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Mbôlatsara
I,
Kristin, am writing for Deborah Hamilton this month. For those of
you who don't know Deborah, she and her husband David and two of
their children are Americans serving in the northern part of
Madagascar. David is currently serving mainly in Morafeno:
evangelizing, teaching, and church planting. Deborah is serving as a
helper to a midwife in Diego. (We would have a picture of the
Hamiltons, but their digital camera was stolen when their home was
broken into. Deborah is looking into finding a scanner to scan a
picture to send to us.)
I just got off the phone with Deborah and I'm excited to share with
you some of the interesting cultural things she has been learning.
First, pain relief during labor is unheard of in that culture. I'm
not just talking about drugs to relieve pain; even using the
techniques we have learned as doulas are not welcomed. It is a sign
of weakness and is shameful for a woman to even make noise or move
into comfortable positions for labor.
Next, like other third-world countries, the concept of a doula is
completely foreign. It is the job of the mother, sister, aunt, or
even daughter of the laboring woman to serve her. Even midwives
don't usually have assistants because the family serves in that
capacity as well.
Also, the people in Madagascar see "medicine" and other things (like
white sugar and white flour) that have been brought into their
country by white foreigners as "superior" to simple things such as
the native medicinal plants and herbs, unprocessed "red sugar" and
whole grain flours. The people who don't believe in using food and
plants to help their health, however, are too poor to afford the
"medicine".
Please continue to pray for the Hamilton Family. They are currently
in need of prayer for direction concerning a possible ministry
opportunity in the "bush". There may be an opportunity for Deborah
to serve with a clinic that cares for people in the bush. David will
be traveling there the weekend of September 16 to learn more about
it. Also pray for the Lord to work out the details concerning
repairs to their house in Virginia. The renters did tons of damage:
broke the heating and air conditioning, put holes in walls, painted
walls black, etc.
Next month, you will hear more news directly from Deborah.
Since we
are planning to visit the Hamiltons in Madagascar in 2007, we need
to learn the language. Deborah will be helping us with important
words and phrases each month in our newsletter. The following is
October's Antakaran word of the month. By the way, If you have a
desire to take a short-term missions trip to an island off the east
coast of Africa, let us know. We'll have a great adventure (we even
get to visit a real rain forest!), we'll meet precious new friends,
and we will have the honor and privilege to assist the Hamiltons in
their work there. Everyone is welcome.
The
Antakaran word of the month
When Malagasy was first written in the 1800's by British linguists,
it was decided the consonants would be pronounced like English
consonants and the vowels like French vowels. Now call on your high
school French pronounce this word: Mbôlatsara. M and t are
sub-vocalized, virtually not pronounced. The 'o' with the
circumflex, we call it a hat, is pronounced like the letter o when
you sing the ABC's. Now try it.........Congratulations! You have
just said your first Antakaran word. Would you like to know what
you've said before you go around the house practicing on the cat and
dog? You've just said hello. Literally you've said 'still good', in
that word order. Well I'm very proud of you, go ahead and give
yourself a pat on the back. More to come next month. Until then if
the cat answers you with something that sounds like Ino vaovao, call
me.
God's
Peace
Deborah
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Brown Rice and
Raw Veggies
2 C uncooked
brown basmati rice, rinsed
4 C water
1/2 medium red bell pepper, diced
1/2 medium green bell pepper, diced
1/2 medium orange bell pepper, diced
1/4 small onion, diced
2 medium carrots, grated or diced very small
1/2 medium zucchini, diced
1 large or 2 small ripe tomatoes
2/3 C black beans (I use Westbrae organic- in a can)
1 C of your favorite salad dressing (Italian or something really
garlicky is the best)
Combine rice
and water in pan, bring to a boil, stir, reduce heat, cover, and
simmer for about 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, dice
your veggies and prepare the dressing.
When the rice
is done, combine the rice, veggies, beans, and dressing in a large
bowl.
Allow it to sit
for at least 10 minutes for the flavors to mingle.
This main dish
can be a meal in itself. It is full of Vit C, Vit A, Iron, Protein,
etc.
Have a good recipe? Share it here!
A place
to share our children's stories,
funny sayings or touching
scenarios.
Better Get A Second Opinion
Two
young boys were in the hospital, lying on beds next to each other
outside the operating room.
The first boy leaned over and asked, "What are you in for?"
The second kid replied, "I'm in here to get my tonsils out and I'm a
little nervous."
The first kid said, "You've got nothing to worry about. I had that
done when I was four. They put you to sleep, and when you wake up
they give you lots of Jell-O and ice cream. It's a breeze."
The second kid brightened and then asked, "What are you here for?"
"A circumcision," the boy replied.
"Whoa!" said the second boy. "I had that done when I was born.
Couldn't walk for a year."
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