Daniel and Elizabeth Turk - August 2018 Update

Antananarivo, Madagascar

Attending Robert's college graduation with grandparents Bill and Nancy Warlick

Attending Robert's college graduation with grandparents Bill and Nancy Warlick

Dear friends,

Greetings from the Unites States! Our time home this summer has been full and rewarding. In May we had the joy of attending our son Robert’s graduation from college. Having time for reflection and renewal at PC(USA)’s Mission Co-worker Sharing Conference in June was another highlight of the summer, and of course visiting family. It has been especially wonderful to have time with Frances, who just finished her freshman year in college, and Robert before he starts a nine-month Fellows Program with First Presbyterian Church in Orlando.

Dan is taking a graduate course titled Tropical Fruit Production and Research at the University of Florida’s Tropical Research and Education Center in Homestead, Florida. He has enjoyed interacting with specialists and gaining important information to help the Church of Jesus Christ in Madagascar (FJKM)’s fruit tree program as it continues to grow and expand. While Dan is in Homestead, Elizabeth is enjoying being based in Orlando with her parents and Robert and Frances.

We return to Madagascar August 13th and will head straightaway to Toamasina on the east coast to take part in the FJKM celebration of the arrival of the first missionaries of the London Missionary Society 200 years ago.

AIDS Ministry’s New Focus: Promoting HIV Testing
Promoting HIV testing is critical in Madagascar as very few people are getting tested. Madagascar offers free treatment for those infected with HIV. But because so few people are getting tested, most people infected with HIV are unaware of their condition and therefore cannot take advantage of the government’s free treatment. When people living with HIV are treated, they are less likely to spread the virus to others and can live healthier lives. 

The FJKM AIDS Committee is collaborating with the government to promote HIV testing. This June HIV testing was offered at the Ivato Seminary campus for the first time ever on an FJKM seminary campus. After hearing how important testing was during their training on HIV/AIDS, the seminary students asked if the FJKM AIDS Committee could organize a testing day at the seminary. It is rewarding to see the results of training.

During the weeklong celebration in Toamasina, the FJKM AIDS Committee will sponsor HIV testing in collaboration with the government AIDS Committee. FJKM President Irako Andriamahazosoa Ammi has agreed to get tested publicly during this week. This will be very important in helping to promote testing in the church and in the nation. We give thanks for President Ammi’s willingness to do this and for our partner denomination being in the forefront of the fight against AIDS. Please pray that the testing goes well in Toamasina and for the FJKM’s continued efforts to fight the disease.

FJKM Fruit Tree Center

FJKM Fruit Tree Center

New Collaboration: Fruit Tree Center and the FJKM University Agronomy Department
This April we were reminded how wonderful the Lord’s timing is. The FJKM University just started a three-year agronomy degree program. In early April Dan met with the new university head, Pastor Ratsimandisa Haritiana Zo, to explore possible collaborations between the university and the Fruits, Vegetables, and Environmental Education (FVEE) project. She is a pastor and a medical doctor and has a degree in agronomy. We had scheduled a trip to the FJKM Fruit Tree Center for a team from Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church and Pastor Zo, the head of the agronomy department, and others from the university were able to join the team. When Pastor Zo saw firsthand the scope and expertise involved in the fruit tree work at the center, she was amazed. She noted that no one else in Madagascar has as many different types of fruit trees as the FJKM and that there is no other group with a fruit tree center dedicated to help low-income farmers improve their lives. She was very excited about the opportunity for students from FJKM University’s agronomy program to do internships at the FJKM Fruit Tree Center. The FVEE project will be working to get a building constructed that can house interns and others coming for training at the Fruit Tree Center. This collaboration will enable a new generation of agricultural graduates to get first-hand knowledge of how to grow many kinds of fruit trees, to learn propagation techniques, and to be ready to share this knowledge with others. The Lord’s timing is indeed amazing! Please pray for funds to build the new building and for the collaboration between the FVEE project and the FJKM University agronomy department.

Turks August 2018 update.png

Life of the Nation
April through June were turbulent months for Madagascar. In protest of unfair electoral laws, 73 deputies led public demonstrations on April 21. Unfortunately, the first day there were some deaths and injuries. In May Madagascar’s High Constitutional Court ruled that some elements of the electoral laws were unconstitutional, and the laws were modified. A new prime minister and ministers were named in June to seek common ground. Presidential elections have been scheduled for November 7. The demonstrations stopped in July, thankfully. Please continue praying for the nation as it moves toward its presidential election.  Please also pray for the FJKM church and its leaders as they seek to be witnesses for peace, justice, reconciliation, and transparency.

It has been a joy to connect with supporting churches and individuals this summer. We look forward to meeting even more when we return to the U.S. for interpretation assignment in September 2019. We are so grateful for the faithful prayer and support we receive. The ministries that we do in collaboration with the FJKM could not happen without this support. Lives are being touched and changed in God’s name because of our work together. Thank you so much.

Peace in Christ, 
Dan and Elizabeth

Read more about the Turk's ministry in Madagascar HERE.

THE NEED
The Outreach Foundation is seeking $10,000 for support funds for Dan and Elizabeth Turk.