# Prayers for our daughter



## Uglydog (Aug 10, 2014)

My youngest daughter 21years old leaves toward Madagascar Wednesday 8/13/14.
She graduated from college this past spring, and wants to begin earning her Masters of Social Work when she returns Fall of 2015. 
My wife and I won't be surprised if she ends up at Seminary. But, that's Ellen's dialogue with God, not with us.  
The ELCA (Lutheran Church) is sending her, and several dozen others every which direction around the world.
While they are officially listed as missionaries. Their real role is to "walk" with the people and learn that while the world is large and complicated, people are people regardless of their socioeconomic status. People giggle when they are silly, cry when they hurt, etc. Her assignment is to teach English at a school. She has a friend who will be teaching welding in Nigeria. 

If you get a chance please include her, and her peers, in your prayers.

Should you want to occasionally follow her blog you can check in here: 
http://ellenmadagascar.blogspot.com/p/about-me.html

Yes, I'm a little nervous. Perhaps even afraid.

Thank you,
Daryl
MN


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## richl (Aug 10, 2014)

Your has a beautiful soul. it sounds like a wonderful learning experience.
Rich
(I am sure mom and dad did their best to teach her these things)


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## Terrywerm (Aug 10, 2014)

Daryl, you and your wife have done well to teach your daughter excellent values, and I am sure you are quite proud of her. I can easily understand your concern and worry over her, it is natural for a parent to worry about a child. But, we must remember that our children that have grown into young adults are very capable of great and difficult things. All we need to do is keep our faith in God, our youth, and in the job we did raising them. 

In the mean time, I will pray for her safety as she makes her way to some of the far flung corners of our planet. When she returns she will have many great stories to tell, and she will be an even better person for all of it.


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## mcostello (Aug 10, 2014)

Be a pleasure to put Her on the "list".


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## Bill Gruby (Aug 10, 2014)

You are a lucky man Daryl. She will do well.

 "Billy G"


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## Dave Smith (Aug 10, 2014)

Uglydog said:


> My youngest daughter 21years old leaves toward Madagascar Wednesday 8/13/14.
> She graduated from college this past spring, and wants to begin earning her Masters of Social Work when she returns Fall of 2015.
> My wife and I won't be surprised if she ends up at Seminary. But, that's Ellen's dialogue with God, not with us.
> The ELCA (Lutheran Church) is sending her, and several dozen others every which direction around the world.
> ...



Daryl--our prayers are for Ellen and her friends and the rest of your family--remember that when we put them in Gods hands that we have no reason to fear for their safety---be at peace for her adventure to a faraway location and pray that she brings enjoyment and knowledge to those in need----Dave


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## HMF (Aug 10, 2014)

Our prays are with her and her calling.

I know that He will guide her in her path.


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## newbydave (Aug 10, 2014)

Added he blog to my bookmarks and will follow her endeavor.
The world needs more young people like her.
Best wishes and prayers to her and her cohorts.
Dave)


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## jpfabricator (Aug 10, 2014)

She has prayer warriors she has never met. I am now one of them!

Jake Parker


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## mick-h (Aug 10, 2014)

Hi Daryl, I think most of us are nervous & sometimes afraid when our children go on an adventure of some kind, my daughter is 30yrs now but I still worry 
I am sure she will be fine m8, and it will prove to be a very good experience for her.
Take care m8. 
Mick


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## cazclocker (Aug 10, 2014)

Prayers for your daughter, Daryl!
...Doug


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## sr1sws (Aug 10, 2014)

Always a pleasure to see others "publicly" ask for prayers and others to respond. 

Prayers lifted!

Steve


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## The Liberal Arts Garage (Aug 10, 2014)

Please pleased to add my hopes and prayers-- I've got a couple of grandchildren out there saving
the world We have tried and failed in steering against the winds of greed and divided Faiths...BLJHB


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## mtnlvr (Aug 10, 2014)

Your daughter will be blessed by this experience.  May God watch over her and her friends.


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## NEL957 (Aug 10, 2014)

She has been equipped with a great up bring and it is all on the Rock. When we build on sand we can not expect it to remain but in God all things are possible. I will also add her to the prayer list. 
Nelson Collar


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## Halfnuts (Aug 10, 2014)

Daryl, she's a credit to you, in that she has a passion for helping other people, and that is an unmistakeable sign that her heart is in the right place.  You, your wife, and she are to be commended.  

My boy is training to be a missionary pilot.  Perhaps they will meet somewhere overseas.


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## Brain Coral (Aug 10, 2014)

Hello Daryl,

I raised two girls and can certainly empathize with you and your worries.... your daughter will never be old enough that you won't worry about her. At the same time, you must be very proud of her in what she is doing at such a young age. 

Ellen and her colleagues are in my thoughts and prayers.... 

Brian


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## rdhem2 (Aug 10, 2014)

Congratulations my friend.  Your daughter will do well and prosper.  You  and your wife should hold your heads high and be proud of what you have accomplished and the bright future you have before you.

The Lord will keep her safe.        :allgood:
_*Russell Dean*_


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## Marlorup (Aug 11, 2014)

Our thoughts & prayers are with your daughter & your whole family.


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## Sawmillman (Aug 11, 2014)

Prayers for your daughter!!
Nate


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## twstoerzinger (Aug 11, 2014)

Prayers for the safety of your daughter and colleagues.
Terry S.


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## lostclockmaker (Aug 11, 2014)

Uglydog said:


> My youngest daughter 21years old leaves toward Madagascar Wednesday 8/13/14.
> She graduated from college this past spring, and wants to begin earning her Masters of Social Work when she returns Fall of 2015.
> My wife and I won't be surprised if she ends up at Seminary. But, that's Ellen's dialogue with God, not with us.
> The ELCA (Lutheran Church) is sending her, and several dozen others every which direction around the world.
> ...



Fear not that which God has deemed. Be blessed and your daughter shall be so.


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## donthack (Aug 11, 2014)

From a fellow fire fighter, and parent.  Prayers for yours.


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## core-oil (Aug 17, 2014)

Prayer sent from across the big pond Daryl  May God be with her


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## David S (Aug 20, 2014)

Uglydog said:


> My youngest daughter 21years old leaves toward Madagascar Wednesday 8/13/14.
> She graduated from college this past spring, and wants to begin earning her Masters of Social Work when she returns Fall of 2015.
> My wife and I won't be surprised if she ends up at Seminary. But, that's Ellen's dialogue with God, not with us.
> The ELCA (Lutheran Church) is sending her, and several dozen others every which direction around the world.
> ...



"Yes, I'm a little nervous. Perhaps even afraid." 

 Can I add to that, that you should be proud.  Our kids make choices that we may not have made, but will hopefully better the world.  My prayers are with your family and daughter.

David


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## Uglydog (Aug 20, 2014)

Update:
Ellen spent this last week in Chicago at a large group orientation.
She left Chicago today enroute to Madagascar.
Her clear emphasis is to learn about people and all of their complexities.
This is not about religion, skin color, or sexual orientation. Her trip is about people and the fact that we all have the same needs. 
She clearly hopes to be a better citizen of our USA on return, and wants to be more effective at helping to solve our problems.

A week ago, my my parting words to her were:
"I am proud of you not because of what you are doing, but rather who you are (actions come from inside a person). Be prayerful, and know you are loved."

I am grateful to all of you for your many prayers.
I cannot imagine what the parents of soldiers endure.

Daryl
MN


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## davidh (Aug 21, 2014)

i did a google search of madagascar and read of its history and current status in the world.  very interesting.  very poor people and lots of them.  i had never considered this as anything other then an area where very rich people in big sail boats disappear in the nasty ocean around the island. .
talk about culture shock ?   a very interesting journey she is on. . . . God be with her. . . .


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## Uglydog (Sep 1, 2014)

I have hesitations about filling the dialog box with OT content.
But, I've received some emails about how Ellens doing.

Attached is a cut/paste from her blog available at:
http://ellenmadagascar.blogspot.com
Thank you all for your many prayers!

Daryl
MN
[h=2]Friday, August 29, 2014
I can only tell my story. [/h]  
  Now, we have been in Madagascar for about 6 days.  The other  MadYAGMs and I flew into Antananarivo a day late because of a missed  connection in Johannesburg, but all was well.  After loading two cars,  including the roofs, with all people and all of our baggage, we drove to  a conference center that is run partially by the Malagasy Lutheran  Church (FLM) and partially by Norwegian Missionaries.  The center is  about 4 hours from the capital where we flew into.  Over the days, we  have had 20 hours of Malagasy class, which has resulted in a lot of  notes and not so much actually stuck in our heads, but that will come  with time.  We have also been to FLM church.  On our first morning here,  we decided to dive right in and go to church, the service was short,  only about 2 hours long, and we didn't understand a word, but we did our  best to follow along with our hymn books and English translations of  the liturgy.  We have also eaten lots of rice, fresh fruit, and some  Malagasy street food; we have received more information about our sites  (I will write more about that when I arrive there, don't worry!) and we  went on a hike to the top of a very large hill.  During this time, I  have gotten a very small picture of what Madagascar looks like.  



Someone  asked  me the other day, what is the country like? This is a huge  question.   I can only speak to what I have seen in the last  four days  in the town that I am in from the perspective of a vazaha (foreigner).


There  is beautiful land here, on the way from the capital to where we are  staying now, we got to see the countryside, and the land is beautiful.   There are also beautiful people, even with more extreme poverty than I  have seen before.  Even though there doesn't seem to be enough money or  other things to go around, there is always love. 


Learning  Malagasy is hard.  We have definitely made progress, and our teacher is  wonderful but outside of class everyone speaks so fast! Another  volunteer and I went to a bookstore to buy English - Malagasy  dictionaries today, we succeeded, but hand motions and our knowledge of  French was definitely more helpful than our Malagasy. 


The  Malagasy people are so patient.  We keep hearing this from our  coordinators, but, today at the bookstore it was made more clear.  The  workers could tell that we aren't Malagasy, so we were greeted in  French, "Bonjour!" We replied  with the Malagasy, "salama!" And the  worker smiled, she was so happy we were trying  and worked with us to  make sure the got the dictionary we needed.  Or, tonight when our  country coordinators sent us out for dinner to use our Malagasy language  skills, the staff knew great English, but they asked us if we are  learning Malagasy and helped us practice our skills and correct us as we  went.  


The fruit is great, no fruit bought in  the United States will ever taste good again.  Maybe that is an  exaggeration, but we will have to see. 


The  architecture and streets have French origins.  There is little  infrastructure on the streets here around the conference center, but,  the gutters, roads and sidewalks that are still here look very French. 

Traffic  is chaotic.  The roads here are much less busy than in the capital, but  between buses, bikes, pedestrians, cars, and pus-pus (they are like  carts that the drivers can pull people in), there is a lot happening.   There are a lot of potholes to avoid.  Pedestrians do not have the  right of way.  Walking to Malgasy class each day is an adventure. 


I  cannot speak for this country, I can speak to what I know.  I cannot  judge what Malagasy do, because I am not Malagasy.  I can love, walk  next to, and learn from the Malagasy.


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## davidh (Sep 2, 2014)

thanks daryl,  keep us in the loop. . . . . besides the blog.


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## core-oil (Sep 2, 2014)

Daryl

 My prayers & thoughts are with Ellen, May God bless her on her chosen path, She has been sent to do good for these lovely people, Only if the rest of the world like Ellen lived by the Lords command "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself" How much better things would be.


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## xalky (Sep 2, 2014)

What an awesome adventure for her!   I well pray for her, but from the looks of it, she's already divinely protected.  My heart tells me she's gonna be just fine. She'll remember this the rest of her life. ;-)


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## mcostello (Oct 26, 2014)

Update?


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## Uglydog (Oct 27, 2014)

She seems to be doing well!
Her writing is improving as documented in her blogs: http://ellenmadagascar.blogspot.com/
She is also on island on the east side of Africa well away from the Ebola, or at least where Ebola is currently rampant.
Additionally, I'm told I'm going to Madagascar for Christmas.
Interestingly, Ellen has set me up to spend a day in a local "welding shop".
Not sure if that means traditional blacksmithing, Ody-Acetalyene (making there own Acetylene), or a a machine shop.
Given the unpredictable supply of electricity this should be interesting.
Regardless, I'm looking forward to the adventure and seeing Ellen and admiring her adventure.

Daryl
MN


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## HMF (Oct 28, 2014)

Prayers for her going up!


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## Terrywerm (Oct 28, 2014)

Uglydog said:


> She seems to be doing well!
> Her writing is improving as documented in her blogs: http://ellenmadagascar.blogspot.com/
> She is also on island on the east side of Africa well away from the Ebola, or at least where Ebola is currently rampant.
> Additionally, I'm told I'm going to Madagascar for Christmas.
> ...



You realize, of course, that we will be expecting a full write up with tons of photos upon your return!!


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## Dave Smith (Oct 28, 2014)

Uglydog said:


> She seems to be doing well!
> Additionally, I'm told I'm going to Madagascar for Christmas.
> Interestingly, Ellen has set me up to spend a day in a local "welding shop".
> Not sure if that means traditional blacksmithing, Ody-Acetalyene (making there own Acetylene), or a a machine shop.
> ...



Daryl---are you planning on taking your empty trailer with you just in case you find a real good bargain on a big machine to bring back?  have a good trip and tell your daughter hi----Dave


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## Uglydog (Oct 30, 2014)

Thanks for the idea Dave.
I contacted the airline and we arranged a trial flight.
Initially they had some concerns. They responded well when I observed that their plane wasn't made by Chevrolet.
However, I'm gonna have to learn how to better secure the load.

Daryl
MN


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## Terrywerm (Oct 30, 2014)

Call my buddy Sam. He'll teach you all he knows about load securement.






:roflmao:


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## Pmedic828 (Oct 31, 2014)

The hardest thing that us as parents can do is to allow our sons and daughters to go forth in the world = all the values and knowledge are already influencing their choices - sitting back and allowing them to make their own decisions is tempered by the guidance and knowledge to know right from wrong - With God's help and direction, they will make their contributions to mankind - if everyone attempted to give of themselves, the world would be a better place - it is unfortunate that some of the younger generation is in it for "me first" and look what I got compared to everyone else.  You should be proud that your daughter wants to volunteer part of her life in helping others - God will watch over her!


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