of 2012 Glorious and I began to plan for a recon trip to this nation. It just happened that the best time for both of our schedules was this current week in Feb 2013.

Steep steps in "Tana"

 What we did not know then was that the Assemblies of God in Madagascar was planning for a seminar in early February. During this conference  God began to really challenge and push them to get back to evangelism in their nation. They all left the conference with a sense of urgency in this matter. At about the same time they get confirmation that a couple of representatives from Mission SOS, an evangelistic ministry, want to come and share about a possible festival in their nation. Can you imagine the joy that erupted after the conference and that our current visit came at the exact right time and became a confirmation of the challenge that God gave them just weeks prior to our arrival.

God is awesome.

Tomorrow Glorious and I will meet leaders from other denominations as well to share the vision with them. They have already been prepped by the AoG leadership and the federation of pastors in Antananarivo seem to all be onboard even before we have met with them.
It is time for Madagascar...

Northern part of Antananarivo "Tana"

Check back for more... Published: By: Unknown - 12:57 PM

On my way to Madagascar ...

Sunday I left for an exciting recon trip - Madagascar. I am now sitting in a hotel lobby in Jo-burg, South Africa. There was a forced overnight. My flight leaves in the morning. As I have mentioned to people the destination of my trip I have for the most part seen the same reaction - almost each person has thought of a cartoon with the same name produced by Dream Works and then they have all begun to sing a certain song that was featured in the first installment of this cartoon.

I find it interesting how the world around us comes to influence the way we think and process information. Each one of us has a slightly different world view and at least part of it has been influenced by the community in which we have grown up. Stay with me...

If Dream Works had not made a movie called Madagascar then many people in the western hemisphere had not had a clue that this island nation exists. This is not just any island in the world. Madagascar is the forth largest island on planet earth after Greenland, Papua (or New Guinea), and Borneo and is the second largest island nation in the world after Indonesia. The first inhabitants came all the way from Borneo, in dug out logs. They then blended with people from mainland Africa and when the European colonial powers "took over" Africa, Madagascar was claimed by the French.

Because of its isolation as an island off the east coast of Africa, the animal and plant life is both unique and diverse. There are species here that can not be found elsewhere on the planet.
Since their independence from France in 1960, there has been little peace on the island. The last event was a coup d'etat in 2009 and since then the nation has been in utter and complete disarray and instability.

About half of the population are animists and ancestral worship is an important part of every day life. They even exhume their dead to honor them and carry them in processions through town before rewrapping them for a new burial. Muslims are trying to gain presence on the island. The church has in many places become syncretistic, ie they have blended their Biblical beliefs with old traditions.

This week I will be meeting with pastors, bishops and other church leaders in the capital Antananarivo to share about Mission SOS. Praying for devine connections to take place these coming days. Our East Africa Director Glorious Shoo will be with me as we plan for the future.

Pray for us this week!

C u soon! Published: By: Unknown - 3:31 PM