You know that you are overstaying your welcome in a place when the apartment block you live in, catches fire. On Friday at about 5 o’ clock, we heard people yelling down below in the street. This is nothing unusual for this neighbourhood and I put it down to the week-end excesses starting early. When more voices joined in, I thought that it called for a quick glimpse out the window and received quite a fright when we realised that people were urging the inhabitants to get out as the building was on fire. This warranted some action on our part and we grabbed a few things, passports being the most important and fled the apartment.
I greatly admire my sister who is a firefighter in Canada. Only realise now how brave you have to be.
It was raining when we joined the growing number of people in the street. Some with their pyjamas on, nervous cats tucked under jackets and some still thinking that it was a joke. Black smoke and angry flames billowed from an apartment on the other side of the building. Definitely not a little fire that could be doused by a little water. The fire department finally arrived and did their thing. After two hours outside, we were cleared to go back to our apartments, grateful that our friend’s flat was nowhere near the fire, but sad for those who lost everything.
Time to return to Madagascar!
We are able to fly directly with Air Ethiopia to Nosy Be now and our tickets are booked for 3 June. A nice birthday present for Dries. We will head up to Pretoria 22 May. Please pray with us for Dries’s visa appointment at the Madagascar embassy on 24 May.
It is that time of the year at school when the Grade 5’s prepare themselves for the CEPE exam which is the one that allows them entrance to secondary school. It might be the last CEPE exam for Joshua Generation School, but the first one for Lovako school in Russian Bay. Miky, Masilaza and Sara are the first children from their village to ever write this exam. Their teacher, Ledesy accompanied them from Russian Bay and they are attending and living in one of the classrooms at JoshGen school until the end of this school year. Masilaza was one of the first children to come to Lovako school and this is such an achievement for her as most of her family is illiterate. What makes all of this more special is that they give God the glory for the opportunity to go to school.
Ledesy (teacher), Miky, Masilaza and Sara
Thank you to all of you who partner with us. Your love and support change the lives of children.
Have a blessed week.