The Jones Family in South Africa: 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!