I have annually held a vocations weekend retreat to meet with young men who are discerning a call to the priesthood. This is the first step in discipling and discernment. These young men have gathered from the far-flung regions of the diocese in my house in Mahajanga city and for three days we pray together and discuss together what it means to be a priest. Husband, and father. These weekends have been very fruitful.

While I am opposed to the ordination of women on biblical, theological, and ecclesiological grounds, I am a very keen supporter of women in ministry. It is my prayerful hope that every parish in the Diocese of Mahajanga will have a male priest and a female deaconess who are working together as partners in the gospel. Men and women are different. We have different strengths and weaknesses. The church needs both in leadership.

Later this month I will hold the first deaconess vocations weekend at my house. Young women have been given the opportunity to discuss what it means to be a deaconess, wife, and mother. The order of deaconesses is not new – in fact the Canons and Constitution of the Diocese of Mahajanga, since its inception, has had a canon about deaconesses – we have just never set any apart.

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I ask you to pray that God will raise up biblically grounded, evangelical, charismatic, and catholic deaconesses who can work together with the priests for the sake of the growth and development of the diocese. If you are able, I also ask you to make an offering in support of this vocations weekend. Raising up new leaders costs money. Perhaps the Lord is laying it on your heart to help us in this way? If so, please use one of the links below.

I was first introduced to these small gadgets by one of my priests who purchased one to use in the small rural villages where he is actively working with his wife at planting new Anglican congregations. Most of these new congregations are being built in very humble places. Often, they have no building but meet beneath mango trees. They have simple makeshift altars. Christians sit on the dirt. Communion is served, not in chalices, but in chipped tea cups. Very seldom is there any instrumental accompaniment to the singing of the hymns and the chanting of the Psalms.

So many an Anglican congregation in Madagascar use online resources as an accompaniment for the hymns and those chanted portions of the liturgy. These simple solar powered speakers enable the priest, catechist, or evangelist, to connect into their cell phones via Bluetooth, and therefore use the speaker to accompany the singing.

This is no small thing. There is joy on the Christians faces as they sing the Lord praise, as they chant the Te Deum, and Benedictus, and as they sing the ancient music for the Sursum Corda. These simple speakers lift their praise to an even higher level. In each case as I have presented the congregations with their new speakers there has been thunderous applause….all glory to Jesus!

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Thank you ARDFC and the Anglican Diocese of Canada for making this possible.

Like in most places, there’s a very negative stigma attached to ex-offenders. Some of these young men have been disowned by their parents for bringing public shame against the family name. Most of these young men were found guilty of stealing...but sadly they were stealing so that they might provide the basic necessities of life.

We invited them to come to our house to swim in the pool and have something to eat, in the hope that we could be of encouragement to them, and to show them love and respect. In many ways, it is very sad. These are not hardened criminals; they are simply young men doing what they must do simply to survive.

Father Mamy, my domestic Chaplain was with me because he has an extraordinary heart for young people, especially for these young people who have, admittedly, made poor decisions. I asked Father Mamy to welcome them to the Bishop’s house and to share how very happy we are that they could visit us. He laid out simple rules for the pool and shared that we would have some light snacks after they swam. Through my translator he told me he didn’t want to pray immediately. He wanted them to feel welcome, to enjoy each other’s company, to have fun with us, and only after that, would he take the opportunity to speak a word of truthful encouragement into their lives and to pray with them. He is very wise.

They swam and had a lot of fun. They ate everything that we had laid out for them to eat (I’m sure they would’ve eaten three times as much!). And then Father Mamy took the opportunity to express that every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future. I encouraged them to make better decisions and told them that we would do all that we could to help them make better decisions.

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Father Mamy was by trade a maker of cabinetry and furniture before he was ordained a priest. After the young men left, we began to talk about what might be possible if he were to open a small educational shopfront where he could train these boys in carpentry. He could teach them how to make furniture and that would provide for them the means of having gainful employment. We also believe that this will offer them a real opportunity to make better decisions. We want to help them have dignity and the hope of being able to start a new life.

Before the boys left, Father Mamy shared with them that we are showing them this kindness because we think that they do have ‘hope and a future’. He told them that if they do not pray, they will have to figure these things out on their own, but if they pray daily, God would lead them, direct them, and provide for them.

Some days I wonder if I should be a Bishop? I hate politics. I don’t enjoy meetings. But I love, absolutely love, engaging pastorally in this way.

Would you pray that God would give us a vision for how best to help these young men so that they don’t become hardened criminals. Apart from this Roman Catholic sister and a couple of counsellors in the house in which they live, they are alone in the world. They do not have the opportunities open to them that most of you reading this Substack have had…so we must offer them hope.

If by our love and kindness, they might experience the love of Jesus. Perhaps He will touch and change their hearts. If by are helping them along the way, they could make a better decision, we will have built the kingdom of heaven on earth.

Many of you will have read the Substack I wrote a few days ago about the 150th anniversary of the Mother’s Union in Antsirabe. That gathering ended with laughter as we took pictures of the Mahajanga contingent. There were women present from every parish in the diocese.

We all said farewell to one another, prayed for self travel, and then the Mahajanga women began the journey home. About 30 kilometers outside Antsirabe, one of the taxi buses broke down. The driver left the ladies on the taxi bus to go into the nearest village to get the parts he needed to fix the bus. It was cold and raining.

They spent the night on the taxi bus huddled together in the cold waiting for the driver to return. When he did, very cold and wet, the women took care of him and and began to turn their minds towards getting on the road once again.

One of the ladies got off the taxi bus so that she could relieve herself before they began the long journey once again. What happened we do not know, but this lady simply dropped. The ladies gathered round her thinking she had fell only to find that she had died quite suddenly.

Understandably the ladies were in shock and were very sad. They were already exhausted and cold from spending the night huddled on the taxi bus. Sadder still, another lady went into shock when she found that the first lady had died, she collapsed, and within a few minutes she died.

The Mahajanga members of the Mother’s Union found themselves overwhelmed by the situation and by the grief that had come upon them so very suddenly as two of their numbers lay unexpectedly dead at their feet.

I heard about this on the road myself, so we turned back and began to make the phone calls to get the priest of the parish of Antsirabe to go as quickly as possible to help these women in their grief and to make the practical arrangements for them to make their way home with their beloved dead on the roof of the taxi bus. This meant that they spent many more hours waiting for doctors to sign the appropriate paperwork for officials to give them permission to travel with the two bodies and for a local carpenter to build two caskets, in which they would transport these two women.

Neny Sarah and I met the women several hours later in Antananarivo. Their grief was obvious and understandable. They were exhausted and overwhelmed. The Bishop of the Diocese of Antananarivo had made the arrangements for them to get something to eat while the two coffins were removed from the taxi bus in which they had travelled and moved to a new taxi bus, which would deliver them back to Mahajanga city.

To make matters worse, on the way to Mahajanga city, another woman took weak on the bus and needed to be admitted to the hospital. The good news is that her condition is not serious – she simply collapsed from exhaustion. The doctor is hopeful that after a day in hospital, she should be released and will make the remainder of her way home.

The two women are now waking at the Cathedral in Mahajanga, after which their bodies will be transported to the places where they were born. The Malagasy custom is to be buried where you were born.

I write to ask your prayers for the women who have been through a very difficult, traumatizing experience. Pray for the families who received the shocking news that their loved ones had died and pray for the repose of the souls of these two Christian women.

The accommodations are very humble. The women are sleeping on thin mattresses on concrete floors in school classrooms. The showers are simple canvas huts which have been built for this occasion. Each woman is given a small bucket of water, once a day.

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Rice, cooked on open fires, is served three times a day. It’s cold here, by Madagascar standards, so women are bundled up in whatever material they can find. The plenary sessions happen outside, open to the sun.

Despite all this, the women are full of joy! Joy in worship, joy in being together from all across the nation, and joy in their common faith and purpose as members of the Mother’s Union.

The talks on a variety of topics have been given by the bishops, but they have been bolstered up by the expertise of various women. I was asked to speak about Christian parenting, so it seemed obvious that Neny Sarah would share with me. We simply considered some of what the Bible says about raising children.

Our message was simple. Put God first, put your spouse second, and your children third. Teach your children to have the mind of Christ, through what you do and what you say. Catechize them at home, don’t expect their Christian education to happen in church alone! Take God at his word – “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).

I cannot read while driving because the roads are so bumpy. I find myself getting nauseous. I cannot sleep; while it seems this is a widely given gift to others who can sleep anywhere at any time (I will not name names!). I cannot write emails as it would be impossible to keep the laptop on my lap with the state of the roads.

So, I find myself getting impatient and frustrated, ornery even. The same excruciating, 14-hour drive can be done in a one-hour flight. The problem is that the one-hour flight is more than twice as expensive as the 14-hour truck ride. Sometimes I wish I could just fly and save the trouble.

But then I am reminded that I am driving these terrible roads when many Malagasy Christians must walk these terrible roads. I am sitting in the Bishop’s pick up truck being driven by a very competent and kind driver.

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I recently wrote about the Mother’s Union gathering at the Cathedral in Mahajanga. One young mother walked with her baby for three days through the countryside. She slept under mango trees until she made it to Mandritsara, where she could get on the taxi bus and drive for two more days over the same terrible roads, yet without any of the comfort of being in her own vehicle.

So even as I write this, I am being chastised in my spirit!

Over the past 30 years, the Mother’s Union, along with support and direction from the priests, has worked primarily to support women as they work to raise their children, care for their families, and support their community. This is in keeping with the five international priorities of the Mother’s Union, which are grounded in the biblical teaching of marriage, teaching children the faith, and supporting those in need.

This past Sunday there was a great celebration at the Cathedral in Mahajanga to honour this special anniversary. Early in the morning, just under 100 members of the Mother’s Union gathered at our house, together with the sacristans and the priests, to form what was a grand procession through the streets of Mahajanga to the Cathedral for this celebration liturgy. The procession left our house at 8AM and the conclusion of the liturgical celebration was 6 ½ hours later!

The liturgy included the sacrament of holy matrimony; the renewal of marriage vows; singing 22 hymns; presenting certificates to long-standing members of the mother’s union; four speeches; and three collections - on top of the normal Sunday morning liturgy of holy communion! It was quite an event.

After worship members of the Mother’s Union, and the priests were invited to our house for a reception. For those from very remote villages this was a very special event. Being invited to the Bishop’s house is an honour in Malagasy society. Those who walked three days to get to the taxi bus station and then drove for two more (some of the poorest people in the world) were especially taken by the young sacristans serving them as though they were royalty. Neny Sarah had brought Mother’s Union blue bowties for the boys to wear…just a little thing to honour these remarkable women.

In a Patriarchal society, women and mothers have historically been seen as second-class citizens. The Mother’s Union single-handedly has brought about significant change in ensuring that girls and boys would be educated and that mothers and fathers would stand together in the upbringing and nurture of their children. Fundamentally, they are doing whatever they can to support biblical family values.

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If the Mother’s Union groups around the world are as biblically, strong, socially minded, and gospel serving as the Mother’s Union in the Diocese of Mahajanga, then there is an army of strong committed women who will have the power by grace to see generation after generation serving the Lord.

The result of this appeal has raised just under $20,000. I now have 35 new Substack subscribers bringing my total to 716. I now have 100 paid subscribers!! This will annually raise just over $10,000. I remind you that 100% of the funds that I raised are used in support of my missionary Episcopal ministry in Mahajanga, Madagascar.

Perhaps even more importantly, I have a growing number of people who have promised to pray for me and my wife and our son daily as we seek to serve in what is deemed to be one of the poorest provinces in the 8th poorest country in the world.

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Most people here live on less than $1.00 a day. The funds I raise are used primarily to support my priests and their families so that they can give themselves entirely to evangelism, catechesis, pastoral care, and leading worship. Through your generosity, I am able to supplement their monthly salary so that it is now comparable to the salary of a teacher in a government high school. They are still far from even being middle class and still struggle to pay for practical things such as medical expenses. The funds I raise, for example, are you used to pay the doctor’s fees so that my priests can have their eyes tested and if need be receive eyeglasses.

I must give thanks to God - He is the author of all good things, and He has provided for them through your generosity. Thank you to donors who have made generous offerings. I admit that I am NOT a fundraiser; having to constantly ask for help embarrasses me greatly. I am trying to be a pastor and a shepherd to those in my care. I do not find asking for money an easy thing -but I must ask because the needs here are so great.

As you read this, know that I am praying, with my wife and son, in thanksgiving for your support and kindness. Like those who responded to the Macedonian call – I pray the Lord will return to you many blessings for your faithfulness.

Bless you all for your faithfulness. If you would be kind enough to encourage others to subscribe, I would be very grateful. The more people who know about our ministry, the more people who can help and pray!

To that end, the past few days Neny Sarah and I have hosted a retreat for the priests and their wives. We funded bringing them from their parishes -for some this took four days on a taxi bus! We arranged for them to stay in a hotel in Mahajanga City, though instead of eating in the hotel restaurant, we hired are own cooks to prepare the meals as this was far more economically prudent.

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We prayed morning, noonday, and evening prayer each day…or better said, we ‘sang’ morning, noonday, and evening prayer each day. Everything is sung in Mahajanga! We chanted the psalms, canticles, and sang the hymns….I couldn’t help but wonder how the other hotel guests felt about our singing so loudly!

I lead a Bible Study on St Paul’s Epistle to the Philippians. This epistle is a great text for a retreat with priests because it stresses unity, clarity, single-mindedness, and focuses on the centrality of the Gospel. Instead of giving long talks, I decided to approach the study conversationally, as much as anything to show my priests how they can (and should) do the same thing in their parishes.

Neny Sarah and I also offered to put ourselves on the ‘hot seat’. As spiritual parents we wanted to let our priests and their wives know that they could ask us anything – and they did! It was an encouraging time of bridge-building and sharing common experiences. We also invited all the priests and their wives to our house for dinner one night which was wonderful evening, enjoying each others company.

A group of Christians from the cathedral go to visit two local orphanages each week, and when Sarah and Chelsea are here in the summer months, they very joyously take part in this ministry. Yesterday we had the most joyous privilege of welcoming these children into our house once again. We prayed with them, swam in the pool with them, continued teaching them about Psalm 23 (this has been the focus of Sarah and Chelsea’s catechesis this summer), and shared some snacks with them.

In the morning, there were 42 children with their adult caregivers. The house which we are renting in Mahajanga is by Western standards a middle-class comfortable house, but by Malagasy standards, very grand. It fills me with joy as I watch the children come inside the gate and walk around the well-kept garden until they come to the swimming pool. Their eyes light up as though they were walking down “Main Street USA” in Disney World! We noticed them looking into the house, so we quickly invited them in.

This is significant, not only because the house is nice, but because these children have been welcomed into the house of a ‘big man’. Culturally this is honouring them in a very special way. Though honestly, we feel that we are really the ones being honoured by their presence and joy.

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One small example of the juxtaposition between their reality in the orphanage and of visiting with us happened when one little boy asked if he could use the toilet. When he returned to the pool, he quickly went to all of his friends, speaking hurriedly in Malagasy. We soon realized what he must have said….for every little boy (all of a sudden) needed to go to the toilet. There was a parade of little boys making their way to the bathroom and returning with smiles from ear to ear - simply because they were able to pee into a toilet. They flushed the toilet – perhaps for the first time ever.

In the midst of this joy and laughter, I had to turn aside to cover up my tears. These children are not orphans in the strict sense – most of their parents are still living. They were left at the orphanage because their parents could not afford to provide for them the basic necessities of life.

I can’t begin to imagine what it must have been like for those parents to get to the point where they recognized that they just could not provide the food, clothing, and shelter that their children required. Even as I write this, I have tears in my eyes. I just can’t imagine it.

Some might say, what does a couple of hours at a pool party do to change the situation for these children. I believe, as an act of faith, these events can change everything - not because rich people are providing for poor people - not because westerners are supporting the developing world - but because the love of Christ can be shown explicitly through these acts of kindness and hospitality. The way we love these children will determine how we can evangelize them. Our intent is simply that they learn that they are not forgotten, that they are as loved as anyone by God, and that He has a purpose and a plan for their lives.

I am a broken record. I ask again. Would you pray for me and for my wife and family as we do all that we can with the resources that we have to make a lasting difference in the lives of these some of the poorest children in the world?

I don’t say that lightly.

I can’t seem to get ahead of the expenses required to lead this growing diocese. Every month I find myself wondering how we will pay for the people and ministries God has entrusted to us.

That is why I am writing to you.

The difficult part is that nothing about this financial pressure comes from failure. It comes from growth.

By God’s grace, I have more congregations than ever before. More people are worshipping Christ than ever before. More catechists, evangelists, theological students, and priests are serving than at any other time in the life of this diocese. Most of these are young men who have willingly gone to difficult places with little expectation of recognition or advancement. They simply want to serve Jesus.

It is one of the greatest privileges of my life to watch what God is doing here.

(Theological Students)

But growth has a cost.

Every new leader needs training. Every theological student needs support. Every priest needs a place to live. Congregations need churches in which to worship. Schools need repairs. The daily work of the diocese continues whether the funds are available or not.

My wife and I have been using our own savings to keep this ministry moving forward. I receive no salary from the diocese. We live entirely from the generosity of friends who believe in this mission.

The reality is simple. Without continued support from outside Madagascar, we cannot continue at the present pace. We will have to slow down the training of leaders, delay ministry opportunities, and postpone work that desperately needs to be done.

That is heartbreaking because the opportunities before us have never been greater.

(Evangelism Training)

There is another challenge as well. Many people in the diocese assume that, as bishop, I have access to international funding. At the same time, organizations that support other dioceses often assume we already have sufficient outside resources. The result is that we fall into the gap between those two assumptions.

So today I am asking for your help.

First, please pray. Pray for wisdom as I make difficult decisions. Pray that God would continue to raise up faithful leaders. Pray that He would provide what is needed for this growing work.

Second, if you are able, would you make a significant financial gift? Better yet, would you consider becoming a regular monthly supporter?

Every gift, whether large or small, helps train leaders, support clergy serving in remote places, strengthen congregations, and extend the gospel throughout northwest Madagascar.

And if you know a family, parish, foundation, or donor who might be able to make a substantial investment in this ministry, I would be deeply grateful if you would introduce us.

My hope is not simply to meet next month’s expenses.

My prayer is to raise up a generation of faithful evangelical leaders who will strengthen the Church, plant new congregations, and help this diocese become financially self-supporting over time.

(Preaching at national youth gathering.)

I believe that day can come.

But we cannot reach it alone.

Thank you for praying. Thank you for believing in what God is doing here. And thank you for standing with us in this work of the gospel.

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The youth group (Riata) from the nearest parish, St Jakoba, Antanimalandy, had begun to do some evangelism in the area a few years ago, the fruit of their labour is that 20 people have been baptized, and a few weeks ago I confirmed 12 of them. Today was the first liturgy of Holy Communion because the tradition in the Diocese of Mahajanga is that one doesn’t receive Holy Communion until they have been confirmed.

Though they had been evangelized and catechized, and though they continue to be discipled, for these new Christians, it wasn’t until today when the Eucharist was celebrated in their village. The Christians there, some of the poorest people in the world, have built a very modest church.

You will see from the photographs just how modest it is. There is no running water. There is no electricity. It has been built from previously used corrugated tin, and while it will not keep out all of the rain in the rainy season, it will allow them to worship.

The plans have already been prepared for the building of a concrete church in this village. The local Christians are hoping and praying that this church will be temporary and eventually become a house for their priest.

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Would you pray that their hopes and prayers are answered; that very soon the church you see in the plans below, will be built to the glory of God, and for the extension of His Kingdom in Ankorefo, Mahajanga, Madagascar.

What has been interesting about these visits, however, is that in each case the official has asked for prayer, and they have each pledged their support of working together with the church. This is in stark contrast from my experience of politicians in Canada. At home you would not get such an appointment, and if you did, it would be politically inexpedient to ask for prayers. Oh how the Malagasy culture is different!

In one case, the official invited all his staff into his office. After they had gathered, he introduced me and asked me to pray for their work and that I would bless him and all his government staff. Politicians and Civil Servants in Madagascar recognize that they need divine wisdom and, therefore, in humility, they ask for prayer.

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This is nothing like the secularized society of Canada.

It is my honour, in response to such gracious humility, to pray for those in authority in the City of Mahajanga and in the Province of Mahajanga. St Paul commends us to pray for those in high position, and for those who have authority over us. In praying for them, and obeying them, we are obeying God - whom they represent.

As always, I ask your prayers for me that God will give me wisdom in these kinds of situations to know how best to pray and how best to partner with government officials for the sake of the gospel.

Though in very humble settings, the worship was unashamedly Anglican. We sang hymns (from Hymns Ancient and Modern!). We chanted the Psalm - all the psalms in Madagascar are chanted to Anglican chant, as it ought to be! The priest-in-charge decided to use the propers for the Saints days in honour of the two parishes in Mahajanga under James patronage, so I preached on those lessons.

Neny Sarah, Chelsea, and Chase joined me, and afterward we found ourselves reflecting on the joy that filled the worship. The church meets in a modest corrugated‑tin house, the same kind of simple dwelling as the homes of many of the believers in this region.

You will see from the pictures that the church is very simple. The altar, candles, and cross are nothing like what we would expect to see in an Anglican Church in Canada or America, yet, when it comes to it, all these things are superfluous. We used a very simple chalice and patten, and the wine was not in a cruet, but in a used Pepsi bottle - yet once consecrated, it became just as much the body in blood of Christ as it does at the Vatican. These ecclesiastical items, while much desired for sure, are not necessary.

We are called in the Scripture to worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness, which is really a matter of the heart. The Lord desires people who are willing to serve him faithfully and worship him acceptably. Without any of the grandeur of a cathedral or even of a parish church, I believe that these poor Christians are doing just that.

The good news is also that this church plant is growing. There are more people attending worship – so much so that the church building has been extended by eight more feet. In time, we are praying for land on which to build a proper concrete Church. We believe that as the congregation grows, the Lord will provide funds both for land on which to build the church, and the church itself, and we pray even a rectory for a priest of their own.

Would you pray with me that God would grow this church plant? Would you pray for conversions? Would you pray that God will provide the funds for land, a church, and a rectory? Would you pray that everything necessary for the Gospel to go forward in this neighbourhood will be provided?

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The evangelists spent two years at St Patrick’s Theological College where the Scriptures was the focus of their study. These two young men asked if they could serve in the villages with their wives and children. One was very honest when he said to me “Bishop, we are not very comfortable in the city, we would like to serve in the villages”. This is helpful and wise self-awareness.

An hour or so ago, I received some pictures from the evangelists as they have begun to make their way to the very remote villages where they will serve. They have already spent two days with their wives and children on a taxi bus, but today they begin the 50 km walk to the villages where they have been placed - carrying on their backs all their earthly possessions.

They will each be responsible for 10 congregations and will walk from the village in which they will live to those even more remote congregations. On average, the congregations are 20 km from the places where they will live.

They sent me the pictures and simply asked that I would pray for them as they walk each day and as they sleep beneath mango trees each night until they make it to the village where they will serve. They are excited to begin to make this 50 km journey through the remote Malagasy countryside.

I showed the pictures to my wife, Neny Sarah, and we both sat speechless at their evangelical zeal and their excitement at beginning the long walk. From our perspective, this is a measure of sacrifice and humility that embarrasses us.

I have been looking into the possibility of renting a helicopter to bring me to visit these remote villages. They need to see their Bishop, but to be honest I’m not sure I’d manage a 50 km walk in 35° heat with no running water and electricity. Perhaps I’m a wimp. Perhaps my fear of sunstroke is unfounded. Perhaps I am too attached to the relative comfort of the pickup truck, and the hotels that I stay in, as meagre and humble as they are.

I’m not sure what the Lord is saying to me. Maybe I am to make the same journey and walk to visit these remote Christians? Maybe I am to sleep beneath mango trees? Maybe I am to pray more earnestly for the funds to charter a helicopter to enable me to visit these very remote villages. I’m not sure. But I do know that I need to visit these Christians and confirm those who have not been able to make the 50 km walk to attend confirmation.

Some days I am both humbled and embarrassed by the fervor of those I’ve been called to serve, and I find myself wondering whether I am truly a worthy representative of the Lord Jesus in these parts. Their devotion is so strong that my own commitment feels small by comparison.

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Neny Sarah and I just returned from St Jakoba where shared a meal with all the Christians. There was singing, dancing, and giving thanks to God for the witness of Saint James. Malagasy Anglicans take the celebration of the saints of ages past - those heroes of the Bible and of the early church, very seriously.

But just as importantly, it is a celebration of the saints who are alive today. As Saint Paul would remind us, the emphasis is not only on those now in the nearer presence of God, but on the call placed upon each of us. They pray about their own personal and present call to be a saint. We give thanks for the vocation we all share: to be saints.

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I learned in my Catechism class that the Saints are ‘those through whom the light of Christ shines’. Like the images of saints in Cathedral windows, the light passes through the saint and transforms the colours for those inside the cathedral. In similar manner, we are called each day to a particular and unique holiness -so that the Lord Jesus shines through us. Holiness, not holier-than-thou-ness! We pray for a simple, genuine radiance of Christ’s love toward the people we meet.

Today we give thanks for St James, and we gathered for this festival feast in the Parish Church that holds his name. Perhaps you will take a moment to reflect more deeply on your calling to be a saint. It is an honor and a privilege - that the light of Christ should shine through you and through me, ordinary as we are.

While ministering in the area, Father John met a young man named Thomas who, like most people in Ankorefo, lives off the land in a simple mud hut with his father. Thomas lost his mother when he was very young, and although his father has done everything he can to provide for him, he was unable to afford the school fees. Determined not to let that stop him, Thomas began making charcoal as a small child, selling it each day so he could pay his own way through school.

As Father John continued to evangelize and disciple Thomas, it quickly became clear that he is an exceptionally bright and thoughtful young man. As Thomas studied the Scriptures and prepared for baptism and confirmation, he began to feel a deep and growing call to serve as a priest in the church. This desire caused him to work even more intensely at making charcoal to raise the funds to attend school.

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Last Sunday, I had a great privilege of meeting Thomas and of confirming him. Unlike the other candidates being confirmed in their pristine white dresses or white dress shirts, Thomas had a simple yellowed T-shirt. The others smiled and seemed excited, but Thomas was obviously intimidated, perhaps even embarrassed.

However, Father John, who is a wonderfully sensitive young priest, recognized this and very gently put his hand on Thomas‘s shoulder as a sign of love and encouragement. He stood with Thomas, who otherwise would have been alone… His father had to work in the field.

After worship, I asked to meet with Thomas, Father John, and Father John’s wife, Kiady. We found a quiet corner of the church, away from the confirmands and their families, and sat together. We told Thomas that his father had given permission for him to live with Father John and Kiady in the rectory at St. Jakoba. While staying with them, he will be able to attend a new school—one that is academically much stronger and far better suited to his abilities. I also shared with him that, based on Father John’s recommendation, I would secure the funds needed to cover the cost of his education. I am doing this for several very promising, yet very poor, students.

I was surprised that Thomas did not smile as he heard this good news. He is a bright, hard-working young man, who was embarrassed to have to rely on the benevolence of others. But after a few minutes of gentle encouragement - after patting him on the back, reminding him that God has a purpose and a plan for his life, tormenting him about his one day becoming the primate of the Indian Ocean, and sharing with him that neither of my parents could afford to finish school either, we finally saw him to relax, and smile, and even laugh. As we continued talking, he grew more comfortable with me, with all of us, and with the plan laid out before him.

We are not offering patronizing charity. Rather, as Saint Paul encouraged Timothy, we are offering support, guidance, and—in this case—some practical help: a safe place to live, a stronger school to attend, and assistance from abroad to cover his fees. Taken together, these gifts will open a new chapter in Thomas’s life, offering opportunities that might otherwise have been out of reach.

I can’t help but wonder, in the sovereignty of God, what Thomas will become – he may well be the primate of the Indian Ocean one day!

Last Sunday at the confirmation service at St. Jakoba, my wife, Neny Sarah, happened to notice that one of the confirmands was barefoot. He wore a perfectly clean white dress shirt and dark trousers, so it wasn’t until he knelt to receive Holy Communion that she realized he had no shoes.

Like most people in Madagascar, he’s seldom, if ever, worn shoes. The soles of his feet were thick, calloused, and hardened from a lifetime of walking rocky dirt roads. Infants learn to walk outside, in the dirt, so over time the soles of feet become like hard leather. This is in stark contrast to us - we can’t walk more than a few feet over the same roads without feeling crippled.

The contrast with our own experience is striking. We can hardly walk a few steps on those same roads without wincing. On Sunday evening, as we were getting ready for bed, we found ourselves reflecting on this simple moment—one small, quiet reminder of the profound difference between our comfortable lives in the West and the difficult, often arduous lives lived by so many in Madagascar.

I’ve written before that the injustice of all this makes me both mad and sad. It seems blatantly wrong that we have closets full of shoes, some of which we haven’t worn in years, and yet there are others in the world for whom shoes is a luxury. I remember being in Borneo, in the Diocese of Sabah and heard the (then) Primate of Southeast Asia say, “if you own one pair of shoes, you are a rich man”!

In all honesty, I don’t even know how many pairs of shoes I own—sneakers, dress shoes, boots, snow boots, flip‑flops, sandals… the list goes on. And I’m no more privileged than most of you reading this Substack.

I’m writing this so that, in your prayers today, you might spend a little time looking at this picture. As you pray, consider both the similarities and the differences between this young man’s devotion and your own, as he kneels to receive Holy Communion just as most of us do each Sunday. His desire to serve God and remain faithful to the Lord Jesus is the same as ours. Yet he kneels with dirty, calloused feet—so very different from ours.

I share this image simply so that you might pause and give thanks to God for the many blessings we have received at His hands. Every good gift is from above. My intention is not to stir shame, but to cultivate gratitude and thanksgiving. We are deeply privileged as Americans and Canadians.

My prayer is that the Holy Spirit will inspire in you a renewed resolve to do all that you can, with all that you have, to make the world a better place in Jesus’ name, and for His glory!

I am writing to ask you to prayerfully consider making a donation in support of my missionary ministry in Madagascar. Many of you have generously supported this work in the past, and I am deeply grateful. I’m embarrassed to ask again, but I have just received notice that my personal credit card has reached its limit. This is embarrassing.

The vast majority of these expenses are simply the operating costs of our mission in Mahajanga. One major expense—the MAF flight to Maintirano, our most remote parish—was just under $7,400, and it pushed us over the credit limit.

I am supplementing the priests’ salaries so they can serve full time in their parishes. This is a simple but essential strategy to help our parishes grow and, in time, become self-supporting without funds from abroad. I also fund all diocesan operations, including the Diocesan Administrator, the Chaplain, and my driver and translator. The monthly cost of running the diocese is approximately 15,755,000 MGA. For the sake of perspective, the collection at the Cathedral, our strongest parish, last Sunday was 450,000 MGA.

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In addition, I take no salary, and I cover all my own living expenses: rent, electricity, water, wifi, food (with many guests at table), and all costs associated with the bishop’s truck.

I am praying that the treasuries of heaven will be open for us as we try to continue to minister in one of the poorest areas on earth. I have attached my monthly budget, which, as you will see, is primarily related to diocesan expenses.

As you are able, please give. And please—above all—pray, and invite others to pray, that we may gather the resources needed to strengthen this diocese so that one day it can become self-supporting.

To make a donation in support of my missionary ministry please use either of these links:

SAMS Donation

Into All The World (Canada) Donate

Or you can E-transfer by email to Good Samaritan (my Canadian Parish) directly.

cogstreasurer@hotmail.com

Our four graduates will soon be placed in parishes and, God willing, will remain there until they are ordained or commissioned as deacons or evangelists. Those returning to the College in the fall will enjoy a short vacation followed by two months of internship. I love having the students around—their enthusiasm for ministry, their eagerness to serve, and their zeal for evangelism are contagious.

This particular group has done well academically. As in every cohort, some are stronger and others weaker, but what has impressed me most is their growth in character. Reports from the College note that each student has deepened in prayerfulness, maturity, and spiritual strength. In my view, this is even more important than academic ability. Academic weaknesses can be addressed over time, but without Godly character, ministry becomes superficial and short‑lived.

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This is why I am so grateful for St. Patrick’s Theological College. Their academic standards are high, but they balance this with intentional formation in Christian character. It is a model I deeply value.

With a growing number of students, however, comes the challenge of funding their studies and living expenses. Because I am from abroad, the Principal has asked me to fund 100% of the costs for my students. . This is simply because finding funding is easier (though admittedly not easy!) than it is for my Malagasy bishop colleagues. Tuition and related expenses amount to about $2,500 per student each year. If you can help, please use one of the links below. Thank you for your prayers, your generosity, and your partnership in forming the next generation of church leaders.

To make a donation in support of my missionary ministry please use either of these links:

SAMS Donation

Into All The World (Canada) Donate

Or you can E-transfer by email to Good Samaritan (my Canadian Parish) directly.

cogstreasurer@hotmail.com