We had no idea what to expect the first time we stepped foot in a Mahafaly village. Fresh out of seminary, and complete novices to missionary life, we could only boast a theoretical knowledge of what church planting was supposed to look like. But even the most rigorous academic program could have never prepared us for the adventure God was going to take us on.

 

Aside from a basic working knowledge of the official Malagasy language, we entered knowing nothing of the people we were called to work with. We had heard stories of their suspicious character, deep-rooted ancestral worship, and devastatingly impoverished communities.

 

Living nearly four hours from the border of our people group, ministry would have to work around extended trips, traveling in and out of the region over a week period. Our first trip out, we took a Mahafaly friend to help navigate the first encounter. While the communities were, indeed, simple and poor, the people were kind and receptive. They held a formal, community-wide meeting, where they welcomed us and gave us a platform from which to speak. I told them about myself and why I was there, to tell them a life changing story. I had to use my Mahafaly friend to translate, as the Mahafaly dialect was so much different than the official Malagasy we had spent the last year studying. I told them that I was not yet ready to share the story, but wanted to become friends and get to know them. The community agreed, and there began a relationship which would be the foundation for all that was to come.

 

Knowing the people were predominantly illiterate and oral-preferrenced learners, we began translating Bible stories into their heart language using the ST4T book as a guide. We would spend one week at home, studying and translating, and one week in the bush, building relationships while studying language and culture. We chose and translated stories based upon the worldview of the Mahafaly, specifically focusing on the theme of sacrifice, which permeates deep within the culture. Using a map and the information we gained from these new friends, we created our own map of the Mahafaly region. We segmented the map into “zones” and decided to focus in on one particular area. We then began praying for and building relationships in ten villages within that zone.

 

Enlisting the help of stateside partners, we began the “Adopt-A-Village” program. Individuals, families, and churches adopted one of the ten villages in order to cover that village in strategic prayer. With each trip out to the bush we uploaded journal entries onto a website with stories and prayer requests for the villages visited. Over time, it became clear which of the ten villages we were to focus the majority of our time and energy. These were the villages who showed more interest in the message we were coming to bring rather than the physical needs they thought we could meet (years later, these villages would also hear and come to a saving faith in Christ - but through the messengers of fellow Mahafaly believers).

 

After a year of translating eighteen stories from the Bible, beginning with creation and ending with the resurrection of Christ, we called for the village to gather. Over the course of a week, we shared the stories one by one. Each night, the villagers would return to their huts and talk about what they had heard with their families. At the end of the week, the people were in awe of the work of Christ, becoming the perfect sacrifice for mankind. We explained what it meant to be a follower of Jesus and asked if they believed the great story we shared. A leader spoke up, saying that they had heard the stories of God’s Word, talked about it together and having believed the story, wanted to be followers of Christ. Surprised by the group decision, we explained the importance of it being an individual decision, one we must make and follow on our own. At this, about fifty people spoke up, one-by-one, proclaiming that they believed.

 

After repeating this event in a second and third village, we had our first three groups of believers. Now we had to figure out what to do with them!