Nosy Mitsio, Madagascar
Meet Shawn and Angie and family
“The seed for missions was planted in our hearts as teens,” write Shawn and Angie “and then [more recently] the Lord made it clear to us that we should pursue a move overseas for our family.” Shawn and Angie answered that call and served for two years as part of an Africa Inland Mission outreach team on the island of Nosy Mitsio, off Madagascar’s northern coast.
A VISUAL JOURNEY
A far off place
“There is such beauty on this island… but beyond that natural beauty, there is beauty in God’s best creation – people. The people of Antanamivony, our village, have welcomed us with huge open arms. They’ve allowed us to plant right beside them in their fields, they cook for us just about daily, give us fish, teach us, and LOVE us. We are so thankful that God has placed us where He has.”
Home Room
Homeschool is a part of the family’s life on Nosy Mitsio. “Shawn teaches Tuesdays and Thursdays,” they write, “and Angie teaches Wednesdays and Fridays. The kids are doing great! We are happy to report that Mom and Dad are surviving too!”
The Essentials
Water is no longer a tap turn away, and gathering water at the local well has become a part of Shawn’s routine, filling large yellow buckets and wheeling them back to their home in a wheel barrow for cooking, laundry, and drinking.
Vary – it’s What’s for Dinner
Vary is the Malagasy word for rice, and it is the staple on Madagascar and the surrounding islands. In fact, more rice is eaten in the region per capita than any other place on earth. Here some of the Antakarana Outreach team members learn to harvest rice from one of their neighbors. “During our first week on Nosy Mitsio,” write Shawn and Angie, “our family ate plain rice three times a day, sometimes with fish water.”
Beauty
Nosy Mitsio is part of an archipelago of about 12 other smaller islands off the northwest coast of Madagascar, only two of which are inhabited. The island is considered a hidden paradise, with miles of uninterrupted, pristine beach beside turquoise blue waters in a calm, coral bay.
Point A to Point B
Some of Africa Inland Mission’s teams use Land Rovers to get around. Another used horses. But for a team like this one, serving on a remote island, a boat seemed the best fit for trips back and forth to the Madagascar mainland for supplies.
New Friends
“The kids have become much more comfortable in their life on the island,” write Shawn and Angie, “and have made great friends with the children in our village. [They] are learning [the local language] and our village loves it!”
Darkness
Ancestor worship is a central part of Antakarana culture. In an event that happens only once every five years, the Antakarana light palm-leaf torches and make their way deep into a Royal Ancestral Cave for a special ceremony. “In the past they’ve sometimes lost people,” writes team leader Adam, “presumably from wandering into side passages without a light, and never found again.”
Community
Relationships and sharing day-to-day life with the host community are at the heart of AIM team ministry. Here Angie serves bread with her Antakarana neighbors at a funeral. “Pray,” writes Shawn, “that as we share the Gospel with the Antakarana that their eyes would be opened and see the truth and be able to accept it with an open heart.”
Just when you thought it was safe to go back on the beach
Once rice season has passed, fishing becomes a primary means of making a living for many on the island. Sometimes that means an up-close look at a freshly caught shark.
New Pals
Cool critters: it’s one of the perks of being a missionary kid.
Our Corner of Creation
Recently Shawn and Angie made their way to the top of a hill near their village. “It brought such amazing views of our little island, but what we enjoyed most about it was the view of our ‘corner’ of Nosy Mitsio. We were able to visualize the six villages, including ours, located on the northeast part of the island. We feel as though these villages are our family’s circle of influence. We want to use our family to serve this corner of Nosy Mitsio, our little corner of creation.”
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