We had 5 baptisms this last Saturday...

It's Pac! Easter here in Madagascar is ridiculous. Parties all day and all night. All the cybers and stores are closed because everybody is out pumping their fists, drinking taoka (alcohol) and yelling at the top of their lungs. I've seen a lot of drunk grandmas that want to fight anything they see, and I'm inadvertently learning a lot of swear words when passing by.

• First Baptism: This was an amazing experience. Some Elders said they built up their first baptism in their mind too much, and when it actually happened, it was a letdown. It was awesome for me because I didn't expect to get the chance to baptize anyone until later. However, these people became ready to be baptized really quick. They have been extremely mazoto. We had 5 baptisms this last Saturday, a family of 4 and the missionary girl N. Elder Hammer baptized N, the mother and the son, but the father and the daughter asked me to baptize them. I was so nervous before the baptism because I was worried I would mess up their names. The father's name was easy (Rakotomahefa H.), but the daughter's was (Rakotomahefakotondrasoa H.), way long. In the end, it all went great. This family is already founded upon Christ, and they love the Gospel. Their other son, Ismael, will be baptized in April.

• Confirmation: The Stake President of North Tana came to confirm 3 of our investigators. His name is President Pascal. I need to tell you his story sometime!

• Splits: An Elder named Elder Andriantinarisoa came to my area on Wednesday, and I think it was one of the most fun and Spirit-filled days I've had out here. He's a native Malagasy, but he's freak good at English. He served half his mission in London, England. Him and I spent the whole day laughing, learning each others' languages and teaching with unity (hopefully). He's a great Elder, and I hope I can be companions with him sometime. I emailed President Foote to ask him if that could happen someday. President Foote seems to like granting the wishes of the missionaries. He calls himself the "super round and spiritual version Sugar Plum Fairy."

• Glass-Filled Nutella: Someone used my Nutella while I was out of the house. When I came back, it was in a tupperware container. Confused, I spread some of the Nutella on toast, not thinking much of it, but then I took a bite. When I started chewing, I realized there were about a dozen pieces of glass in my mouth. Luckily, no blood was drawn, and I didn't bite down on any glass directly, but I lost a 250g of Nutella. I couldn't imagine a more sunken down feeling. Elder Knight dropped my Nutella that morning, and the containers in Madagascar are usually glass. So, glass sprayed everywhere. He tried to salvage most of it, but there was glass all throughout the Nutella. It was lost...

• Sacrament: I love taking the Sacrament here in Madagascar. All the Malagasies love Christ and are incredibly reverent during the Sacrament. Everyone bows their heads, and they talk about Jesus Christ in the most reverent way.

Whoa, I just ran out of time. Sorry, I didn't do very well managing my time on email today, heh! I'll try to write about the weird experiences I had this week in the next letter! It was a great week! The language is going well! I finally had a few lessons that felt concise and clearish. The Spirit really works!

Love you all!

Elder Soper