The Jesus Film and evangelism program among the Bara, Mahafaly and Antandroy are under the supervision of our local partners (Pr. Rakoto, Pr Soja, Pr Tomoeira, Pr Erik, Pr. Mandimby, Pr Haza, Pr Fabrice, Pr Fabien, Pr Tafita, Pr Moises, and Pr Menza). Ask God to make them very fruitful!

Pray for the Antandroy children who are coming to the children ministry in Betroka. (In 2016 many Antandroy families moved to Baraland.) May God open the hearts of these children and their families and may they become followers of Christ.

The Antandroy and Mahafaly are bound in spiritual bondage and ancestor worship. Please pray that God will open their hearts to see the darkness of their own sin and the need of a Savior.
Pray for Pastor Fabien and Pastor Tafita from Presbyterian Church (FJKM) who are working alongside AIM in that area.

Pray that the Antandroy have the “eyes of their hearts” open to the reality of their life and that their ways are not right before God. Pray they will cry out to God for forgiveness of sins and be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ.

Southern Madagascar, including the Antandroy territory, is experiencing drought, the lasting effects of recent cyclones, as well as inflation, all of which contribute to dire food insecurity. It’s a heart-wrenching, severe crisis for the people there. As the Antandroy struggle to survive, pray that the Lord would reveal himself through his good providence and provision to them. Pray that, although they are in a remote and barren land, that Jehovah Roi, “The God Who Sees” will look upon them in mercy and compassion, and that many Antandroy would realize that the Lord God is with them and cares for them, and that he is not distant or inactive as their beliefs dictate. Ask our Savior to raise up believers who would heed his call to bring the gospel to this difficult area!

The Antandroy could be perceived as “inhospitable”, just as their land and environment are known for: they live behind prickly cactus fences, are known to be fierce—even their name derives from the phrase “where there are thorns.” Yet, they need the Gospel to come to penetrate their hearts of stone, for Jesus to create in them hearts of flesh. Pray for these people, that missionaries would come, that Malagasy Christ-followers would leave all they know and love in order to fulfill the Great Commission and bring glory to God. Pray the words of Isaiah: “Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow. This will be for the Lord’s renown, for an everlasting sign, that will endure forever.” Isaiah 55:13

The god of this world has blinded the eyes of those who don’t believe, but the Lord opens blind eyes and turns hearts of stone into hearts of flesh! Pray for the Lord to stretch out His merciful hand and save many Antandroy.

A few hours ago, Rosina, Melias and Noel set out to survey the village of Djabala on Nosy Be. We are hoping that Noel (one of the Malagasy missionaries) will be able to evangelize the Antandroy people there–who speak his mother tongue! It is incredible to think that Noel, from the south of Madagascar, is getting to share the gospel in his heart language so far north. They found the person of peace, the Olo Be, and made a connection with him. Noel was very excited, saying he will return. Praise God for this opportunity! Pray for many open ears to listen to the gospel message.

In Fort Dauphin, Madagascar, and the surrounding bush villages, much thought, discussion and planning has gone into the process of making disciples. There is continuing discussion on best practices and consideration of what needs to change. Two years ago a group consisting of the six leaders over Antandroy and Antanosy work met together. Recently, another group of leaders over these same two regions met. This time there were 30 leaders! The gospel is spreading! Disciples are making disciples! Workers and leaders alike are being raised up! Pray for God’s continued guidance and blessing.

Antandroy travel to other areas to escape the drought in their area. They make charcoal and plant cassava and rice. In our village on Nosy Be, there are a lot of Antandroy families. Please pray that God would raise up workers to reach out to these people, while they are far away from their homes.

Many Antandroy people work hard to offer sacrifices and please their ancestors. This is the only spiritual direction they’ve known all their lives. Fortunately, Christ is being proclaimed by those who have found Him all around the region of Androy. For these who have been reached with the Gospel, many have accepted this new faith and are following whole heartedly, but not without hardships and struggles. At the moment, they are facing persecution from other religious organizations that believe they should be paying for baptism and partaking of the Lord’s Supper, among other false beliefs. Especially in the Marovato area, people are angry that some of these individuals used to attend their services and now are seeking to know Truth. To God be the glory, in the midst of this persecution, witch doctors and villagers are seeking Christ and yearning to follow after Him. Pray specifically for these new believers and villages surrounding Marovato.

Please pray the Spirit will continue to move mightily through the Androy region. We have 28 groups meeting as a result of missionaries and now nationals who have been going out regularly to share the Gospel. 61 were baptized the last weekend in January and 14 others are awaiting baptism. This is only a small portion of the million Antandroy people but the Lord is at work through His children.

Praise the Lord for the Hales family who work among the Antandroy. They report that 10 new churches have been planted, there are now 3500 believers, with 145 who have been baptised. They ask for particular prayer ,that the Lord will send out workers from national churches to preach the good news to those who have not yet heard.

Praise the Lord that Jesus Family have reached out to 15 Antandroy villages. Several Antandroy have committed their lives to the Lord. Pray for the discipleship of new believers and the dynamics of church planting. In one village, Andalatanosy, 60 people gave their lives to the Lord. A Jesus Family missionary is quoted saying, “His work is beyond ourselves because people just came to us with understanding. All the glory be to Him alone” May the harvested soon become the harvestors amongst the Antandroy.

Robena and Josefa have completed their first month in Antsaha. They are both from the Antandroy tribe themselves and are committed to seeing an evangelical fellowship of Antandroy believers. They have begun visiting the surrounding villages of Andalatanosy, Vohitraomby, Ampamata, Ambondrobe, Manalihara, and Androhondroho. A group of interested people are already gathering together once a week for teaching in Andalatanosy. Please pray that this group will commit their lives to Christ and go out to tell others of the good news.

Pray for Robena and Josefa, Malagasy missionaries with Jesus Family who are completing their formal training and preparing for placement in the village of Antsaha with a vision for an Antandroy church plant. The placement will begin in October.

Correction to previous comment: village name, Andalatanosy.( as opposed to Ambalagoavy)

Praise the Lord Jesus Family have reached out to 15 Antandroy villages. Several Antandroy have committed their lives to the Lord. Pray for the discipleship of new believers and the dynamics of church planting. In one village, Ambalagoavy, 60 people gave their lives to the Lord. A Jesus Family missionary is quoted saying, “His work is beyond ourselves because people just came to us with understanding.All the glory be to Him alone” May the harvested soon become the harvestors amongst the Antandroy.

Message

Robena and Josefa have completed their first month in Antsaha. They are both from the Antandroy tribe themselves and are committed to seeing an evangelical fellowship of Antandroy believers. They have begun visiting the surrounding villages of Andalatanosy, Vohitraomby, Ampamata, Ambondrobe, Manalihara, and Androhondroho. A group of interested people are already gathering together once a week for teaching in Andalatanosy. Please pray that this group will commit their lives to Christ and go out to tell others of the good news.

Pray for Robena and Josefa, Malagasy missionaries with Jesus Family who are completing their formal training and preparing for placement in the village of Antsaha with a vision for an Antandroy church plant. The placement will begin in October.

Robert McGuire has had an opportunity to move into an Antandroy community in Tulear this month. It is a very poor, urban location so we are praying that he is able to feel somewhat safe in his new house as he continues to build relationships with the Tandroy people.

Jesus Family is a Malagasy-run church planting initiative that has a vision for training 24 missionaries and sending them out 2 x 2 into unreached people groups in Madagascar. The missionary trainees have been selected and their coursework will begin in July 2015. A final survey will take place this month, the purpose of which will be to make final preparations for placing 2 missionaries in the Antandory village of Antsaha in the south beginning in early 2016. Pray for the survey team and for Sedera, the leader of the Jesus Family initiative.

Pray for Robert, a member of the Tuelar FOCUS Team, who is trying to learn the Antandroy dialect and build relationships with the bicycle-rickshaw drivers of Tulear, who are mostly all from the Antandroy people group.

A preliminary survey was done in the southern areas around Tsiombe, in partnership with the Biblical Baptist Church of Madagascar. The FBBM has a vision for placing church planters in this area. Pray for the right team leaders to come along, and for a good relationship with this church partner.

I think we have team leaders for the Antandroy FOCUS Team, the Hofmanns arriving in July 2014 from Holland. We will be partnered with the Bible Baptist Church of Madagascar to plant 12 simple churches around the SUCOMA sugar cane plantation near Morondava where 6,000 Tandroy people live permanently, working as migrant labour for the plantation. There are 4 known believers.

After the survey in July, we have learned that 2 Tandroy women from the village of Encampement have been meeting with the Malagasy pastor from the main town, who accompanied us on the survey. They have since accepted Christ as their Savior and have begun meeting regularly in a “cell group” with the other Tandroy believer around the SUCOMA sugar cane plantation. Our hope is to see this cell group of 3 women continue to multiply throughout the area.

A survey in Analaiva was conducted in mid-July. The SUCOMA sugar cane plantation has about 2,000 permanent Antandroy workers employed. Along with their families, approximately 6,000 Antandroy people live in the villages surrounding the sugar cane plantation. There is one (1) known evangelical Christian among them. The Madagascar Biblical Baptist Church would like to partner with AIM in seeing simple churches planted in these villages where the Antandroy dialect is used.

Recently, a preliminary partnership was struck with the Evangelical Baptist Church of Madagascar to develop a church planting strategy for the Antandroy migrant workers around the sugar cane plantation near Mahabo. This will start with a survey in July to see if there is indeed a need and an openness to have a team of learners living in this area. The EBC has a small church plant in the town of Mahabo, which would serve as a base for ministry to the Antandroy workers.