To An Island Nation
God at work through african missionaries in madagascar
by Kristin Andre, photos by Jordan Andre
Manoa is AIM’s Magadascar Unit leader, and has a vision to expand African mobilization efforts across all of Madagascar. “His gentle spirit and genuine smile are supported by his dedication to mobilize believers all over the island,” writes AIM Stories photographer Jordan Andre. “There’s no doubt that God is moving in the hearts of many in Madagascar, and Manoa is there to bring awareness and vitality to an ever increasing movement.”
Groupe Tsinfitaka, a Malagasy band that trusted Christ through the witness of an AIM team serving among the Sakalava people, write, perform, and record music being shared throughout Madagascar. Their first album follows the overarching story of the Bible, and many of the songs are directly from Scripture.
AIM partner, Melias (blue shirt) is a Malagasy missionary living in the village on Nosy Be, an island off the northwest tip of Madagascar. “He lives simply,” writes Jordan, “without indoor plumbing or electricity, like the local people live. He does what the people do, bringing purpose to share about Jesus into every inter- action he has. He cooks with the people, shares his belongings, goes fishing with the men, weaves traditional fishing traps, plays with the children, farms with the people, plays soccer, facilitates Bible studies and prays. He shares in all parts of life and shares about the life of Jesus with his friends there.”
Melias leads a Bible study in the shade of a tree on Nosy Be.
Lucky’s Call
We first met Lucky on a sunny day in April of 2021. We were visiting Cape Town to help our South African Mobilizing Office film some content for their FUEL program that had to go online due to Covid. He happened to stop by the office while we were there and we were able to sit down with him for a brief interview. The small snippet of his story that we heard then immediately grabbed us, but as we’ve come to know even more of his story, we have been completely awestruck by the sacrifice he’s making. And we don't say that lightly. His story moves us so much that every time we try to talk about him, one of us ends up getting emotional.
You see, Lucky was born and raised in a township in South Africa (an undeveloped, racially segregated urban area where Black South Africans were forced to live during the Apartheid era). He grew up living in material poverty and he was his family’s only hope at a better life - to make it out of there, to get an education, and to provide for them all with his career. As an only child, the pressure was immense.
With all these heavy questions looming, Lucky still made the incredibly difficult decision to become a missionary instead of pursuing a more lucrative career or a career as a pastor in his home country, knowing it would not only disappoint his family, but truly devastate them all – especially his mother. In many African contexts, there is no retirement plan. Children provide for their aging parents, and that was certainly the expectation for Lucky with his mother.
But what do you do when the world tells you one thing yet Christ compels you to do another?
Lucky kept his eyes fixed on Jesus, the one who sacrificed it all for us by coming to earth to live among us. He trusted God, even when it cost him (and his entire family) everything. He knew he was called to an Unreached People Group, on a remote island off the coast in the far north of Madagascar, and God has come through for him in big ways. When Lucky thought it looked hopeless, in the middle of his support-raising journey, God provided not only support for him, but support for his mother too. Isn’t that just the way our ever-loving Father works – always several steps ahead of us and always caring for his children?
By God's grace Lucky got out of the township. He could have pursued a career that would have provided for his entire family, but God visited Lucky in a dream and told him to go to College and study Theology. So that’s what he did. He trusted God, and God provided for all of his needs throughout his three years of study. That was where he met an AIM missionary named Matilda, who is also a South African, serving in Madagascar. God used Matilda to break Lucky’s heart for Unreached People Groups in areas where there are no other believers, where other pastors and missionaries haven’t yet gone, where people have yet to hear the good news of Jesus Christ.
After meeting Matilda, Lucky continued his studies and as he talked with more African missionaries, he realized that God was calling him to Madagascar. But how would such a calling fit with his need to provide for his family? If he became a pastor and stayed in South Africa, at least he could have the chance to make some money on the side, with some sort of business. But a move to Madagascar, surely that would eliminate any possibility of earning a side-income. And instead of being paid by the church he would have to raise support. How would he do that? How would he ensure his mother was taken care of?
A few months ago, my husband had the privilege to travel to Madagascar to visit Lucky with his team in the place God called him (and what a joy it was to see him right where he’s meant to be!) and also to visit Lucky’s mom at her home near Pretoria, South Africa. Both of them are filled with joy for the ways the Lord is using them (one to go and one to send), and they couldn’t be more thankful to be a part of God’s plan to reach their unreached African brothers and sisters.
Lucky has made inroads with people other missionaries have been trying build connections with for years. He’s been accepted into the community quicker than anyone expected. And he’s already sharing Christ and reading the Bible with his unreached friends. God is using him in big ways and he’s incredibly gifted for the work he’s doing. People who otherwise would never have had the opportunity are encountering Christ because of his sacrifice. What an honor it is just to know him and to get to call him friend.
"But how can anyone trust in or call out to one they have never heard of? And how can they hear if no one has told them? And how will his message reach their ears if no one is sent?"
-Romans 10:14