Jeso Tsara Ho Aho

   When I was in Madagascar I learned a song in the Malagasy language, Jeso Tsara Ho Aho. The words in English are, God is good to me, God is good to me, He holds my hand, He helps me stand, God is good to me. I often find the Malagasy words running through my head as I think about the many ways I have seen God's goodness in my life. How exciting it is that soon we will be sharing the hope of the Gospel and the goodness of God with Malagasy children who have never heard.

Yes, there are people living in Madagascar.

The other day, Jan (the CEF director of Snohomish County) and I were at a Christmas party. A boy who was about 11 or 12 was talking to Jan, telling her he wanted to be a missionary in Japan. Jan said, "Oh that's wonderful! You need to meet Tara, she's going to be a missionary in Madagascar." The boy's eyes got big as he looked at me and said, "There are people in Madagascar??" It was all I could do not to start laughing. :) As we were leaving, the boy was walking behind us with his sisters. I overheard him say, "Did you know there are people in Madagascar??!!" Kids are so cute. :)
Tonight I am sharing at a youth group. I will be telling them how God called me to missions, and what I will be doing in Madagascar. We will also be talking about Romans 12:1 and they will be challenged to give their lives completely to God by listening to Him and obeying Him. Please pray with me that God will put His words in my mouth, and that the kids will desire to live in obedience to God.

Snohomish County!

          This last week I have been working with the CEF director of Snohomish County, Jan Akam. On Friday we visited one of the After School Good News Clubs in Stanwood. The kids were so excited because they were getting Wonderbook Devotionals after club. It was great to see them eager to spend time with God. Yesterday I spoke at a CEF prayer breakfast in Skagit county, and had the opportunity to speak this evening at a church in Marysville. I am so thankful to be able to share the ministry of reaching the children of Madagascar with others and give them an opportunity to join us.



The children heard about Naaman and the children who have
already believed in Jesus were challenged to tell other about Jesus.



The Good News Club teachers were amazing!



In addition to talking to the kids about Madagascar, and
missions,  I was able to lead some of the songs.



Vancouver

This week in Vancouver has been busy but alot of fun. I visited Good News Clubs and shared with the kids about Madagascar. It is always fun to tell kids about Madagascar and kids who live half way around the world. They ask fun questions. One child wanted to know if there were hotdogs in Madagascar, and one boy suggested I bring along some food when I go so that I don't have to eat the food there. :) One little girl excitedly told me she wanted to be a missionary when she grew up. It was amazing to hear the kids pray for the Malagasy children and for me. I can't wait to see how God answers their prayers.
The Teaching Children Effectively class is going good. I taught two classes yesterday and I will be teaching again tomorrow on how to give an invitation after a Bible lesson.

Teaching Children Effectively

Class went good tonight. I taught on classroom management. I enjoy teaching, but it has also been fun to listen to the other instructors teach and get ideas from them. :) I find myself listening to their illustrations and examples and trying to decide if I will be able to steal their ideas and use them when I am teaching in Madagascar. Tonight one of the instructors started class with a skit about a teen who had just gotten a car but had no clue how to drive it. The point was once kids accept Jesus, we need to help them know what to do next and teach them to grow. It was a great introduction, but I'm not so sure it would work in Madagascar. Maybe we can use an oxcart instead of a car. :)
Tomorrow I will be visiting a Good News Club here in Vancouver. I enjoy telling kids about Madagascar and kids who live halfway around the world. My prayer is that the kids leave with a burden to share the Gospel and follow God's leading in their lives.

Aim lower, think smaller, give up, Go have a cup of coffee

What a blessing it is that God has called us to reach children. Thank you for joining me to reach the children of Madagascar! You are impacting eternity.

Explore Day was a sucess!

Thanks for praying for Explore Day! Forty three people attended. The presenters did a wonderful job sharing God's call in their lives and what the ministry of Child Evangelism Fellowship looks like. We are praying for six new workers. Frik Van Rensburg, the regional director who I will be under while serving in Madagascar, was there sharing about international ministry. It was fun to spend time with him and talk about Madagascar. He was a missionary in Madagascar for a while. He told me how God called him to Madagascar. It made me want to be there all the more. :)

Frik shares with those who attended Explore Day.

Explore Day

Today is Explore Day! Over 40 people will be coming to hear about volunteer and career opportunities with Child Evangelism Fellowship. We are praying that 6 people will get involved in CEF.

Teaching Children Effectively

I have the amazing opportunity to help teach a Teaching Children Effectively class in Vancouver, WA. It started on Monday night and goes for nine weeks. We have four great students, three of them went to CYIA this last summer. This is the first TCE class I have taught and I am looking forward to it. Pray for me as I prepare for the sessions I will be teaching.

From Staff Conference to Sequim!

Yesterday I got back from staff conference. Frik Van Rensburg, the CEF regional director for the South Africa/Indian Ocean region (which includes Madagascar) was there. It was fun to see him and hear him speak. He showed me pictures and videos from his trip to Madagascar a few months ago. It broke my heart to see videos of the child laborers carrying stacks of wet bricks on their heads, and to see a child running a gambling table for a group of children. They were gambling the little money that they had. Please pray that these precious children will have the opportunity to hear the life changing message of the Gospel.

Today I am driving over to Sequim to speak at their banquet. Please pray that those who come and hear about the ministry will want to get involved, not just with Madagascar, but on the local level.

Yakima Fair

I will be helping at the Yakima fair today. Please pray that God will open the hearts of the children and parents who hear the gospel today.

Children's Ministry Conference

Saturday I went to a Children's Ministry Conference put on by CEF of Snohomish County. It was good to see how it was set up and organized. I also enjoyed sitting in on the workshops and getting ideas on how to teach them effectively.
The drive to and from Lynnwood was beautiful. It was a sunny blue sky day so Lake Washington and all the mountains were breath taking. As I was driving I was listening to the song Why by Nichole Nordman. It is amazing that God, the Creator, sacrificed everything for us, so that we could live for Him and be with Him. We serve an awesome God!

Spokane County Fair

Sept. 10th-14th I was able to help at the CEF booth at the fair in Spokane. Hundreds of kids came to the booth. We painted their faces using the colors of the wordless book and shared the Gospel with them as we painted. Continue to pray for those working at the booth and for the children who hear the Gospel. The fair ends on Sunday.