8 Set for February 25

**No pics this week, the internet and phone service in Mada has been down for 2 weeks. (that is why there was no email last week) We heard from the mission office that a pipe in the Indian Ocean broke and it shut everything down. So, we are lucky to even get an email this week.  He said he has lots of pics and videos to send when they get the internet fixed.  He was finally able to get emails this week too, but he said it is slow. Thanks for all of your love and support.  I can tell he loves and misses you all, especially his skateboarding buddies!
Love, Jenn


Hi, the internet is not going very good here, so I can't say a lot but I was able to read all the emails from every one. I am doing good here. I love to hear about home. It sounds like everyone is doing great. Tell every one I love them and miss them a lot.

My investigators are doing good. I have 8 people with a baptism date for 25 Feb. I am not too sure they will all catch that date because of either repentance issues or not married yet, but I know at least 3 of them will for sure. I hope they can all be ready by the 25th because after that I leave Ampefiloha. I have been teaching them all since my first transfer in the country. But it doesn't matter who does the baptism. I know they will do it sooner or later, whether it is before I leave or not.

But I am still trying to help them get legally married before I leave. Nosy and Silly are 2 of them that are not legally married yet. I love the people here in Ampefiloha, they are finally starting to progress and have good relationships with the church. I will miss them but I am also very ready to go to somewhere different.

Matthew 6:30-31

Love you guys lots. I keep remembering skating, rock climbing, family, friends, and other stuff. It is so crazy that I went from doing all of those things everyday and they affected my life so much but now I am doing something different. That makes it hard sometimes, but I know how important this work is and I will return to those other things one day, hopefully.

I love Mada and all the great things a mission is teaching me and helping so many others. (But I cannot deny that I just really want to skate right now... ) Love you and hope the internet comes back next week because it made sending this really hard and slow.

Love,
Yours Truely,
Elder Allen

Adventures in Mada

Hello,
This week has been pretty cool. I gave a blessing to one of the members in my ward. She was sick and her husband has not yet received the priesthood so they asked my companion and I to give her one. I had to do my part in English though because I am not too skilled yet.

 Also we have been meeting some really cool people that are very interested in the gospel. I am pretty excited to keep teaching them about the gospel and talk with them about God. My ward is pretty cool.  The coolest part is when the investigators come.  I have so many investigators.  I got 22 new investigators just last week.

No need to worry about my health anymore, I am all good now. I am becoming quite the cook lately. I cook all the time and I am getting really creative.  I make breakfast burritos with homemade tortillas, and banana bread that tastes really good. But I miss Mom's cooking so much ha, ha. I love American Food and candy.

The Rainy Season is upon us. The other day I was on a split with Elder Maluleka. We were walking down the streets of Swasonseht which is like a huge market that sells anything you could imagine. We were heading to our next appointment that was like 20 min. away and all of a sudden we started hearing something behind us that was getting louder and louder. We just stopped and I made the comment that the sound seemed like it was chasing us. Then out of no where it was raining buckets and hail the size of marbles. Had to take shelter in a near by store. We stayed there until the owner kicked everyone out. We decided that we were still going to try and finish the day and meet the people we planned to. Elder Maluleka and I were forced to walk in shin deep poop water on the streets. We were laughing the whole way to our next appointment. When we got there the guy was not there. When Elder Maluleka heard this he looked at me and faked cried really loud in front of this family of Malagasies that thought he was really crying. I was just laughing at our misfortune really hard. We tried going to two other people after that and they both dogged us. We almost just decided to go home at this point because we were dripping soaked and walking in poop every where... But we didn't. We went to our last scheduled family and finally got in. It was a very awesome and spiritual. They gave us their umbrella which was very nice of them.

Funny story: After that lesson we had to pee really bad, it was about 8:30 at night and we just ran over to a parking lot across the street. After my comp finished I went while he held the umbrella. At that moment a guy comes walking over and stands right in front of us. He was like the security guy of this parking lot. I just kept going while he said, tsy mety! which means, not okay! i really had to go so I just kept going until I was finished. It was funny because he was standing right in front of me yelling this looking right at my thing while Elder Malulaka was holding an umbrella for me. We were laughing so hard and just left right after I was done.

Good week.  I try to make every day of my mission fun.  I was called to Mada for a reason.  It gives me so much variety and change while doing such a repetitive thing.  Mada makes every day a new experience and I am so grateful for that.  I love it here.  I think at my year mark I am going to switch over to studying French.  A lot of the missionaries are doing that so we can go to the French speaking islands.  As I am getting better at this language the more fun and exciting teaching people becomes.  I can share more and more everyday what the spirit wants me to say.

Love ,
Elder Allen

P.S.
I also found a real cool skate park in the city of Tana.

A "Vaza" in Madagascar

HI everyone,

Sam went off his Malaria Medication and the headaches went away!!!  He had a great week!  Thanks to all who joined with us in the family fast yesterday for Sam!  He appreciated your thoughts and prayers.  They are going to reintroduce the malaria medication to see if he gets the headaches again and we will go from there.  Thanks again for your concern.  Sam says this week was awesome! 

Jenn

Hello,
This week was a good week. I watched General Conference with my ward here in Ampefiloha on Sunday. It was in Malagasy, but I got to watch it again in English later so i am grateful for that. It was an awesome conference with wonderful messages.

On Wednesday, I went on a split with an Elder Freestone. He is an awesome, big, Japanese Elder. I love him.

He has only been here for a transfer longer than me so I was a little worried at first about how we were going to communicate with people, but it went pretty well actually. Being a white person I get a lot of attention and a lot of people feeling the need to let me know I am a  "Vaza" which just means foreigner. Elder Freestone on the other hand is a pretty big Japanese guy, so the whole day I heard the word "Buddha" more times then I can count. He just laughs and tells the kids that he is going to eat them and they run away crying.

An update on the language: it is getting better. I have good days and bad days with it. Sometimes I can teach almost a whole simple lesson on my own. Other days I cant say a simple sentence to save my life. Those days I get a lot of blank faces and people saying, tsy mazava... which means not clear or I don't know what you are trying to say.

I love Madagascar and the people here!! It is so fun to go around talking to random, really interesting people everyday. This is probably one of the most exciting, awesome,  yet; uncomfortable, weird two years of my life.

I love and miss the lot of you.
Love,
Elder Allen

Pictures from the Famadiana (dancing with the dead)

Learning New Traditions in Madagascar

Hello,
Not a lot happened this week because I had to stay at home most of the days or come home early from headaches but even so there is still stuff to tell you because I am living in Madagascar.

On Saturday I went to a Famadihana which is a weird tradition here where they dig up their dead ancestors and dance with their bones above their heads. Then they wrap the body in cloth and rebury them. We were invited by a member who had a little baby son pass away five years ago and every five years they hold these Famadihanas. It was heartbreaking to see the mom cry as she saw her little babies body after five years in the ground but every one in Madagascar treats it like a celebration. I am eternally grateful that families are forever.

Most people drink for events and holidays so us being the only white guys caused many drunks to approach us and even try to pick pocket us but we were careful so it was all good. At the end of that day I saw a bunch of the drunk relatives get in a crazy fist fight and people just kept joining. That was fun to watch. Then we drove back in a taxi be which is a van bus thing. That was a good day.

General Conference is not until next Sunday for me. We get to watch it in English at the mission office so that is pretty cool.

I hope you guys are doing good back home. Thank you everyone who writes me, I am very grateful for the love.
Sincerely,
Elder Allen

I Love Madagascar and all its Weird Perks!

Hello,
This week has been the adjusting week, to the food, culture, everything. I am also starting to do things on my own like buy stuff from the store in Malagasy and get to know someone. The language is coming slowly, but at least it is coming, thankfully.  We teach about six to seven lessons a day and I am still not able to add much but a couple of statements here and there. So my comp has had to teach on his own most of the time. I am able to add more and more of my thoughts everyday though so that is good.

The people and families we teach are so awesome. I wish I had pictures of their homes because they are so interesting. The other day we were invited into teach this family and on the way to their room or house I guess there were giant pigs. The path was like a skinny wood hallway with a short roof so we had to go right through these pigs. I thought they were going to eat me along with the slop on the floor that they were inhaling as we stepped over them.  I have seen some of the weirdest things here that are so normal now. Like cows just walking down the street in the middle of traffic.



I am starting to get used to the breast feeding thing. I have never been weirded out by breast feeding before but here you can have a mother just start doing it right in front of you as you teach her and her family, which is fine. The weird part is the kid is usually like six or seven.  We always walk on the sketchiest wood paths that could break at any moment and you could fall into a swamp that is full of who knows what.

I love this experience!!  I love Madagascar and all its weird perks! I love the gospel and being here sharing it with these people has made me love it even more, because i have seen it bless lives and bring so much happiness. There are so many questions that people have including me about life and after life. And if you just read the Bible and the Book of Mormon you can find the answers. I am so thankful that God continues to talk to us and give us guidance. I am thankful for a prophet that has the authority to receive revelation from God. I know that because God loves us he gives us things and ways to know how to make it back to him and be happy in this life and in eternity. The way you can know this is true by seeking and trying. If you act and do your part to find truth then God will do his part and make it known unto you. But if you do not do anything God will not do your part for you. We need to act. Read, ponder about it, then pray and ask God if it is true. He does not want us to be lost.
Thanks for listening,
I hope life back home is going good.
Sincerely,
Elder Allen