A Letter of Hope

As I stepped off the plane in Madagascar, I had a great expectation of sharing the Gospel with so many people. I was eager and ready to go. However, I was met with may challenges, and quickly realized it wasn't going to be that easy. The first few days here I was so anxious to begin learning the language so I could communicate with people. As we began our language studies I began to see how difficult it was going to be. You see, apparently it takes longer than two weeks to learn Malagasy. Who would have thought? :) So I began to get comfortable in the fact that I was going to have to be content with sharing the gospel in our presentations. We would share the gospel with easily 100 kids every week...sometime many more!! There was still that nagging in my heart that I could do more. 

Most of you probably remember the family I introduced to y'all shortly after I arrived here. I will never forget seeing them for the first time. I was so excited at the fact that there were little kids right outside my gate. We soon found out there were about three families living in that small hut. I had a big desire to share the gospel with them!! As soon as I had the chance I bought her a Malagasy Bible. As the days went by I began to see how difficult that would be. I could in no way communicate with her. I would leave our house and wave and say hello...everyday. All the while, my heart was saying..."She needs to hear about Jesus". I would just tell myself...There is no way I can tell her. And the Bible I bought her just sat on my bedside table.

It wasn't until a friend asked in an email if I had been able to share the gospel with them that I was faced with reality. I wanted so badly to tell her YES!! But I couldn't. The reality was..I had been here almost 3 months and hadn't shared the gospel with her at all. I had only given her kids suckers and played with them...smiled and waved hello and goodbye. I had already thought that before I left I would write her a letter. I would explain to her that I had wanted to talk to her but couldn't. Then it hit me!

I could write her a letter now and have it translated and share the gospel with her!! So that is what I did! I wrote her a letter...told her all the amazing things God has done in my life!! I had my friend translate it and I gave it to her. I also gave her a tract in Malagasy. She held the letter of hope in her hands!!

 I prayed as I wrote it...I prayed as I put it in the envelope...I prayed as I handed it to her and walked away. Perhaps for the first time, she will read the words that can give her more hope than anything in this world. She will read the gospel. The powerful, life-changing, heart penetrating gospel!!

So I am asking you to pray with me!! Pray for her and her husband!! Pray for the families that live with them!! Pray that Christ would invade that little hut!! It is my prayer and passion!!

I gave her extra paper an explained that she can write back if she has questions or anything!! So please pray God will work in her life and she will want to know more!!

I am excited and humbled at the work that God is going to do!! After all "..He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think..." ( Eph. 3:20)

Thank y'all for supporting me and uplifting me!! It means so much!! I will post a ministry update soon!! We have been bust with sessions!! :) God is so good!! 

Love Loves, Dani

The Cost...The Joy

 ^"So He said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life.”

Luke 18:29-30

This past weekend Ashley and I had to opportunity to be apart of the meeting of missionaries here. It was such a great time of fellowship!! I met so many new people who are serving God and making Him known where they serve. There were not only all the missionaries in Mada but also from another island and some from Mainland Africa! 

During the meeting each team had an opportunity to give an update on their ministry. Ashley and I shared about how our True Love Waits was going. Btw...we have shared the TLW message with about 1,125 young people and about 897 of them have committed to staying pure until marriage. We have had 17 sessions and have about 18 more booked with several more expressing interest. Glory to God!! 

As each team shared...I found myself just absorbing all they were saying. There were times of great joy...rejoicing over all that God was doing. There were also time of great cost. The things that were given up...the weddings missed...the family and friends half way across the world....babies born...deaths. Sickness...setbacks...pain. Tears of joy and tears of heartache. Sitting there hearing all these stories made me feel like I was on a roller coaster. I felt God's call on my life confirmed over and over again and yet also felt the fear of what that meant. I want so desperately to be the Hands and Feet of Jesus! I want to tell everyone who doesn't know about The Jesus!! I want them to know My God!! At the same time...reality hit me smack in the face. I saw firsthand the cost of doing just that. I felt scared and inadequate. I was reminded of God's grace and saw it poured out on their lives. I know without a doubt that God will equip me for what He has called me to do. I know  He will give grace. I know all the right things in my head...but sometimes my heart forgets. And I need to be reminded. 

He will not leave me abandoned. He will not forget me. He WILL sustain me!

A Missionaries life is one filled with the greatest of joys this life can offer. It is also filled with some of the hardest sacrifices this world has to offer. 

After the stories of how hard it was at times. They were ALWAYS followed by a story of God's grace. He ALWAYS gives grace!!

I was reminded of this verse by my dear friend as I was sharing with her what was on my heart and mind. 

^"So He said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life.”

Luke 18:29-30

It was a much needed reminder. The impact of the Gospel going forth is far greater than the sacrifice it costs to do it. It will always require sacrifice. But how could we not rejoice to sacrifice for the ONE who sacrificed His life for us!! 

And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ isLord, to the glory of God the Father.

Phil. 2:8-11

Such a great reminder!! 

We are gearing up to have a busy month. We have more sessions booked in the next 6 weeks than we have had the whole time we have been here. We are excited to continue to share what God has laid on our hearts. We are also continuing to host our Ladies Bible Study in our home every week!!

Prayer Request:

-Pray for Ashley and I! Pray for our health and perseverance as we desire to finish strong!!

-Pray for the ones who we will be teaching! That hearts and ears would be open to what God has for them to hear!

-Pray for our Bible study and the girls we are discipling! Pray we would seek every opportunity to pour into their life!!

-Pray for all the missionaries around the world! Pray the sense God's grace and feel His presence!!

Thank you to everyone who is praying for me and supporting me! It means more than you know!!!

Love Loves!! :)

8 Sessions, A Radio Recording, and A Bible Study

Well...Since my last update we have had eight more TLW sessions. We have spoken at 2 different Universities with 3 sessions at one and two at the other. We have spoken to our biggest crowd yet at over 400 youth and we have also had a few village teachings. We also did a small session with a girls Cell Group (small group).

The Universities were a lot different than  the other sessions we have had. They were a lot older and more serious lol. It was great though!! They had a lot of questions and were grateful we came. They have asked us to come back and share something else with them. They are just hungry to hear more. It is a Christian University but there were a lot of Muslims there. So please pray we are able to reach them when we go back!! God is able!!

The other University was the big one here in Tana. We spoke to a great bunch there too! They also want us to come back and teach something else. It is awesome to see God at work in these people!!

The large youth group was awesome!! They were fun and lively and just had a good heart!! There were about 400 or more youth there and about 350 of them committed!! That is great!!

We have also spoken at a few villages!! Those are always different than the city sessions. They are more remote and the live differently. The average girl gets married at 13 or 14. Rape is prevalent and sex is common for such young kids. This message is so important for them!! 

We also did a small session at a girls Cell group. It's like a small Bible Study. There were several girl and they were so nice!! We had a good time!!

This message is so needed here in Madagascar. They haven't heard this concept taught much. They don't know anything else. They don't know that God has a bigger plan for them. For most they have never heard this message at all. Even the churches don't really teach it. It is so humbling that God has brought me here to teach this message to these precious young people. 

We also did a session that was recorded to be aired on the radio. I am not sure when it will air but it is my understanding that it will be broadcast all over the island. How cool is that?? I am going to get a copy of the broadcast!! :)

One of the University students couldn't believe that Americans were coming to tell them about purity. He thought that everyone in America had sex all the time. That's what they think of America. The media and news portray that kind of message to the rest of the world. The sad thing is...he isn't far from the truth. We are headed that way rather quickly. Oh that our Nation would wake up and realize the impact we could have on the world...in a good way. It has been a great reminder that even America needs to be reminded of the truths in the Scripture. God has given me a new sense of urgency to share with my Country what God's Word says about Purity. Not sure what that looks like yet...but I am determined!! 

We have also started a Bible Study in our home with several Malagasy girls. It has been such a blessing!! The girls are so sweet and I am going to miss them when I leave!! I look forward to every week with them!! 

Well we are gearing up for our IOI Meeting starting tomorrow (Wed)!! We will be able to meet all the M's in Madagascar and surrounding Islands!! I can't wait!! It will be refreshing time to see how God is working all over the Island!! 

We also had a great Easter!! We had a great Church service then had a Cookout at one of the M's house!! It was fun to get together with our Tana family!! :) 

Sorry there are no pics with this post...I will post some next update!! :)

Prayer Request:

Continue to pray for our sessions as we have about 6 weeks or so left of teaching.

Pray for the follow up sessions...that we would know what and how to share to them!

Please pray for our continued good health!

Please also pray for the people of Madagascar. That they would know there is more to life!! That they would know Jesus is their answer...not other people!

Praises:

We have had three Bible Studies so far in our home. We meet weekly and are so thankful for these girls!!

We have had such incredible opportunities to share God's truth with the young people of Madagascar!

We have many more sessions yet to do!!

Thank y'all so much for your prayers and support!!

Love Loves!!

"Delight yourself also in the Lord...

...And He will give you the desires of your heart." Ps. 37:4

This verse is quite popular and used a lot. However, most of the time it is used it is referring to the second half of the verse. We tend to cling more to the "giving us our hearts desire" part. As humans we like to get what we want. Most of the time we feel entitled to whatever it is we want. So we see this verse and think...God is going to give me whatever my heart desires. So we begin praying for whatever it is we want. Most of the time...at least for me...it is a expectant prayer. I am praying expecting to get whatever I am asking for...after all..He says He will give it to me. We fail to really comprehend the first part of the verse. "Delight yourself in the Lord". If we fully understood that phrase...we wouldn't be so concerned with the second half of the verse. The beautiful thing is that God wants us to have desires...He gives us desires. When we truly delight in Him...He molds and shapes our desires to be about Him. So naturally He wants to grant us those desires. What a beautiful picture of who He is!! It's all about His glory!! We delight in Him...He gives us desires that glorify Him..and fulfills those desires. He ultimate motive is His glory!! And the greatest thing is that we get to be apart of it. We get to be apart of God glorifying God!! How incredible is that??

As I pursue Christ more and more I constantly find my desires changing. Some desires just fade away...while others become less of a priority. There is so much on my heart right now. So much I want to do and be apart of. So many dreams and desires. I just want them to be desires that God wants to use to glorify Himself with. My first and foremost desire is to live a life fully devoted to God. To fully surrender to all He has planned! I want to be His vessel!! So I as I follow Him and seek Him I see what I wanted for my life change. For the longest time all i wanted to do with my life was be a wife and mommy. I longed for God to bring me my husband and to start a family. I wanted the normal American life. I wanted the cute house and cute kids...cute husband too of course. :) I wanted to live a simple, normal life. I couldn't wait for the day when I began that journey. I dreamed of it...prayed for it...longed for it. But like I said...when you delight in the Lord...He begins to change your desires. So a couple of years ago God began changing my heart. As I sought Him He began telling me that while that may happen one day...it wasn't happening when I thought or wanted. So here I sit...still dreaming that dream and longing for it...but seeing God give me new dreams and desires. 

I have all these desires to make a difference. I just want to make a difference...even if it's just one person at a time. I want to be apart of all God is doing. I want to be so delighted in Him that I want His desires to be my desires!! I love people and love helping people! I have dreams to tell people who have never heard about Jesus that He loves them and wants a relationship with them!! I have a dream to start an orphanage in Africa!! I have dream to help the poor and show them the love of Jesus!! As I seek and delight in the Lord...He continues to mold and shape these desires to what He wants for my life!! I am so thankful He guides me!! There is such a peace when you just let God show you what to do and where to go!! What a loving and gracious Father!! 

Just wanted to share what was on my heart tonight!! :)

Love Loves!!

Rainforest Adventure!!

I am going to attempt to put in words the great time I had in the Rainforest last week. It was so great!! It is one thing to hear God working somewhere...but to actually go see it with your eyes is another story. I will give a little recap of what we did during our week with The Norton's in the rainforest. 

After a 9+ hour drive we made it to Ifanadiana. It was such a drastic difference from the busy streets of Tana to the quite small town of Ifanadiana. We settled at the house and spent some time getting to know the missionaries there we were going to be staying with that week. They were so sweet and had the cutest, sweetest kids!! I was excited to get my kid fix! :) 

We got up early the next morning to hike to the village we would stay the night in. Let me just say here...I have never really hiked before. I wasn't sure what to expect and was a little nervous. I told everyone up front that I was a clumsy person and would likely fall at some point on this hike. Well...I did not disappoint...I fell a total of at least 4 times. Thankfully it only resulted in a couple skinned knees and some bruises..nothing serious!!

So once we arrived at the village our schedule was to teach TLW to the students in the school there. However, in normal African fashion...they were taking a test and were not ready yet. So we decided we would go to the home of the first believer in the village. This experience was beyond refreshing. We hiked another good bit and finally arrived at Looloo's house. She was a gracious hostess and we were welcomed with open arms. As we sat in her hut I noticed two Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes up on a shelf. Of course that made me smile! :) She has 5 kids and the three youngest were there with her. They were unbelievably cute!! They stole my heart instantly and I hated to leave them. We played with them for a while and ate lunch with them. LooLoo was the first believer in this village. After she came to know Christ her husband did as well. Now there are several more who have trusted Christ as their Savior!! I am so thankful for the missionaries who continually pour out their lives into these precious people!!

Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes :)

This is Tsiki...Cutie!!

Mbola...sweet girl!!

Little Sureally :)

The three siblings :)

Looloo and two of her kids :)

Their home!!

So after we visited with Looloo and her precious family we hiked back down to where the school was. They were now ready for us to teach TLW! So we shared with them what it means to stay pure and also shared the Gospel with them! We had 4 out of about 20 commit. Compared to our other numbers...that may seem low. But considering where we were...it was a blessing!! One of the young men that committed had just been baptized the week before!! How awesome is that!?!?

The school in the village :)

After we spoke to the children in the village we set up our tent and rested for a little while. While we were teaching the missionary (Tim) had hiked up another trail with some of the locals. They were trying to hunt down these pheasant type birds that the locals have been trying to kill. They were successful in killing a bird...however...on the way back to the village...Tim fell and hurt his ankle. He said he heard it pop...it was so swollen by the time he got back to the village. We weren't quite sure how we were going to get back to the house considering it was a long and narrow trail. We decided he would see how he would feel in the morning. So we ate dinner then got some sleep. When morning came...his foot was really bad. The locals insisted on carrying him out on a chair contraption they made.  It was quite scary to see them carrying him down this trail on top of the shoulders in a chair with two poles. But...Praise the Lord...we made it back down!! :)

The next day we got up bright and early to teach at a high school not far from the house. We had about 67 students. It was great! I will mention...that when we got there we noticed a student sweeping up these little black things off the floor. As we walked in we smelled the aroma of urine...only to hear bats in the ceiling. As I was standing waiting for us to begin, I looked up.....and there they were...bats! I could see them!! I had to totally do mind over matter so I wouldn't freak out!! lol!! Out of those 67 students about 42 committed!! We feel most of them were really sincere and genuine!!

We had the opportunity to go back and teach two more times at that school that day. Three different groups in all!! The second group was about 61 students and 42 of them committed as well! The third group was around 35 students and all 35 committed!! It was a great experience and I feel God is working among those people!!

We rested Friday morning and started the drive back around lunch time. We made it to Antsirabe and stayed the night there! It was a gorgeous hotel and we were in a little bit of culture shock...lol!! It was nice!! We finished the rest of our journey on Saturday!! 

Thank y'all SO much for all the prayers!! They mean so much to me!!

Please continue to pray for these people who have committed!! Pray that they seek after God and follow Him!! Pray that if they have questions they will know where to go and who to ask!!

I will update again about this weekend and week soon!!

Love Love Loves!!

Prayer Requests!!

Hello Everyone!!!

I have some prayer requests for y'all!!

1.) Please pray for us as we visit and minister to a village tomorrow. We are excited for this opportunity

and are praying the Lord speaks through us! We are teaching the young kids a Bible story as well as

the youth the True Love Waits. Please pray their hearts will be open and the hear what God is saying to them!!

2.) On Sunday we are teaching at another Church. We have attended this church several times and love the people there. We are excited at this opportunity. Please, once again, pray for open hearts!!

3.) We leave Monday morning to travel 9 hours to a rainforest. We will be teaching 4 different times there. On Tuesday we will be hiking to a village and teaching and ministering to the people there. We will stay the night in tents (Oh boy!!) and hiking back the next morning. We will then teach to a school with about 50 kids. The next day we will teach two times to a total of 300 kids!! WOW!! We are excited!! We will be traveling back half way on Friday afternoon and the rest on Saturday afternoon. Please pray for safe travels as these roads are not the greatest. :) Also pray for open hearts!!

4.) A personal prayer request is that I stay humble. I want to always be aware that it is God speaking through me and not myself. We teach the same material over and over again and it is easy to think we can do it. When we begin to think we got it..we fail to humble ourselves before God. I want to stay humble. 

5.) Another personal prayer request is for me to stay focused on what God has before me. I tend to be a future thinker. I want to stay present here and want to be ALL here. I want my joy to come from Jesus!! I want to recognize His will in my life and live in it!! 

6.) One last thing I want to ask you to lift up is a couple new ministries we are beginning. On Wednesdays we will be starting an English club at the University here. We are using English as a way to talk about the Lord. The university prohibits Bible lesson or clubs. So as we are teaching them English we will be using Scripture and Bible stories. We are also starting a Bible study with some Malagasy girls. We had our first meeting Thursday and it went great! We are praying God continues to grow it! We also ask you pray that we would be able to mentor/disciple these girls!! 

THANK Y'ALL SO MUCH FOR THE PRAYERS!!!

I seriously would not be where I am if it were not for your prayers and support!!

So thank y'all so much!!

I hope to update again soon!! 

Love Loves!!

Wait on the Lord

Waiting....what a foreign concept to us humans....well Americans really. One thing I have noticed here in Africa is that they don't mind waiting. They take their time with everything and when they get there...they get there. :)

We have become so rushed with everything that waiting for anything becomes so difficult. It is especially hard when you like to plan things...or when decisions are needing to be made, and you don't know what to do. 

Waiting on the Lord is especially hard for me sometimes. I know all the right answers in my head. However, sometimes my heart fails to listen. I need to be reminded that the Lord is in control. There are so many accounts in Scripture where we are instructed to wait. 

Psalms 25:5 Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.

Psalms 27:14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

Psalms 37:7a Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him:

Psalms 130:5 I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.

Psalms 62:5 My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.

Psalms 39:7 “And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You."

Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. 

I am going to honest. I do not like waiting. I like to plan everything out...I like to know what is going on. There are times I get a "hint" of what I think God is doing, and I somehow think I can handle things from there. I take that hint and run with it. I began planning everything out. So finally I have a plan. That's the problem... I have the plan. So I am learning. I am learning to stop trying to take control of everything. I am learning to allow God to full work His plan for me. While it is so difficult at times relinquish that control it is so freeing once I do. Afterall...I can't control my future...only God controls my future. The testimonies of complete trust and surrender from these verses are so humbling. The promises given in the last verse are more than we deserve. While we are waiting for Him to work an amazing plan in our life, our strength will be renewed. Not just ordinary strength...the strength to fly like eagles, run and not be weary, and walk and not be faint. How incredibly undeserving is that?? 

I am so thankful that He is in control and not me. I am thankful He continues to show me how to be more like Him. What an amazing God we serve!!

Here is a quote by John Piper that I liked.

To wait on God means to pause and soberly consider our own inadequacy and the Lord’s all-sufficiency, and to seek counsel and help from the Lord, and to hope in Him (Psm. 33:20-22; Isa. 8:17)… The folly of not waiting for God is that we forfeit the blessing of having God work for us. The evil of not waiting on God is that we oppose God’s will to exalt Himself in mercy.- John Piper

In other news...we had two session this weekend. They both went very well!! Praising the Lord for all the opportunities that we have here! We are also going to do a radio program so please be praying for that! It will be March 23rd. Another big prayer request is that we are heading to a rain forest from March 11th (this monday) till March 16th. On the 12th we will be hiking to a village and staying the night. Please pray for us as we minister to the people here. We are excited about this opportunity and can't wait to share how it goes!! 

Thank you so much for your love, prayers, and support. It means so much to me!!!

Love, Loves!