The Great Reward!

 
         I am a "Grinch." This will be the first Christmas spent apart from family and friends. I didn't expect it to be this hard that is for sure! I have been avoiding all Christmas songs, and when I see pictures of snow, Christmas trees, family, people having fun, or even smiling on Facebook( OK that is a bit of an exaggeration, but you get the picture) I am sad, and naturally I don't like to be sad, so I start blaming God for bringing me here, and making me unhappy......... Thankfully when I have my little fits, I have the reality to put me back in my place!

Reality comes in the form of God's Truth in the Scriptures!.........And a bit of Shane and Shane:)

Today these are the things that put me back in my place:

A young unmarried girl who became pregnant, seems pretty scary for girls even now, but could you imagine it back then. Unless the father of the child agreed to marry her, and "make things right" she would prob remain unmarried and unloved for the rest of her life. Especially her, I mean who would ever believe that she was made pregnant by the Holy Spirit of God.  People would definitely think she was a crazy mess! But Mary said "May it be as you have said." She didn't know the extent of all that people would come to remember her and know her for, she only knew that God loved her, and was asking her to serve him, and she willingly did. I hope that I can learn from the mother of Jesus, and even when things look absolutely disastrous and stupid, and all the people around me are going to think I am crazy. That I still willingly offer my life to God. I hope I can remember like she did that HE is the reward!

  I have been throwing myself a bit of a pity party, and this is why.......Sometimes I think to myself "I am being obedient, so why aren't things going better?" Apparently, I actually have the nerve to think that I have done something worthy of a reward, and because I did it, I feel like I should get to choose the reward.
When I face inconvenience or discomfort that is beyond what I had previously planned on, I automatically think that either I have misread God's will or that God has some how been unfaithful in fulfilling his promise to me. But as I read about the Story of Mary and Joseph and the birth of Jesus. I am quickly reminded of the Truth! God did not make the road less bumpy for Joseph and Mary, but he strengthened them through it. God did not provide a luxurious inn for Joseph and Mary, but brought their Son into this world in humble surroundings. When I follow God's will for my life, I am not guaranteed comfort and convenience. But I am promised that everything, even the discomfort, and inconvenience has meaning in God's plan. He will guide me and provide for me all that I need. And most importantly HE is the great reward!

May we all rejoice this Christmas Season that we have already received the most prized, and precious gift, Jesus!

Merry Christmas!

Love,
Holly

Who would have thought!

I feel like the song "I have been everywhere Man" By Johnny Cash should be playing in this update, because we have been all over the world this last month...We have traveled from the Island of Madagascar to the United States, to Mexico, Back to the US, and Back to Madagascar! We have been able to stick our feet in the Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, and next week we will add the Mozambique Channel to that list. God has been so good to us in allowing us to safely travel all over the world, and spend some wonderful, and unexpected time with our families. We even got to celebrate a wonderful early Thanksgiving with one of our families:)
What we didn't expect was to be so ready to get back home to Madagascar, apparently while we were away our hearts decided to really declare and reaffirm to us that they belonged home, in Madagascar! I can only realistically accredit this to the many of you who have been faithfully praying for us, and the Malagasy. God has been so faithful and good in calling and sustaining us here!
 Since returning back, Kurtis and I have been able to really jump right back into learning about the culture here, and how desperately the Malagasy are in need of the Hope that is found in Jesus. I was able to attend a Malagasy birth, and saw first hand the differences in what it means to be born in America and what it means to be born into Africa. I had the privilege of being a part of many deliveries in America, and there was always so much hope, excitement,so much promise, and many great opportunities that Lie ahead for that precious little newborn! The birth I attended here was just as miraculous, but for that little newborn, his life promise is very different, one of pain and struggle. Again I was reminded of how blessed we are in America, and how glad I am to be able to have something to offer the Malagasy, something that will last, and something that may or may not change their circumstances, but how they can look at those situations, and set them free from a life of bondage. Through the life of Jesus I can share with them His hope, his plan!

I am thankful for your prayers, and I ask that you would pray for our ability to understand the language and the culture here! That we would understand the underlying issues that are the cause of the deep rooted beliefs and traditions.


Love,
Holly

Turning of the Bones!

Yesterday as it approached evening our neighbors introduced to us our first experience with a "real" Malagasy party! The music and dancing started around 6 pm and went well into the next morning, they finally gave it a rest at 730 this morning!It is the season of" The Turning of The Bones.
 The people here believe that when one of their family members dies they don't really die, but have a different life, a more powerful one. They believe that their dead ancestors come to them in dreams and tell them that they are cold, or need a fresh set of clothes! So when a Malagasy person has a dream about that, they kill all their cows, and throw a big party! They take the dead body of their ancestors out of their tomb, clean the bones or flesh, and re-wrap them with clean cloth. This whole process takes a couple of days, and they dance around with the bones and celebrate. It kind of looks like a big parade as they march on the streets with the corpse, and play lots of music! Often times the Malagasy people will try to convince their dead ancestor to bless them in some way......either give them good health, make them wealthy, or protect them from harm. In order to do this they will try to take part of the flesh that remains on the corpse, or some of the powdery stuff that is in the cloth wrapped around the corpse, and they eat it! They also will take the teeth our of the corpse and place it in their mouth. Hope you all are still hanging in there as you read this:)
We have only been introduced to this by our neighbors, but tomorrow( on Kurtis's 30th Birthday) We will spend the day experiencing first hand the customs of the Turning of the Bones ceremony! I know that the smell of the tomb will be horrendous, and that the food that we will eat tomorrow will be interesting, but we are thankful for opportunities to be able to learn how the people here think and live their lives, so that we can better understand their needs and how to help these people!

From Tears to Rejoicing!

Wishing I could be there for my sister, and this exciting time in her life as she prepares for marriage. How do I join in the celebration of my sister's upcoming wedding from nearly 10,000 miles away?  I  think of all the wonderful memories we have made together over the years, and I am so grateful that God has provided such a crazy, wonderful, fun, loving sister! I rejoice in the wonderful blessing it is to have a sister.

It kills me to know I won't be there to see you try on your dress or walk down the aisle (well in your case the beach)! Instead of letting the tears fall any longer, I decided to rejoice with you from afar.  I have been reminiscing over some fun times with you through pics! Kurtis and I made this little snid-bit for you to know how much we love you, and are thinking and praying for you during this exciting time in your life!  We also enjoyed a good laugh!

Here is to celebrating despite the distance!

Our First Glimpse!

Lots of firsts for us in Madagascar!

 It is winter here, which is the dry season, and the weather is very cold. Our home is concrete, and does not have heat so it is always warmer outside of our home than inside.  We had quite a bit of adjusting to do (especially our stomachs), and some house maintenance to complete before I was able to make myself at home here, but after a good cleaning, fixing some light bulbs, fixing the toilet, fixing the washer, fixing the hot water heater, and buying some blankets we are now feeling quite at home:)
The smells of Madagascar were another thing that I had to get use to! Lets just say there is a mix of many smells, but the strong ones are urine, poop, body odor, smoke, and dust.  The majority of  Malagasy live on less than $1 a day and they have had very little to no education on sanitation! That means it is very common to see people urinating and defecating along side of the road! And they definitely don't use toilet paper! This also leads to the very thing that I have not figured out how to cope with yet, the beggars! They are cute little kids, that come to you in swarms, they surround your car, and they look you in the eye and ask for money! It is sad! I cried more than a few times knowing that I would not be able to change their situations. They are truly in need, many have illnesses, and there is no health care for these people! Their clothes are filthy and torn. Many Malagasy walk the sewage filled roads with no shoes! Life for the Malagasy is very hard!


I know that this post is pretty dreary, and the reality is that life here is going to be filled with these things, and they will only be intensified as we move away from the city after studying the language. However I am very thankful to be able to be here among these people! I am humbled, and encouraged to live my own life without so much greed in my heart! Just the little that I have experienced that, makes my heart full and satisfied! God has truly blessed us! I am so thankful for my family and friends at home. I have received many encouraging words and messages from you and it makes me feel as though you guys are right here with me on this journey!  I can't wait to learn the language fully, and to be able to see some of you serving right along side of us in Madagascar!

 Who wants fish??

 A day in the market!

                                   

 Kids are so cute here!

  We paid only .20 Cents for 2.2 pounds of carrots!

CARE PACKAGES!

Some of you have inquired on how to send us a package and what we need while we are in Madagascar. I understand more fully now after arriving in Madagascar why these packages are so wonderful!

Here are some things to consider if you are thinking about sending a package. The most cost efficient way to send something is by using the flat rate boxes from your local post office.  It is a bit expensive so grab a friend, family member, small group, or church to go in with you, we have been told it is approx $55 to send the large box, and that it takes anywhere from 2-8 weeks to get here. When you are asked to declare the value of items in the package on the customs form, please put Garage sale prices. They determine what we pay to pick up the package off of that number.

Below is a list of things that we thought we would be able to get here, but have not been able to.
(people have asked us for detailed lists, so please know that we would be happy with anything and surprises are great, but we added detail for those who have asked)

Crystal Light
Dental Floss
Shampoo- Any kind is better than what you can get here!
Conditioner- Any kind
Lotion
Vitamins
Body Wash
Chapstick ( Vanilla Mint is Holly's favorite, but I think you can only find it at wal-greens)
Pepto Bismol Tablets
Bug Spray with DEET
Starbursts
Oreos
Beef Jerky
ziplock baggies 
Any kind of baking chips(butterscotch, chocolate, white chocolate)
Velveeta or imitation cheese that comes in the block to melt down( This is obviously a Kurtis Request:)

Our Address Is:
Kurtis & Holly Jones
B.P. 268
110 Antsirabe
Madagascar

Good Morning Madagascar!

 We safely arrived in Madagascar yesterday afternoon with very few issues!  We were able to get all of our luggage, which was questionable after our experience in the states.  I must say that the roads and traffic here are an experience!  I was riding in the passenger side of the truck with Matt, our team leader, and I couldn't tell you how many people, vehicles, scooters, and bikes that we come so close to and it didn't even phase him!  We both woke up super early this morning, still dealing with jet lag, and had time to spend with the Lord.  If you know me at all you know that I don't really enjoy getting up too early in the morning, but this morning was different.  I actually wanted to get up, go out on our balcony, and just see the people we came here to be with and share the love of Christ with.  I just stood there watching them, praying for them, and just seeing what life looks like here in the city of Tana.  Below is the view from our balcony this morning!

 

THIS IS WHY

Here I am 2 weeks away from leaving all that I have ever known..... My family will continue to grow, their babies will be born, my sisters and brothers will get married, celebrate birthdays, holidays, and reach milestones together. I will not be there for these moments. My Grandparents will continue to age, this time with them might be the last I have with them. These goodbye's seems so final. My heart will long to be with them! I will miss out on new memories being made here with them.

It hurts.

I am sad for the moments I will miss with them.

We have sold or given away all of our possessions that we have acquired over the years.  We own nothing now, except what will fit in the space of a small crate that we will take with us. We have both resigned from our jobs and withdrawn from the Identities that we had in those positions.
We have very little of what matters to this world that we currently live in.

All of this is to answer the question that we most often hear, "Why would you do this?"

I thought today would be the best day to tell you, Good Friday.
Right about the time I am writing this, Jesus was doing something thousands of years ago that has given me the answer to the "Why". He did something that makes all of what we are doing seem pretty easy, simple actually. Many years ago on this day Jesus was accomplishing something that changed my life and made it worth living!

He was leaving behind his family and friends, He was enduring the most gruesome form of torture anyone could think of, his closest friends were deserting him, and betraying him. He was being wrongly accused of crimes that he did not commit.  No one was standing up for him, he was enduring this all ALONE. I am sure that he felt abandoned by everyone that he loved.  He had all of the power in the world to jump off that cross and retaliate, to save himself. Yet Jesus stayed on that cross suffering. Hurting emotionally and physically. The real question is, why would He do that?

The answer is pretty clear. He wanted me to have a chance to know and experience His Love for me. To be able to spend an eternity enjoying a life of love with him. He thought that I was worth it all! His love for me changed my life, and it is what is changing the world. How could I be so lucky to have a part in this love!

If you do not understand this kind of love, you will never understand why we are going? But if you know the love that God has for you, then you will understand that there is really no sacrifice on our part. knowing the love of Christ transforms me, changes me just simply by believing it.  Sure there is pain, but on this road, thanks to Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, I have comfort for the pain, I have hope for the future, I have healing from the broken heart, and I have a purpose. I have found worth in this meaningless life. I will leave my family for a short time so that others may spend an Eternity with theirs. And most of all I will have Love. The kind that never fails, never gives up,  and never runs out. This kind of love is powerful, it is life changing, and it is what gives hope to a dying world. 

So the reason "Why" is because God is so Good, and nothing in this world provides peace and joy like following Jesus. And if that means following him to the end of the earth, you will find us there; not because we are special people or super Christians or extra Holy, but because God is Good, Perfect, and living a life with him is worth anything we have to offer!

These next steps we take completely in Faith hoping that we can please God with what little we have to offer, and hoping that others may experience this freedom and peace that is found in his love!

Thank you Jesus for your sacrifice and for loving me, help me to love them as you do!

A Tidley Bit of Info

Hi everyone! As most of you already know Kurtis and I are about to embark on a new adventure in our lives. We are going to be headed to Madagascar as missionaries with the International Mission Board.

Madagascar is the 4th largest island in the world, it is also often referred to as the eighth continent, or Red Island.  The population of Madagascar is approximately 20 million people. The people of Madagascar are referred to as the Malagasy people, and their national language is Malagasy, they also speak French. We will need to learn both of them.

Kurtis and I will be going to Madagascar with the exact end destination of our location on the island unknown. When we get to the island we will be doing language study near the capital city and we will venture out to the outer parts of the island to see where God is leading us. We will then make our home in whatever area that is! 

There are lots of unknowns in our lives right now, but the one thing that we do know is that God is in control of the steps that we are taking, we fully trust him to lead us one step at a time.( I would personally rather know all of the details ahead of time, but I guess when I get my own universe I can choose those things:)!

 It has been a long, and rough process getting to this point. We started the application to become missionaries nearly 4 years ago, and had I known that it was going to take this long from the beginning I would have given up on it a long time ago. Thankfully, God didn't give me that little detail ahead of time:)  That is one of the great things about God, he works it out all in His timing, and I just have to take the next step, I don't have to have all the answers, and all the details to start my journey with him. I just have to take the next step, even when the next step looks pretty crazy. Please join us on this crazy journey, and encourage us along the way!

With Much Love for all of you!

Holly Jones

The Timeline

This is one of the most frequently asked questions we have had over the past couple of months!  So here we go:


March
2nd - My last day of work!
3rd - We leave for a cruise for 6 days.
10th - Fishing trip to south Missouri with Holly's family
14th - Holly's Birthday
15-16 - INMED Disaster Relief conference in Kansas City
17-22nd - Appointment Week in Lake Charles, LA

April
 Finish packing and crating our belongings to be shipped to Madagascar in 6 months
 14th Going away party in Braymer, MO
 21st we leave for Richmond, VA for 8 weeks of training

June
 Still training in Richmond, VA
 Return home for 2 weeks

July
 3rd WE LEAVE FOR ANTSIRABE, MADAGASCAR!