Recent Photos:

 

In November 2014, our team finally arrived to join us on Nosy Mitsio, Madagascar!  Here are photos of their first 8 months in Madagascar, activities and learning as a team, a Malagasy “rodeo”, a local funeral, a couple med-evac’s, and more.

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Living Life on Nosy Mitsio, Dec 2013 – Nov 2014

 

These are all the photos since we found and purchased our team boat (Dec 2013), finished building and stocking all the homes of our team members, and went to Tana to pick them up in Nov 2014. During that whole time, we continued learning language, building relationships, getting used to life on Nosy Mitsio, and just getting ready for our team’s arrival.   (11/06/2014, 153 photos)

 

 

 

Ancestral rituals and life on Nosy Mitsio, October–December 2013

 

These pictures were taken between October and December 2013.  They mostly show life on our island and the continual construction of our home and our team members’ homes.  The first photos are of a big ancestral ceremony that happens in our village on Nosy Mitsio once every five years.  There’s also a set of photos from a big ancestral ceremony (also happens just once every five years) on the mainland of Madagascar where the Antakarana people enter their royal ancestral caves to entreat their royal ancestors.   (12/8/2013, 135 photos)

 

 

 

Return to Madagascar and Moving to Nosy Mitsio 2013

 

These photos are from our return to Madagascar and our move to Nosy Mitsio in 2013!  We got back to Madagascar in late June, scouted out Nosy Mitsio, moved there in August, began settling in, building our home, and learning a new way of life among the Antakarana people there.  The last of these photos is from mid-Oct 2013.  (10/13/2013, 98 photos)

 

 

 

South Africa and Tanzania 2013

In April 2013, we left the US to head back to Madagascar.  But we stopped in South Africa along the way to see friends from our time there as Peace Corps Volunteers.  Then we went to several training events in Tanzania (in May and June) to prepare us for our role as team leaders for the upcoming team of new missionaries we’ll have here on Nosy Mitsio later this year.  During a break in training in Tanzania, we also had the chance to visit the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater for a really awesome safari.  Then we visited another missionary team in their village in Tanzania before finally heading on to Madagascar.   (06/16/2013, 124 photos)

 

 

US Visit: Christmas ’12 through April ’13

We visited the US from Madagascar from Christmas 2012 until April 2013. We spent a lot of time with family, traveled all over, and had an early 2nd birthday celebration for Matimu. It was a great time and a lot of “firsts” for Matimu!  (04/21/2013, 78 photos)

 

 

 

 

 

Madagascar 6 – The Islands! Sainte Marie & Nosy Mitsio

Most of the pictures are from a week-long vacation to Ile Sainte Marie (and Ile Aux Nattes) and also from our first visit to Nosy Mitsio in the northwest of Madagascar, where we’ll be living next year. There are also a few photos from Tamatave and the YWAM DTS there.  (12/11/2012, 115 photos)

 

 

 

 

Madagascar 5 – Antenina village

All of these pictures were taken between August and October, during our trips out to the remote village of Antenina, where we taught about sanitation and health, as well as starting Bible studies with people who’ve never known about Jesus before, and eventually a vibrant reproducing church was planted. It’s amazing how God moved there!  (10/31/2012, 167 Photos)

 

 

 

 

Madagascar 4

These photos were taken between June and August 2012, when we first arrived on the east coast at YWAM Tamatave, and when Matimu had food poisoning (including a short trip to the capital city). (08/10/2012, 65 Photos)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Madagascar 3

Most of these photos were from when Lora’s sister, Heather, visited us in Madagascar. We spent time in Tana, Antsirabe, and moved from there to Tamatave, stopping to see some awesome animals along the way.(06/01/2012, 116 Photos)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Madagascar 2

These photos are while we’re still living in Antsirabe continuing Malagasy language lessons. There are also photos from a trip to Ranomafana rainforest, pictures from the time of Matimu’s accident, a short backpacking trip in the rural areas around a nearby town (Betafo), teaching at our friend’s school, and a visit to a distant small village which was also our first time to preach in Malagasy. Madagascar continues to be an incredibly beautiful country! (04/23/2012, 162 Photos)

 

 

 

 

 

Madagascar 1

Our first album of photos from living in Madagascar. Most of these pictures were taken in and around Antsirabe, from October 2011 to January 2012 and showcase Antsirabe’s town life, the surrounding countryside, and our attempts to integrate into the local lifestyle. (01/21/2012, 77 Photos)

 

 

 

 

 

Transition to Madagascar!

Pictures from our move to Madagascar. They’re mostly from South Africa, in Pretoria, Dumphries, and Kruger, where we stopped for a few weeks along the way to visit friends and “family”. But the last 10-15 are from our arrival in Madagascar. (10/23/2011, 139 Photos)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Older Photos:

 

Madagascar – March – April 2010

These are pictures from our preparation trip to Madagascar in March – April 2010. (03/21/2010, 54 Photos)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Madagascar 2002

My first visit to Madagascar, in 2002. (08/10/2002, 80 Photos)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

South Africa photos:

 

South Africa – Best Of

The best pictures from our 2 years and 4 months of Peace Corps service in South Africa. (11/22/2010, 512 Photos)