Robert & Joanna Burdett
Baptist Missions to Forgotten Peoples

April 2025

As I write this letter on Good Friday, I must reflect that truly God has been good! This letter was originally going to go out the end of February, but God had other plans. The end of February we were packing to leave on a short furlough but had to quickly leave Maintirano two days ahead of schedule because of an approaching cyclone that shut down flying in our area for several days. The rest in the capital city was good as we needed it in preparation for the upcoming trip. As Africa field administrator for BMFP we had planned to stop by South Africa on the way back to the states to visit and encourage the ——– family in Port Elizabeth. If that sounds familiar it is because it is the place where ——- was just kidnapped and rescued in last week. Every leg of that journey was a fight, from canceled flights to stolen luggage to cyclones, but we felt it was what we were supposed to do. As I spent the last week praying for and encouraging our missionaries while they dealt with the kidnapping situation, I was so grateful God allowed me to visit, to meet all those missionaries, and to have a better understanding of what they were going through. When we got back to the states we hit the ground running. Literally the day after we arrived, we were out shopping for a vehicle. That proved to be a frustrating endeavor but through two days of looking at vehicles in Atlanta, God led us to a place where we not only found a vehicle, but also found a woman who needed to hear of the hope in Christ. God opened a door through our conversation to share more about what we do, why we do it, and why there is hope in Christ. I pray God uses the seeds sown to one day reap a harvest in that woman’s life. We have already put down many miles, connected with many people, attended a family wedding and thoroughly enjoyed our time in the States. Last time I checked we had already driven 5000 miles plus flown to TX for a meeting in less than six weeks. After Easter we will be heading north to visit our supporting churches in Vermont, Quebec and Ontario. That trip will take us through the end of May at which time we will return to NC to spend some time with Joanna’s family on a short vacation, participate in the BMFP new missionary candidate training and prepare to fly back to Madagascar. It’s hard to believe this trip is almost half over, but it has been good! Please continue to pray for the 4 Malagasy men that are running the ministry in Maintirano in our absence as well as —-, who continues to minister to the ladies and children and look over things while we are gone. Please pray for us as we travel and prepare to return. Please pray for the safety of our housing and ministry equipment while we are away. Thank you all for your prayers, your love, your support!