H ello everyone!
We were very happy to have a chance to visit recently with our teammates from Nosy Mitsio, the Orners, here in the US! It was a short visit (since we all have very busy schedules during our short time here in the US) but it was great to see each other on this side of the world! All the kids had a blast visiting the St Louis Science Center, and who knows, maybe one day they’ll go to Mars together! 😉 We’re excited about continuing to work with the Orners on Nosy Mitsio when we all head back later this year.
We hope this message finds you well! First, we want to say thank you to everyone so far who’s graciously received us in their homes, welcomed us to their churches or classrooms, or who have invited us over for a meal or taken us out to eat. We’ve really appreciated all the hospitality we’ve received so far and it’s helped to make our time in the States this year very enjoyable and rejuvenating.
We’ve also appreciated all the opportunities so far to share with so many different members of the body of Christ, to share what God is doing in Madagascar, and to encourage one another as we all together participate in the work of his Kingdom. It’s been great seeing old friends and also making new ones and we’re very excited for what’s ahead!
Thank you also to those who’ve faithfully supported us and the work in Madagascar for so long already, through your prayers and financial support. We’ve come a long ways already in large part thanks to you guys! And thanks also to those who’ve recently joined us in regular financial support – we’re very happy that you’ll be with us going forward as we work together to see God’s Kingdom come to the unreached peoples of Madagascar!
O ne of the reasons we’re writing today though is to ask if any of you would also be able to help us make up for the remainder that we lack in financial support. Our regular monthly budget (only $1650 a month for our whole family) is enough to cover all of our needs for ministry in Madagascar. However, we’ve been short of that budget for almost a year now. Thanks to recent financial supporters joining us in the work, we’re now only about $310/month short of what we need.
If you’ve been inspired by the work of God in Madagascar, by something we’ve shared, or if you just have a passion for seeing God’s Kingdom come to all the corners of this earth, we’d ask you to please consider joining us in this work through monthly financial support. Please take some time to seek God in prayer and follow in whatever way he’s leading you.
If you’re unable to commit to monthly giving at this time, but would still like to join us through financial support, we do also have several other extra expenses that we need to pay in order to return to Madagascar in September. With the shortfall in our monthly budget, we haven’t been able to set aside the money we normally would for these extra expenses. The highest expense is just flying to/from Madagascar. Last year we weren’t able to purchase round-trip tickets to/from the US, so we still need to pay for our one-way return tickets to Madagascar in September. It costs just over $3800 for our whole family to fly back to Madagascar (one-way).
Madagascar is on nearly the exact opposite side of the world and few people travel there, so flights are very expensive.
Along the way, we’ll be stopping in South Africa (a regular place for stopover along the flight to Madagascar) and we’ll be visiting with the YWAM Frontier Missions team there to discuss and strategize together about reaching the Antakarana of Madagascar. It will also cost us about $415 for our family to travel within South Africa to meet with the YWAM Frontier Missions team there.
Every year, we also have to renew our residency visas and paperwork that allow us to live in Madagascar and do ministry among the Antakarana. That can cost us up to $1000 a year (for our whole family)! It’s an unavoidable government requirement for us foreigners to live in Madagascar. We have to begin that process again soon, before we return to Madagascar, and the initial costs to begin our family’s visa paperwork will be about $300.
Finally, we also really need to replace our luggage. We had used our last set for over 10 years in nearly as many different countries – it had taken a beating over the years and kept on going. But our luggage finally met its match on Nosy Mitsio: chewed through by the rats, zippers corroded and sealed shut (or disintegrated), handles broken, etc. So we’re looking for some tougher luggage this time around, some that ought to be more rat-proof and more resistant to the weather. I’ve found a few options and it looks like it could cost between $200-$400 to get some luggage that ought to be able to withstand the harsh environment of our ministry location.
I know that this is a lot that we’re asking for. We try not to ask often, but we wanted to let you know what our needs are at this time so that you can have an opportunity to help, to join us in what God’s doing to reach the unreached Antakarana people of Madagascar.
Together, we’ve already accomplished so much: being the first missionaries to ever engage the Antakarana people in a long-term incarnational Gospel outreach. We’ve trained new long-term missionaries to join us in the work. We’ve translated the first Bible story set into the Antakarana language. We’ve initiated sustainable community outreach efforts – basic healthcare access – for the communities of Nosy Mitsio. And we’ve cleared the ground, broken up the soil, and planted seeds of the Gospel that we believe will one day grow into a harvest of multiplying churches, reaching throughout northern Madagascar and beyond. But the harvest isn’t here yet and there’s still so much more to be done. We would love for you to consider joining us in these further efforts.
Sometimes the work we’re engaged in can seem impossible, from beginning to end. We’ve certainly been through plenty of challenges in this work so far that we would’ve never expected, and I’m sure there are plenty more challenges still to come. But we know that with God all things are possible. And we know that his plan is to reach the Antakarana people, that they would join with us as members of his body, the Church. Together, as members of the body of Christ, God’s calling all of us to participate in his work of reaching the whole world with the good news of Jesus. Please pray and consider how you can join with us in that work.
H ere’s a recap of our current and upcoming needs:
$310 / monthly support
One time needs
| $3800 | Return tickets to Madagascar |
| $415 | Travel in South Africa to meet with YWAM Frontier Missions |
| $300 now ($1000 total) | Residency visas for Madagascar |
| ~$200-$400 | Replacement luggage, more durable |
| TOTAL: ~$5000 |
All donations made to us through our sending church (Sanctuary Church in Tulsa, OK) are 100% tax-deductible and there are no fees or percentages withheld from your donations. You can make donations directly online (with the button below) or you can send a check (all the details are here): How to Donate
If you’d like to set up automatic monthly giving (through check or credit card), please just let us know and we can get you the info for how to set that up. If you’re committing to join us for monthly support, please let us know so that we can update our budget.
Again, thanks to all of you for standing together with us in bringing the Kingdom of God to Madagascar!
In Christ,
Adam, Lora, Matimu and David Willard
UPDATE (6-18-17): Praise God and thank you to many of you who have responded to our request for help! As of today we’re now at 100% of our expected needs met! All of our monthly support has been pledged and all of our one-time needs have also been provided for. Our God is good and he always supplies all of our needs! Thank you again to all of you who are helping and who are joining us in this work, whether through prayer or giving.
A highly valued part of our time in the US this year has been Matimu’s opportunity to attend Kindergarten at a local school. He really had a great time there, had a great teacher, and made some great friends. It was an awesome experience for him all around, and all the more valuable knowing he may not get another chance to enjoy school in the US.
