It has been a very busy year with many accomplishments and challenges for the Church of Jesus Christ in Madagascar (FJKM), The Outreach Foundation’s partner church in Madagascar. Dan and Elizabeth Turk, who serve with FJKM, recently shared this update and invite you to join a Zoom presentation that the Madagascar Mission Network is sponsoring on November 14th from 7:00-8:30 pm EST. Click here to register Turk event registration or go to the Madagascar Mission Network website.
Read MoreCongratulations to the FJKM on celebrating its 55th year anniversary on August 18th! The following prayer request has been shared by FJKM President Irako Andriamahazosoa Ammi:
Read MoreElisabeth Razanalivao was beaming when she told us that this past year that 100% of the students from the FJKM primary school at Soatsifa of the Church of Jesus Christ in Madagascar (FJKM) passed the national primary school exit exam. This is no small accomplishment because Soatsifa is located in the far south of Madagascar which has been experiencing famine-like conditions over the past several years with high rates of acute malnutrition, especially in children. Mrs. Razanalivao and her husband, Marc Ranarianirina, who is the principal of the school, came to Soatsifa 28 years ago as missionaries of the FJKM to start a school to help children get a good education.
Read MoreNancy Warlick shared this note and information from the Madagascar Mission Network:
There is great need at this time for prayer for God's people and rebuilding in Madagascar following the devastation caused by Cyclone Batsirai in early February.
Read MoreDear friends,
Greetings from Orlando! We are still in the U.S. awaiting the time when we can return to Madagascar. Madagascar has a travel ban in place to keep the Delta variant out. Fortunately, new daily COVID-19 cases are currently very low, following a spike in cases this past April. We hope to be able to return to Madagascar in late September or early October.
While we are ready to return to Madagascar, we are grateful for the time with family. We have been able to celebrate Frances’ college graduation, Elizabeth’s parents' 60th wedding anniversary, and Dan’s mother’s 90th birthday as well as visiting Robert.
Read MoreThe FJKM Church’s Response in a time of COVID: Urgent Appeal for Southern Madagascar
Dear friends,
It is hard to believe that we are in Lent and Easter is around the corner! As we head into the second year of uncertainty in this time of COVID-19, we remember God’s presence and our blessings which gives us hope. We have been blessed to be close to family as we wait for the time when we can return to Madagascar. Our daughter Frances graduated from college in December and has now started teaching first-grade in person in Orlando. Our son Robert is in his 2nd year in a master’s program in art therapy and counseling in Chicago. It is a blessing to work in partnership with the FJKM (Fianangonan’i Jesoa Kristy eto Madagasikara), The Outreach Foundation’s partner church in Madagascar. We give thanks for the technology that enables us to be in frequent contact with our FJKM colleagues.
The contracted economy and lack of tourist revenue because of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to bring daily hardships for the vast majority of Malagasy people. The cases of COVID are now increasing. In the midst of these struggles, there is some encouraging news coming from our Malagasy colleagues. Things to be thankful for in Madagascar include:
Read MoreIn late March, we left Madagascar due to the coronavirus pandemic and are currently in Orlando. PC(USA) called all mission co-workers back to the U.S. until the end of 2020. We are well and grateful to be near our children and parents, but it is hard to leave our friends and colleagues for so long in this time of crisis. We are continuing our work and communicate daily with our colleagues in the Church of Jesus Christ in Madagascar (FJKM) via skype, phone, or email.
Fruits, Vegetables, and Environmental Education Program (FVEE)
The first months of the year are always busy because of the need to plant trees in the early part of the rainy season. From December 2019 through February 2020, thousands of fast-growing trees from the FVEE nursery were planted as part of FJKM’s reforestation efforts. Fruit trees and native trees were planted at three branches of the FJKM University, two FJKM seminaries, and the fruit center at Mahatsinjo. Many thanks to all who helped make this possible by donating to the Outreach Alternative Christmas project, “Trees for Madagascar.”
Read MoreMadagascar is one of the poorest nations in the world with over 90% of the population living in poverty. It has one of the highest rates of child stunting (impaired growth and development due to poor nutrition, etc.) in the world.
The FJKM (Church of Jesus Christ in Madagascar), the largest protestant church in Madagascar, feels strongly that the church’s ministry is to both share the Gospel and to help people meet their physical needs. Recognizing that fruit trees offer a way out of poverty, mission co-worker Dan Turk has been working for over 15 years with the FJKM, with help from The Outreach Foundation, to bring in some of the world’s best fruit tree varieties including over 60 varieties of mangos.
Read MoreDear friends,
It is hard to believe that 2019 is already here, shouldering out what turned out to be a very full 2018. Thank you for your prayers, your notes of interest and encouragement, and your generous gifts that have enabled me to accompany the wonderful work being done by our partners and mission personnel in Southern Africa.
The past year has featured a significant amount of travel. It has been a joy to be able to spend time with colleagues at the Church of Jesus Christ in Madagascar (FJKM) on two occasions in 2018. In April I had the privilege of traveling part of the time with a group from Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York City. Fifth Ave PC has a number of people of Malagasy heritage in the congregation and it has long been involved in supporting the work of the FJKM.
Read MoreDear friends,
We had an extra-special Easter this year. Robert had the weekend off from college, and we were able to be together as a family in Decatur, GA with the azaleas and dogwoods blooming.
Read MoreMadagascar has been in crisis since a coup d’état in March 2009. A foreign diplomat recently noted that there is no rule of law in Madagascar. Crime is way up in both urban and rural areas. Recent assessments found that over 90% of the people are living below the poverty line. To make matters worse, locusts have been destroying crops in many parts of the country, and bubonic plague is on the rise.
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