Richard & Ruth Jertberg Family
Madagascar
Baptist Missions to Forgotten Peoples
December 2022
Dear Praying Friends, Happy Thanksgiving to you all! One of the things that we are thankful for this season is all the prayers on our behalf! We greatly need your prayers! So many things have happened in the past few months. We continue to enjoy being involved in the church here. We have been able to participate in their weekly visitation program as well as some canvasing with John and Romans and tracts. Richard and the kids helped with several church workdays, and Richard was able to run some temporary electricity in the new church building that is in the process of being built. Richard has made several trips out to Maintirano with the airplane to encourage the church there and to preach. It has been good to get back into flying here in Madagascar and to see the work in Maintirano. He was able to be with the church as they celebrated their 12th anniversary on November 13th. It was encouraging to him as he stood before them preaching, to think how much God has done in the last 12 years. Before the new baby was due, we took a family vacation to the beach. We had a wonderful time together in a nice Airbnb on an island right next to the water. It was a relaxing and soothing time for us! We had quite a few “firsts” while there: we were able to see many humpback whales from our porch and from a boat. Several kids went snorkeling for the first time and drove a four-wheeler for the first time. Many in our family would describe the vacation as “the best one that we have gone on;” but the icing on the cake was that I had the opportunity to talk to two ladies, the caretaker (a 71-year-old lady) and the cook (Farah), about salvation. Both were catholic and both said that they wanted to receive Jesus as their Savior. They both prayed with me. It was an encouragement to me to be able to share the gospel with people and see them get saved (I had been praying for an opportunity to talk to them, and God answered my prayer.)! Because Farah did not have a Bible, Sarah gave her her Malagasy New Testament. Farah seemed very interested in knowing more about God and the Bible. In the past two months, we were able to see three births!! Two ladies were born spiritually, and one baby was born physically. Our baby, Grace Joan, was born healthy and strong on November 1st. Please see the attached baby announcement for more details on the beautiful birth. After much hard work, the kids mostly finished their school right before the arrival of our family in mid-October. Though we continued with Malagasy studies, we were able to take a “summer” break from school while they were here. My (Ruth’s) mom, two sisters, and two brothers came from the Ivory Coast for a visit and for the birth of our new baby. My mom is a midwife and came to help deliver the baby. It was a wonderful encouragement to us to have them here! We miss them already! Saying “goodbye” is one of my very least favorite things!! Yes, there are hardships about living in Madagascar (termites coming in your house, frequent power cuts, and the great needs all around), but one of the hardest parts so far has been missing my family, not knowing when we will see them again, and saying “goodbye”! The post-birth hormonal ups and downs paired with tiredness and a lack of sleep at night (from waking up with the baby), has made it hard to manage my emotions. I often find myself feeling like crying “for no reason.” Please pray for me as I recover from the birth and for us all as we adjust to a new baby. We all love having our precious little Grace! Please pray for me as I recover from a painful abscess. We were able to receive treatment at our friend’s hospital from some German doctors who are volunteering their time for about a month, and who specialize in this area. We thank God for the people that He sent at the right time who have compassionately helped. Rebekah (Ruth’s sister) stayed to help us with homeschool and other things while we continue to study Malagasy. It has already been such a blessing to have her here as we just started our new school year and as we treat this infection. We are excited to have Rebekah here to help! Thank you to all who have given for Rebekah to be here! Thank you so much for all that you do for us and for praying for us!! In the Service of the King, Richard and Ruth Jertberg, Matthew, Sarah, Nathaniel, Abigail, Kezia, Hadassah, Moriah, and Grace Praises: • Two ladies who got saved. • Safe birth of Grace Joan. • Good trips to Maintirano. • My mom and family could come visit and encourage us. • Rebekah came to help us. Prayer Requests: • Growth of those who got saved. • Protection as we travel on roads and in the air. • The church in Maintirano. • Healing of the abscess. • Our physical health. • Progress in Malagasy studies. • Kids schooling.