From the beginning, the OM team in Ambovombe, Madagascar wanted to see villages reaching villages spreading the gospel across the region, with Jesus followers becoming as common as the cacti that cover the landscape of the Androy region.
The first step was to identify the village, then cover it in prayer before going and preaching the good news. Sometimes they walked, and other times they took an ox cart or a car to travel down the sandy roads to the villages. The team built friendships and identified the people’s needs as well as the issues that held them back from accepting God’s love, such as cultural traditions and beliefs.
After a cell group was established in the nearby village of Taviramongy, the OM team encouraged the members to look beyond their own community and start reaching out to others, citing 2 Timothy 2.2: ‘And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others’ (NIV). A small group researched where to go and organised half-day outreaches to other villages.