Enabling Ministry in Madagascar
The following was written by Lilli’s parents, Dr. Stanley and Katharine Quanbeck, who served as missionaries in Madagascar for about 40 years. Their ministry was paved through Stanley’s parents, and his grandparents, all who served the Malagasy in gospel labor.
It was 1979, during the Marxist-Socialist revolution in Madagascar when the historic Boarding School for American Lutheran Missionaries’ children, located in Fort Dauphin, Madagascar, was closed due to lack of students–except for our own four children: Glenn then a 9th grader; Cindy a 7th grader; and twin daughters, Vicki and Lilli both 4th graders. We had just been appointed by the Malagasy Lutheran Church to help them form their Health Department. What were we to do? Where were our four children going to be educated?
Our most likely option was to respectfully decline the appointment by the Malagasy Lutheran Church and return to Minnesota and accept a position offered in a Family Medicine Clinic; but, as we prayed, it seemed the Holy Spirit led us to explore other options than the most likely. We had been informed that there was a Boarding School for Lutheran missionaries’ children, in Nigeria; but, that did not seem like a good option because of the distance. By this time, we had moved from being the Director of a small bush hospital in southwestern Madagascar and were living, temporarily, in the capital city of Antananarivo where we learned from fellow American Missionaries, who were Baptists, that there was a large boarding school for American missionaries’ children, in Kijabe, Kenya, near the city of Nairobi. Motivated by this refreshing news, I flew to Nairobi, and had a most enlightening conversation with the Principal of RVA, Mr. Roy Entwistle, at the New Stanley Hotel where he informed me that, yes, Lutherans were indeed welcome at Rift Valley Academy (RVA). To make a long story short, not only did our two oldest children immediately enter RVA , as 9th and 7th graders, but after two years our twin daughters also started RVA , as 6th graders. This eventually led to our four children being graduated from the Rift Valley Academy by 1990.
Because of the excellent RVA Boarding School wherein our children were nurtured and well cared for in a Christian environment, we were enabled to continue the ministry requested of us by our Malagasy Christian brothers and sisters which, eventually, led to the formation of the Malagasy Lutheran Church Health Department (SALFA) as they and we walked together in leadership led by the Holy Spirit from 1979 until 1999. Malagasy Christian physicians, dentists and nurses, managers and sociologists, evangelists and trainers are faithfully continuing this spiritual, mental, and physical healthcare arm of the Church International, to this day.
To our loving Lord be the praise, honor, and glory, in all aspects of life!
My mother, who is celebrating her 100th birthday had a cousin Elaine Perkins who worked at a Lutheran ministry in Madagascar in the 1940s or 50s I am guessing that she worked with the Quanbecks? Do your archives have any information about her or her time in Madagascar?