So it’s Daylight Savings time this weekend for my friends back home, but not here in Madagascar. Our times stayed the same and tomorrow the sun will rise around 5:15am and will set around 6:30pm. However, we did experience a timing issue ourselves today.

On Friday when we were out with a fellow missionary family, they asked if we knew about the upcoming “Sunday Evening Fellowship” with other missionaries in Madagacar. Stephen said he didn’t know about it so the husband said he would get us the details as they were hosting it this week. This morning we still didn’t know the details, so Stephen text the husband. He assured us that he would forward us the email of information when he got home. We waited and by 4pm, we still hadn’t heard so we followed up with another phone call. We were told the movie would start around 5:30 and to bring our own chairs as we were watching it outside. We then both checked our emails and had received all the details about bringing your own food and a repeat of the information we had just been told.

Stephen and I scrambled to make some gluten free pizzas that we had planned all week for Sunday night that caused us to arrive about 40 minutes late. We pulled up, let ourselves in their gate, greeted their dog, and proceeded to walk into their house saying, “Hodi”, which is an African saying that basically means “I’m here, can I come in?”. No one was outside yet to watch the movie, so we opened the screen door and see the husband. He alerts his wife, “honey, we have company!” I asked him, “ Where is everyone else?”. To which he responds, “Oh the girls are upstairs and we’re (referring to his wife and himself) are down here.” Puzzled, I walk into the kitchen and am greeted by the wife who is cooking in her relaxing clothes and their oldest daughter. I’m eating my GF pizza and sharing how excited we were that GF flour was in our freezer! Someone (quite possibly Stephen from his time here in 2012) left it there. I keep chatting away and the wife is cutting vegetables and putting it into a pot. She’s asking me if we drove over or walked with our pizzas in hand. I share how we drove.

Then finally I stop and think…1. No other cars were here and a lot of people were invited 2. We were 40 minutes late and no one else is here 3. They’re all in comfy clothes and not at all acting like they were expecting people over. So I think, MAYBE we got the time wrong (OH HOW EMBARRASSING!!! Quick—how can I help you cook or set up?). I ask, “I’m sorry, but were we supposed to be here at 5:30 or are we early?” The daughter looks at me and then her mom and the mom says, “Early for what?!”. I CHOKE ON MY GF PIZZA!! “STEPHEN!!!! STEPHEN!!!” I yell as I turn the corner sharply interrupting the husband’s conversation and seeing my husband chewing and nodding his head that he now knows the awkward information too. “We’re not supposed to be here! Oh my goodness! We just marched into their house…!” The rant began as the 5 of us exchanged how they were thinking ,”Why are they here?” and we were wondering where everyone was. The wife says to me as we high-five, “Well now you’re really on Africa time!” OH WOW!

Turns out that Sunday Evening Fellowship no longer holds true to the “Sunday” aspect. The movie night is this upcoming Friday night as in 5 days from now…! So we were early…really early with our loaded up directors chairs and gluten-free pizzas. The husband added that this would be my next blog entry. Indeed my friend, indeed.

All in all it was probably one of the funniest things that has ever happened to me. Being one who plans things thoroughly and pays attention to details, I’d never just walk into someone’s house like that if I wasn’t certain I was already invited. Thankfully, it was some of our friends’ hosting this week and not a new family we’d never met!

Don’t worry—if you invite our family over for a meal or a movie, I will double and triple check the details and knock on the door ;-)

I’m trying to be creative with my blog titles, can’t you tell with the over usage of “mad”? When in Madagascar… Ok, but really today’s post is about a MAD Queen who just so happened to also be the Queen of MADagascar.

Yesterday we went to “Rova Palace” or “The Queen’s Palace” in downtown Antananarivo. We went along with one of our fellow missionary families. The palace is beautiful and was constructed by a man named James Cameron (NOT to be confused with the director of the movie Titanic ((I hope Celin Dion plays in your head all day))). The Queen who had this stone palace built was named Ranavola II. She was a great Queen who was greatly influenced by Protestant missionaries and later declared Madagascar to be “a Christian nation”. She was however following in the footsteps of the “Mad Queen”, Ranavalona I who is best known for eridacting the Christian movement in Madagascar during her 33 year reign. Serious persecution took place during this time including being poisoned, being boiled alive, flung off cliffs and beheaded ( *-* )! Because of the European missionaries in the country, most were banished or killed. The first Christian martyr was a pregnant woman who praised Jesus as she was burned.

Ok enough intense details, you get the point. I had to do further research this evening because while our tour guides were nice, they mixed their rehearsed English with some French and Malagasy words, so you already know I was lost. So the gist is she was MAAAAAAAAD and I believe really used of Satan to hinder God’s plan for this nation. Madagascar has since gone through many trials and political woes and continues to be one of the most impoverished countries in the world.

As we overlooked the capital city yesterday of 4 million people, my spirit was stirred. What was once declared a “Christian nation” is now less than 10% fundamental Bible believing Christians and is a country in great need.

What would it look like for the madness to end and for God to be glorified here? The islands are NOT off of His radar and His desire is for these people to be released from darkness and fear. I believe the enemy was scared of what would take place if the Malagasy people were free from oppression both naturally and spiritually. I believe that God has a mighty assignment for the people here to take up in this hour. May His light come and may all enemies be scattered.

Last night while Stephen was at a meeting, I decided to drive to another missionary’s house which is outside of the compound where I live. In case you didn’t see my posted picture from a week ago of me driving, I am very thankful my parent’s made me learn to drive on a standard. If I didn’t know how to drive stick shift, this would only add to the chaos of driving here. Since Madagascar was a French colony, we drive on the right side of the road, but that doesn’t mean it is anything like America.

I felt a bit nervous starting the car, mind you it’s a diesel and the first time I’ve driven a diesel. I get the car started, put it in reverse…breathe a little and drive on! A rush comes over me! I. AM. DRIVING. OVERSEAS. BY. MYSELF! Then I start to sweat…woah! I’m driving overseas BY MYSELF! I tell myself to relax and proceed to the gate on my street. Of course there is someone backing out of a driveway all crazy and two guards whistling and making motions and hollering in Malagasy. I brake even though they motion me through the gate because I know the other guy isn’t watching. Right now certainly wouldn’t be a good time to have an accident. Have I mentioned how thankful I am to my parents for teaching me great driving skills? Because I’m so grateful!! Ok, so through the gate I go and I turn onto the connecting street. ALL I have to do is go down this street for half a mile and turn into another compound. Easy right? WELL, there are about 150-200 people lining either side of a narrow barely two car cobblestone road. Not just that, but dogs, and a cart being pulled by two “zebus” or cows are all making their way around. BREATHE BAILEY…more sweat expels from my body. A semi truck is in front of me, a large white truck behind me and several oooooold school Volkswagon bugs marked as “Taxis” coming at me from the opposite direction. Street vendors line the streets and I grip the steering wheel and the clutch. Eventually I make my way down the straight but bumpy road to the gate and eventually park outside the house of my destination. Relieved, I walk inside with a smile on my face. I did it! I drove here all by myself! A small victory, but a victory nonetheless.

Today we spent a lot of time in our car driving all over Antananarivo, the capital city where we live. We call it *Tana* for short. I can’t really describe the driving here to anyone who has not driven in a highly populated city that is not first world. I can’t count how many people tried to sell me sunglasses, seat covers, fruit, sunshades, towels etc. as we sat in bumper bumper traffic. Or how many cars pushed their way into our lane of traffic. It’s quite the adventure! While I’ve been exposed to this style of driving several times overseas, I have never had to drive it myself!

I always state that I’m the better drive in the USA over Stephen, but he by FAR exceeds my Africa road abilities ;-) He says that he drives offensively and I drive defensively because of the USA. I will learn to adjust. My hat is off to you my dear husband and your mad driving skills! You’re my hero babe!