Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Dear Beloved of the Lord, kith and kin in Him,

This is being written in candle light, with my gleaning through the
Pentateuch on brief pause in the background, as Tsihombe makes us take
turns with the eastern half of Tsihombe nightly for power.

Monday night Tafy made breakfast of corn bran for us, which each would
take in turn, as I was to be out by 5:30, a half hour before sun-up, to
bicycle up to Antanemora to train the Evangelists how to use the
zodiacal almanac as a tract to turn those depending on the horoscope to
see the true Biblical message in those signs. Tafy and Linofie were to
be out by 6 to catch a truck hauling sand to Ambovombe. Limbe, one of my
team who lives 25km north, came down to accompany me back up his way and
on to Antanemora 71km. He and I had breakfast together and headed north
by 6 in yet predawn light. I’ve long had that Tsb/Antanemora road before
FID (a funding agency) for major overhaul, as untrained storm water
forever carves deeper gullies and makes the rocks “grow” out of the
road. The whole road is an obstacle course, and oft there is no avoiding
the fields of rocks and we just take it slow and bumpy over those
stretches. It would be quite a video to track a biker coming down one of
the long hills with some speed slaloming down, barely missing sharp
rocks on either side or deep gullies, and oft knifing between two rocks
between which only a bike tire will fit. At the bottom racing as
straight a line as possible through the collected sand of years, and
flying up onto the bridge culvert which edge is 25cm above road grade
thanks to erosion. Oft the bike trail disappears into the woods or brush
to skirt parts of the road that a bike will even avoid.

Lately I’ve been having severe leg cramps just after my trips to
Antanemira. Even though exhausted from the 40km rt, I couldn’t recline
for the contortions playing in my calves and the cyclical painful
cramping of my feet and toes. So this time, the way being that much
longer and generally uphill, I fetched a fresh leaf of vahombey (large
aloe) and sliced it up into a 1,5 liter bbl of water. This was our water
supply for the trip. At Antanimora my legs had no aggravations of any
kind, nor was I nearly as exhausted as I’ve been on the shorter trips.
Today on my way back from that meeting, leaving pre-dawn again, and now
using 3 dried vahombey leaves in the same amount of water—which becomes
wine red after soaking over-night—again brought me all the way home in
good spirits, hardly tired, and no leg problems whatsoever. Thank the
Lord for putting so much into one plant (it also being a wonderful burn
remedy as well as either a laxative, or anti-diarrheal as needed.)

In Antanimora, I was sorry to learn that Pr. Retsiraiky hadn’t brought
any of the 300 Tandroy NT delivered to him to distribute to the
evangelists and catechists who would scatter all over and all work in
Tandroy language. I was on for 2 o’clock, and began after prayer, to
query the group of evangelists, catechists, and others present, of the
first vividly Christ-type appearance of the ram. I had to remind even
the 4 pastors present that it was from Gen 22, where Abraham is stopped
from sacrificing his son, and provided with the ram to replace him on
the altar. That Ram (Aries) is Alahamaly corresponding to the month of
Hofahofa, representing the whole sacrificial system culminating in the
sacrifice of the Son at Calvary who substituted for us, by His blood.
Next: The Water Pourer (Is 44.3; Joel 3.1) is ever pouring a bucket of
water pictured in the heavens as a stream of stars heading into the open
mouth of Pisces Australis (the southern Fish). Of cource water often
symbolizes the Holy Spirit, and the Fish is the fellowship of saints; so
the Lord keeps us his fish vital by the ever filling of the Holy Spirit.
We went through every sign, all ending in the Gospel, showing the work
of Christ in the world and in the Church. No matter what sign is chosen
it can be the take-off of a full sermon or discussion. The Malagasy,
especially the unchurched, love stories, and they have never heard that
Alahamaly or Adalo (WaterPourer) ever had such a picture. I pointed out
that the constellations, and their movements are all the Lord’s
handiwork, His is the story, and the heavens declare. But all that
geomancy and sikily, horoscopy and the rest, that put the creature above
the Creator are counterfeit. Thus His are the owners of the true story
of the signes, and not those followers of #9 (the occult).

We departed at 6am in the dark again fortified with some tea enriched
slightly with a bit of milk, and supplied with a water bottle we’d made
up the night before of dried aloe this time—a wine colored drink now if
slightly bitter. Very little traffic of any kind but a few bikes. And
one loaded down with gunnies of tobacco—totally illegal but what police
would ever venture on this road? Way south we passed a caravan of some
20+ oxcarts lumbering south to fetch rock for a grave, then sloshed
through about 10 km where a rain shower had passed through — it did not
wet Tsihombe however.

Last Sunday Linofie and I were in Tanambao, a village along the east
bank of the Mahambovo Riv. On it’s northerly stretch, which I’ve ended
up at twice when lost between Antanemira and Bevaro. This was my 3rd
visit, the only one planned. When I presented the Almanac and described
it a little, I had a crowd of men around me. When done I asked which of
them could read, of the 7-8 only one was literate. I gave him the sheet,
and the rest crowded around him as we took leave, praying that they
would be lead to the truth by its use. This single page (Recto-verso)
sells for Ar 500 while the 300+ Page Tandroy NT sells for Ar 2000, but
the 1000 of that single sheet almanac are almost exhausted, while the NT
is quite sluggish. Pray that there will be a thirst in Androy for the
Word. And that those with such a thirst will find a copy, and/or will
find someone to teach her/him how to read it.

Tafy and John went to Abb to trade a check to an Indian merchant for
cash to keep us from having to go into FtD soon. She also went to
deposit her application for a job at the local hospital as a
Gestionnaire (management?).

Well it’s time I hit the sack, the donkey is giving his late bay, and
the lonely dog howls have replaced all other noises of Tsihombe.

Sunday, May 11, 2008: (or 6th of Volantatake) we had a crowd up at
Tanemira today. I went through all the stories of the Almanac (Zodiac
signs) for them, the Gospel through and through. And was able to hold
the crowd until we decided to start a worship service their in the shade
of a house. All but a few drifted away at that, but that’s OK they got
the basics and His received the meat.

After ward, when the many came back we talked about nutrition as their
were some skinny children around, and I made up a clean water mouthwash
(direct, 2nd phase rain caught in plastic in the open) with 10-60 parts
of tincture of tobacco to help the dozen who wanted to be free of that
enslaving substance. This has already helped release many from its
clutches, but the eye opener was a 7 year old girl, emaciated from a
cough acquired soon after birth that was still chronically active and
debilitating. Inquiring of the parents, both had been tobacco users at
her conception and still are. I advised them to stop and treated the
child as above, as if she were an old smoker. I now use that
illustration (the sins of the parents transfer to children) to advise
parents and encourage others to stop. You’ve probably guessed why so
many people are now waiting for me where they know I’ll be. From fevers
to goiter, coughing blood, wrestling accidents or occupational trauma,
malaria, gout, STDs, lameness, blind, deaf, kidneys and urinary tract,
even some weird fungus that changes the skin from the rich brown to
albino color, which I’ve learned is due to a poison called Kialo. Many
of the illnesses I know only as a collection of symptoms and only try to
match them with the symptoms given to the healthy body taking a bite of
this plant or another. As Hypocrites theorized “Give me the disease I
have to cure me.” So that Vahontsohy which causes very oppressive urging
diarrhea when taken healthy is thus the remedy for that very symptom
otherwise acquired (I’ve experienced both ends of it’s use). And so I’ve
been collecting plants and their “cures” or “symptoms” from all over
Androy having now over 800 species on alcohol.

When the Lord sent out the 70 (or 72) he gave them 2 assignments besides
the guidelines: heal the sick and proclaim the Good News, those two go
well together, both are healing on different planes.

Only may Christ be praised in whatever he can accomplish through me:

Love in Christ;
Tafy, Linofie, Steve

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