Steve Orner shares about the ministry among the Antakarana following the completion of the TIMO team on the island of Nosy Mitsio in Madagascar.
Our family were the only AIM team members to return to Nosy Mitsio after our TIMO team finished, so we were keen to establish partnerships. A survey of churches in the city of Ambilobe, a city on the mainland where many Antakarana people live and do business, revealed that the churches have a heart for outreach but have not felt equipped to begin ministry. We visit Ambilobe frequently for supplies, so we have been able to meet and work with them. Last year we connected a church in Ambilobe with a church in Nosy Be (another island off Madagascar). A group of musicians came to Ambilobe to teach on worship and the importance of using the local dialects of unreached peoples. They were able to train the church as well as to write 17 original worship songs and record them to be used for outreach.
In December 2018 a Malagasy couple, Petera and Francine, who are from a different people group, joined us for a month to build relationships and learn about ministry on Nosy Mitsio. After their time with us they returned to their hometown and started to raise support to prepare to join us as long term missionaries. They should be part of our team and settled in Nosy Mitsio by the time you read this article. We are excited about the things that God has done and is continuing to do among the Antakarana.
