YAGM volunteers’ prayer for Madagascar

Originally posted by Anna who lives on the East Coast in Manakara, Madagascar. Enjoy! 

My church community in America requested a prayer for the Malagasy people and Madagascar, so they could keep this prayer in their hearts and minds. Here is a prayer from the Young Adults in Global Mission volunteers serving in Madagascar for Madagascar and the Malagasy people:

Creator God,

Thank you for the Malagasy people. Thank you for their warm and loving hearts that so generously and lovingly welcomed and accepted the YAGM volunteers into their homes and communities. Thank you for the diversity of the people and tribes that come together to enrich this beautiful country. We are grateful for the Malagasy love for singing and dancing as a way of praising and glorifying You. Our Malagasy families, friends, and communities provide an example of strong faith and Your love is shown to us every day through them.

Beautiful Creation of Madagascar

We pray for relationships between the FLM (Malagasy Lutheran Church) and the ELCA to be strengthened, so that new volunteer sites may be established and current sites continue to be rewarding.

Please provide wisdom and guidance for the new President of Madagascar and government leaders. We ask that with the election of the new President, international support will return to Madagascar and stimulate the economy.

We pray for those who are struggling: the hungry, the sick, and those without homes. We pray for those who work hard every day to provide for their loved ones: for the pousse-pousse drivers pulling heavy loads, for the women who walk miles carrying food on their heads and babies on their backs to bring goods to the market, for those who free-climb high into the trees to harvest fruit, for those who haul buckets of water from wells to scrub clothes by hand, and for the children who diligently and tenderly care for their younger siblings. Many here labor long days but still struggle to provide for basic needs.

We ask for a more equal opportunity for people to receive an education.

We pray for Your amazing, unique Creation in Madagascar- the wildlife, the forests and deserts, mountains and ocean- to be cared for and valued.

We thank you, Lord, for Madagascar and for the Malagasy people and for our opportunity to learn about life and Your church here.

Amen.