Last Thursday, September 2, I flew to Fort Dauphin for a 4-day visit. Although it is only an hour flight, it would have taken three full days to drive there by car. Fort Dauphin is a town beautifully situated on the southeast tip of Madagascar. It is surrounded by beautiful mountains and water on every side. The unemployment rate is extremely high and there is no work.
I visited there because a new church has started up within the last year and has grown very quickly. I wanted to understand as best I could how so is happening with such limited resources. They have started to build their own church building and have begun a second church in a small, extremely poor village on a mountain nearby. The first church currently meets in a very small classroom in a school where over a 100 people crowd in to worship each Sunday. The church is pastored by Rev. Donne, who before becoming a Christian had lived in small village in the northern part of Madagascar. He has made significant changes in his life. He and the church president Clara met me at the airport, and I stayed for four days at his home with his family. My luggage was lost during the short trip and they bent over backwards to get me everything I needed. He has three sons, ages 3-14, who are incredibly bright. The oldest son was my interpreter for the first two days. His wife works at a women's health clinic in Fort Dauphin. They were remarkably hospitable to this stranger, sharing everything they had, which in material terms is very limited. They have rice and "loca" (vegetables, fish, chicken, or a small amount of beef) for each meal. I slept in a separate room behind their home, which is in a compound of Christians who are Anglican, Lutheran, and Roman Catholic. They live together in a fenced off area with their chickens and their dogs, which provide protection. Fort Dauphin has an increasing crime rate.
I met Christ with the people in Fort Dauphin and want to share pictures of my trip there with you. I am sending additional pictures (Part II) from Sunday worship and my visit with the family.
In Christ,
Fr. Howard
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